Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025
Senate Committee Advances FISH Act to Ban Illegal Foreign Fishing Vessels From U.S. Ports
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Congress is considering a bill to create a public "black list" of foreign ships and owners caught fishing illegally or using forced labor. Ships on this list would be banned from entering U.S. ports, and any seafood they catch would be blocked from being sold in the United States.
- The policy targets illegal fishing that hurts law-abiding American fishers by flooding the market with cheap, unfairly caught products. It also aims to stop human rights abuses, like human trafficking and forced labor, which the bill identifies as common problems on illegal fishing boats.
- The U.S. Treasury Department would gain the power to freeze the bank accounts and property of people or companies involved in illegal fishing. It could also cancel their U.S. visas, preventing them from traveling to the United States.
- The Coast Guard would be encouraged to board and inspect more suspicious ships on the high seas. The bill also sets aside $20 million a year through 2030 to help the government track these illegal activities and work with other countries to protect global fish stocks.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Foreign nationals connected to illegal fishing or forced labor operations could have their U.S. visas revoked and be barred from entering the country. This applies to leaders, officials, and beneficial owners of entities engaged in IUU fishing. While this targets a narrow group of bad actors, the consequences — immediate visa cancellation and inadmissibility — are severe for those affected.
State Impacts
Milestones
Held at the desk.
Received in the House.
The House has received the Senate-passed bill and will decide whether to take it up.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S1500-1503)
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
The Senate voted to approve this bill. If the House already passed it, it goes to the President.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articlesSenate Passes Sullivan-Whitehouse FISH Act to Combat Illegal Foreign Seafood Harvest
The U.S. Senate passed the FISH Act as part of the FY 2026 NDAA. The bill targets illegal fishing by blacklisting offending vessels from U.S. ports, bolstering Coast Guard enforcement, and addressing the use of forced labor in foreign 'gray fleets' from countries like Russia and China.
US House committee approves Stop Illegal Fishing Act
While the House committee approved the Stop Illegal Fishing Act, it noted the Senate's prior passage of the FISH Act. Both bills aim to grant the president power to impose sanctions, freeze assets, and revoke visas for individuals involved in illegal fishing and human rights abuses at sea.
US Senate committee advances Protecting Global Fisheries Act
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced legislation to crack down on IUU fishing. This follows the passage of the FISH Act in the Senate's defense bill, reflecting a broader push to use Treasury sanctions and port bans against foreign fleets, particularly those from China.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(9)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.