May 15, 2025 — The U.S. House of Representatives has once again passed legislation that would bring U.S. law into alignment with changes made to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty in 2016.
Originally signed in 1987, the South Pacific Tuna Treaty grants American purse-seine vessels the ability to fish for tuna in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of 16 Pacific Island states. The most recent round of negotiations between the U.S. and those states resulted in an update to the treaty in 2016; however, U.S. Congress has never updated the nation’s laws to reflect that update. In the interim, American fishers in the South Pacific have been able to continue operating around the Pacific Island states under a memorandum of understanding.