October 28, 2026 — A new federal law is putting the spotlight on Hawaii’s fishing industry to keep illegally caught tuna out of the marketplace.
The Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act was signed into law Oct. 15 by President Donald Trump, and was co-introduced by U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Katie Britt, R-Alabama, Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, and Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi.
The new law calls for a standard procedure to identify where red snapper and certain tuna species come from, including the development of a field test kit that can determine whether fish were caught in U.S. or foreign waters.