NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service today announced that it is seeking comments by Tuesday, Sept. 6 on its proposed rule to implement provisions of the Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act of 2015 and the Ensuring Access to Pacific Fisheries Act, and to amend the definition of IUU fishing in the regulations that implement the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act.
The proposed rule among other things would revise the regulatory penalty provisions under the Pacific Salmon Treaty Act and the Dolphin Protection Consumer Information Act, amend the definition of IUU fishing and the procedures for identifying and certifying nations under the Moratorium Protection Act, reduce the period of validity for vessel permits issued under the High Seas Fishing Compliance Act, and expand the information required to be submitted by foreign fishing vessels requesting entry into U.S. ports as required by the Port State Measures Agreement.
Asst. Admin. for NOAA Fisheries, Acting Asst. Sec. of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and Deputy NOAA Admin. Janet Coit said that NOAA is “committed to strengthening the suite of tools we use to combat all forms of IUU fishing and counter the use of forced labor in the seafood supply chain.”
