The House passed legislation on Monday aimed at cracking down on illegal fishing by foreign ships in U.S. waters.
Sponsored by House Foreign Affairs ranking member Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), the “Stop Illegal Fishing Act,” H.R. 6338, would direct federal officials to sanction individuals who engage in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Those sanctions would include freezing an individual or a company’s assets in the United States and blocking their travel to and presence in the country. The bill passed by voice vote.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) said during floor debate that China uses “so-called commercial fishing fleets as an instrument of state power.” Mast said the bill would give officials “additional tools” to combat the problem.
