Sponsors (10)
The bill strengthens U.S. tools, data, and international cooperation to reduce illegal fishing and forced labor—bolstering fisheries sustainability and supply‑chain integrity—but does so at the cost of higher enforcement and diplomatic risks, greater compliance burdens for seafood businesses, and increased federal spending.
Coastal communities, commercial fishers, and fisheries-dependent small businesses will face less illegal fishing and stronger protection for local fish stocks, supporting more sustainable catches and livelihoods.
Consumers, importers, and workers in seafood supply chains will benefit from reduced risk of forced-labor–tainted seafood and stronger tools to disrupt labor abuses, improving human-rights outcomes and market integrity.
Federal agencies and the Coast Guard will gain enhanced enforcement capacity and coordinated authorities (e.g., vessel listings, visa restrictions, boarding/reporting mandates), improving detection and response to high-seas IUU fishing and linked abuses.
U.S. taxpayers may face higher federal spending and redirected resources to support expanded capacity building, enforcement programs, studies, and ongoing listing/reporting requirements.
Small seafood businesses, importers, and processors are likely to face increased compliance, traceability, and administrative costs that could raise prices, constrain margins, or create paperwork burdens.
Measures that identify, list, board, or restrict foreign vessels and owners (including visa bans) risk provoking diplomatic friction and trade disputes with flagged states and trading partners.
Based on analysis of 30 sections of legislative text.
Introduced February 24, 2025 by Daniel Scott Sullivan · Last progress March 24, 2026
Creates a U.S. strategy and new tools to detect and deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and fishing involving forced labor. It directs new studies, builds an official U.S. IUU vessel list with public disclosure and rulemaking, authorizes specific funding for list administration and a NOAA/National Academies study, expands interagency duties, and imposes visa/entry restrictions on foreign owners of listed vessels. Also requires increased Coast Guard observation and boarding of suspected IUU vessels, expands international engagement and capacity-building to help partner countries manage fisheries, extends Sea Grant authorization years, and directs an interagency report to improve data sharing, risk targeting, and enforcement coordination while trying to avoid unintended impacts on lawful seafood trade.