Tuberville, Cassidy Call for Crackdown on Mexican Cartels Stealing Red Snapper

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in writing a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to crack down on illegal fishing by Mexican vessels in U.S. waters, which undermines Alabama fishermen and supports cartel activity. Alabama accounts for 34% of all recreational red snapper caught in the gulf, which makes the state vulnerable to the impacts of illegal fishing. The letter comes in a series of efforts from Sen. Tuberville to support Alabama's fishermen and promote safe, American seafood. Last year, the Senate passed Sen. Tuberville's Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act to develop a system for determining country of origin for seafood imported into the U.S.

"We write to express concern regarding the continued illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing for red snapper by Mexican vessels operating in U.S. waters in the Gulf of America. The Coast Guard has demonstrated sustained and effective operational enforcement through repeated interdictions and seizures; however, the continued presence of Mexican lanchas in U.S. waters suggests that enforcement at sea, by itself, is insufficient to eliminate the incentive to fish illegally. We urge the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to use its import-restriction authorities, and other applicable authorities, to address this problem in a targeted and proportionate manner that supports law-abiding U.S. fisheries," wrote the Senators.

Sens. Tuberville and Cassidy were joined by Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in signing the letter.

Read the full letter below or here.

"Dear Under Secretary Jacobs,

We write to express concern regarding the continued illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing for red snapper by Mexican vessels operating in U.S. waters in the Gulf of America. The Coast Guard has demonstrated sustained and effective operational enforcement through repeated interdictions and seizures; however, the continued presence of Mexican lanchas in U.S. waters suggests that enforcement at sea, by itself, is insufficient to eliminate the incentive to fish illegally. We urge the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to use its import-restriction authorities, and other applicable authorities, to address this problem in a targeted and proportionate manner that supports law-abiding U.S. fisheries.

Despite fewer vessel interdictions in 2025 than the previous year, the volume of illegally harvested red snapper seized by the Coast Guard rose 28 percent, reaching 15,859 pounds. While fewer individual lanchas are being stopped, those that are interdicted are carrying much larger, high-value hauls intended for the U.S. market. Furthermore, a recent DHS Office of Inspector General report identifies that the Coast Guard only interdicts one in every five detected foreign fishing vessels, leaving nearly 80 percent of illegal incursions unchallenged and free to enter domestic commerce through opaque supply chains.

The Gulf of America red snapper fishery is a highly regulated domestic fishery that is shared between recreational and commercial harvesters. Allocation of the fishery between domestic stakeholders is a topic of intense policy discussion and high-level decision making, reflecting the immense value of the fishery to our nation. Mexican IUU-caught fish steal that value from both sets of American stakeholders.

Reports from the Department of the Treasury indicate that these lanchas are not operating as isolated or subsistence fishing ventures, but as organized operations increasingly linked to the Gulf Cartel, one of Mexico's most dangerous criminal organizations. The continued ability to sell illegally harvested red snapper into the U.S. market is a powerful financing source for the Cartel and undermines both U.S. fisheries management and national security. As long as access to the U.S. seafood market remains available without consequence for non-compliant actors, interdictions alone will not meaningfully alter this behavior.

Congress anticipated circumstances such as these when it enacted the High Seas Driftnet Fisheries Moratorium Protection Act, which authorizes an import prohibition when foreign fishing activities undermine conservation and enforcement efforts. To date, these import authorities have never been exercised, even as evidence mounts that illegally harvested red snapper continues to enter U.S. commerce through cartel-linked supply chains.

We respectfully urge NOAA Fisheries to evaluate-without further delay-the use of its existing statutory authority in coordination with relevant agency partners to eliminate illegal fishing in U.S. waters and prevent IUU-caught fish from entering U.S. markets. Conditioning market access on compliance through focused, risk-based measures would protect law-abiding U.S. fishermen, safeguard shared fish stocks, and remove a key economic incentive sustaining cartel-linked fishing activity while preserving lawful trade and minimizing impacts on compliant segments of the American seafood industry.

We would appreciate NOAA Fisheries' action in more aggressively applying its existing authorities to ensure that illegally harvested red snapper is not sold in the United States.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,"

MORE:

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Tuberville, Cruz Introduce Legislation to Protect American Fishermen from Cartels

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Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans' Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

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