Bills
| 3.23.22

Should the U.S. Implement Treaties to Stop Illegal Fishing and Conserve Fisheries? (S. 1334)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is S. 1334?

(Updated March 15, 2018)

This bill would implement laws from eight existing international fishery agreements aimed at combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing operations.


It would impose the sanctions of the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act and apply civil penalties, criminal offenses, and civil forfeitures against persons violating new enforcement provisions. $450,000 in appropriations would be authorized in each fiscal year between 2016 and 2020 to implement enforcement provisions of this bill.

The newly implemented agreements include:

The Secretary of Commerce would be directed to participate in and provide assistance to international efforts addressing IUU fishing activities, bycatch concerns, fisheries monitoring, and other efforts to achieve sustainable fisheries. Additional enforcement authority related to illegally harvested or imported fish products would be provided by this legislation -- in addition to provisions for information sharing with international fishing agreement partners.

This bill would require the Secretary to notify the President and any nation whose vessel has been identified engaging in IUU fishing activities or practices within the past three years, and would be authorized to take actions against nations that fail to address or regulate the illegal activity.

It would also implement the Port State Measures Agreement, which seeks to prevent illegally caught fish from entering the world ports and global seafood market. Vessels would be required to provide information specified in the Port State Measures Agreement to the Secretary of Commerce prior to entering port.

Based on the information supplied, the Secretary could allow or deny port entry, and can deny entry if it is listed as an IUU vessel, if there is reasonable suspicion that it has engaged in IUU activities in violation of this act. Notice of the denial would be sent to the vessel’s flag nation, international organizations, and relevant coastal nations. If a suspected IUU vessel has already entered port, it would be denied the ability to use the port for processing and packing of fish, refueling, resupplying, maintenance or repairs.

The Secretary and the Coast Guard would be required to conduct vessel inspections, and authorized officers could make arrests; board, search, or inspect vessels; seize gear; execute and serve subpoenas; and perform other activities if there is probable cause that violations of this act have occurred.

Argument in favor

Illegal fishing jeopardizes the sustainable future of our planet’s fisheries by depleting local fish stocks and destroying sensitive marine habitat. Also, it hurts the U.S. fishing industry economically which damages coastal communities.

Argument opposed

Even if the U.S. decides to fully implement this legislation and enforce these international agreements, there’s no guarantee other nations or individual vessels will cooperate.

Impact

The U.S. fisheries industry, fishing vessels conducting IUU activities, the Coast Guard, the Department of Commerce, the Secretary of Commerce.

Cost of S. 1334

A CBO cost estimate for this particular legislation is unavailable. However, the CBO has analyzed this bill’s nearly identical House companion, and determined that the House bill would cost about $2 million over the 2016-2020 period. It also projects that increases in spending and penalties would cost less than $500,000 each year, and would offset each other in most years.

Additional Info

In-Depth: The lead sponsor of this legislation, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) called her bill a “critical next step toward implementing the IUU treaties the Senate ratified last Congress.” She added that:

“IUU fishing has very real impacts -- harming fish stocks, the ability of our fishermen to sell their catch and make a living, and consumers who may unknowingly purchase illegally caught fish. Stopping this illegal activity is vital to protecting Alaska’s fisheries, and the fishing industry across the country.”

This bill was passed unanimously by the Senate Commerce Committee.


Of Note: According to NOAA, illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing results in global economic losses between $10 billion and $23 billion each year, and produces between 11 and 26 million tons of illegal seafood -- representing as much as 40 percent of the total catch in some fisheries.


Media:

Summary by Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Flickr user Coast Guard News)