S1369-119

What This Bill Does

Directs U.S. diplomatic collaboration against illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing, authorizes sanctions against foreign persons and vessels involved in IUU fishing or endangered-species trafficking, and requires annual State Department reports on PRC-linked fishing patterns, maritime law-enforcement agreements, global forums, and U.S. engagement strategy.

Who Benefits and How

Allied maritime enforcement partners benefit because the United States must prioritize collaboration through international fora and partner-country engagement, including cutting-edge technology under maritime law-enforcement agreements. Coastal fishing communities benefit if sanctions and diplomacy reduce IUU fishing that damages fish stocks and legal fishing markets. Endangered species conservation programs benefit because sanctions can reach sale, supply, purchase, transfer, and transportation of endangered species outside conservation efforts. Congressional foreign-affairs and banking committees benefit from annual sanctions and IUU fishing reports.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Foreign vessel operators and foreign persons involved in IUU fishing face blocking sanctions, visa ineligibility, visa revocation, foreign-exchange restrictions, loss of U.S. financial credit, and possible port-access denial in the introduced version. PRC-linked IUU fishing fleets face particular scrutiny in collaboration and reporting provisions. Treasury sanctions staff, State Department staff, Commerce staff, Interior staff, Defense staff, and Homeland Security staff must coordinate recommendations, regulations, reports, and classified annexes. U.S. financial institutions may be barred from making loans or credits to sanctioned foreign persons.

Key Provisions

• Establishes U.S. policy to collaborate with allies, partners, and international institutions to counter IUU fishing.
• Directs U.S. voice, vote, and influence to deploy technology under maritime law-enforcement agreements and hold IUU fishing actors accountable.
• Authorizes sanctions for foreign persons or vessels responsible for IUU fishing, endangered-species trafficking, leadership roles, vessel ownership, or material support.
• Provides sanctions including property blocking, visa restrictions, foreign-exchange restrictions, loan and credit prohibitions, and introduced-version port-access denial.
• Provides exceptions for intelligence, law enforcement, headquarters-agreement obligations, vessel safety provisions, humanitarian assistance, and non-IUU food transactions.
• Requires annual reports for four years on PRC IUU fishing patterns, partner law-enforcement agreements, global forum efficacy, and U.S. engagement strategy.