U.S. Sens. Mark Warner, Barbara Mikulski, Tim Kaine and U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman are urging President Barack Obama to protect Virginia and Maryland’s seafood industry by strengthening efforts to prevent seafood fraud.

The fraudulent labeling of Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean blue crab meat has a detrimental impact on an industry that plays an important role in the Virginia and Maryland economies, generating nearly $30 million annually in revenue for commercial watermen in Virginia and more than $58 million annually in Maryland, a news release stated.

However, a recent investigation by Oceana found that nearly 40 percent of crab cakes advertised in Maryland and Washington restaurants as coming from the Chesapeake Bay were, in fact, imported — primarily from the Indo-Pacific region.

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