Red Snapper Enforcement Act Passes Commerce Committee
The Commerce Committee passed the Illegal Red Snapper Enforcement Act, which would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of red snapper imported into the United States.
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“Cartel-backed criminal entities are poaching red snapper in American waters and importing it for unwitting consumers to buy, while the profits help fund other illicit activities like drug smuggling and human trafficking. We can crack down on illegal fishing by dangerous criminal gangs with new technology that can identify the geographic origin of red snapper," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a press release after the vote July 31.
"Technology exists to chemically test and find the geographic origin of many foods, but not for red snapper. The legislation aims to develop a field test kit that the Coast Guard can use to accurately ascertain whether fish were caught in Mexico or U.S. waters, thus allowing federal and state law enforcement officers to identify the origin of the fish and confiscate illegally caught red snapper before it is imported back into the U.S.," the release explained.