Sponsors (3)
The bill strengthens protections and enforcement for albatrosses, petrels, and related marine ecosystems—improving conservation, coordination, and science—but does so by increasing regulatory reach, compliance costs, federal spending, and potential restrictions on fisheries, maritime activities, and some civil‑liberties/operational flexibilities.
Coastal communities, indigenous groups, and seabird populations: receive clearer legal definitions, habitat protections, and targeted restoration that strengthen conservation and reduce albatross/petrel declines.
Federal, State, and enforcement agencies: gain clearer authorities, named statutory tools, coordinated rulemaking, and established penalty regimes to enforce protections more consistently.
Fisheries managers and vessel operators: obtain better bycatch‑reduction data, mitigation tools, training, and international cooperation that can reduce seabird bycatch and improve sustainable fishing practices.
Commercial fishers, vessel operators, and small maritime businesses: will face new permit, reporting, inspection, bycatch‑minimization, area/time‑limit, and penalty requirements that increase compliance costs and constrain operations.
Recreational users, researchers, boaters, and some businesses: may see common activities curtailed or criminalized by broad 'take'/'disturbance' definitions and expanded enforcement, raising access and civil‑liberties concerns.
U.S. taxpayers and federal agencies: could incur higher costs from land acquisition, habitat restoration, reimbursable enforcement agreements (e.g., Coast Guard/state assets), international support, and added administrative burdens.
Based on analysis of 16 sections of legislative text.
Implements the Cape Town Agreement by protecting listed albatrosses and petrels, prohibiting most take, and authorizing conservation, permits, enforcement, and international cooperation.
Introduced May 5, 2025 by Jared Huffman · Last progress May 5, 2025
Creates a U.S. framework to implement the Cape Town Agreement for the conservation of albatrosses and petrels by protecting listed species, prohibiting most takes, and authorizing domestic conservation, habitat restoration, research, permitting, enforcement, and international cooperation. It assigns roles to the Departments of the Interior and Commerce, sets up permitting and exceptions (including for certain military, Coast Guard, and emergency actions), and requires agency coordination and reporting. Establishes enforcement authorities and penalties, allows delegated enforcement to Federal and State officers, amends related marine protection law language, and sets the Act to take effect 180 days after enactment.