Legislation targeting cartels engaged in illegal fishing of red snapper and tuna heads to the House

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States Senate passed the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act (S. 283), which was introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). The bipartisan bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of red snapper and certain species of tuna imported into the United States.

Technology exists to chemically test and find the geographic origin of many foods, but not for red snapper and tuna. The legislation supports the development of a field test kit that can be used to accurately ascertain whether fish were caught in U.S. or foreign waters, thus allowing federal and state law enforcement officers to identify the origin of the fish and confiscate illegally caught red snapper and tuna before it is imported back into the U.S.

The Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Act was reintroduced in January and advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee the following month. The legislation was also co-sponsored by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

Upon Senate passage of the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, Sen. Cruz said:

“Hardworking Texas fishermen in the Gulf of America are being undercut by cartel-backed entities who illegally catch and smuggle red snapper into U.S. markets, using profits to fund other illicit activities. I am proud to lead the fight on this bipartisan legislation to crack down on these corrupt operations, stand up for Texas fishermen, and protect our communities. Now, it’s time for the House to act and help us put an end to this illegality.”

“Seafood that’s caught illegally or intentionally mislabeled rips off consumers and makes it harder for law-abiding U.S. fishermen to compete. Our bill will help fight against anyone who tries to pass off cheap foreign tuna for high-quality ahi from local Hawai‘i fishermen,” said Sen. Schatz.

Background:

Mexican fishermen cross the maritime border between Texas and Mexico on small boats called “lanchas” to illegally catch red snapper in U.S. waters and return to Mexico. The fish are sold in Mexico or mixed in with legally-caught red snapper then exported back into the United States across land borders. Red snapper is one of the most well-managed and profitable fish in the Gulf, but illegal fishing by Mexican lanchas puts law-abiding U.S. fishermen and seafood producers at a competitive disadvantage.

Last year, the Coast Guard seized more than 18 tons of illegally caught fish from Mexican lanchas. As of June of this year, the Coast Guard has arrested more than 50 Mexican fishermen and seized thousands of pounds of illegally caught fish, further underscoring the need for additional measures to protect our resources.

In Hawaii, commercial fishermen have long fought to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and human trafficking in the seafood industry. IUU fishing activities violate both national and international fishing regulations.

Sens. Cruz, Britt, and Tuberville previously introduced similar legislation during the 118th Congress, which passed the Commerce Committee in July of last year.

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