Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act

What it does

• •Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and the NOAA Administrator, in consultation with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Coast Guard, to jointly develop a standard chemical analysis methodology for identifying the country of origin of seafood.
• •Specifies that the methodology must be portable (field kit carried by one individual), minimize processing time, and be capable of testing prepared seafood products like sashimi, sushi, and ceviche.
• •Mandates pilot studies on red snapper (stationary stock) and tuna species (bigeye, yellowfin, and bluefin) as examples of different stock types.
• •Requires a report to Congress within 2 years describing the methodology, implementation plan, and any identified impracticalities or alternative approaches.

Why it matters

• •Addresses enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud by establishing a standardized tool for law enforcement agencies to verify seafood origin.
• •Enables federal and state law enforcement to more efficiently combat illegal fishing operations that may import seafood under false country-of-origin claims.

Who is affected

• •Federal and state law enforcement agencies responsible for enforcing fisheries laws and combating seafood fraud.
• •Commercial seafood importers, distributors, and retailers subject to country-of-origin verification requirements.
• •Fishing industries in the United States, particularly those harvesting red snapper and tuna species.

What happens next

The designated agencies must complete development of the methodology and submit a comprehensive report to the relevant congressional committees within 2 years of the Act's enactment.