April 4, 2014 — After taking to the floor to demand passage of four treaties – including one to curb pirate fishing that harms Alaskan fishermen and other fishermen around the world – U.S. Senator Mark Begich praised the swift passage of the treaties on the Senate floor shortly thereafter.
Comparing the illegal fishing activities to piracy, Begich condemned the illegal activities that harm efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks for long-term sustainability and cheat law-abiding fishermen out of an estimated $23 billion every year.
“I call it like I see it and this is piracy, plain and simple,” said Begich, chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard. “These thieves operate on the high seas, ignore catch limits and damage habitats. They undercut legitimate fishermen who play by the rules. Alaska crab fishermen estimate they alone have lost half a billion dollars to illegal crab imports.”
The passage marks a bipartisan victory for Begich and his colleagues, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), members of the Senate Oceans Caucus, who have been calling for passage of these treaties for months. Last October, the senators wrote to the Foreign Relations Committee to express support for the four treaties. The four senators joined each other today on the Senate floor to encourage passage of the treaties, which happened shortly after.