A coalition of Republican lawmakers is turning up the heat on federal regulators to stop Mexican cartels from profiting off fish stolen from American waters.
Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) and Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) are leading a group of ten senators urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to aggressively use trade restrictions against Mexican vessels accused of poaching red snapper in the Gulf. The lawmakers contend that these illegal hauls are not merely conservation violations but a direct financing stream for violent criminal organizations, specifically the Gulf Cartel.
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In a letter sent to Under Secretary Jacobs, the senators painted a grim picture of the current enforcement landscape. While the U.S. Coast Guard has maintained a presence in the Gulf, the volume of poached fish is rising even as vessel interceptions drop.
Data cited in the letter reveals a 28 percent spike in the volume of illegally harvested red snapper seized in 2025, totaling 15,859 pounds. The lawmakers noted that while fewer “lanchas”—small, fast boats used by poachers—are being caught, the ones that are intercepted are carrying significantly heavier, high-value loads intended for sale in the United States.
“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,” the senators wrote.
The group pointed to a Department of Homeland Security report estimating the Coast Guard only catches one out of every five foreign vessels detected intruding in U.S. waters. This leaves nearly 80 percent of illegal incursions unchallenged, allowing legitimate American supply chains to be infiltrated by cartel-sourced seafood.
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The coalition is calling on NOAA to invoke the High Seas Driftnet Fisheries Moratorium Protection Act. This legislation allows the U.S. to ban imports from nations whose fishing activities undermine conservation or enforcement efforts—authority the senators say has never been utilized despite mounting evidence of cartel involvement.
“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,” the letter concludes.
Joining Moody and Cassidy in the effort are Senators John Kennedy (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Katie Britt (R-AL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS).
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