FIGHTING FOREIGN ILLEGAL SEAFOOD HARVESTS ACT OF 2025

FIGHTING FOREIGN ILLEGAL SEAFOOD HARVESTS ACT OF 2025

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 53 (Sunday, March 22, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 53 (Sunday, March 22, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S1496-S1503] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] FIGHTING FOREIGN ILLEGAL SEAFOOD HARVESTS ACT OF 2025 Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 313, S. 688. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the bill by title. The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 688) to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing at its sources globally. There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, which had been reported from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation with an amendment, as follows: (The part of the bill intended to be inserted is printed in italic.) S. 688 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025'' or the ``FISH Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: (1) Administrator.--Unless otherwise provided, the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the designee of the Administrator. (2) Beneficial owner.--The term ``beneficial owner'' means, with respect to a vessel, a person that, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship, or otherwise-- (A) exercises substantial control over the vessel; or (B) owns not less than 50 percent of the ownership interests in the vessel. (3) Fish.--The term ``fish'' means finfish, crustaceans, and mollusks. (4) Forced labor.--The term ``forced labor'' has the meaning given that term in section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1307). (5) IUU fishing.--The term ``IUU fishing'' means activities described as illegal fishing, unreported fishing, or unregulated fishing in paragraph 3 of the International Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, adopted at the 24th Session of the Committee on Fisheries in Rome on March 2, 2001. (6) Regional fisheries management organization.--The terms ``regional fisheries management organization'' and ``RFMO'' have the meaning given the terms in section 303 of the Port State Measures Agreement Act of 2015 (16 U.S.C. 7402). (7) Seafood.--The term ``seafood'' means fish, shellfish, processed fish, fish meal, shellfish products, and all other forms of marine animal and plant life other than marine mammals and birds. (8) Secretary.--Unless otherwise provided, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the designee of the Administrator. SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. It is the policy of the United States to partner, consult, and coordinate with foreign governments (at the national and subnational levels), civil society, international organizations, international financial institutions, subnational coastal communities, commercial and recreational fishing industry leaders, communities that engage in artisanal or subsistence fishing, fishers, and the private sector, in a concerted effort-- (1) to continue the broad effort across the Federal Government to counter IUU fishing, including any potential links to forced labor, human trafficking, and other threats to maritime security, as outlined in sections 3533 and 3534 of the Maritime SAFE Act (16 U.S.C. 8002 and 8003); and (2) to, additionally-- (A) prioritize efforts to prevent IUU fishing at its sources; and (B) support continued implementation of the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries agreement, as well as joint research and follow-on actions that ensure sustainability of fish stocks in Arctic international waters. SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF A BLACK LIST (IUU VESSEL LIST). Section 608 of the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1826i) is amended by striking subsections (c) and (d) and inserting the following: ``(c) Black List (IUU Vessel List).-- ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of State, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Secretary of Labor, shall develop, maintain, and make public a list of foreign vessels, foreign fleets, and beneficial [[Page S1497]] owners of foreign vessels or foreign fleets engaged in IUU fishing or fishing-related activities in support of IUU fishing (referred to in this section as the `IUU vessel list'). ``(2) Inclusion on list.--The IUU vessel list shall include any foreign vessel, foreign fleet, or beneficial owner of a foreign vessel or foreign fleet for which the Secretary determines there is clear and convincing evidence to believe that a foreign vessel is any of the following (even if the Secretary has only partial information regarding the foreign vessel): ``(A) A foreign vessel listed on an IUU vessel list of an international fishery management organization. ``(B) A foreign vessel taking part in fishing that undermines the effectiveness of an international fishery management organization's conservation and management measures, including a foreign vessel-- ``(i) exceeding applicable international fishery management organization catch limits; or ``(ii) that is operating inconsistent with relevant catch allocation arrangements of the international fishery management organization, even if operating under the authority of a foreign country that is not a member of the international fishery management organization. ``(C) A foreign vessel, either on the high seas or in the exclusive economic zone of another country, identified and reported by United States authorities to an international fishery management organization to be conducting IUU fishing when the United States has reason to believe the foreign country to which the foreign vessel is registered or documented is not addressing the allegation. ``(D) A foreign vessel, foreign fleet, or beneficial owner of a foreign vessel or foreign fleet on the high seas identified by United States authorities to be conducting IUU fishing or fishing that involves the use of forced labor, including individuals and entities subject to a withhold release order or a finding issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection pursuant to section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1307) or any other U.S. Customs and Border Protection enforcement action, sanctions imposed by the Department of the Treasury under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.), or any other United States Government forced labor prevention or enforcement action that has not been subsequently revoked. ``(E) A foreign vessel that provides services (excluding emergency or enforcement services) to a foreign vessel that is on the IUU vessel list, including transshipment, resupply, refueling, or pilotage. ``(F) A foreign vessel that is a fishing vessel engaged in commercial fishing within the exclusive economic zone of the United States without a permit issued under title II of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1821 et seq.). ``(G) A foreign vessel that has the same beneficial owner as a foreign vessel on the IUU vessel list at the time of the infraction. ``(H) A foreign vessel or beneficial owner of a foreign vessel subject to economic sanctions administered by the Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control for transnational criminal activity associated with IUU fishing under Executive Order 13581 (76 Fed. Reg. 44757, 84 Fed. Reg. 10255; relating to blocking property of transnational criminal organizations), or any other applicable economic sanctions program, including sanctions imposed by the Department of the Treasury under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.). ``(3) Nominations to be put on the black (iuu vessel) list.--The Secretary may receive nominations for putting a foreign vessel on the IUU vessel list from-- ``(A) the head of an executive branch agency that is a member of the Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing established under section 3551 of the Maritime SAFE Act (16 U.S.C. 8031); ``(B) a country that is a member of the Combined Maritime Forces; or ``(C) civil organizations that have data-sharing agreements with a member of the Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing. ``(4) Procedures for addition.--The Secretary may put a foreign vessel on the IUU vessel list only after notification to the foreign vessel's beneficial owner and a review of any information that the owner provides within 90 days of the notification. ``(5) Public information.--The Secretary shall publish its procedures for adding foreign vessels on, and removing foreign vessels from, the IUU vessel list. The Secretary shall publish the IUU vessel list itself in the Federal Register annually and on a website, which shall be updated any time a foreign vessel is added to the IUU vessel list, and include the following information (as much as is available and confirmed) for each foreign vessel on the IUU vessel list: ``(A) The name of the foreign vessel and previous names of the foreign vessel. ``(B) The International Maritime Organization (IMO) number of the foreign vessel, or other Unique Vessel Identifier (such as the flag state permit number or authorized vessel number issued by an international fishery management organization). ``(C) The maritime mobile service identity number and call sign of the foreign vessel. ``(D) The business or corporate address of each beneficial owner of the foreign vessel. ``(E) The country where the foreign vessel is registered or documented, and where it was previously registered if known. ``(F) The date of inclusion on the IUU vessel list of the 

Referenced legislation: S688, S688