Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Saving Natural Ecosystems and Marine Organisms Act of 2025 prohibits the harvesting, importing, exporting, and trading of coral reef species designated as "covered species" under the bill, with narrow exceptions for scientific research, accredited breeding programs, and sustainable aquaculture. The legislation identifies covered species as those listed in international wildlife trade agreements and any marine reef species that the Secretaries of Interior and Commerce jointly determine pose substantial risk to coral reef ecosystems or have poor survival rates in captivity, while banning destructive collection practices such as reef-dredging, explosives use, and poisoning in all circumstances. The bill establishes enforcement mechanisms including civil penalties up to $25,000, criminal penalties up to two years imprisonment for commercial traders, asset seizure and forfeiture, and provisions allowing citizens to file lawsuits against violators. The legislation takes effect one year after enactment, with special jurisdictional provisions placing American Samoa cases under the Hawaii federal district court.
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