Second Florida spiny lobster dealer fined and put on probation for false labeling

A second spiny lobster dealer in the U.S. state of Florida has been fined for falsely labeling foreign-bought lobsters as U.S. products, following the February sentencing of seafood wholesaler, distributor, and exporter Elite Sky International for similar illegal activities.

“These individuals and companies intentionally misrepresented their lobster to be something that it’s not – a product of the United States,” NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Southeast Division, Asistant Director Manny Antonaras said in a statement. “Fishermen and seafood producers who play by the rules deserve to be competitive in global markets. We work hard to help create an even playing field where domestic fishermen can market their American-caught products proudly around the world.”

On 23 May, 2023, AIFA Seafood Incorporated President Jiu Fa Chen was sentenced to five years of probation and fined USDE 100,000 (EUR 93,500) for the crime. Chen's company, AIFA Seafood Incorporated, also received five years of probation and a USD 250,000 (EUR 233,700) fine.

AIFA Seafood’s illegal operations were first brought to light through compliance checks required by the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) and an anonymous letter. NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations Key Largo and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Division of Law Enforcement followed up with a joint undercover operation that discovered a scheme whereby AIFA Seafood imported lobster from Haiti to Florida, repackaging the shellfish in boxes labeled “Live Florida Spiny Lobster Product of USA,” and then exported them to China. The company exported 5,900 pounds of falsely labeled lobster – with a retail market value of USD 206,500 (EUR 193,000) – to China in 2019.

Chen pled guilty to the charges in March 2023.

The investigation also uncovered an even larger illegal operation by Elite Sky International, which was placed on a five-year probation and fined USD 250,000 (EUR 233,700) in February 2023. In that case, Elite Sky International was discovered to have exported more than 63,000 pounds of foreign lobster imports labeled as U.S.A. products. The company also shipped 5,666 pounds of shark fins labeled falsely as frozen fish or spiny lobster.

Photo courtesy of NOAA Fisheries