El Universal
US senators call for punishment of Mexico for illegal fishing; they link red snapper to Gulf Cartel funding
The Department of Homeland Security indicates that the Coast Guard only intercepts one out of every five foreign vessels detected.
By Alelhí Salgado
Republican senators in the United States have asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its NOAA Fisheries division to apply stricter measures against illegal fishing in Mexico carried out by small boats from Playa Bagdad, in Tamaulipas, which enter US waters in the Gulf of America to catch red snapper.
In a letter addressed to federal authorities, a copy of which is in the possession of EL UNIVERSAL , the legislators warned that these boats “do not operate as isolated or subsistence activities, but as organized operations,” and that reports from the Treasury Department increasingly link them to the Gulf Cartel , which they describe as one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Mexico .
The document argues that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing of red snapper has become a mechanism for criminal financing, as the illegally caught product manages to enter the US market.
Thus, the senators noted that “as long as access to the U.S. seafood market remains available without consequences for lawbreakers, interdictions alone will not significantly alter this behavior.”
Although fewer interdictions were recorded in 2025 than the previous year, lawmakers stressed that the volume of seized red snapper increased by 28%, reaching 15,859 pounds, which they attribute to the fact that the intercepted vessels are carrying larger and higher-value shipments destined for the U.S. market.
Furthermore, they cited a Department of Homeland Security report indicating that the Coast Guard only intercepts one out of every five foreign vessels detected, leaving nearly 80% of illegal incursions unstoppable and with the potential to integrate into “opaque” supply chains.
For the senators, this phenomenon is no longer just a fishing or environmental problem, but a matter of national security, as it "undermines U.S. fisheries management and national security" by funding transnational criminal organizations.
Therefore, they asked NOAA to promptly evaluate the use of its legal powers, including import restrictions, to prevent illegally caught red snapper from being sold in the United States and to eliminate the economic incentives that sustain these operations linked to organized crime.
Senators demand the US government ban exports of red snapper and snapper from Mexico
The senators recalled that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had already issued negative certifications against Mexico for illegal fishing in 2021 and 2023, concluding that the country failed to stop incursions by boats into U.S. waters.
However, they pointed out that so far these sanctions have only resulted in restrictions on access to US ports , a measure that, they claimed, does not affect smaller vessels operating illegally, since these do not use US port infrastructure.
Therefore, lawmakers insisted and demanded a ban on imports of Mexican red snapper, arguing that this measure would be particularly effective because a significant portion of the illegally caught product ends up in the U.S. market, and by conditioning commercial access, law-abiding fishermen would be protected and pressure on red snapper populations would be reduced.
The letter was signed by 10 senators from the five states bordering the Gulf of Mexico , led by Bill Cassidy. Other signatories included John Kennedy, John Cornyn, Ted Cruz, Roger Wicker, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Tommy Tuberville, Katie Boyd Britt, Rick Scott, and Ashley Moody.