A new bill combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing has passed the U.S. legislature and now awaits signature by President Barack Obama to become law.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the bill, HR 774, described as the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015, on July 27 of this year. This week, the bill passed the U.S. Senate.
“Currently, the world looks to the United States for leadership on how to manage fisheries,” said Senator Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, one of the bill’s supporters. “With this bill, we can assume a similar leadership role on the international problem of pirate fishing by taking strong action to prosecute wrongdoers. Hopefully other nations will follow our example to put an end to illegal fishing practices once and for all.”
The bill allows the United States to participate in the Port State Measures Agreement, an international agreement to bar any fishing or cargo vessels determined to be involved in IUU fishing or carrying IUU seafood from entering U.S. ports.
International fisheries officials and activists estimate that IUU fishing accounts for millions of metric tons of seafood caught and sold illegally every year, adding up to billions of U.S. dollars in lost revenue and potential depleting of sensitive fish stocks worldwide. Pew Charitable Trusts, a longtime opponent of IUU fishing, praised the vote to advance the U.S. bill toward law.
“Pew has worked with world leaders for more than a decade to see the Port State Measures Agreement come into force to stop illegal fishing,” said Tony Long, director of Pew’s campaign to end illegal fishing. “While more countries need to ratify the agreement, securing the participation of the United States is a major milestone in this global enforcement endeavor.”
