US President Barack Obama has signed the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act. The bi-partisan act promotes the sustainable management of eastern Pacific fisheries, tackles seafood fraud and prevents illegally harvested fish from entering the US.
The US will now join a global effort to ratify and implement the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), which will prevent vessels carrying fish caught illegally from entering US ports and keep illegal product out of US markets.
The US now joins 13 other nations that have already ratified the PSMA, which will be legally binding once a total of 25 countries have ratified it.
Most of the measures outlined in the PSMA have been implemented domestically, and this formal ratification provides them with additional leverage to encourage ratification and adoption of these measures by other countries so that it will apply to ports around the world.
"Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing undermines both the economic and environmental sustainability of our nation's fisheries," NOAA administrator, Kathryn Sullivan said. "Combatting IUU fishing and seafood fraud is critical to sustaining the resilience of our global ocean fisheries, to levelling the playing field for the US fishing and seafood industries, and to protecting the US' reputation as a leader in sustainable seafood. Passage of this bill is a step in the right direction, and will help the US advance its ongoing efforts to achieve sustainable fisheries."
"We lose billions of dollars globally each year to IUU fishing, which is often associated with other illegal activities such as human trafficking," said Catherine Novelli, Under-Secretary of state for economic growth, energy, and the environment. "We will work with partner nations around the world to ensure that 25 countries ratify the PSMA and allow it to enter into force. We are more than halfway there, and the US is committed to getting this finalised as soon as possible. Together, we can stop illegal fish from entering ports around the world and ensure a healthy and bountiful ocean for future generations."
In addition, the measure will allow the United States to ratify the Antigua Convention and fully participate in the work of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, which manages tunas and other highly migratory species in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The task force has also recommended strengthening domestic enforcement authorities to address illegal fish and fish products that have already entered the US supply chain. Currently, US fisheries law focuses on at-sea or dockside enforcement of domestic fishing operations and does not provide the tools needed to address imported seafood and fishing violations. However, there are still crucial gaps that prevent agencies from monitoring all of the seafood supply chain and fully protecting law-abiding US fishermen and consumers.