Posted September 24, 2013
Representative Rick Crawford (R-AR) recently introduced H.R. 3105, the Aquaculture Risk Reduction Act, which provides an exemption for producers in cases of accidental inclusion of undocumented animals in shipments of fish across state lines. The text of the bill is available here.
In a press release, Crawford said, “No farmer should face the threat of criminal prosecution by the federal government for simply doing their job. However, today this is the case in the aquaculture industry – with the threat of legal action in the case of minor, even accidental Lacey Act infractions. The Lacey Act is a well-intentioned law, passed in the year 1900, but is in great need of modernizing to accommodate 21st century agriculture.”
The Lacey Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 41-48 is a federal statute originally intended to protect wildlife, deter unlawful trade, and curb the introduction of harmful invasive species. The Lacey Act was amended in 1981, 16 U.S.C. 3371-3378, which broadened its application to all “wild” animals, including fish and amphibians, even when “bred, hatched, or born in captivity.” In 2008, plants were included in the scope of the Act.
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