A group of 20 House lawmakers are calling on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to launch a broad Section 301 investigation into unfair acts, policies, and practices affecting trade in seafood and seafood products.
In a May 11 letter to USTR Grier, the lawmakers assert that, rather than focusing narrowly on fisheries subsidies and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, such an investigation should address “a broad spectrum of unfair practices, including false labeling and species designations, the abuse of banned antibiotics and fungicides in aquaculture, export and product subsidies, environmental harm, structural excess capacity, labor abuses, and permissive standards with respect to gear usage”.
The lawmakers believe a broad-based Section 301 investigation into seafood trade would allow the Trump administration to “effectively leverage access to our market to improve conditions overseas and level the playing field for the American seafood industry within its own domestic market”, particularly in light of the significant economic decline that the U.S. seafood industry is currently experiencing. In this regard, the letter highlights that imported seafood currently accounts for about 94 percent of total U.S. consumption, while domestic seafood production has fallen.
The lawmakers are requesting that a Section 301 investigation into seafood trade cover at least the following countries: Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam. The letter underscores that a broad-based proceeding would also help mitigate circumvention risks by addressing the integrated, globalized nature of seafood supply chains, where harvesting, processing, and export functions are frequently distributed across multiple jurisdictions.
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