Signed into law
Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act
This act directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to jointly develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of seafood to support enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing) and seafood fraud.
- Measure
- S. 283 · 119th Congress
- Latest action
- October 15, 2026
- Policy changes
- 2
- Source
- CRS summary (Public Law) · Congress.gov
Became Public Law No: 119-123.
Who wrote it
Sponsor
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)Joined by 4 cosponsors, 3 of them from the day it was introduced. Introduced January 28, 2025.
All 4 cosponsors
- Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) · original
- Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) · original
- Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) · original
- Sen. Roger F. Wicker (R-MS)
How Congress voted
No recorded vote: this bill moved by voice vote or unanimous consent, so there is no record of how individual members voted.
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In their own words
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What it changes — and your vote
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Provision 1
NOAA and NIST must consult with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Coast Guard in developing the methodology, which must use chemical analysis to identify the country of origin of seafood.
The methodology must be consistent with the needs of federal and state law enforcement agencies in combating IUU fishing and seafood fraud. The methodology must also include a portable field kit and, to the extent practicable, be appropriate for testing prepared food (including raw preparations of seafood such as sushi). The agencies must conduct pilot studies of the methodology on red snapper and tuna.
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Provision 2
Within two years after the act's enactment, NIST must report to Congress regarding the methodology and a plan for operationalizing it.
The report must explain any aspects of its methodology that are impracticable, whether additional research would make the methodology practicable, and whether an alternate approach might be practicable.
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