Lafayette Reporter

Democrats have blocked Senator John Kennedy's (R-La.) legislation aimed at protecting American consumers from illegal shrimp imports and bolstering Louisiana's seafood industry. The bill proposed increasing funding to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) by $36 million, utilizing unobligated Internal Revenue Service (IRS) funds. This additional funding would have enabled SIMP to conduct audits on seafood imports to prevent misrepresentation of foreign seafood entering the U.S. market.

In his remarks, Senator Kennedy highlighted the issue of illegal shrimp imports, particularly from countries like India and Ecuador, which flood American markets and undercut the prices of quality Gulf shrimp. He emphasized the need for better inspections on imports to serve American consumers and protect domestic jobs.

The consumption of shrimp in the U.S. has been on the rise, with the average per person consumption increasing from 2.3 pounds in 1990 to 5.9 pounds in 2021. However, the profits of domestic shrimp, especially those sourced from the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic regions, have decreased in recent years due to the influx of illegal imports.

Currently, the FDA states that approximately 94% of seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, with only a small portion being inspected. The SIMP was established to combat illegal and unregulated seafood entering U.S. commerce by implementing reporting requirements for specific seafood species, including shrimp.

Under SIMP, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and Customs and Border Protection conduct random audits of seafood imports. However, only 1% of the seafood imports falling under SIMP's purview are audited. Shockingly, more than one-third of the audited shrimp imports do not comply with U.S. regulations.

Senator Kennedy's bill aimed to address this issue by providing additional funding to SIMP, enabling more thorough inspections of seafood imports. However, Democrats blocked the legislation, preventing it from moving forward.

The full remarks of Senator Kennedy can be found [here](insert link), and the complete text of the bill is available [here](insert link).

For additional details, please follow this link: https://www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/press-releases?ID=3E966CD6-4A5E-4931-A010-C96BBE8A6786