A BILL introduced by Guam Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing was recently passed by the full House Natural Resources Committee by unanimous consent.
H.R. 4100 seeks “to strengthen enforcement mechanisms to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, to amend the Tuna Conventions Act of 1950 to implement the Antigua Convention, and for other purposes.”
With the passage of the bill through committee, Bordallo issued the following statement: “I am pleased that H.R. 4100 has moved out of the Natural Resources Committee. This bill would strengthen federal efforts to identify and penalize illegal foreign fishermen, and would provide our Coast Guard with the tools to better enforce regulations throughout the sector.”
Bordallo also stated that “illegal fishing undermines fishery management and threatens economic opportunities for fishing communities on Guam and throughout the world.”
Bordallo said she looks forward “to working with her colleagues on both sides of the aisle toward passage of the bill.”
The enactment of the bill would “strengthen the enforcement authority of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard to regulate illegal fishing.”
