WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Carlos A. Giménez (FL-28) and Rep. Scott Peters (CA-50) introduced the bipartisan Caribbean and Latin America Maritime Security Initiative Act to combat Communist China’s Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Caribbean and Latin American waters. Communist China’s behavior threatens marine ecosystems, fishery stocks, and global food security. This harassment jeopardizes the national and economic security of the United States and its regional partners, disrupts trade, and breaks international law.
“Communist China continues to pillage our oceans and undermine the sovereignty of our neighbors and allies by pursuing Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in their territorial waters,” said Rep. Gimenez. “I’m proud to join Rep. Scott Peters in introducing the bipartisan Caribbean and Latin America Maritime Security Initiative Act to reinforce our commitment to our neighboring countries and protect our sensitive fisheries in South Florida and across the nation.”
“Every day, San Diego benefits from a strong relationship with countries throughout Latin America and a vibrant commercial fishing industry that benefits from a well-regulated and rules-based marketplace,” said Rep Peters. “We must ensure our competition with China prioritizes America’s relationships with states in the Caribbean and Latin America to maintain our status as a leader in both regions and ensure China and other bad actors cannot threaten the ecosystems, food supply, political ties, and international trade system which benefits companies here in San Diego, the U.S., and nations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.”
“We appreciate the leadership of Reps. Peters and Gimenez in introducing legislation to combat the challenges of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Tom Cors, Senior Director of Legislative Affairs at The Nature Conservancy. “Left unchecked, this practice both threatens critical ecosystems and undermines national and regional efforts to conserve marine species in the region. Expanding the use of electronic monitoring and other technologies to verify compliance with fishery regulations is a critical step for supporting sustainable fisheries. We look forward to working with Congress as it considers this proposal.”
In October of 2023, Reps. Peters and Gimenez joined 12 bipartisan lawmakers in a letter to ask the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to take immediate action against IUU.
To read the full bill text, CLICK HERE.