Two US lawmakers get introduced a invoice that may maybe presumably presumably discontinue unlawful, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood offer chain.
The “Unlawful Fishing and Compelled Labor Prevention Act” became introduced this week by US Representatives Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Garret Graves (R-LA).
In defending with an announcement issued by Huffman’s office, the invoice would hyperlink IUU fishing to compelled labor in the seafood offer chain and build seafood import monitoring extra efficient. It will maybe most likely presumably presumably furthermore build greater transparency and traceability from settle to plate, give a boost to enforcement against IUU fishing and compelled labor, give a boost to interagency cooperation, and build greater stress on diverse countries to care for IUU fishing and human rights abuses.
Huffman talked about:
“IUU fishing is an environmental and humanitarian disaster, and the U.S. will get to gathered be a worldwide chief in fixing it. Unlawful fishing operations injury ocean ecosystems and healthy fisheries, and are continuously the identical ones that rely on execrable, unlawful practices admire human trafficking and compelled labor. Our new legislation tackles IUU fishing to present protection to human lives, promote responsible fishing across the sphere, and stage the taking half in self-discipline for U.S. fishermen. Now not handiest will now we get got to guarantee an ethical seafood offer chain, nonetheless we furthermore have to discontinue IUU merchandise from coming into our markets and competing with other folks that apply the foundations and who lend a hand our home fishing industry sustainable.”
Oceana’s deputy vice president of U.S. campaigns, Beth Lowell, praised the legislation:
“Seafood will get to gathered now not come on the brand of human rights or healthy oceans. The usa has the replace to lead in the fight against unlawful, unreported, and unregulated fishing and human rights abuses by making fade that our market is closed to illegally sourced seafood. By expanding import requirements and vessel transparency, requiring corpulent chain traceability, and giving the U.S. extra instruments to fight IUU fishing, the Unlawful Fishing and Compelled Labor Prevention Act affords a promising pathway to fight unlawful fishing, which threatens the system forward for our oceans and other folks that rely on them. The Unlawful Fishing and Compelled Labor Prevention Act will build obvious U.S. greenbacks are now not supporting unlawful fishing and injustices going down at sea, whereas furthermore defending U.S. consumers from seafood fraud. Oceana applauds Rep. Huffman and Rep. Graves for their management to relief stage the taking half in self-discipline for U.S. fishermen, offer protection to employees at sea, and present extra transparency in the seafood sector. It’s time for the US to safe more challenging on unlawful fishing and build obvious all seafood is protected, legally caught, responsibly sourced, and truthfully labeled.”
Text of the invoice may maybe presumably presumably be found here, a one-page summary of the invoice may maybe presumably presumably be found here, and a section-by-section description of the invoice may maybe presumably presumably be found here.
(Image credit score: Oceana/Eduardo Sorensen)
