The Securing Enforcement in African Seas Act of 2024 directs the federal government to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing off African coasts in cooperation with partner nations. The bill affects African countries experiencing significant IUU fishing losses estimated at up to $11.5 billion annually, U.S. federal agencies including the Coast Guard and State Department, and fish workers subjected to labor abuses. Within one year of enactment, the Interagency Working Group on IUU Fishing must submit a strategy annex identifying at least four African priority countries and developing implementation plans, with the government required to deploy sufficient U.S. personnel including Coast Guard attachés to African embassies. The bill mandates biennial progress reports over eight years, establishes training requirements for Foreign Service Officers on counter-IUU fishing efforts, and requires a feasibility study on increasing Coast Guard presence in Africa, with funding to come from existing federal agency appropriations and the State Department's Counter PRC Influence Fund, as the legislation specifically identifies Chinese fishing vessels as responsible for nearly half of global IUU fishing activity.
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