Alabama U.S. Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville are advocating for measures to protect Alabama’s red snapper industry.
The two lawmakers are leading efforts in the U.S. Senate to advance the Illegal Red Snapper Enforcement Act, with the goal to eliminate the competitive cost disadvantage faced by many Alabamians in the industry.
The Republican-backed bill would require the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of red snapper imported into the United States. Additionally, it would develop a field test kit for the Coast Guard to accurately determine whether fish were caught in Mexico or U.S. waters. This test would allow federal and state law enforcement officers to identify the origin of the fish and confiscate low-cost, illegally caught red snapper before it is imported into the U.S.
The act passed the Senate Commerce Committee earlier this week and will now go to the full Senate for consideration.
“Red snapper is a core component of coastal Alabama’s economy, and I’m proud to fight to protect our hardworking fishermen and food producers,” Sen. Britt (R-Montgomery) said.
“This bill would combat malicious, illegal activity by cartel-backed poachers who are endangering the livelihoods of law-abiding Americans and encroaching on our territorial sovereignty. I’m thankful to Sen. Cruz for shepherding this important legislation to ensure fairness for U.S. fishermen and families through the Senate Commerce Committee.”
“Sen. Schumer should now bring this commonsense legislation to the floor,” Britt added.
Red snapper fishing is critical to Coastal Alabama’s economy.
The Illegal Red Snapper Enforcement Act would combat illegal activity by cartel-backed poachers who are endangering Alabamians’ livelihoods and encroaching on U.S. territorial sovereignty.https://t.co/7OOJkowR5j— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) August 7, 2024
Tuberville (R-Auburn) also emphasized the growing need to pass the legislation.
“Alabama lands 34% of all recreationally caught red snapper in the Gulf,” Tuberville said. “Unfortunately, our domestic red snapper industry is being undermined by Mexican fishermen who are illegally catching these fish in the Gulf, smuggling them into Mexico, and then reselling the same fish back to Americans. In addition to taking business away from Alabama fishermen, many of the profits from these illegal fishing operations are funding the cartels.”
AL’s red snapper industry plays a key role in our state economy, generating thousands of jobs and over a billion dollars in sales.
Glad to see my bill with @SenKatieBritt & @SenTedCruz advance out of committee as we fight for fairness for U.S. fishermen.https://t.co/YN1B4kPgGi
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) August 7, 2024
Each year, about 100,000 red snapper are harvested off Alabama’s coast, accounting for almost a third of the total recreational harvest in the Gulf of Mexico.
Recreational and commercial fishing supports over 12,000 jobs in Alabama and contributes more than $1.1 billion in sales annually to the state economy.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
