NOAA Fisheries’ Withdrawal of its SIMP Proposed Rule and Announcement of a Comprehensive Review of the Program

NOAA Fisheries announced that it has withdrawn its Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) proposed rule and will conduct a broad program review to enhance and strengthen the program’s overall impact and effectiveness. This decision stems from the extensive public feedback received during the proposed rule's comment period and over the history of SIMP. NOAA Fisheries will engage with and seek broad input on SIMP from stakeholders, including industry, non-governmental organizations, other federal agencies, congressional representatives, and foreign governments through a series of public listening sessions. We will also convene an informal interagency team as part of the review process to help identify possible strategies for increasing the effectiveness and impact of SIMP, and other relevant tools in countering IUU fishing and seafood fraud.