16 USC 8031 - Interagency Working Group on IUU fishing

View all text of Subchapter II [§ 8031 - § 8034]

§ 8031. Interagency Working Group on IUU fishing

(a) In general

(b) MembersThe members of the Working Group shall be composed of—

(1) 1 chair, who shall rotate between the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating, acting through the Commandant of the Coast Guard, the Secretary of State, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, acting through the Administrator, on a 3-year term;

(2) 2 deputy chairs, who shall be appointed by their respective agency heads and shall be from a different Department than that of the chair, from—

(A) the Coast Guard;

(B) the Department of State; and

(3) 12 members, who shall be appointed by their respective agency heads, from—

(A) the Department of Defense;

(B) the United States Navy;

(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 Department of Agriculture;

(K) the Food and Drug Administration; and

(L) the Department of Labor;

(4) 1 or more members from the intelligence community (as defined in section 3003 of title 50), who shall be appointed by the Director of National Intelligence; and

(5) 5 members, who shall be appointed by the President, from—

(A) the National Security Council;

(B) the Council on Environmental Quality;

(D) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and

(E) the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

(c) ResponsibilitiesThe Working Group shall ensure an integrated, Federal Government-wide response to IUU fishing globally, including by—

(1) improving the coordination of Federal agencies to identify, interdict, investigate, prosecute, and dismantle IUU fishing operations and organizations perpetrating and knowingly benefitting from IUU fishing;

(2) assessing areas for increased interagency information sharing on matters related to IUU fishing and related crimes;

(3) establishing standards for information sharing related to maritime enforcement;

(4) maximizing the utility of the import data collected by the members of the Working Group by harmonizing data standards and entry fields;

(5) developing a strategy to determine how military assets and intelligence can contribute to enforcement strategies to combat IUU fishing;

(6) 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) supporting the adoption and implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement in relevant countries and assessing the capacity and training needs in such countries;

(8) outlining a strategy to coordinate, increase, and use shiprider agreements between the Department of Defense or the Coast Guard and relevant countries;

(9) enhancing cooperation with partner governments to combat IUU fishing;

(10) identifying opportunities for increased information sharing between Federal agencies and partner governments working to combat IUU fishing;

(11) consulting and coordinating with the seafood industry and nongovernmental stakeholders that work to combat IUU fishing;

(12) supporting the work of collaborative international initiatives to make available certified data from state authorities about vessel and vessel-related activities related to IUU fishing;

(13) 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

(14) publishing annual reports summarizing nonsensitive information about the Working Group’s efforts to investigate, enforce, and prosecute groups and individuals engaging in IUU fishing.

(Pub. L. 116–92, div. C, title XXXV, § 3551, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 2005; Pub. L. 117–263, div. K, title CXIII, § 11331(a), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 4099.)