Washington, D.C. \u2013 Ahead of the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing on June 5, 2026, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) announced a new bipartisan bill to target a loophole that illegal fishers exploit to gain an unfair advantage over folks adhering to responsible fisheries management in the United States and worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
El Protecting U.S. Fishers from Illegal Foreign Flags Act<\/em> would hold bad actors accountable for swapping out their vessel\u2019s flag\u2014known as a flag of convenience\u2014when a vessel is registered in a country different from the owner\u2019s home country. Flags of convenience, which are often issued by countries with weak oversight practices, can allow foreign vessels to avoid environmental and labor standards in international waters, while enabling illegal fishers to flood the market with low-cost, difficult-to-trace seafood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe United States is the world\u2019s largest seafood-importing country, and we have both the purchasing power and the responsibility to tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,\u201d<\/strong> dijo Merkley. \u201cFlags of convenience enable IUU fishing by allowing vessels to dodge oversight, further exposing American consumers to illegally caught seafood and driving down prices for sustainable domestic products. Our bipartisan bill is a win-win\u2014protecting U.S. fishers that play by the rules while also promoting sustainable fisheries management across the globe.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cIllegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing puts the United States seafood industry at a competitive disadvantage. Our maritime laws are built to protect fishermen and improve environmental and labor standards, but many bad actors use the flag of convenience to exploit gaps in those laws. Closing this loophole benefits fishermen, consumers, and the fishing industry,\u201d<\/strong> dijo Mimbre.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n el bipartidista Protecting U.S. Fishers from Illegal Foreign Flags Act<\/em> is endorsed by the Oregon Trawl Commission, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Southern Shrimp Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe United States has some of the most responsibly managed fisheries in the world, and Oregon\u2019s commercial seafood industry is proud to help supply healthy, sustainable seafood to American consumers,\u201d<\/strong> said Yelena Nowak, Executive Director of the Oregon Trawl Commission. \u201cThis bill is an important step toward ensuring that seafood tied to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing does not benefit from access to the U.S. market, while helping level the playing field for U.S. fishermen and processors. The Oregon Trawl Commission commends Senator Merkley and Senator Wicker for their leadership in advancing bipartisan legislation to strengthen accountability for IUU fishing and the countries that enable it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cOceana applauds this bipartisan bill that addresses flags of convenience that create cover for some of the worst abuses on our oceans, allowing vessels engaged in illegal fishing and labor exploitation to evade scrutiny and accountability,\u201d<\/strong> said Maisie Pigeon, Oceana\u2019s Senior Director of Global Transparency. \u201cIf we want to promote sustainable fisheries, protect habitat and wildlife, and keep illegally caught seafood out of the U.S. market, we need to hold flag states accountable and this bill would do just that. Congress should pass this commonsense bill to hold foreign countries accountable for actions at sea and help level the playing field for U.S. fishers and seafood producers that follow the rules.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
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