,,iii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #ib ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #b1 #bjbc,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,risch1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 and ,mr4 ,kaine7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,expressing concern that illegal1 unregulated1 and unreported fishing threatens security1 prosperity1 and biodiversity in ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean and facilitates human trafficking1 including forced labor1 and other inhumane and criminal practices in the region4 ,whereas illegal1 unreported1 and unregulated fishing 7referred to in this preamble as ,,iuu fishing71 which are defined in paragraphs #c4a1 #c4b1 and #c4c of the #bjja ,food and ,agriculture ,organization ,international ,plan of ,action to ,prevent1 ,deter1 and ,eliminate ,illegal1 ,unreported1 and ,unregulated ,fishing1 includes fishing activities that-- 7#a7 are in violation of applicable national1 regional1 or international laws1 regulations1 or obligations2 7#b7 are not reported or misreported to relevant authorities2 and 7#c7 occur in areas or for fishing stocks for which there are no applicable conservation or management measures2 ,whereas in #bjbj1 the ,united ,states ,coast ,guard declared that ,,iuu fishing has replaced piracy as the leading global maritime security threat2 ,whereas the ,united ,nations ,office on ,drugs and ,crime has expressed serious concerns about the fishing industry's vulnerability to several forms of transnational organized crime1 including trafficking in persons1 money laundering1 and smuggling of drugs and weapons1 which are often linked to ,,iuu fishing2 ,whereas1 according to the ,international ,labor ,organization's #bjbb ,global ,estimates of ,modern ,slavery1 approximately #abh1jjj fishers are subjected to forced labor aboard fishing vessels around the world in conditions characterized by extreme isolation1 hazardous working and living conditions1 and gaps in regulatory oversight1 and ,,iuu fishing is closely linked to these and other forms of human trafficking2 ,whereas ,,iuu fishing threatens biodiversity and marine ecosystems1 increases the risk of food insecurity1 and creates unfair competition in the marketplace for lawful seafood industries2 ,whereas approximately #fjj1jjj1jjj people worldwide are partially dependent on fisheries and aquaculture for their lives and livelihoods1 and the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration reports that ,,iuu fishing deprives law-abiding fishermen and coastal communities of up to #bc1jjj1jjj1jjj in seafood products annually2 ,whereas1 according to the ,united ,states ,government's ,global ,food ,security ,strategy1 the percentage of stocks fished at biologically unsustainable levels increased from #aj percent in #aigd to #cd4b percent in #bjag1 with ,,iuu fishing being a key factor affecting the sustainability of fisheries2 ,whereas1 according to a #bjag report by the ,food and ,agriculture ,organization of the ,united ,nations-- 7#a7 ,,iuu fishing off of ,south ,america's ,southeast ,pacific coast and ,southwest ,atlantic ,oceans contributes to the second highest proportions of biologically unsustainable fishing stock levels in the world2 and 7#b7 transformative changes are needed to address growing threats to sustainable fisheries and food security globally2 ,whereas large-scale operations of distant-water fishing fleets1 particularly such fleets that are provided with billions of dollars in subsidies annually by the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 are primarily responsible for ,,iuu fishing along the ,pacific ,coast of ,south ,america and the ,southwest ,atlantic ,ocean1 while small-scale artisanal fleets are primarily responsible for ,,iuu fishing in the ,caribbean1 ,mexico1 and ,central ,america2 ,whereas ,chinese industrial fishing in the ,south ,pacific coast of ,south ,america increased #ac-;fold between #bjji and #bjbj1 contributing to a significant rise in ,,iuu fishing in that region2 ,whereas1 between ,july and ,august #bjbj1 #cej ,chinese distant-water fishing vessels disabled required tracking systems and engaged in #gc1jjj hours of fishing off the exclusive economic zone of the ,galapagos archipelago1 which is a ,united ,nations ,world ,heritage ,site2 ,whereas1 in ,november #bjbj1 the ,governments of ,ecuador1 of ,chile1 of ,colombia1 and of ,peru-- 7#a7 jointly condemned ,,iuu fishing perpetrated by large fleets of foreign vessels2 and 7#b7 pledged to increase cooperation through regulatory bodies1 such as the ,permanent ,commission for the ,south ,pacific2 ,whereas the ,united ,states1 ,canada1 and #ab countries in ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean are parties to the ,agreement on ,port ,state ,measures to ,prevent1 ,deter1 and ,eliminate ,illegal1 ,unreported and ,unregulated ,fishing1 ,agreement1 done at ,rome ,november #bb1 #bjji 7commonly known as the ,port ,state ,measures ,agreement71 which was facilitated by the ,united ,nations ,food and ,agriculture ,organization and entered into force in ,june #bjaf1 setting standards for the reporting and inspection of fishing activities of foreign-flagged vessels at port2 ,whereas governments in ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean often lack the capacity to effectively monitor and prosecute ,,iuu fishing1 with many countries in the region investing less than #aj percent of their fisheries budgets on monitoring and surveillance2 ,whereas regional fisheries management organizations1 such as the ,south ,pacific ,regional ,fisheries ,management ,organization and the ,caribbean ,regional ,fisheries ,mechanism1 establish conservation and management standards1 but face difficulties in enforcing such standards and executing coordinated action to counter ,,iuu fishing2 ,whereas ,uruguay is seeking to advance the creation of a regional fisheries management organization with ,brazil and ,argentina to combat ,,iuu fishing in the ,southwest ,atlantic ,ocean1 which is the only sea area in the world without a fisheries management government structure2 ,whereas the ,united ,states-,mexico-,canada ,agreement1 which was approved by ,congress under section #aja7;a77#a7 of the ,united ,states-,mexico-,canada ,agreement ,implementation ,act 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #deaa7;a77-- 7#a7 prohibits subsidies for vessels or operators involved in ,,iuu fishing2 7#b7 requires customs inspections for shipments at ports of entry2 7#c7 prohibits the importation of goods made by forced labor2 and 7#d7 requires efforts to seek the elimination of forced labor2 ,whereas similar provisions related to ,,iuu fishing have not been enshrined in other free trade agreements in ,north ,america2 ,whereas1 at the #abth ,ministerial ,conference of the ,world ,trade ,organization in ,june #bjbb1 member states reached a multilateral agreement to prohibit certain harmful subsidies for fishing activities that threaten the sustainable use and conservation of marine resources1 including subsidies to vessels engaged in ,,iuu fishing2 ,whereas1 the ,maritime ,,safe ,act 7subtitle ,c of title ,,xxxv of ,public ,law #aaf-ib7 established an interagency working group to develop a #e-year strategic plan to counter ,,iuu fishing1 which was released in ,october #bjbb1 and has identified-- 7#a7 ,chile1 ,colombia1 ,costa ,rica1 ,el ,salvador1 ,ecuador1 ,guatemala1 ,honduras1 ,mexico1 ,panama1 and ,peru as ,tier ,i priority regions at risk for ,,iuu fishing2 and 7#b7 the rest of ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean as ,tier ,,ii priority regions at risk for ,,iuu fishing2 and ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government has undertaken several initiatives to counter ,,iuu fishing in ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean1 including-- 7#a7 conducting joint cooperation exercises in ,january #bjba involving the ,united ,states ,southern ,command1 the ,united ,states ,coast ,guard1 and partners in ,brazil1 ,guyana1 ,portugal1 and ,uruguay2 7#b7 certifying countries based on their actions to curb the flow of ,,iuu fishing through the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 including issuing a negative certification in ,august #bjba for ,mexico and a positive certification for ,ecuador2 7#c7 issuing ,national ,security ,memorandum #aa on ,june #bg1 #bjbb1 which directs ,federal executive departments and agencies to coordinate with each other1 foreign governments1 multilateral organizations1 and other public and private stakeholders to combat labor abuses and other crimes associated with ,,iuu fishing2 7#d7 carrying out the first ,united ,states ,coast ,guard ,,iuu fishing patrol under the auspices of the ,south ,pacific ,regional ,fisheries ,management ,organization1 in ,august #bjbb off the exclusive economic zone of the ,galpagos archipelago1 during which the ,coast ,guard conducted high seas boardings and inspections of vessels suspected of engaging in ,,iuu fishing2 7#e7 issuing sanctions on ,december #i1 #bjbb1 against entities based in the ,people's ,republic of ,china that are implicated in global activities related to ,,iuu fishing1 including activities in ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean2 and 7#f7 proposing that ,chinese flagged vessels suspected of engaging in ,,iuu fishing that refuse to allow on sea boarding and inspection be included in the ,south ,pacific ,regional ,fisheries ,management organization's ,,iuu vessel list3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 underscores the urgency of combating ,,iuu fishing and its associated crimes1 including human trafficking1 and protecting oceanic biodiversity1 the livelihoods of coastal communities1 regional licit economies1 human rights1 and hemispheric security from the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 other extra-regional actors1 and transnational criminal organizations engaged in ,,iuu fishing in ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean2 7#b7 calls on the ,united ,states ,government and governments in ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean to incorporate concerns regarding human trafficking and violations of labor rights1 when determining whether activities qualify as ,,iuu fishing2 7#c7 encourages greater coordination among the ,governments of ,latin ,america and of the ,caribbean to facilitate information sharing and law enforcement responses to ,,iuu fishing1 including by acceding to the ,port ,state ,measures ,agreement1 strengthening existing regional fisheries management organizations1 and creating a regional fisheries management organization for the ,southwest ,atlantic ,ocean2 7#d7 encourages the ,office of the ,united ,states ,trade ,representative1 in coordination with the ,department of ,state1 to consider the implementation of ,,iuu fishing provisions within current and future free trade agreements with countries of ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean to enhance accountability over such activities2 and 7#e7 calls on the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development and the heads of other relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 to counter ,,iuu fishing by-- 7,a7 undertaking public education initiatives in ,latin ,america and the ,caribbean to elevate awareness of the harms caused by ,,iuu fishing and its associated crimes2 7,b7 assisting with the monitoring and dissemination of information regarding the activities of ,chinese and other distant-water fishing fleets1 and using multilateral fora1 including regional fisheries management organizations1 to address such concerns2 7,c7 limiting the importation and consumption of fish and seafood caught by ,,iuu actors1 and use the ,united ,states role and influence in global markets to drive change in global seafood supply chains2 7,d7 using sanctions and visa restriction authorities to hold accountable entities that are credibly suspected of engaging in ,,iuu fishing1 including-- 7i7 distant water fishing fleets from the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 7ii7 other extra-regional actors2 and 7iii7 transnational criminal organizations2 and 7,e7 utilizing available resources to support and assist the ,office of the ,united ,states ,trade ,representative in reaching a final multilateral agreement under the ,world ,trade ,organization that-- 7i7 addresses the use of forced labor on ,,iuu fishing vessels2 7ii7 strengthens relevant reporting requirements2 and 7iii7 addresses harmful subsidies that contribute to fishing fleet overcapacity4