Senator Sullivan urges action on FISH Act to counter illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing

Senator Dan Sullivan told the Commerce Committee that the FISH Act (S.688) aims to crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by identifying offending vessels and increasing costs for violators, steps he said would help U.S. fisheries and global sustainability.

"Globally, IUU fishing makes up approximately 20% of global seafood harvested, resulting in economic losses estimated between $10 billion and $23 billion to fisheries that fish legally each year," Sullivan said. He argued that IUU fishing has contributed to lower commercial salmon harvests for Alaska and that foreign fleets—particularly Chinese distant‑water fleets and some Russian operations—pose growing problems in the North Pacific and Arctic.

Sullivan described enforcement measures in the bill, including blacklisting IUU vessels, increasing costs for vessel owners and importers associated with IUU catches, and supporting expanded U.S. Coast Guard enforcement on the high seas to work with partners. He said the measure builds on prior committee work such as the maritime SAFE Act and other ocean-protection bills.

Sullivan emphasized human-rights concerns tied to certain foreign fleets, saying they "use slave labor" and describing some fleets as "a cancer on global fishing." He thanked colleagues for bipartisan support and said he looked forward to floor consideration following the committee’s action. The FISH Act was included in the en bloc package the committee ordered to be reported favorably.