Notice of Reconsideration of Comparability Findings for Swimming Crab Fisheries

The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) blocks fish imports into the United States from countries that do not have protections similar to U.S. rules for reducing accidental harm to marine mammals, such as dolphins and whales getting caught in fishing gear.

In September 2025, NOAA reviewed about 2,500 fisheries in 135 countries and found that 240 fisheries in 46 countries did not meet U.S. standards. As a result, those fisheries faced a U.S. import ban starting January 1, 2026.

After a lawsuit was filed, a U.S. court temporarily paused the ban for swimming crab fisheries in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka so NOAA could review additional information from those countries.

NOAA later determined that Vietnam, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka had improved their fisheries enough to meet U.S. standards through better monitoring, conservation efforts, and bycatch reduction measures. However, the Philippines’ gillnet and pot/trap fisheries were still found noncompliant because they do not have adequate reporting or monitoring programs for marine mammal injuries and deaths caused by fishing operations.