Bill > S688

This bill, known as the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025 or the FISH Act of 2025, aims to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing globally by establishing a public "IUU vessel list" of foreign vessels, fleets, and their beneficial owners (those with substantial control or at least 50% ownership) engaged in IUU fishing or related activities, including those linked to forced labor. The bill defines key terms like "fish," "seafood," and "forced labor" (referencing existing law) and outlines that vessels on this list will be prohibited from accessing U.S. ports and services, traveling through U.S. territorial waters except for innocent passage, and delivering or receiving supplies within U.S. jurisdiction. Furthermore, U.S. vessels are prohibited from servicing listed foreign vessels, and the import of seafood caught or processed by these vessels is banned, with potential seizure and forfeiture of the cargo unless an importer can prove they had no knowledge of the IUU fishing. The bill also encourages international cooperation, promotes strategies to prevent IUU seafood from entering U.S. commerce, and authorizes funding for programs that provide technical assistance to nations for sustainable fisheries management and combating IUU fishing and forced labor. It also mandates studies on the impact of new technologies on IUU fishing and the influence of Russian and Chinese fishing industries.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/688/all-info