Title: Maritime SAFE Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Maritime Security and Fisheries Enforcement Act or the Maritime SAFE Act
This bill addresses illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing) and maritime security, including (1)	establishing an interagency working group on maritime security, IUU fishing, and seafood fraud; (2)	increasing the capacity of IUU fishing enforcement and customs and border security officers at ports; (3)	improving transparency and traceability in the seafood supply chain; (4)	promoting the use of technology to combat IUU fishing; and (5)	establishing a sub-working group to address IUU fishing within the exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3400 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3400

 To address the threat to national security from illegal, unreported, 
and unregulated fishing and associated illegal activity, to prevent the 
 illegal trade of seafood and seafood products, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            August 28, 2018

 Mr. Coons (for himself and Mr. Wicker) introduced the following bill; 
    which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To address the threat to national security from illegal, unreported, 
and unregulated fishing and associated illegal activity, to prevent the 
 illegal trade of seafood and seafood products, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLES; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Titles.--This Act may be cited as the ``Maritime Security 
and Fisheries Enforcement Act'' or the ``Maritime SAFE Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short titles; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Findings.
Sec. 4. Purposes.
Sec. 5. Statement of policy.
 TITLE I--PROGRAMS TO COMBAT IUU FISHING AND INCREASE MARITIME SECURITY

Sec. 101. Coordination with international organizations.
Sec. 102. Engagement of diplomatic missions of the United States.
Sec. 103. Assistance by Federal agencies to improve law enforcement 
                            within priority regions and priority flag 
                            states.
Sec. 104. Expansion of existing mechanisms to combat IUU fishing.
Sec. 105. Improvement of transparency and traceability programs.
Sec. 106. Technology programs.
Sec. 107. Information sharing.
TITLE II--ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON IUU FISHING AND 
                             SEAFOOD FRAUD

Sec. 201. Interagency working group on IUU fishing and seafood fraud.
Sec. 202. Strategic plan.
Sec. 203. Reports.
Sec. 204. Gulf of Mexico IUU fishing subworking group.
               TITLE III--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

Sec. 301. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) AIS.--The term ``AIS'' means Automatic Identification 
        System, as defined in section 164.46 of title 33, Code of 
        Federal Regulations, or a similar successor regulation.
            (2) Common enterprise solution.--The term ``common 
        enterprise solution'' means any system of software, hardware, 
        or both that is used to manage and share technology, 
        information, or capabilities throughout an organization or 
        among a group of organizations.
            (3) Exclusive economic zone.--
                    (A) In general.--Unless otherwise specified by the 
                President as being in the public interest in a writing 
                published in the Federal Register, the term ``exclusive 
                economic zone'' means--
                            (i) the area within a zone established by a 
                        maritime boundary that has been established by 
                        a treaty in force or a treaty that is being 
                        provisionally applied by the United States; or
                            (ii) in the absence of a treaty described 
                        in clause (i)--
                                    (I) a zone, the outer boundary of 
                                which is 200 nautical miles from the 
                                baseline from which the breadth of the 
                                territorial sea is measured; or
                                    (II) if the distance between the 
                                United States and another country is 
                                less than 400 nautical miles, a zone, 
                                the outer boundary of which is 
                                represented by a line equidistant 
                                between the United States and the other 
                                country.
                    (B) Inner boundary.--Without affecting any 
                Presidential Proclamation with regard to the 
                establishment of the United States territorial sea or 
                exclusive economic zone, the inner boundary of the 
                exclusive economic zone is--
                            (i) in the case of coastal States, a line 
                        coterminous with the seaward boundary of each 
                        such State, as described in section 4 of the 
                        Submerged Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1312);
                            (ii) in the case of the Commonwealth of 
                        Puerto Rico, a line that is 3 marine leagues 
                        from the coastline of the Commonwealth of 
                        Puerto Rico;
                            (iii) in the case of American Samoa, the 
                        United States Virgin Islands, and Guam, a line 
                        that is 3 geographic miles from the coastlines 
                        of American Samoa, the United States Virgin 
                        Islands, or Guam, respectively;
                            (iv) in the case of the Commonwealth of the 
                        Northern Mariana Islands--
                                    (I) the coastline of the 
                                Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                                Islands, until the Commonwealth of the 
                                Northern Mariana Islands is granted 
                                authority by the United States to 
                                regulate all fishing to a line seaward 
                                of its coastline; and
                                    (II) upon the United States grant 
                                of the authority described in subclause 
                                (I), the line established by such grant 
                                of authority; or
                            (v) for any possession of the United States 
                        not referred to in clause (ii), (iii), or (iv), 
                        the coastline of such possession.
                    (C) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this 
                paragraph may be construed to diminish the authority of 
                the Department of Defense, the Department of the 
                Interior, or any other Federal department or agency.
            (4) Food security.--The term ``food security'' means access 
        to, and availability, utilization, and stability of, sufficient 
        food to meet caloric and nutritional needs for an active and 
        healthy life.
            (5) Global record of fishing vessels, refrigerated 
        transport vessels, and supply vessels.--The term ``global 
        record of fishing vessels, refrigerated transport vessels, and 
        supply vessels'' means the Food and Agriculture Organization of 
        the United Nations' initiative to rapidly make available 
        certified data from state authorities about vessels and vessel 
        related activities.
            (6) IUU fishing.--The term ``IUU fishing''--
                    (A) means illegal fishing, unreported fishing, or 
                unregulated fishing (as such terms are defined in 
                paragraph 3 of the International Plan of Action to 
                Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and 
                Unregulated Fishing, adopted at the 24th Session of the 
                Committee on Fisheries in Rome on March 2, 2001); and
                    (B) includes fishing activities conducted in 
                contravention of applicable laws and regulations 
                related to labor conditions.
            (7) Port state measures agreement.--The term ``Port State 
        Measures Agreement'' means the Agreement on Port State Measures 
        to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and 
        Unregulated Fishing set forth by the Food and Agriculture 
        Organization of the United Nations, done at Rome, Italy 
        November 22, 2009, and entered into force June 5, 2016, which 
        offers standards for reporting and inspecting fishing 
        activities of foreign-flagged fishing vessels at port.
            (8) Priority flag state.--The term ``priority flag state'' 
        means a country selected in accordance with section 202(b)(3)--
                    (A) the flagged vessels of which actively engage 
                in, knowingly profit from, or are complicit in IUU 
                fishing; and
                    (B) that is willing, but lacks the capacity, to 
                monitor or take effective enforcement action against 
                its fleet.
            (9) Priority region.--The term ``priority region'' means a 
        region selected in accordance with section 202(b)(2)--
                    (A) that is at high risk for IUU fishing activity 
                or the entry of illegally caught seafood into the 
                markets of countries in the region; and
                    (B) in which countries lack the capacity to fully 
                address the illegal activity described in subparagraph 
                (A).
            (10) Regional fisheries management organization.--The term 
        ``Regional Fisheries Management Organization'' means an 
        intergovernmental fisheries organization or arrangement, as 
        appropriate, that has the competence to establish conservation 
        and management measures.
            (11) Seafood.--The term ``seafood''--
                    (A) means marine finfish, mollusks, crustaceans, 
                and all other forms of marine animal and plant life, 
                including those grown, produced, or reared through 
                marine aquaculture operations or techniques; and
                    (B) does not include marine mammals or birds.
            (12) Seafood fraud.--The term ``seafood fraud'' means the 
        knowing mislabeling or misrepresentation of information 
        regarding seafood or seafood products with the intent to 
        deceive or defraud.
            (13) Seafood import monitoring program; simp.--The terms 
        ``Seafood Import Monitoring Program'' and ``SIMP'' mean the 
        seafood traceability program implemented by the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that requires, with 
        respect to fish species and fish products imported into the 
        United States--
                    (A) permitting, data reporting, and recordkeeping 
                to prevent illegal, unreported, unregulated, or 
                misrepresented seafood from entering United States 
                commerce; and
                    (B) verifying the chain of custody of such seafood, 
                from harvest to point of entry into the United States.
            (14) Transnational organized illegal activity.--The term 
        ``transnational organized illegal activity'' means criminal 
        activity conducted by self-perpetuating associations of 
        individuals who operate transnationally for the purpose of 
        obtaining power, influence, or monetary or commercial gains, 
        wholly or in part by illegal means, while protecting their 
        activities through a pattern of corruption or violence or 
        through a transnational organizational structure and the 
        exploitation of transnational commerce or communication 
        mechanisms.
            (15) Transshipment.--The term ``transshipment'' refers to 
        the use of refrigerated vessels that--
                    (A) collect catch from multiple fishing boats;
                    (B) carry the accumulated catches back to port; and
                    (C) deliver supplies to fishing boats, which allows 
                fishing vessels to remain at sea for extended periods 
                without coming into port.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The National Security Strategy calls for a whole-of-
        government approach, including diplomacy, development, defense, 
        and intelligence capabilities, to counter overseas threats to 
        the United States homeland and United States interests.
            (2) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence 
        identified IUU fishing as a threat to the national security of 
        the United States and a challenge to peace and stability in 
        regions of importance to the United States in its report 
        titled, ``Global Implications of Illegal, Unreported, and 
        Unregulated (IUU) Fishing''.
            (3) Executive Order 13773 (82 Fed. Reg. 10691), issued on 
        February 9, 2017, calls for a comprehensive approach by the 
        Federal Government to combat crime syndicates, including 
        transnational organized illegal activities that may be 
        associated with IUU fishing.
            (4) It is estimated that IUU fishing is valued at tens of 
        billions of dollars annually in unlawful or undocumented 
        revenue and may sometimes be linked to transnational organized 
        illegal activities, including weapons, drug, and human 
        trafficking.
            (5) Networks supporting illegal fishing may also be 
        involved in other transnational organized illegal activities, 
        involving issues such as human rights abuses, forced labor, tax 
        evasion, and weapons and drug trafficking.
            (6) Competition over seafood resources can be a driver of 
        heightened tensions, conflict, and geostrategic instability in 
        regions of importance to the United States.
            (7) Participants in the fishing industry that are engaged 
        in IUU fishing have been implicated in the smuggling and sale 
        of weapons in regions that are critical to the security 
        interests of the United States, including in the Gulf of Aden 
        and the Mediterranean Sea.
            (8) Some legitimately flagged fishing vessels and stateless 
        fishing vessels that engage in IUU fishing have also been 
        implicated in claims of poor working conditions, labor abuses, 
        and human rights abuses.
            (9) IUU fishing accounts for a significant percentage of 
        the global reported catch, which--
                    (A) undermines the business of legitimate workers 
                in the seafood industry; and
                    (B) can create inaccurate population estimates for 
                fish and other seafood species.
            (10) Perpetrators of IUU fishing typically have lower 
        operating costs than those fishing legally, since persons 
        involved in IUU fishing can--
                    (A) evade the costs of licenses and regulations;
                    (B) violate safety and labor standards;
                    (C) avoid monitoring, control, and surveillance 
                requirements; and
                    (D) minimize or evade the costs of flagging and 
                registering their fishing vessels.
            (11) The profits from IUU fishing can sometimes sustain 
        illicit networks, ranging from smuggling rings to multinational 
        syndicates, whose operations undermine the rule of law.
            (12) Fish provides more than 3,200,000,000 people with 
        almost 20 percent of their average per capita intake of animal 
        protein. In some of the regions hardest hit by IUU fishing, 
        such as West Africa, fish accounts for up to 30 percent of 
        average per capita animal protein intake, and in some coastal 
        regions and island countries, fish accounts for 70 percent of 
        the protein intake of the region's or island's population.
            (13) Marine fisheries employ millions of people worldwide, 
        the livelihoods of which can be negatively impacted by IUU 
        fishing and associated transnational organized illegal 
        activities.
            (14) If fisheries collapse--
                    (A) populations that rely on fishing may become 
                economically destabilized, which could lead to a rise 
                in criminal activities that risk United States national 
                security; and
                    (B) fishermen in such situations may also be more 
                susceptible to exploitation by criminal organizations.
            (15) IUU fishing vessels play a significant role in other 
        forms of trafficking, particularly drug trafficking. The United 
        Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Department of Justice 
        have documented numerous cases of illicit fishing ships 
        involved in trafficking cocaine, heroin, and cannabis from 
        South America to the United States.
            (16) A significant number of fishing ships that operate 
        without AIS are engaged in IUU fishing or other illicit 
        activities.
            (17) Since more than 90 percent of world trade is carried 
        by sea, increased maritime domain awareness related to illegal 
        fishing and the illegal transshipment of seafood helps 
        safeguard open and safe shipping lanes.
            (18) Transshipment vessels are known to offload catch from 
        fishing vessels far from port, which can--
                    (A) obscure the actual source of the catch; and
                    (B) provide a pathway for illegally caught fish to 
                enter into the seafood supply chain.
            (19) By introducing cheaper, illegal products into the 
        global market, IUU fishing undercuts the business and economic 
        livelihoods of legitimate fishermen in the United States and 
        around the world.
            (20) In the United States and around the world, seafood 
        fraud undermines the economic viability of fisheries and 
        deceives consumers about their purchasing choices.
            (21) According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, the fishery imports of the United States 
        represent a sizable portion of world imports of fish and 
        fishery products. The United States can play a pivotal role in 
        bringing greater security and transparency to the global 
        fisheries industry by enhancing monitoring, enforcement, and 
        prosecution through sustained diplomatic engagement.
            (22) As of July 2018, the Port State Measures Agreement had 
        been ratified by 55 parties, including the United States, with 
        more countries signing on regularly.
            (23) The United States Government, our international 
        partners, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector 
        have created a Global Maritime Community of Interest, which 
        continues to develop a range of technologies and approaches to 
        support surveillance, enforcement, and prosecution of persons 
        engaging in IUU fishing.

SEC. 4. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to support a whole-of-government approach across the 
        Federal Government to counter IUU fishing and related threats 
        to maritime security;
            (2) to prevent IUU fishing and the illegal trade of seafood 
        and seafood products;
            (3) to improve data sharing that enhances surveillance, 
        enforcement, and prosecution against IUU fishing and related 
        activities at a global level;
            (4) to disrupt transnational organized criminal groups 
        involved in IUU fishing, including the laundering of their 
        profits;
            (5) to prevent IUU fishing from being used as a source of 
        financing for transnational organized groups that undermine 
        United States and global security interests;
            (6) to support coordination and collaboration to counter 
        IUU fishing and seafood fraud with governments and 
        nongovernmental organizations within priority regions;
            (7) to assist countries in priority regions and priority 
        flag states in the implementation of stronger measures to 
        counter IUU fishing, including the Port State Measures 
        Agreement;
            (8) to increase and improve global transparency and 
        traceability across the seafood supply chain as--
                    (A) a deterrent to IUU fishing and seafood fraud;
                    (B) a tool for strengthening fisheries management 
                and food security; and
                    (C) an approach to enhancing the implementation of 
                the Seafood Import Monitoring Program;
            (9) to promote the use of trade agreements to counter IUU 
        fishing;
            (10) to improve global enforcement operations against IUU 
        fishing through a whole-of-government approach by the United 
        States; and
            (11) to raise domestic awareness on the local and global 
        impacts of IUU fishing, including--
                    (A) its ties to transnational organized illegal 
                activity; and
                    (B) its effects on the mislabeling of seafood 
                products.

SEC. 5. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States--
            (1) to take immediate action to curtail the global trade in 
        seafood and seafood products derived from IUU fishing, 
        including its links to forced labor and transnational organized 
        illegal activity;
            (2) to ensure that countering IUU fishing is incorporated 
        into the existing missions of the agencies involved in the 
        working group established under section 201;
            (3) to develop holistic diplomatic, military, development, 
        and economic tools to counter IUU fishing;
            (4) to provide technical and other forms of assistance to 
        countries in priority regions and priority flag states to 
        combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud, including assistance--
                    (A) to increase local, national, and regional level 
                capacities to counter IUU fishing through the 
                engagement of law enforcement and security forces;
                    (B) to enhance port capacity and security, 
                including through support to implement the Port State 
                Measures Agreement;
                    (C) to combat corruption and increase transparency 
                and traceability in fisheries management and trade;
                    (D) to enhance information sharing within and 
                across governments and multilateral organizations 
                through the development and use of agreed standards for 
                information sharing; and
                    (E) to support effective, science-based fisheries 
                management regimes that promote legal and safe 
                fisheries and act as a deterrent to IUU fishing;
            (5) to promote global maritime security through improved 
        capacity and technological assistance to support improved 
        maritime domain awareness;
            (6) to engage with priority flag states to encourage the 
        use of vessel tracking systems, including vessel monitoring 
        systems and AIS, at all times, as appropriate, on fishing 
        vessels;
            (7) to engage with multilateral organizations working on 
        fisheries issues, including Regional Fisheries Management 
        Organizations and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the 
        United Nations, to combat and deter IUU fishing;
            (8) to advance the use of common enterprise solutions and 
        information sharing across governments and multilateral 
        organizations through the development and use of an agreed 
        standard for information sharing;
            (9) to continue to use existing and future trade agreements 
        to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud, including through 
        enhanced cooperation with trading partners of the United States 
        and commitments to effectively enforce environmental and labor 
        laws;
            (10) to employ appropriate assets and resources of the 
        United States Government in a coordinated manner to disrupt the 
        illicit networks involved in IUU fishing;
            (11) to continue the development of the Safe Ocean Network, 
        which is an international effort of governments, industry, 
        academia, and civil society to strengthen the capacity to 
        combat illegal fishing, including detection, enforcement, and 
        prosecution;
            (12) to continue to declassify and make available, as 
        appropriate and practicable, technologies developed by the 
        United States Government that can be used by private companies, 
        nongovernmental organizations, other governments, and other 
        entities to help counter IUU fishing;
            (13) to recognize the ties of IUU fishing to transnational 
        organized illegal activity, including human trafficking and 
        illegal trade in narcotics and arms, and as applicable, to 
        focus on illicit activity in a coordinated, cross-cutting 
        manner;
            (14) to recognize and respond to poor working conditions, 
        labor abuses, and other violent crimes in the fishing industry;
            (15) to increase and improve global transparency and 
        traceability along the seafood supply chain as--
                    (A) a deterrent to IUU fishing and seafood fraud; 
                and
                    (B) an approach for strengthening fisheries 
                management and food security; and
            (16) to educate the American public on the local and global 
        impacts of IUU fishing.

 TITLE I--PROGRAMS TO COMBAT IUU FISHING AND INCREASE MARITIME SECURITY

SEC. 101. COORDINATION WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.

    The Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Secretary of 
Commerce, shall coordinate with Regional Fisheries Management 
Organizations and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United 
Nations, and may coordinate with other relevant international 
governmental or nongovernmental organizations, as appropriate, to 
enhance regional responses to IUU fishing and related transnational 
organized illegal activities.

SEC. 102. ENGAGEMENT OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.

    Not later than 210 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, each chief of mission (as defined in section 102 of the Foreign 
Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3902)) to a relevant country in a 
priority region or to a priority flag state shall, if the Secretary of 
State determines such action is appropriate--
            (1) convene a working group, led by Department of State 
        officials, to examine IUU fishing, which may include 
        stakeholders such as--
                    (A) United States officials from relevant agencies 
                participating in the interagency working group 
                identified in section 201, foreign officials, 
                nongovernmental organizations, and representatives of 
                local fishermen in the region; and
                    (B) experts on IUU fishing, law enforcement, 
                criminal justice, transnational organized illegal 
                activity, defense, intelligence, and international 
                development operating in or with knowledge of the 
                region; and
            (2) designate a counter-IUU Fishing Coordinator from among 
        existing personnel at the mission if the chief of mission 
        determines such action is appropriate.

SEC. 103. ASSISTANCE BY FEDERAL AGENCIES TO IMPROVE LAW ENFORCEMENT 
              WITHIN PRIORITY REGIONS AND PRIORITY FLAG STATES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in collaboration with the 
heads of other relevant Federal agencies, if merited, shall provide 
assistance, as appropriate, in accordance with this section.
    (b) Law Enforcement Training and Coordination Activities.--The 
officials referred to in subsection (a) shall provide assistance, as 
appropriate, to countries in priority regions and priority flag states 
to improve the effectiveness of IUU fishing enforcement, with clear and 
measurable targets and indicators of success, including--
            (1) by assessing and using existing resources, enforcement 
        tools, and legal authorities to coordinate efforts to combat 
        IUU fishing with efforts to combat other illegal trade, 
        including weapons, drugs, and human trafficking;
            (2) by expanding existing IUU fishing enforcement training;
            (3) by providing targeted, country- and region-specific 
        training on combating IUU fishing; and
            (4) by supporting increased effectiveness and transparency 
        of the fisheries enforcement sectors of the governments of such 
        countries.
    (c) Port Security Assistance.--The officials referred to in 
subsection (a) shall provide assistance, as appropriate, to countries 
in priority regions and priority flag states to implement programs 
related to port security and capacity for the purposes of preventing 
IUU fishing products from entering the global seafood market, including 
support for implementing the Port State Measures Agreement.
    (d) Capacity Building for Investigations and Prosecutions.--The 
officials referred to in subsection (a), in collaboration with the 
governments of priority flag states and key countries within priority 
regions, shall design and implement programs in such countries, as 
appropriate, to increase the capacity of IUU fishing enforcement and 
customs and border security officers to improve their ability--
            (1) to conduct effective investigations, including using 
        law enforcement techniques such as undercover investigations 
        and the development of informer networks and actionable 
        intelligence;
            (2) to conduct vessel boardings and inspections at sea and 
        associated enforcement actions;
            (3) to exercise existing shiprider agreements and to enter 
        into and implement new shiprider agreements, as appropriate;
            (4) to conduct vessel inspections at port and associated 
        enforcement actions;
            (5) to assess technology needs and promote the use of 
        technology to improve monitoring, enforcement, and prosecution 
        of IUU fishing;
            (6) to conduct DNA-based and forensic identification of 
        seafood used in trade;
            (7) to conduct trainings on techniques, such as collecting 
        electronic evidence and using computer forensics, for law 
        enforcement personnel involved in complex investigations 
        related to international matters, financial issues, and 
        government corruption that include IUU fishing;
            (8) to assess financial flows and the use of financial 
        institutions to launder profits related to IUU fishing; and
            (9) to conduct trainings on the legal mechanisms that can 
        be used to prosecute those identified in the investigations as 
        alleged perpetrators of IUU fishing and other associated crimes 
        such as trafficking and forced labor.
    (e) Capacity Building for Information Sharing.--The officials 
referred to in subsection (a) shall provide assistance, as appropriate, 
to key countries in priority regions and priority flag states in the 
form of training, equipment, and systems development to build capacity 
for information sharing related to maritime enforcement and port 
security.

SEC. 104. EXPANSION OF EXISTING MECHANISMS TO COMBAT IUU FISHING.

    The Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development, the Secretary of the Department 
in which the Coast Guard is operating, the Secretary of Defense, the 
Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of other appropriate Federal 
agencies shall assess opportunities to expand, as appropriate, the use 
of the following mechanisms to combat IUU fishing:
            (1) Including counter-IUU fishing in existing shiprider 
        agreements in which the United States is a party.
            (2) Entering into shiprider agreements that include 
        counter-IUU fishing with countries in priority regions and 
        priority flag states with which the United States does not 
        already have such an agreement.
            (3) Including counter-IUU fishing as part of the mission of 
        the Combined Maritime Forces.
            (4) Including counter-IUU fishing exercises in the annual 
        at-sea exercises conducted by the Department of Defense, in 
        coordination with the United States Coast Guard.
            (5) Including counter-IUU fishing in any documents 
        pertaining to national security strategy, including the 
        National Security Strategy, the Transnational Organized Crime 
        Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and other appropriate 
        documents referred to in section 303.
            (6) Expanding the number of United States assets and 
        personnel that take part in the Oceania Maritime Security 
        Initiative (OMSI) and the Africa Maritime Law Enforcement 
        Partnership (AMLEP), and seeking to expand the number of 
        partner countries in these regions.
            (7) Assessing opportunities to create partnerships similar 
        to OMSI and AMLEP in other priority regions.

SEC. 105. IMPROVEMENT OF TRANSPARENCY AND TRACEABILITY PROGRAMS.

    The Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development, the Secretary of the Department 
in which the Coast Guard is operating, the Secretary of Commerce, and 
the heads of other Federal agencies, if merited, shall work, as 
appropriate, with priority flag states and key countries in priority 
regions--
            (1) to increase knowledge within such countries about the 
        United States transparency and traceability standards for 
        imports of seafood and seafood products;
            (2) to improve the capacity of seafood industries within 
        such countries through information sharing and training to meet 
        the requirements of SIMP or similar transparency and 
        traceability standards for seafood and seafood product imports, 
        including catch documentation and trade tracking programs 
        adopted by relevant regional fisheries management 
        organizations;
            (3) to improve the capacities of government, industry, and 
        civil society groups to develop and implement comprehensive 
        traceability systems that--
                    (A) deter IUU fishing;
                    (B) strengthen fisheries management; and
                    (C) enhance maritime domain awareness;
            (4) to support the implementation of seafood traceability 
        standards in such countries to prevent IUU fishing products 
        from entering the global seafood market and assess capacity and 
        training needs in those countries;
            (5) to utilize harvest and landing data that may be 
        collected in response to requirements of SIMP or similar 
        seafood transparency and traceability programs--
                    (A) to improve fisheries dependent data systems; 
                and
                    (B) to achieve sound management and conservation of 
                fisheries resources; and
            (6) to address, as appropriate, broader underlying causes 
        of IUU fishing, including weak policies and systems, domestic 
        resourcing, and corruption.

SEC. 106. TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS.

    The Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development, the Secretary of the Department 
in which the Coast Guard is operating, the Secretary of Defense, the 
Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as 
appropriate, shall pursue programs to expand the role of technology for 
combating IUU fishing and seafood fraud, including--
            (1) by promoting the use of technology to combat IUU 
        fishing and seafood fraud;
            (2) by assessing the technology needs, including vessel 
        tracking technologies and data sharing, in priority regions and 
        priority flag states;
            (3) by engaging with priority flag states to encourage the 
        mandated use of vessel monitoring systems or AIS on fishing 
        vessels and transshipment vessels at all times, as appropriate, 
        while at sea as a means to track IUU fishing activities and the 
        shipment of illegally caught fish products;
            (4) by building partnerships with the private sector, 
        including universities, nonprofit research organizations, and 
        the technology, transportation and logistics sectors, to 
        leverage new and existing technologies and data analytics to 
        address IUU fishing and seafood fraud;
            (5) by promoting the shared costs of technology or 
        resources for multi-group and multi-purpose use; and
            (6) by supporting existing and new innovative financing 
        mechanisms for community- and regional-based programs to combat 
        IUU fishing.

SEC. 107. INFORMATION SHARING.

    The Director of National Intelligence, in conjunction with other 
agencies, as appropriate, shall develop an enterprise approach to 
appropriately share information and data within the United States 
Government or with other countries or nongovernmental organizations, as 
appropriate, on IUU fishing and other connected transnational organized 
illegal activity occurring in priority regions and elsewhere, including 
big data analytics and machine learning.

TITLE II--ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON IUU FISHING AND 
                             SEAFOOD FRAUD

SEC. 201. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON IUU FISHING AND SEAFOOD FRAUD.

    (a) In General.--There is established a collaborative interagency 
working group on maritime security, IUU fishing, and seafood fraud 
(referred to in this title as the ``Working Group'').
    (b) Members.--The members of the Working Group shall be composed 
of--
            (1) 3 co-chairs, of whom--
                    (A) 1 shall be appointed by the Secretary of State;
                    (B) 1 shall be appointed by the Commandant of the 
                Coast Guard from the United States Coast Guard; and
                    (C) 1 shall be appointed by the Secretary of 
                Commerce from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration;
            (2) 12 members, who shall be appointed by their respective 
        agency heads, from--
                    (A) the Department of Defense;
                    (B) the United States Navy;
                    (C) the United States Agency for International 
                Development;
                    (D) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
                    (E) the Department of Justice;
                    (F) the Department of the Treasury;
                    (G) U.S. Customs and Border Protection;
                    (H) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
                    (I) the Federal Trade Commission;
                    (J) the National Institute of Food and Agriculture;
                    (K) the Food and Drug Administration; and
                    (L) the Department of Labor;
            (3) 1 or more members from the intelligence community, who 
        shall be appointed by the Director of National Intelligence; 
        and
            (4) 5 members, who shall be appointed by the President, 
        from--
                    (A) the National Security Council;
                    (B) the Council on Environmental Quality;
                    (C) the Office of Management and Budget;
                    (D) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; 
                and
                    (E) the Office of the United States Trade 
                Representative.
    (c) Responsibilities.--The Working Group shall ensure an 
integrated, Federal Government-wide response to IUU fishing and seafood 
fraud globally, including--
            (1) by continuing to implement the recommendations of the 
        Presidential Task Force on Combating IUU Fishing and Seafood 
        Fraud;
            (2) by reinforcing and improving the coordination of 
        Federal agencies to identify, interdict, investigate, 
        prosecute, and dismantle IUU fishing operations and 
        organizations perpetrating and knowingly benefiting from IUU 
        fishing and seafood fraud in the United States and abroad;
            (3) by assessing areas for increased interagency 
        information sharing on matters related to IUU fishing and 
        related crimes;
            (4) by establishing standards for information sharing 
        related to maritime enforcement;
            (5) by developing a strategy to determine how military 
        assets and intelligence can contribute to enforcement 
        strategies to combat IUU fishing;
            (6) by increasing maritime domain awareness relating to IUU 
        fishing and related crimes and developing a strategy to 
        leverage awareness for enhanced enforcement and prosecution 
        actions against IUU fishing;
            (7) by supporting the implementation of the Port State 
        Measures Agreement in relevant countries and assessing the 
        capacity and training needs in such countries;
            (8) by identifying opportunities to increase the number of 
        species covered through SIMP to eventually include all seafood 
        species imported into the United States;
            (9) by outlining a strategy to coordinate, increase, and 
        use shiprider agreements between the Department of Defense or 
        the Coast Guard and relevant countries;
            (10) by enhancing cooperation with partner governments to 
        combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud;
            (11) by identifying opportunities for increased information 
        sharing between Federal agencies and partner governments 
        working to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud;
            (12) by consulting and coordinating with the seafood 
        industry and nongovernmental stakeholders that work to combat 
        IUU fishing and seafood fraud;
            (13) by updating and maintaining the National Plan of 
        Action of the United States of America to Prevent, Deter, and 
        Eliminate Illegal, Unregulated, and Underreported Fishing in 
        accordance with the International Plan of Action to Prevent, 
        Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated 
        Fishing, adopted at the 24th Session of the Committee on 
        Fisheries in Rome on March 2, 2001;
            (14) by supporting the implementation of the Global Record 
        of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply 
        Vessels;
            (15) by supporting the identification and certification 
        procedures to address IUU fishing in accordance with the High 
        Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 
        1826d et seq.); and
            (16) by developing a strategy for raising domestic 
        awareness of the issues related to IUU fishing and seafood 
        fraud, including publishing annual reports summarizing 
        nonsensitive information about the Working Group's efforts to 
        investigate, enforce, and prosecute groups and individuals 
        engaging in IUU fishing and seafood fraud.

SEC. 202. STRATEGIC PLAN.

    (a) Strategic Plan.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Working Group shall submit to Congress a 5-
year integrated strategic plan on combating IUU fishing and enhancing 
maritime security, including specific strategies with monitoring 
benchmarks for addressing IUU fishing in priority regions.
    (b) Identification of Priority Regions and Priority Flag States.--
            (1) In general.--The strategic plan submitted under 
        subsection (a) shall identify priority regions and priority 
        flag states to be the focus of assistance coordinated by the 
        Working Group under section 201.
            (2) Priority region selection criteria.--In selecting 
        priority regions under paragraph (1), the Working Group shall 
        select regions that--
                    (A) are at high risk for IUU fishing activity or 
                the entry of illegally caught seafood into their 
                markets; and
                    (B) lack the capacity to fully address the issues 
                described in subparagraph (A).
            (3) Priority flag states selection criteria.--In selecting 
        priority flag states under paragraph (1), the Working Group 
        shall select countries--
                    (A) the flagged vessels of which actively engage 
                in, knowingly profit from, or are complicit in IUU 
                fishing; and
                    (B) that are willing, but lack the capacity, to 
                police their fleet.

SEC. 203. REPORTS.

    (a) Reporting.--
            (1) In general.--The Working Group shall explore 
        appropriate opportunities to incorporate information about IUU 
        fishing, related crimes, and other threats to maritime security 
        in appropriate existing reports and strategies, and provide 
        such information as requested for such reports and strategies, 
        including--
                    (A) the National Security Strategy of the United 
                States;
                    (B) the Department of State and USAID Quadrennial 
                Diplomacy and Department Review;
                    (C) the Department of State Trafficking in Persons 
                Report;
                    (D) the biennial report on international compliance 
                required under section 607 of the High Seas Driftnet 
                Fishing Moratorium Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1826h);
                    (E) the National Fleet Plan of the Navy and the 
                Coast Guard;
                    (F) the Department of Defense Quadrennial Defense 
                Review;
                    (G) the Worldwide Threat Assessment and National 
                Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office Annual Report;
                    (H) the United States Trade Representative 
                Enforcement Priorities Report; and
                    (I) the Department of Homeland Security and Customs 
                and Border Protection Annual Trade and Travel Report.
            (2) Contents.--The information incorporated in reports 
        submitted under paragraph (1) may include--
                    (A) a summary of global and regional trends in IUU 
                fishing and seafood fraud;
                    (B) an assessment of the extent of the convergence 
                between transnational organized illegal activity and 
                IUU fishing;
                    (C) an assessment of the topics, data sources, and 
                strategies that would benefit from increased 
                information sharing and recommendations regarding 
                harmonization of data collection and sharing;
                    (D) an assessment of assets, including military 
                assets and intelligence, which can be used for either 
                enforcement operations or strategies to combat IUU 
                fishing;
                    (E) summaries of the situational threats with 
                respect to IUU fishing in priority regions and an 
                assessment of the capacity of countries within such 
                regions to respond to those threats;
                    (F) an assessment of the progress of countries in 
                priority regions in responding to those threats as a 
                result of assistance by the United States pursuant to 
                the strategic plan developed under section 202, 
                including--
                            (i) the identification of--
                                    (I) relevant supply routes, ports 
                                of call, methods of landing and 
                                entering illegally caught product into 
                                legal supply chains, and financial 
                                institutions used in each country by 
                                participants engaging in IUU fishing; 
                                and
                                    (II) red flag indicators of IUU 
                                fishing related to money laundering;
                            (ii) an assessment of the adherence of 
                        countries in priority regions to international 
                        treaties related to IUU fishing, including the 
                        Port State Measures Agreement;
                            (iii) an assessment of the implementation 
                        by countries in priority regions of seafood 
                        traceability or capacity to apply traceability 
                        to verify the legality of catch and strengthen 
                        fisheries management;
                            (iv) an assessment of the capacity of 
                        countries in priority regions to implement 
                        shiprider agreements;
                            (v) an assessment of the capacity of 
                        countries in priority regions to increase 
                        maritime domain awareness; and
                            (vi) an assessment of the capacity of 
                        governments of relevant countries in priority 
                        regions to sustain the programs for which the 
                        United States has provided assistance under 
                        this Act;
                    (G) an assessment of the capacity of priority flag 
                states to police their fleet, prevent their flagged 
                vessels from engaging in IUU fishing, and enforce 
                applicable laws and regulations; and
                    (H) an assessment of the extent of involvement in 
                IUU fishing of organizations designated as foreign 
                terrorist organizations under section 219 of the 
                Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).

SEC. 204. GULF OF MEXICO IUU FISHING SUBWORKING GROUP.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, in coordination with the Coast Guard and 
the Department of State, shall establish a subworking group to address 
IUU fishing in the exclusive economic zone of the United States in the 
Gulf of Mexico.
    (b) Functions.--The subworking group established under subsection 
(a) shall identify--
            (1) Federal actions taken and policies established during 
        the 5-year period immediately preceding the date of the 
        enactment of this Act with respect to IUU fishing in the 
        exclusive economic zone of the United States in the Gulf of 
        Mexico, including such actions and policies related to--
                    (A) the surveillance, interdiction, and prosecution 
                of any foreign nationals engaged in such fishing; and
                    (B) the application of the provisions of the High 
                Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act (16 
                U.S.C. 1826d et seq.) to any relevant nation, including 
                the status of any past or ongoing consultations and 
                certification procedures;
            (2) actions and policies, in addition to the actions and 
        policies described in paragraph (1), each of the Federal 
        agencies described in subsection (a) can take, using existing 
        resources, to combat IUU fishing in the exclusive economic zone 
        of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico, including relevant 
        recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on Combating IUU 
        Fishing and Seafood Fraud; and
            (3) any additional authorities that could assist each such 
        agency in more effectively addressing such IUU fishing.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the IUU Fishing Subworking 
Group is established under subsection (a), the group shall submit a 
report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
Representatives that contains--
            (1) the findings identified pursuant to subsection (b); and
            (2) a timeline for each of the Federal agencies described 
        in subsection (a) to implement each action or policy identified 
        pursuant to subsection (b)(2).

               TITLE III--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 301. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out the activities required under this Act.
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