From NOAA:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a proposed rule to enhance and strengthen its abilities to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities and counter forced labor in the seafood supply chain.
As a global leader in combating IUU fishing, NOAA employs a suite of tools to deter these activities where they may occur along the global seafood supply chain, including abroad, on the high seas, and at U.S. ports.
The proposed rule would strengthen NOAA’s ability to address IUU fishing activities when implementing the U.S. Moratorium Protection Act – a key engagement tool NOAA uses to identify, consult with, and certify nations and entities whose fishing vessels are engaged in IUU fishing, bycatch of protected living marine resources, or shark catch on the high seas. The agency will be seeking public comment on the proposed rule once it’s published.
Specifically, the rule proposes to broaden the scope of activities that NOAA can consider when identifying nations for IUU fishing to include:
- Fishing in waters under the jurisdiction of a nation, without the permission of that nation, or in violation of its laws and regulations; and
- Fishing activities in waters beyond any national jurisdiction that involve the use of forced labor.
The rule also proposes to expand the set of information foreign fishing vessels must submit when requesting entry into U.S. ports when implementing the Port State Measures Agreement – a key enforcement tool which enables nations to assess the risk that an incoming vessel may be engaged in illegal fishing activities, and decide whether to let it enter to unload catch or receive port services.
NOAA is committed to enhancing and strengthening the suite of tools it uses to combat IUU fishing and the use of forced labor in the seafood supply chain, and working with other agencies and nations in addressing these problems.
You can read more about this proposed rule on our website.