On Thursday, April 16^th, the co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)—Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK)—will delve into the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s subsidized and aggressive use of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.

             “Dark Nets, Illicit Labor—Confronting China’s IUU Fishing and Seafood Supply Chain,” which will mark the CECC’s second hearing on the PRC’s unethical fishing practices in under three years, will further expose how China’s actions threaten global maritime security, distort seafood markets, harm U.S. economic interests, and enable serious human rights abuses in the seafood supply chain.

WHAT: Congressional hearing on the economic, human rights, and strategic implications of the Chinese Communist Party's role in IUU fishing and illicit labor in the seafood sector, including the use of Uyghur and North Korean forced labor in processing facilities and on distant-water fishing vessels.

WHEN: Thursday, April 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM

WITNESSES: (Partial list)

• Ian Urbina, Director and Founder, The Outlaw Ocean Project
• Rear Admiral Scott Clendenin, USCG (Ret.), Owner, Dog Zebra Solutions, LLC
• Hon Dean A. Pinkert, Former Commissioner and Vice Chairman of U.S. International Trade Commission; Special Advisor, Corporate Accountability Lab

WHERE: 562 Dirksen Senate Office Building and livestreamed on the CECC’s YouTube channel

WHO: Chair Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Co-Chair Chris Smith (R-NJ), other CECC Commissioners, and witnesses

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