President Obama has signed the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act, marking another critical step in the Administration’s efforts to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud.
The bi-partisan legislation, signed by the President yesterday, includes a number of provisions preventing illegally harvested fish from entering the United States, and supports efforts to achieve sustainable fisheries around the world. The U.S. 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 U.S. ports and keep illegal product out of U.S. markets.
Implementation of the agreement was the first recommendation of the IUU Action Plan, released in March by the President’s Task Force on Combatting IUU and Seafood Fraud, an interagency group co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State.
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