S4720Referred to Committee

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.

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-06-09
Introduced
1
Cosponsors
S
Type

Sponsor

Jeff Merkley
Jeff Merkley
Democrat · OR · Senator
Votes with party: 65.3% (323 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/M001176

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (1)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

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

2026-06-09

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Plain-English Summary

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.

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