U.S. lists illegal fishing boats and bans their owners from visiting.

What it does

The bill creates a public list of foreign fishing boats that catch fish illegally. The government will add boats to the list based on evidence. Owners of those boats cannot get visas to visit the United States. Owners can ask for a hearing to challenge being listed. The government will work with other countries to stop illegal fishing.

Who it affects

Illegal fishing boat owners and their companies are affected. Legitimate fishing companies and seafood importers may benefit. The bill does not cost U.S. citizens money or take away their rights.

One thing to notice

Owners get 90 days to respond and request a hearing. A boat stays on the list unless the owner asks to be removed.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

9 cosponsors: 5 Republicans, 4 Democrats.

• Feb 24, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Feb 24, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation”
• Apr 30, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably”
• Mar 22, 2026 — Passed the Senate · Congress.gov: “Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

21 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 23 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $476,099 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 4 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 97% of bills with any report.

Dan Sullivan, who sponsored the bill, received $2,114,700 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• World Wildlife Fund, Inc. — $220,000 in 1 report
• International Labour Organization — $50,000 in 1 report
• Southern Shrimp Alliance — $45,000 in 1 report
• Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers — $40,000 in 2 reports
• Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliance — $20,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• illegal fishing — Catching fish in ways that break fishing laws or rules.
• visas — Official permission from the government to visit the United States.
• hearing — A chance for someone to explain their side before a decision is made.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.