H.R. 9507: Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2026

This bill would create and expand U.S. efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing around the world, including fishing tied to forced labor.

What the bill would do

• Defines key terms related to illegal fishing and related conduct.
• Creates or directs a public list of IUU vessels and related information through coordination among U.S. agencies.
• Imposes visa sanctions on certain vessel owners or operators connected to IUU fishing.
• Encourages cooperation with foreign governments to improve enforcement against illegal fishing.
• Supports data-sharing and capacity-building so other countries can better detect and stop illegal fishing activities.
• Requires studies and reports on the scale and impact of IUU fishing and forced labor, including how effective current responses are.

Study on illegal fishing and forced labor

The bill would direct the National Academies to study the links between IUU fishing and forced labor. The study would look at:

• How common these practices are;
• The economic costs to the U.S. and globally;
• How effective current anti-IUU and anti-forced-labor measures are;
• What responses may work better.

A report to Congress would be due within 24 months.

Funding

The bill would authorize $10 million per year through 2031 for the broader anti-IUU fishing program, and $2 million for the National Academies study.

Relevant Companies

None found