Protecting U.S. Fishers from Illegal Foreign Flags Act of 2026

Jeff Merkley

Democrat · OR · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Roger F. Wicker (R-MS)Original· 2026-06-09
• Dan Sullivan (R-AK)· 2026-06-18

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

2026-06-09

Source: Congress.gov

The bill would allow the U.S. Commerce Secretary to identify countries that use "open registry" ships (vessels registered in countries other than where they're owned) as nations involved in illegal fishing, giving the government more tools to crack down on fishing practices that violate international rules. This affects fishing companies and countries that operate large ocean-going fleets, as they could face trade penalties or other consequences if identified as supporting illegal fishing. The change targets a loophole where ships can hide their true ownership and avoid responsibility for breaking fishing laws.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4720 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4720 To amend the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to consider nations with open registries in the Secretary's identification of nations engaging in or endorsing illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 9, 2026 Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Wicker) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to consider nations with open registries in the Secretary's identification of nations engaging in or endorsing illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting U.S. Fishers from Illegal Foreign Flags Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE HIGH SEAS DRIFTNET FISHING MORATORIUM PROTECTION ACT. Section 609 of the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1826j) is amended-- (1) in subsection (a)(2), by adding at the end the following: ``(E) Any nation that allows vessels to be operated under the laws of the nation without confirming a genuine link (as described in Article 5(1) of the United Nations Convention on the High Seas, done at Geneva on April 29, 1958 and entered into force September 30, 1962) between the nation and the persons or entities with beneficial ownership and control of the vessel, and that, as a result, fails to effectively exercise flag state responsibilities as described in subparagraphs (A) through (C).''; and (2) in subsection (e), by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following: ``(2) Secretary to amend term within legislative guidelines.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Protecting U.S. Fishers from Illegal Foreign Flags Act of 2026, the Secretary shall amend the definition of the term `illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing' published at part 300.201 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of such Act), to be consistent with section 3532(6) of the Maritime SAFE Act (16 U.S.C. 8001(6)).''. <all>

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