Martin Heinrich

02/10/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/10/2026 14:36

Heinrich, Kaine, Cassidy, Curtis Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Combat Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated Fishing by Foreign Countries

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Curtis (R-Utah.) introduced the Protecting Global Fisheries Act, bipartisan legislation to combat illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing. Predatory IUU fishing, particularly by China, disrupts international trade, undermines maritime security, marine biodiversity, and food security. It often involves forced labor, human trafficking, unsafe working conditions, and other human rights abuses. IUU fishing directly harms the United States - a major harvester, importer, and consumer of seafood - by creating unfair competition for fishermen who abide by international fishing laws.

IUU fishing includes a range of activities that violate national and international fishing laws, including fishing without a license, fishing for endangered species, not reporting catches or making false reports, using prohibited fishing gear, or conducting unauthorized transfers of fish to cargo vessels.

IUU fishing in the Western Hemisphere costs nearly $2.7 billion in lost revenue annually. Illegally caught fish makes up more than 20 percent of all catches in Latin America. The increasing presence of illegal Chinese government-backed fishing vessels has significantly contributed to the rise in IUU fishing around the world.

Specifically, the bipartisan Protecting Global Fisheries Act will:

  • Authorize the President to impose visa, asset, financial sanctions on foreign persons or foreign vessels found responsible or complicit in IUU fishing including the sale, supply, purchase, or transfer of endangered species;

  • Require the U.S. Departments of State and Defense to regularly provide briefings to Congress on efforts strategies to combat IUU fishing; and

  • Assert that the United States will prioritize countering IUU fishing in collaboration with friendly countries via international forums.

The text of the bill is here.

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Martin Heinrich published this content on February 10, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on February 10, 2026 at 20:36 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]