Alaska is our nation’s seafood powerhouse. With nine of our country’s top 20 fishing ports by volume, we understand the vital role our seafood industry has played, how important it is now, and how central it will become. Protecting and enhancing Alaska’s fisheries is a top priority.
That’s why we passed bipartisan legislation to help protect and enhance our fishing industry. H.R. 477, the Illegal, Unregulated and Underreported Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015, increases U.S. enforcement capabilities to combat illegal fishing off Alaska’s coast and around the world.
At issue is how IUU fishing, or “pirate” fishing, hurts our economy, fishing communities, healthy seafood stocks, and sustainable oceans.
Our country’s fishermen have long been subject to sustainable management-based rules to ensure the long-term vitality of our species; pirate fishermen are not.
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