Sponsors (5)
The bill strengthens tools, sanctions, and international cooperation to curb illegal fishing and protect U.S. fisheries and marine resources, at the cost of broader jurisdictional reach, increased compliance and enforcement costs, potential trade disruptions, and heightened diplomatic tensions.
Coastal and fishing communities, small seafood businesses, and U.S. fishers will face less unfair competition and greater protection of local fish stocks because the bill strengthens international action, enforcement, and accountability against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Marine ecosystems and shared fish stocks will benefit from improved detection and response—through deployment of maritime enforcement technology and increased multilateral cooperation—supporting sustainable fisheries and ocean health.
U.S. ability to hold complicit foreign actors accountable (through sanctions, visa restrictions, and targeted measures) and preserve humanitarian exceptions will increase accountability for illegal fishing and wildlife trafficking while protecting delivery of emergency food and medical aid.
U.S. importers, financial institutions, and supply-chain-dependent businesses could face disrupted trade, blocked transactions, higher compliance costs, and potential retaliation if sanctions, blocking property, or strong U.S. positions provoke countermeasures or complicate international trade.
Focusing assessments and actions on specific countries—particularly the People's Republic of China—could heighten diplomatic tensions and complicate broader cooperation on maritime, trade, and security issues.
Broad sanctioning criteria and expansive definitions (e.g., anyone who ever controlled a vessel or materially assisted illicit activity) risk over-inclusion, deterring legitimate maritime services and commerce and chilling lawful business relationships.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Introduced April 9, 2025 by Timothy Michael Kaine · Last progress April 9, 2025
Directs U.S. agencies to step up international cooperation to stop illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide, and creates an interagency sanctions pathway to target foreign persons and vessels involved in IUU fishing or unlawful trade in endangered species. It authorizes the use of blocking sanctions, visa/immigration restrictions, financial prohibitions, and other IEEPA tools, requires annual presidential reporting on sanctions, and mandates a multi-year State Department report assessing global IUU patterns (including assessments of the People’s Republic of China’s role) and strengthening maritime law enforcement agreements with allies and partners. Establishes definitions for covered terms, preserves humanitarian and authorized law-enforcement exceptions, permits regulation-setting by the State Department, and requires annual unclassified reports (with a possible classified annex) to Congress for several years. No new appropriations are specified in the text provided.