Rep. Crenshaw Introduces FISH Act to Blacklist Foreign Ships and Ban Illegal Seafood Imports
The FISH Act of 2025 is currently in the House committee stage. On April 20, 2026, the committee agreed to report the bill with changes. It must now move through the remaining committees before it can be considered by the full House.
The bill has support from both parties but must pass through five different House committees, which is a very difficult path for any new law.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Foreign persons tied to illegal fishing or forced labor on fishing vessels could have their U.S. visas revoked and be permanently barred from entering the country. This applies to vessel operators, fleet owners, and officials of entities engaged in IUU fishing, as well as those who financially support such operations.
“A foreign person described in subsection (a) is-- (i) inadmissible to the United States; (ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other documentation to enter the United States; and (iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted or paroled into the United States”
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Unanimous Consent.
The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Discharged
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
During a subcommittee hearing, senators highlighted the FISH Act of 2025 as a tool to crack down on IUU fishing and forced labor. The bill aims to restore consumer confidence by keeping illegally harvested seafood out of the U.S. market and raising costs for bad actors.
The Senate voted to attach the FISH Act to the annual military spending legislation. The bill requires the U.S. government to establish a blacklist of vessels involved in IUU activities and bans them from U.S. waters, while also mandating reports on Russian and Chinese fishing impacts.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
FISH Act of 2025
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