Commerce Committee Unanimously Passes Sullivan-Whitehouse FISH Act to Combat Illegal Foreign Seafood Harvest

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) thanked their colleagues on the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee for unanimously passing theirFighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Actyesterday. TheFISH Actwould combat foreign illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by blacklisting offending vessels from U.S. ports and waters, bolstering the U.S. Coast Guard’s enforcement capabilities and partnerships, and advancing international and bilateral negotiations to achieve enforceable agreements and treaties. The legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

“The geopolitics of the North Pacific and the Arctic are changing dramatically, with Russia and China increasing their aggression and ruinous activities near Alaska’s waters,”said Sen. Sullivan. “One particularly insidious threat is Chinese and Russian fishing fleets that ignore basic seafood harvest rules and best practices, and ravage fish stocks without regard for any other users or future generations. These grey fleets, which literally utilize slave labor in many cases, are a cancer on fisheries throughout the world and undercut our fishermen, who fish sustainably. I want to thank my Commerce Committee colleagues for unanimously passing our FISH Act and fighting back against IUU fishing on behalf of our fishermen and coastal communities.”
“I thank Senator Sullivan, my longtime partner on oceans issues, for his leadership in shepherding the bipartisan FISH Act through the Commerce Committee. Our bill cracks down on illegal pirate fishing operations to level the playing field for Rhode Island fishermen and processors who play by the rules, and will help nurture the fisheries that keep our oceans and coastal communities so healthy and vibrant,”said Sen. Whitehouse, co-founder of the Senate Oceans Caucus.
TheFISH Actbuilds on prior landmark legislation against IUU fishing, including theMaritime SAFE Act, authored by Senators Wicker and Chris Coons (D-Del.) and signed into law in December 2019 as part of theNational Defense Authorization Act.
Key provisions of theFISH Act:
On April 17, President Trump signed an executive order, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” directing the Secretary of Commerce, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and Interagency Seafood Trade Task Force to assess seafood competitiveness issues and collectively develop a comprehensive seafood trade strategy. Among these strategies, the USTR will examine the relevant trade practices of major seafood-producing nations, including IUU fishing and the use of forced labor in the seafood supply chain.
Senators Sullivan and Whitehouse have worked together extensively on ocean sustainability issues, most notably on theSave Our Seas 2.0 Act, the most comprehensive legislation ever to address the global marine debris crisis, which became law in 2020.
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