U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Rick Scott Send Letter to Secretary Lutnick to Address China’s Illegal Fishing Practices

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, thanking him and the Trump administration for their commitment to protecting American jobs and ensuring fair, competitive markets, while encouraging immediate action against the growing threat of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

In the letter, the Senators warned that Communist China, the world’s largest exporter of seafood to America, has turned IUU fishing into a weapon to undermine U.S. workers, threaten America’s national security, devastate the U.S. environment, and perpetuate gross human rights abuses – including the use of forced and child labor, human trafficking, and dangerous working conditions that claim over 100,000 lives annually in the commercial fishing industry. Senators Britt and Scott also called for full enforcement of the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act and a total ban on seafood imports from nations that engage in or support these abuses.

“Communist China is the world’s largest exporter of seafood to the U.S., flooding our markets with products tainted by forced labor, environmental destruction, and blatant disregard for international law,” the Senators wrote. “Chinese fishing fleets are notorious for their gross human rights abuses, including the use of forced and child labor—often from persecuted minorities like Uyghur Muslims and North Koreans. These vessels operate with impunity, decimating marine ecosystems and undercutting honest American businesses with artificially low prices. The result: American fishers are driven out of business, and American families are left vulnerable to unsafe, unethically sourced seafood.”

The Senators continued, “We urge you to take immediate aggressive action, which means fully enforcing the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act by imposing the toughest possible sanctions on seafood from Communist China and other nations that continue to abuse human rights on the high seas. We must protect American jobs, safeguard our environment, and uphold our values by refusing to be complicit in the gross abuses of Communist China.”

You can read the full letter here.

Senator Britt has continued to advocate for American and Alabama fisherman, previously leading the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act to ensure that illegal, cartel-backed poachers are unable to violate national and international fishing regulations. Following Senate passage of this legislation, Senator Britt stated this was a “first step to protecting Alabama’s fishermen and putting cartel-backed poachers on notice for their illicit activities in the Gulf.”

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