South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act of 2025

This act updates U.S. rules for tuna fishing in the South Pacific to match changes to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty made with Pacific Island nations in 2016. It focuses on U.S. purse‑seine vessels and the waters managed by those island countries, clarifying where boats can fish, what terms they must follow, and how licenses, enforcement, and data are handled .

Key points

• Who is affected: U.S. commercial purse‑seine tuna boats, federal agencies, and Pacific Island treaty partners.
• Where fishing is allowed: Updates the “Licensing Area” to mean waters under a Pacific Island country’s jurisdiction, except internal waters, territorial seas, archipelagic waters, and any closed areas set by that country.
• What changes:
  • Defines a “fishing vessel” as one used for commercial purse‑seine tuna fishing, and adds “regional terms and conditions” that boats must follow under their licenses.
  • Adds new prohibited acts, including violating regional terms and conditions or limits on fishing effort or catch; also removes certain old exceptions.
  • Updates the license process: the government forwards complete applications but can refuse if the owner is in bankruptcy without assurances, lacks proper insurance, or owes final penalties. Licensed U.S. vessels may fish in the Licensing Area, on the high seas, and in certain U.S. western Pacific waters, but may not intentionally encircle dolphins or other marine mammals with purse‑seine nets.
  • Strengthens enforcement tools, including orders for vessels to leave a country’s waters if they won’t submit to that country’s legal process.
  • Protects sensitive information (like observer data and industry reports) from public release, with limited sharing for court orders, enforcement, and Coast Guard security needs.
  • Updates gear‑stowage rules for closed areas, removes an older “observers” section, and allows technical help and training for Pacific Island partners.