In December 2016, NOAA established the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), which set permitting, reporting, and recordkeeping requirements that are currently applicable to imports of 13 species (abalone, Atlantic cod, Pacific cod, blue crab, red king crab, dolphinfish (mahi mahi), grouper, red snapper, sea cucumber, sharks, shrimp, swordfish, and tunas (bigeye, albacore, yellowfin and skipjack (BAYS) and bluefin).
Since January 1, 2018, NOAA has observed an “informed compliance” period for SIMP, during which the agency has provided outreach and assistance with respect to incomplete entry filings. That period ended on April 9, 2018. The requirements of SIMP are separate from other NOAA trade programs (e.g., AMLR, TTVP, HMS) and the informed compliance period does not apply to those programs.
Beginning April 9, 2018, entry filings for species currently subject to SIMP that are incomplete or that contain erroneous SIMP data must be corrected or completed before importation may proceed. All requirements of SIMP are in effect with respect to imports of the species listed above. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in federal law enforcement action by the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement.
The SIMP Compliance guide is available on the NOAA Fisheries IUU webpage.
Technical assistance for members of the seafood industry regarding compliance with SIMP is available through SIMP support. The email address is SIMP.Support@noaa.gov and phone number is 833-440-6599.
