Stop Illegal Fishing Act
Key claim: The Stop Illegal Fishing Act (HR6338) requires the President to impose property-blocking sanctions and visa denials on foreign vessels and persons engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, with civil and criminal penalties for violations.
Abstract
(HR6338 · 119th Congress) Stop Illegal Fishing Act This bill requires the President to impose sanctions on foreign vessels and persons engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing). The bill directs the President to block and prohibit all transactions involving property (including interests in property) of a covered foreign vessel or person if such property comes within the United States or within the possession or control of a U.S. person. The President must also deny or revoke any visa or other entry documentation issued to or sought by a covered foreign person. Civil and criminal penalties apply to violations, including attempts or conspiracies to violate the sanctions. A covered foreign vessel is any vessel that is registered or operated under the authority of a foreign country and engages in IUU fishing. Covered foreign persons are individuals or entities that are not U.S. persons and knowingly (1) own any vessel that engages in IUU fishing, (2) work as a captain or senior crew member on any vessel that engages in IUU fishing, (3) operate as an entity primarily engaged in IUU fishing, or (4) serve as an officer or senior manager in an entity primarily engaged in IUU fishing. The President may waive the application of these sanctions after notifying Congress that the waiver is important to U.S. national security interests. Other exceptions apply, such as to provide life-saving assistance to a covered vessel. The bill directs the President to periodically report to Congress on efforts to carry out these provisions. Latest action (2026-06-09): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Why this matters
HR6338 would layer OFAC-style sanctions (asset blocking, visa denials, civil/criminal penalties) onto the existing IUU fishing enforcement toolkit, giving Treasury and State direct leverage over foreign vessel owners and crews alongside NOAA/CBP import controls. For seafood importers this raises due-diligence exposure on vessel provenance, while foreign fleets face compounded market and financial access risk. It marks a shift from trade-based (import denial) to finance-based (sanctions) enforcement in the fisheries space.