The United States is a global leader in protecting marine mammals and promoting sustainable fisheries. U.S. fisheries follow some of the strongest conservation practices in the world, including strict measures to reduce marine mammal bycatch.
NOAA Fisheries has issued full comparability findings under the Marine Mammal Protection Act import provisions for all fisheries from 89 nations and issued partial comparability findings for 34 nations’ fisheries. We denied comparability findings for all of 12 nations’ fisheries.
Starting January 1, 2026, any fish or fish products from fisheries listed on NOAA's List of Foreign Fisheries without a comparability finding cannot be imported into the United States. The list includes all foreign commercial fisheries that export to the United States. It classifies fisheries as:
- Exempt: No known or low risk of marine mammal bycatch
- Export: High risk of marine mammal bycatch or insufficient data
What Is a Comparability Finding?
A comparability finding is a determination by NOAA Fisheries that a harvesting nation’s export or exempt fishery has met applicable conditions in regard to how it manages bycatch of marine mammals. To receive a comparability finding, a harvesting nation must demonstrate that it:
- Prohibits the intentional mortality or serious injury of marine mammals in the course of commercial fishing operations in the export and exempt fishery; or
- Has procedures to reliably certify that exports of fish and fish products to the United States from its export and exempt fisheries are not the product of an intentional killing or serious injury of a marine mammal
In addition to the above, an export fishery must also maintain a regulatory program for incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals that is comparable in effectiveness to the U.S. regulatory program.
Why This Matters
Bycatch—the unintentional capture of marine mammals in fishing gear—is a global threat to many species. While U.S. fishermen already comply with strict bycatch mitigation rules, the Marine Mammal Protection Act import provisions extend these protections worldwide. This rule ensures foreign fisheries must meet similar standards to protect marine mammals in order to trade with the United States.
Countries must reapply for a comparability finding every 4 years to maintain their eligibility to export to the United States. If a fishery was previously denied a comparability finding, but now has new or updated information, those countries may reapply for a comparability finding after January 1, 2026.
Making a Global Impact
NOAA Fisheries is working with its trading partners to strengthen protections through regional fishery management organizations, building capacity in other nations, and promoting safe technologies and practices to reduce harm to marine mammals.
Learn more about marine mammal bycatch criteria for U.S. imports
