South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of Congresswoman Radewagen's South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act. I am an original cosponsor of this bill because we urgently need this update to U.S. law that will strengthen our national tuna fleet, restore regulatory clarity and reinforce America's presence and partnerships across the Pacific.

The South Pacific Tuna Treaty, first signed in 1987, has long been the cornerstone of U.S. access to the tuna-rich waters of sixteen Pacific Island nations. This access supports the operations of American purse-seine vessels, ensuring that our fleet can remain competitive in a region that is both economically and strategically vital.

The amendments enacted in 2016 provided much-needed updates, including clearer access terms and more flexible mechanisms for engagement with Pacific Island countries. But nearly a decade later, these improvements are still not reflected in U.S. law.

This legal disconnect has left the American fleet, including vessels operating out of Hawaii, in a state of regulatory limbo. Operators are forced to navigate conflicting rules between what the treaty allows and what our domestic regulations enforce. It's a situation that adds unnecessary risk, uncertainty and cost to an industry that is already facing tight margins and fierce international competition.

This uncertainty has serious consequences, particularly for Hawaii. My home state is not just a waypoint for the U.S. South Pacific fleet, it is a central base of operations, home to many of the crews, companies and services that keep the industry running. The fishing industry supports good-paying jobs across the Hawaiian Islands and ensures our communities have access to healthy, locally sourced seafood.

The impact is equally critical in American Samoa, where the tuna industry forms the backbone of the territory's private sector and plays an essential role in supporting families and sustaining the local econony.

Passing the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act today will eliminate this long-standing regulatory conflict, bring our domestic laws into alignment with the amended treaty and restore stability to a sector that is vital to the economic wellbeing of Hawaii and American Samoa. It provides the clarity our fleet needs to operate effectively and the consistency our Pacific partners expect from the United States.

The significance of this legislation extends well beyond economic benefits. The treaty itself embodies a broader commitment, one rooted in decades of cooperation, mutual respect and shared responsibility for the stewardship of ocean resources. By fully implementing the amended treaty, we not only support our fishermen and industry partners but also reaffirm the United States as a trusted ally to Pacific Island nations, help strengthen regional stability and reinforce our leadership in a part of the world where long-term relationships are built on trust, continuity and cultural understanding.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation--for the future of American fisheries, for the strength of our partnerships across the Pacific and for the communities in Hawaii and American Samoa that depend on this industry.

Mahalo.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 531, the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act of 2025, will help sustain American tuna fisheries and the conservation of marine resources in the South Pacific.

This legislation would implement the South Pacific Tuna Treaty, a multilateral treaty between the United States Government and the Pacific Island states.

This treaty authorizes the small U.S. purse seine vessel fleet to fish in specific and exclusive economic zones in the Pacific Island countries that are part of the treaty. These parties include Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and many more island nations.

The exclusive economic zones of these nations are very close together and not far from American Samoa. There is little international water between them.

Purse seine fishing often uses fish aggregating devices, or FADs, which are large, circular nets that drift independently through the water for hundreds of miles until they catch fish. They have sonar and GPS, so the fishing boat knows where they are and when the net is full.

The nature of this fishing method, combined with the proximity of these countries, means that FADs can be released in international waters but float through other countries' EEZs while catching fish along the way. Without access to these EEZs, the U.S. purse seine fleet cannot retrieve the fish that they catch.

The South Pacific Tuna Treaty provides the U.S. fleet with access to these lucrative tuna fishing grounds and facilitates cooperation on various issues. It has been vital for almost three decades, fostering a mutually beneficial, strategic, and economic relationship between the United States and the Pacific Island countries.

The treaty was entered into force in 1988, was extended in 1993, and then again in 2002. Most recently, the parties began renegotiating the treaty and its annexes in 2009 and reached agreement in 2016.

The bill today proposes adjustments to the South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988 to implement the amended treaty, mainly providing more flexibility for U.S. vessels and the Pacific Island countries to negotiate access levels

while ensuring a stable operating environment.

This legislation will enable the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to implement annual access and fee agreements and new operational requirements efficiently, provided we still have enough staff to operate NOAA efficiently.

It will allow the United States and its vessels operating under the treaty to better utilize these benefits. This bill will benefit U.S. fisheries and help maintain a strong U.S. presence in the South Pacific region.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 531) to amend the South Pacific Tuna Act of 1988, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 531, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act of 2025, introduced by my friend, Congresswoman Radewagen from American Samoa.

This legislation, which was adopted by voice vote in the House in the 118th Congress, codifies updates to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty that were first agreed to in 2016 and later adopted by the United States Senate in 2022.

The United States first entered into this treaty with 16 Pacific Island nations under President Ronald Reagan. It gives the United States access to some of the most fertile fishing waters that are found anywhere in the world.

This strengthens the United States' tuna fleet, which has experienced a rapid decline in recent decades, while also bolstering the United States' presence in the South Pacific.

The 2016 amendments improved the treaty's execution and clarified specific provisions. However, these important updates have not been codified, which has caused regulatory uncertainty.

Mr. Speaker, adopting this legislation will bring about the next chapter of the United States' engagement in the South Pacific. I thank Mrs. Radewagen for her leadership on this important issue, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from American Samoa (Mrs. Radewagen), the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, on April 17, American Samoa celebrated 125 years as a territory of the United States. As we observe this historic milestone, enacting this legislation will ensure that the United States will continue its strong presence in the Pacific region.

When President Reagan first signed the legislation that established this treaty in the 1980s, he spoke of the bonds of friendship and affection that unite our people. This bill will ensure that these important partnerships will continue for years and decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Radewagen once again for her tireless work on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support its swift passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the South Pacific Tuna Treaty Act.

I represent the beautiful islands of American Samoa in the South Pacific. This bill implements into statute the most recent changes to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty that was negotiated between NOAA and other signatory countries to the treaty.

These changes are important to support the American fishing fleet in the South Pacific, of which many boats call American Samoa home. These changes improve the operational conditions and flexibility for the fleet, which is America's last true distant-water fishing fleet.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the bill's cosponsor, the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case), for his support of this legislation.

``Live long and prosper.'' ``Soifua ma ia manuia.''