House hearing ties wildlife trafficking, illegal logging and IUU fishing to national‑security and public‑health threats

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers and expert witnesses at a House hearing on international environmental crime on Jan. 21 framed wildlife trafficking, illegal logging and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing as threats to U.S. national security, public health and domestic producers, and urged stronger enforcement and international cooperation.

Chairman Gosar opened the session by calling environmental crime ‘‘the world’s fourth largest crime sector, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue annually’’ and warned that transnational criminal organizations and other bad actors are using wildlife and timber trafficking to finance violence and illicit markets. "These crimes cause downstream consequences that ultimately harm American producers," he said during opening remarks.

Dr. Evan Ellis, introduced as a senior nonresident associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the committee that Chinese criminal networks engage in IUU fishing, illegal mining, timber and wildlife trafficking across the Western Hemisphere, and that those activities can enable money laundering and other security risks. "Because Chinese illicit networks operate both in Latin America and the United States, they potentially support also PRC espionage activities here," he testified.

Tom Benavides of the Dallas Safari Club described private breeding and conservation work for large mammals and called the international ban on rhino horn trade ineffective. Benavides urged ‘‘legalizing the regulated trade of horn’’ as a way to fund anti‑poaching measures and support species recovery, saying private programs can produce individuals for reintroduction.

Ed Newcomer, a retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent, emphasized operational limits inside the agency. He described a persistent shortage of agents and inspectors at key ports, recounted the difficulty of placing live animals seized as evidence, and credited an emerging wildlife confiscation network with improving the ability to care for and rehome confiscated specimens. "The US Fish and Wildlife Service agent force has been authorized at around 250 agents; that has not changed for 40 years," he said, adding that unfilled positions leave agents and ports overstretched.

Eric Kingma, executive director of the Hawaii Long Line Association, outlined the economic scale of the U.S. longline fleet and said foreign fleets that are subsidized or poorly monitored undercut domestic producers. He urged stronger traceability and broader coverage under the Seafood Import Monitoring Program and recommended using market access as leverage to prevent IUU‑sourced seafood from entering U.S. markets.

Members from both parties pressed witnesses on specific remedies. Representative Don Beyer asked that NOAA’s recent comparability findings under the Marine Mammal Protection Act be reviewed; Kingma urged Congress to direct an immediate review of those determinations. Representative Quigley focused on the exotic‑pet trade and how social media fosters demand for species such as spider monkeys; Newcomer described how a coordinated confiscation network and preexisting relationships with zoos and rehabilitators help place live animals recovered at airports.

Ranking member Dexter emphasized public‑health implications, citing the 2018 National Biodefense Strategy and statistics that "roughly 75 percent of infectious diseases originate from animals," and warned that reduced international surveillance capacity has weakened early detection of zoonotic threats. Members discussed strengthening penalties, reexamining sentencing guidelines for wildlife crimes, and ensuring task‑force efforts (including maritime and timber trafficking working groups) yield enforcement outcomes rather than just reports.

The witnesses and members generally agreed on the need for: more staffing for Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement and wildlife inspectors at ports; better international cooperation and technical assistance; enhanced import traceability and country‑of‑origin labeling for seafood; and targeted legal or regulatory changes to make prosecutions and penalties more effective.

The record remained open for 10 business days for members’ additional questions, and the subcommittee adjourned without taking formal legislative action.

The committee may request written follow‑up from witnesses and staff to clarify recommendations and implementation steps.