More menhaden are caught off the Louisiana coast each year than shrimp, crab and oysters combined. (Photo courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Program)
A new bill in the U.S. Senate aims to combat illegal fishing practices and trade of endangered species worldwide, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy.
The Louisiana Republican is sponsoring the proposal with with Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. The Protecting Global Fisheries Act would expand the U.S. government’s authority to create and enforce maritime law alongside other nations, with their efforts centered on illegal and unregulated fishing practices.
The bill would also extend powers to the president to sanction people and vessels from other countries that violate these international agreements or participate in the sale, movement or purchase of endangered species.
“Illegal fishing practices abroad threaten Louisiana. Seafood production is a driver of our economy and way of life,” Cassidy said in a news release.
The bill will prevent “unfair competition” from countries such as China and “can preserve jobs, protect our local economies, strengthen national security, and safeguard marine habitats,” the senator added.
Illegal fishing practices the bill aims to curb include fishing without proper licensing, failure to report catches or falsifying reports, use of prohibited fishing gear and unpermitted transfer of fish to cargo vessels.
Louisiana has a long standing history with the fishing industry, generating around $2.4 billion a year, according to numbers Cassidy cited. Louisiana is well-known for its shrimp, crab, crawfish and oyster fisheries but also brings in between 600 million and 900 million menhaden a year. Also known as pogies, menhaden are used to make fertilizer and animal feed. Their offshore harvests generate $25 million in state tax revenue annually and employ around 2,000 people.
The Cassidy-Kaine bill is also being pitched as a defense for the state’s shrimping industry, which has suffered in recent years from onslaught of imported seafood flooding the market and tanking prices of local catch.
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