Congresswoman Mace Reintroduces Bill To Protect American Fishermen

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) reintroduced the Protect American Fisheries Act of 2025 to strengthen protections for U.S. fisheries and coastal communities against foreign interference and illegal fishing.

The bill modernizes the Magnuson-Stevens Act to include economic harm caused by foreign actors as a valid trigger for disaster declarations, giving the federal government the power to intervene when American fishing communities are put at risk.

Mace says this is especially critical for South Carolina, where coastal fishermen have been undercut by unfair foreign competition and alleged mislabeling of foreign shrimp as “local.”

“South Carolina’s fishing industry is the backbone of our coastal economy and our way of life,” Mace said. “For far too long, foreign actors have cheated the system with illegal fishing, forced labor, and this bill finally brings real accountability. It defends the livelihoods of hardworking American fishermen instead of leaving them to pay the price.”

South Carolina’s Lowcountry fisheries support thousands of jobs, from shrimpers and captains to processors and marine service industries.

Mace says foreign interference threatens those jobs and the coastal economy depending on them.

The legislation expands the definition of a fishery disaster to include economic harm caused by foreign activity, such as:

*Market distortion by foreign producers,

* Disruptions to sustainable harvests, and

* Threats to the operational or economic viability of U.S. fisheries.

It also directs the Secretary of Commerce to consider evidence of:

* Illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) foreign fishing, including operations using forced labor,

* Predatory pricing from foreign competitors, and

* Subsidies that undercut U.S. seafood prices or distort markets.

“This is a common-sense bill that provides a critical support to our industry when we need it most. Our fishermen are some of the hardest working small business owners in the country, and they shouldn't be forced out of business because of the actions of bad actors on the other side of the world," said Rocky Magwood, president of the South Carolina Shrimpers Association.

Magwood added, "We wholeheartedly support Congresswoman Mace in her fight to get this bill passed and signed into law. To support this bill is to support the preservation and continuity of the American Dream”