Oceana Applauds Bipartisan Push to Address Harmful Seafood Imports
Press Release Date: October 25, 2024
Location: Washington, D.C.
Contact:
Cory Gunkel | email: cgunkel@oceana.org | tel: Cory Gunkel
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers sent a letter to President Biden this week urging the International Trade Commission to investigate Venezuelan crabmeat imports. There has been a surge in imported Venezuelan crabmeat since 2020, according to an Oceana analysis of trade data.
“Domestic seafood producers in Maryland and Virginia have experienced significant strain due to the influx of imported Venezuelan crabmeat, some of which is mislabeled and contaminated,” the lawmakers wrote.
In response to the letter, Oceana Campaign Director Dr. Max Valentine released the following statement:
“The blue crab is an iconic symbol of Chesapeake Bay and supports the livelihoods of thousands of local fishers and seafood businesses in Maryland and Virginia. The clear bipartisan concern over mislabeled and fraudulent seafood emphasizes the gaps in our current seafood traceability system. We need documentation for all seafood so that we can trace it from the boat or farm to our dinner plates. Seafood traceability protects American consumers and levels the playing field for U.S. fishers. The United States must expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to include catch documentation and traceability requirements for all seafood. It’s the only way we can make sure our seafood is safe, legally caught, responsibly sourced, and honestly labeled.”
U.S.Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) were signers on the letter, along with U.S. Representatives John Sarbanes (D-MD), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Rob Wittman (R-VA), Andy Harris (R-MD), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), David Trone (D-MD, and Glenn Ivey (D-MD).
Oceana’s trade data analysis found that:
- The United States imported nearly 3 million more pounds of Venezuelan crabmeat in 2022 than it did in 2020, with the value of those imports jumping by $37 million in those two years.
- More than $44 million worth of imported Venezuelan crabmeat has entered the U.S. in the first six months of 2024 alone.
An Oceana seafood fraud investigation found that Maryland’s favorite seafood dish can undergo a bait and switch, as 38% of the sampled crab cakes sold as locally sourced blue crab instead contained an imported species from other countries, most of which are fished unsustainably. A study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that 59% of crabmeat sampled was a species other than blue crab.
Oceana released the results of a nationwide poll in 2024, which found that American voters overwhelmingly support transparency and traceability in the seafood supply chain. Included among the key findings, 90% of voters agree that imported seafood should be held to the same standards as U.S. caught seafood. Additionally, 85% of voters agree that all seafood should be traceable from the fishing boat to the dinner plate.
Learn more about Oceana’s work to increase transparency on our oceans here.
Background
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a low-risk, high-reward activity, especially on the high seas where a fragmented legal framework and lack of effective enforcement allow it to thrive. IUU fishing can include fishing without authorization, ignoring catch limits, operating in closed or protected areas, targeting protected wildlife, and fishing with prohibited gear. These illicit activities can destroy important ocean habitat, severely deplete fish populations, and threaten global food security. These actions not only contribute to overfishing, but also give illegal fishers an unfair advantage over those who play by the rules.
The U.S. government formally established the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) in 2016, requiring catch documentation and traceability for some seafood at risk of illegal fishing and seafood fraud. Currently, this applies to just 13 types of imported seafood and only traces them from the boat to the U.S. border. A 2022 Oceana report showed that gaps in SIMP are allowing U.S. seafood demand to drive IUU fishing around the world.
