The Obama administration on Monday introduced legislation in Congress that would prevent vessels engaging in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing from entering U.S. ports to offload their catch.
Called the Pirate Fishing Elimination Act, the bill is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and co-sponsored by Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Olympia Snowe of Maine, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia.
U.S. law already prohibits foreign-flagged fishing vessels from landing their catch at most U.S. ports. But this bill would extend the ban to transport and other support vessels that may be carrying illegally caught seafood transferred to them at sea.
It comes about a month after President Obama submitted to the Senate a treaty — called the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing — to combat illegal fishing activities worldwide, which deprives law-abiding fishermen up to USD 23.5 billion in revenue a year. The treaty will take effect once 25 countries ratify it. Three countries —¬ Norway, Sri Lanka and Burma, along with the European Union — have already ratified it, and 19 additional countries, including the United States, plan on ratifying it.
“Illegal fishing undermines fishermen in the U.S. and worldwide who fish sustainably and legally, and it can devastate fish stocks and ocean ecosystems,” said Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “As one of the top importers of seafood globally, the U.S. is committed to combating illegal fishing and ensuring a level playing field for our fishermen. The international agreement and this bill will close the world’s ports to illegal fishing.”
In September, In September, NOAA and the EU signed a “historic” agreement to work together to combat IUU fishing.
And last October, a rule was adopted allowing NOAA to deny a vessel entry into a U.S. port or access to port services if it has been listed as engaging in IUU fishing.
