By the November 30, 2021 deadline, seafood-exporting nations worldwide must have adopted regulations to reduce entanglements of whales, dolphins, and seals in fishing gear or face a US import ban.
Under a National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) rule published in 2016, foreign fishing operations must meet the same marine mammal protection standards applied to US fisheries to maintain access to the lucrative American seafood market.
Since 1972, the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has prohibited the United States from allowing seafood to enter the country unless it meets US whale and dolphin standards. But for the past 40 years, the federal government has largely failed to enforce the ban. In 2014, conservation groups sued to enforce the import requirement, and the 2016 rule and the November 30 deadline are the result of that settlement.
As the world’s top importer of seafood, the United States consumes 5 billion pounds of seafood each year, including tuna, swordfish, shrimp, and cod. An estimated 80% of that seafood is imported, according to the NMFS. In 2020, the agency identified 131 nations that must submit an application by the deadline, demonstrating that their export fisheries meet US standards.
Read more:
Deadline Today: Will Nations Lose Access to U.S. Seafood Market?