U.S. Senate bill tackles 'seafood fraud'

With frequently mislabeled imports ruling American seafood consumption, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand urged Senate leaders Wednesday to pass a bill that would increase fish inspections and help make sure customers are getting the fish they pay for.

In a letter, Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) noted that 84 percent of seafood now is imported, and that less than 1 percent of that is inspected for contaminants, fraudulent mislabeling and other problems. Only seven U.S. inspection facilities have authority to do the work, she said, leading to months-long delays in inspecting suspect fish.

The Commercial Seafood Consumer Protection Act would strengthen seafood safety oversight by creating a "more robust and efficient inspection system that would better protect public health," Gillibrand said.

It would mandate greater cooperation among federal agencies, increase inspections of foreign facilities, improve technical guidance and training for foreign fish farms, and establish a distribution-chain tracking system for better labeling. It also would increase the number of inspection facilities and allow regulators to refuse shipments from a country or processor whose products don't meet specific U.S. standards.

Gillibrand said the measure would help Long Island fishermen, who face unfair competition from mislabeled imports.

"By holding imports to the same standards as our U.S. producers, we can help level the playing field for New York's fishermen," she said. "Consumers are at risk of overpaying for seafood products that may not be safe to eat due to lack of effective inspections and mislabeling. Equipping consumers with accurate information will give them the tools to choose squid, scallops and fluke from Long Island instead of overseas."

The bill received bipartisan support when it was passed last week by a Senate subcommittee.

A report last month by the conservation group Oceana said U.S. consumers are more likely than ever to be served a completely different fish from the one they paid for in supermarkets, fish markets or restaurants. Up to 70 percent of the most commonly consumed fish -- red snapper, wild salmon and Atlantic cod -- may be mislabeled, the report said, replaced by a cheaper, less desirable or more abundant fish.