With the “Our Ocean” Conference as a backdrop, President Barack Obama announced that he would use presidential authority to protect fragile marine life and curb the black market for fish, as well as combat origin of seafood product fraud.
The announcement was made at the U.S. Department of State’s global conference aimed to draw an action plan to clean up the oceans. Officials from 80 countries attended the event hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry. It is the most visible effort to date by the Obama administration to lead a global conservation effort for the oceans.
The President directed federal agencies to work together to develop a comprehensive program aimed at combating seafood fraud and keeping illegal fish out of the U.S. market. He vowed to create a government program to combat black market fishing and seafood fraud, in which seafood products are mislabeled to hide their origin.
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