Amata-Cosponsored Bill to Suppress Illegal Fishing Advances

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata is welcoming advancement of a bill she cosponsors, the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests (FISH) Act, H.R. 3756, which cracks down on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by strengthening inspections and penalties for vessels participating in the banned activity, especially the creation of an IUU vessel list.

"This bill addresses some key aspects of the fight against illegal fishing, and U.S. imports of illegally caught competitors' fish," said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. "Legislation like this can work in tandem with bolstered U.S. Coast Guard presence to reduce IUU fishing and protect U.S. food sourcing and commerce."

In 2019, IUU fishing was estimated to be involved in 11 percent of all U.S. fish imports, or 13 percent of imports caught at sea, known as marine capture, for a total of $2.4 billion in seafood in just one year, in this report by the U.S. International Trade Commission. The NOAA website notes, "The inherent nature of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing makes it difficult to accurately quantify the full global economic impacts resulting from these activities."

The bipartisan bill was one of eight advanced by the House Committee on Natural Resources (HNR). The FISH Act clarifies key definitions for enforcement; states U.S. policy; establishes an IUU vessel list and procedures for placing an offending vessel on that list; specifies other enforcement provisions, sanctions, penalties and exceptions; amends the Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing; optimizes data collecting, sharing and analysis; takes steps to prevent importation from countries with forced labor; encourages investment and technical assistance for the U.S. fisheries sector, and provides for reports to Congress.

HNR Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said, "House Committee on Natural Resources members are dedicated to enacting commonsense policies to support rural communities across America. Today's markup advanced legislation that will allow for more resource development, implement land exchanges for critical water infrastructure and the consolidation of culturally significant land, combat illegal fishing activities and strengthen historic battlefield conservation. I look forward to working with the sponsors to advance these bills through the House."

H.R. 3756 is sponsored by Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-TX; with Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-RI; Rep. Nicholas Begich, R-Alaska; Rep. Aumua Amata, American Samoa; Rep. Nancy Mace, R-SC; and Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-VA. The House bill has companion legislation in the U.S. Senate, introduced by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.

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