[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 20 (Thursday, February 5, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    A BILL TO STRENGTHEN ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS TO STOP IUU FISHING

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 5, 2015

  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, today I reintroduce legislation to 
strengthen enforcement mechanisms to stop illegal, unreported, and 
unregulated (IUU) fishing, which threatens the economic and social 
infrastructure of fishing communities and industry. Moreover, IUU 
fishing is a matter of national security for the United States and our 
allies across the globe, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
  The United States has become a world leader in sustainable management 
of marine fisheries, in great part due to the Magnuson-Stevens Act. In 
other parts of the world, however, poor fisheries management is more 
common, and stocks are overharvested--the direct result of IUU fishing.
  IUU fishing is not only a matter of economic security and food 
sustainability. It is also a matter of national and regional security 
for the U.S. and our allies. IUU fishing is closely associated with 
various trafficking activities that are highly likely to operate from 
the same foreign vessels that engage in IUU fishing activities. IUU 
fishing has become a significant issue that has caused conflicts 
between countries and threatens regional stability such as that in the 
Asia-Pacific region.
  Countries like Australia, Palau and now even Papua New Guinea have 
led the way in combating IUU fishing, and we must take immediate and 
forceful action as well. The bipartisan bill I am introducing today, 
the Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Enforcement Act of 
2015, along with my colleague from Alaska, Mr. Young, would provide the 
Coast Guard and NOAA with much-needed tools to fight illegal fishing. 
It would also implement the Agreement on Port State Measures to 
Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate IUU fishing, a treaty ratified by the 
Senate last year that would set international standards for denying 
port entry and services to vessels that have engaged in illegal 
fishing.
  This bill is the product of extensive negotiations between Democratic 
and Republican staff in the last Congress, and is supported by a broad 
coalition that includes the U.S. State Department, fishing industry 
interests, and conservation groups. The bill I introduce today is 
identical to language that passed the House Committee on Natural 
Resources by unanimous consent on September 18, 2014. I thank Mr. Young 
and his staff for working with us on this legislation, and I look 
forward to bill becoming law and enhancing our ability to address the 
harmful effects of IUU fishing.