S.Amdt. 2909

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Schatz, aims to add a new section to bill S. 2296. Its purpose is to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Pacific Islands region.

The amendment establishes the Sense of Congress that IUU fishing threatens the ocean ecosystem, depletes fish stocks, and is linked to illegal activities like human trafficking, smuggling, and food fraud. It specifically notes that the Government of the People's Republic of China has used its licensed fishing fleet to increase influence in the region while contributing to IUU fishing. It also highlights that current monitoring methods are imperfect because vessels can turn off monitoring systems and human observers are subject to corruption or error.

To address these issues, the amendment adds a requirement for a report to be submitted to Congress within 180 days of the Act's enactment. The Secretary of Defense, working with the Secretary of State, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, and the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, must provide an assessment on using advanced maritime domain awareness technology systems to fight IUU fishing.

The report must include:

• A review of current monitoring technology effectiveness.
• Recommendations for integrating technology into a region-wide enforcement strategy.
• Assessments of data processing security and verification.
• Evaluations of the technical and financial capacity of Pacific Islands countries and regional organizations to maintain these systems.
• An evaluation of using United States foreign, security, and development assistance to support these systems.
• An assessment of how these systems support United States national security, economic interests, and efforts to counter malign foreign influence.