126 STAT. 1422 PUBLIC LAW 112–183—OCT. 5, 2012 

Public Law 112–183 

112th Congress 

An Act 

To prohibit the sale of billfish. 

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 ‘‘Billfish Conservation Act of 

2012’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

Congress finds the following: 

(1) The United States carefully regulates its domestic fisheries for billfish and participates in international fishery 

management bodies in the Atlantic and Pacific. 

(2) Global billfish populations have declined significantly, 

however, because of overfishing primarily through retention 

of bycatch by non-United States commercial fishing fleets. 

(3) Ending the importation of foreign-caught billfish for 

sale in the United States aligns with U.S. management measures of billfish and protects the significant economic benefits 

to the U.S. economy of recreational fishing and marine commerce and the traditional cultural fisheries. 

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY. 

The Congress enacts this Act pursuant to clause 3 of section 

8 of article I of the Constitution. 

SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON SALE OF BILLFISH. 

(a) PROHIBITION.—No person shall offer for sale, sell, or have 

custody, control, or possession of for purposes of offering for sale 

or selling billfish or products containing billfish. 

(b) PENALTY.—For purposes of section 308(a) of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 

1858(a)), a violation of this section shall be treated as an act 

prohibited by section 307 of that Act (16 U.S.C. 1857). 

(c) EXEMPTIONS FOR TRADITIONAL FISHERIES AND MARKETS.— 

(1) Subsection (a) does not apply to billfish caught by 

US fishing vessels and landed in the State of Hawaii or Pacific 

Insular Areas as defined in section 3(35) of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 

1802(35)). 

(2) Subsection (a) does not apply to billfish landed by 

foreign fishing vessels in the Pacific Insular Areas when the 

foreign caught billfish is exported to non-US markets or 

Hawaii. 

16 USC 1827a. 

16 USC 1827a 

note. 

Billfish 

Conservation 

Act of 2012. 

16 USC 1801 

note. 

Oct. 5, 2012 

[H.R. 2706] 


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PUBLIC LAW 112–183—OCT. 5, 2012 126 STAT. 1423 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 2706: 

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 112–656 (Comm. on Natural Resources). 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 158 (2012): 

Sept. 10, considered and passed House. 

Sept. 21, considered and passed Senate. 

Æ 

retained within Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Areas for local 

consumption. 

(d) BILLFISH DEFINED.—In this section the term ‘‘billfish’’— 

(1) means any fish of the species— 

(A) Makaira nigricans (blue marlin); 

(B) Kajikia audax (striped marlin); 

(C) Istiompax indica (black marlin); 

(D) Istiophorus platypterus (sailfish); 

(E) Tetrapturus angustirostris (shortbill spearfish); 

(F) Kajikia albida (white marlin); 

(G) Tetrapturus georgii (roundscale spearfish); 

(H) Tetrapturus belone (Mediterranean spearfish); and 

(I) Tetrapturus pfluegeri (longbill spearfish); and 

(2) does not include the species Xiphias gladius (swordfish). 

Approved October 5, 2012. 


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