Senate Passes Schatz Bill Targeting Illegal Fishing To Help Expose Foreign, Intentionally Mislabeled Ahi

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas). The 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. The bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.

“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 Senator Schatz.

Technology exists to chemically test and find the geographic origin of many foods, but not for tuna and red snapper. 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 intercept illegally caught or falsely labelled red snapper and tuna before it enters the U.S. market.

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