NOAA has withdrawn a proposed rule intended to further crack down on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The rule, first proposed in 2016, was intended to strengthen regulations that protect against IUU fishing by amending or bolstering other rules already in force, such as the Agreement on Port State Measures – a U.N. treaty intended to help port states cooperate in the fight against IUU fishing.
The rule would have also changed the legal definition of IUU in regulations concerning the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act and strengthened the fisheries enforcement mechanisms in a number of existing laws related to U.S. regulation of international fisheries.
Oceana Campaign Director Max Valentine criticized news of the proposed rule’s withdrawal, emphasizing the economic consequences of IUU activity.
“Taking action on IUU fishing helps to level the playing field for U.S. fishers and seafood businesses. The International Trade Commission estimated that in 2019 alone, the U.S. imported more than USD 2.4 billion [EUR 2.3 billion] worth of IUU seafood,” he said in an Oceana release.
Though the proposed rule fell through, the U.S. has some measures in place to combat IUU fishing.
The nation established the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) in 2016, which requires catch decumentaion and traceability for certain types of seafood that are more likely to be subject to IUU fishing, but some feel that the law does not go far enough toward requiring catch and traceability documentation from fishers.
SIMP currently applies to 13 types of imported seafood, though NOAA announced plans in November 2024 to expand the program to all imports.
Other U.S. programs, such as the Maritime SAFE Act, the National Security Memorandum to Combat IUU Fishing and Associtated Labor Abuse, and the recently released United States Trade Representative (USRR) Trade Strategy to Combat Forced Labor, also address IUU fishing.
However, advocates believe there is more to be done.
"The [withdrawn] rule would have ensured that the United States could take strong action against other countries engaged in IUU fishing and that ignore human rights abuses in their fleets,” Valentine said. “Oceana encourages President Trump and his administration to put this rule back on the table to help ensure that all seafood sold in the U.S. is safe, legally caught, and honestly labeled.”
NOAA entered the withdrawal into the Federal Register on 16 January 2025 but has not publicly addressed the decision.