HONOLULU (KHON2) — A bill aimed at protecting local fishermen has been passed by the U.S. Senate.
On July 14, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, led by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz and Ted Cruz.
The bill tells the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a standard for identifying the country of origin of red snapper and certain species of tuna imported into the United States.
“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.
Before this bill, technology existed to chemically test and find the origin of many foods, but not for tuna and red snapper.
The legislation’s goal is to develop a field kit that can be used to identify whether fish were caught in U.S. or foreign waters.
This would then allow federal and state law enforcement officers to identify the origin of fish and intercept illegally caught or falsely labeled red snapper and tuna.
The bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.