Markey introduces revamped bill to fight fish fraud

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff

US Representative and Senate candidate Ed Markey Wednesday introduced a new version of bill to combat seafood fraud by tracking fish from a boat to a diner’s plate.

Markey amended earlier legislation he filed in July to reflect input from federal agencies, fishermen, consumer and conservation groups. The new bill will require information already collected by fishermen, such as species name, catch location, and harvest method, to be made available to consumers and requires imported fish to have equivalent documentation.

It also expands the ability of the US Food and Drug Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to refuse entry of unsafe or fraudulent seafood shipments.

The bill comes after several years of high-profile reports, including in The Globe, of rampant seafood substitution of species on restaurant plates.

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