U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Ted Cruz, Brian Schatz, Tommy Tuberville Fight for American Fishermen
Introduce bipartisan bill to protect fisherman from illegal red snapper and tuna poachers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Commerce Committee, Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) today introduced the bipartisan Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, which 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 aims to develop 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.
“Cartel-backed poachers need to face consequences for their illicit activities in the Gulf of America,” said Senator Britt. “Red snapper is a core component of Coastal Alabama’s economy, and our hardworking fishermen and food producers deserve fairness when fishing in the Gulf. Senator Cruz’s and my Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act will help protect Alabama’s fishermen. This is yet another message to Mexico that illegal actions cannot and will not stand.”
Mexican fishermen cross the maritime border between the U.S. 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.
“Cartels and other criminal entities are illegally catching, importing, and selling red snapper and tuna to unwitting consumers then using such profits to fund other illicit activities like drug smuggling and human trafficking. I am glad to join my colleagues in introducing this common-sense, bipartisan legislation to support U.S. fishermen, and I am hopeful Congress will act quickly to stop these dangerous criminal gangs,” said Senator Cruz.
Red snapper is one of the most well-managed and profitable fish in the Gulf of America, but illegal fishing by Mexican lanchas puts law-abiding U.S. fishermen and seafood producers at a competitive disadvantage. Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities violate both national and international fishing regulations.
“Alabama lands 34 percent of all recreationally caught Red Snapper in the Gulf. Unfortunately, our domestic Red Snapper industry is being undermined by Mexican fishermen who are illegally catching American snapper in the Gulf, smuggling them into Mexico, and then reselling the same fish back to American consumers. In addition to taking business away from Alabama’s fishermen, many of the profits from these illegal fishing operations are funding the cartels. I’m proud to join Senator Cruz in introducing the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act to stop illegal Red Snapper from flooding our markets and bankrupting our great fishermen,” said Senator Tuberville.
Cartels engaged in drug smuggling and human trafficking also engage in the profitable illegal fishing of red snapper. The same fishing boats and fishermen who catch red snapper also smuggle drugs and humans for the cartels, and these profits support the organization.
Sens. Britt, Cruz, and Tuberville previously introduced similar legislation during the 118th Congress, which passed the Commerce Committee in July of last year.
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