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NOAA Halts Illegal Tuna Imports, Fines Importers $222,902

NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement completed two multi-year investigations resulting in $222,902 in combined civil penalties against seafood importers for falsely labeling tuna as 'dolphin safe.' The violations involved over 3.4 million pounds of tuna product imported from Mexico into U.S. commerce without proper dolphin-safe certification. Both importers cooperated with investigators, withdrew products from retail, donated inventory to nonprofits fighting food insecurity, and agreed to implement corrective labeling and sourcing practices for future shipments.