Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act
Officially: “Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section would let the Act be called the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act .
2Methodology for identifying the country of origin of seafood
This section would define several terms it uses: the Administrator means the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the appropriate committees of Congress means the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and, in the House, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Natural Resources; key agency leadership means the Administrator and the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology (who is also the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology), acting in consultation with the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Commandant of the Coast Guard; red snapper means the species Lutjanus campechanus; tuna means bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, and bluefin tuna; and the Under Secretary means the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This section would require key agency leadership to jointly develop a standard methodology, based on chemical analysis, for identifying the country of origin of seafood, to support enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This section would require key agency leadership to make sure the methodology is consistent with the needs of federal and state law enforcement agencies combating IUU fishing, minimizes processing time, involves a field kit that one person can easily carry, and, to the extent practicable, can be used to test prepared food, including raw seafood preparations such as ceviche, sashimi, sushi, and poke. This section would require key agency leadership to develop the methodology by conducting pilot studies on red snapper, as an example of a stationary fish stock, and tuna, as an example of a highly migratory fish stock. This section would require the Under Secretary, not later than 2 years after the Act is enacted, to submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress that includes a summary of the methodology developed, a plan for putting the methodology into operational use, and, if any aspect of the methodology turns out to be impracticable, an explanation of why, whether more research could make it practicable, and whether an approach other than chemical analysis might work instead.
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2. Methodology for identifying the country of origin of seafood (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Administrator The term Administrator means the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2) Appropriate committees of Congress The term appropriate committees of Congress means— (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives. (3) Key agency leadership The term key agency leadership means the Administrator and the Under Secretary in consultation with the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Commandant of the Coast Guard. (4) Red snapper The term red snapper means the species Lutjanus campechanus. (5) Tuna The term tuna means the following species of tuna: (A) Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus). (B) Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). (C) Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). (6) Under Secretary The term Under Secretary means the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. (b) Standard methodology for identification (1) In general Key agency leadership shall, in accordance with this section, jointly develop a standard methodology, based on chemical analysis, for identifying the country of origin of seafood to support enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. (2) Requirements Key agency leadership shall ensure that the methodology developed under this subsection— (A) is consistent with the needs of Federal and State law enforcement agencies in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; (B) minimizes processing time; (C) involves the use of a field kit that can be easily carried by one individual; and (D) to the extent practicable, can be used to test prepared food, including raw preparations of seafood such as ceviche, sashimi, sushi, and poke. (3) Initial species for identification In developing the methodology under this subsection, key agency leadership shall conduct pilot studies on red snapper, as an example of a stationary stock, and tuna, as an example of a highly migratory stock. (c) Report Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes the following: (1) A summary of the methodology developed under subsection (b). (2) A plan for operationalizing the methodology developed under subsection (b). (3) In the event that any aspect of the methodology developed under subsection (b) is impracticable, an explanation of why, whether additional research would make developing such a methodology practicable, and whether a different approach other than chemical analysis might be practicable.
3Technical assistance for IUU fishing enforcement
This section would authorize the Secretary of Defense, working with the United States Coast Guard, to spend funds appropriated to the Department of Defense for operation and maintenance to provide maritime technical assistance to other nations' maritime forces working to combat illegal, unreported, or unregulated (IUU) fishing and other transnational organized crime. That assistance could include providing observers, shipriders, and specialized personnel who deploy with those foreign maritime forces, as well as remote sensing, data analysis, and operational intelligence, as appropriate and consistent with United States law and policy. This section would apply that authority to Coast Guard members who deploy to and operate aboard Department of Defense, partner nation, or international partner platforms, and to partner nation personnel who operate aboard United States military and Coast Guard assets or international partner vessels, as appropriate.
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3. Technical assistance for IUU fishing enforcement (a) In general The Secretary of Defense is authorized to, in coordination with the United States Coast Guard, expend funds appropriated for the Department of Defense for operation and maintenance to provide maritime technical assistance to maritime forces from other nations in efforts to combat illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing (commonly known as IUU fishing ) and other transnational organized crime. Such technical assistance may include providing observers, shipriders, and specialized personnel to deploy with such maritime forces, in addition to remote sensing, analysis of data, and operational intelligence, as appropriate and consistent with United States law and policy. (b) Application of authority The authority provided under subsection (a) shall apply to the use of the United States Coast Guard members deployed to and operating aboard Department of Defense, partner nation, or international partner platforms, as well as partner nation personnel operating aboard United States military and Coast Guard assets or international partner vessels, as appropriate.
Where it is
In the Senate.