American Samoa hopes to shield tuna trade under Senate's anti-poaching bill
By Pacific Island Times News Staff
American Samoa counted on revitalizing its tuna industry when President Donald Trump lifted fishing restrictions and restored commercial fishing in the federally regulated waters.
However, American Samoa's economic driver continues to face serious threats from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, or IUU, which unfairly costs and competes with America's seafood industry.
“As part of our national food security, we need a dependable U.S. fishing supply that’s not forced to compete against fraudulent IUU bad actors," said Rep. Uifa’atali Amata Radwagen, American Samoa's delegate to the U.S. Congress.
The U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed twin bills to protect America's fishing industry by strengthening science-based safeguards for marine resources.
This Senate bill includes most provisions of the original House bill, which Raddewagen co-sponsored.
Last week, the House amended and passed S. 283, the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act.
The Senate bill overlaps with and incorporates policies from its companion House bill, the Standards for Understanding Source and Habitat Identification, or SUSHI Act, H.R. 3706, which passed earlier through the House Natural Resources Committee and its Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.
“This is a good bipartisan effort to safeguard U.S. tuna and protect American Samoa’s share of the market by better identifying IUU-produced tuna and preventing American imports of illegal competition that undercut our fishing,” Radwagen said.
" I appreciate key leaders on both sides of the aisle recognizing the need for this initiative to help keep our fishing competitive. We’re at the finish line for this bill and I expect final passage of this priority," she added.
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Rep. Bruce Westerman, chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, then managed House passage of S. 283 for the floor vote.
The Senate bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of seafood to support enforcement against IUU fishing to stop seafood fraud and the problem of U.S. imports of competing IUU products.
Legislation Highlights:
*Directs federal agencies to jointly develop a standard methodology, based on chemical analysis, to identify the country of origin of seafood and support enforcement against IUU fishing and seafood fraud.
*Requires the methodology to meet the needs of federal and state law enforcement, reduce processing time, and use a portable field kit that one person can carry.
*Requires pilot studies using red snapper and tuna to test the methodology across both stationary and highly migratory fish stocks.
*Directs agencies, to the extent practicable, to further develop a methodology capable of testing prepared seafood, including ceviche, sashimi, sushi and poke.The Senate bill was sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) with Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), while the House bill was sponsored in February by Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) with two original cosponsors, Rep. Aumua Amata (American Samoa) and Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA).
Along with Pacific fishing, the Gulf waters off the coast of Texas also support fishing for red snapper and tuna.
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