Sec. 1404. Report on the ecological and economic effects of high seas fishing in the ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction
477 words·~2 min read·
/bill/117/hr/3764/ih/section-1404·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies under which the National Academies shall— study the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing a global moratorium on high seas commercial fishing; evaluate the ecological, social, and economic effects of a global moratorium on high seas commercial fishing, including establishment of ecological baselines required to also estimate changes in biodiversity; estimate the scope and volume of illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing occurring on the high seas fishing; evaluate the percentage of United States seafood imports originating from high Seas fishing, from both legally reported and illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing; and evaluate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with high seas fishing and high seas fishing fleets.
The study and evaluation conducted pursuant to the agreement entered into under subsection
(a)shall address— the feasibility of implementing a global moratorium on high seas commercial fishing, including— legal authorities that exist under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other implementation instruments to implement a moratorium on high seas commercial fishing; the nations and vessels likely to refuse or otherwise fail to comply with such a moratorium, including estimates of catch levels by those nations and vessels relative to overall international catch; and available enforcement mechanisms and surveillance technology that could be used to enforce such a moratorium; and the range of effects that would be expected to result from a moratorium on high seas commercial fishing, including— identification of fish stocks that would be affected, changes in exploitation of those stocks, and net effect on the biomass of those stocks; ecosystem effects on non-target species, including marketable and non-marketable bycatch, forage species, corals, other invertebrates, marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles; changes in global carbon emissions from reduced fishing vessel transits and from increased fish carbon capture and improved high seas ecosystem functioning; amounts of subsidies that support high seas commercial fishing by the top 12 nations that currently conduct high seas fishing by volume; effects on global fisheries revenues and profits overall and the effects on fisheries revenues, profits, and jobs for developing nations; effects on sustainable seafood availability for United States consumers; effects on revenues and profits for domestic fishermen seafood businesses; effects on the scope and volume of illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing occurring on the high seas; and potential spillover effects on other fisheries from imposing a moratorium. The agreement entered into under subsection
(a)shall require the National Academies to submit to the Secretary of Commerce, not later than two years after entering into the agreement, a report that describes the results of the study and evaluation conducted pursuant to the agreement. The Administrator shall publish the report received under paragraph
(1)on a public website.