Seafood Import Prohibitions under the Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions
Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Import Provisions, the United States can impose import prohibitions on seafood products from foreign fisheries that do not meet U.S. standards.
2025 Comparability Finding Determinations for Harvesting Nations
On September 2, 2025, NOAA Fisheries announced in the Federal Register its 2025 comparability finding determinations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions.
Nations denied comparability findings for all of their fisheries:
Benin*, Grenada, Guinea, Haiti*, Iran*, Namibia, New Caledonia, Russia, Saint Lucia, The Gambia, Togo, Venezuela*
*Nations that did not submit an application for a comparability finding
Nations denied comparability findings for a subset of their fisheries:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Indonesia, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Taiwan, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam
Fish and fish products from fisheries denied a comparability finding will be prohibited from import into the United States beginning January 1, 2026. Products not subject to a prohibition but that share a Country of Origin and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Code with a prohibited product from a fishery denied a comparability finding are subject to Certification of Admissibility requirements to enter the United States starting January 1, 2026, to confirm they are not subject to the import prohibition. Nations denied comparability findings for a subset of their fisheries are required to implement Certifications of Admissibility, as appropriate, to attest that fish and fish product offered for entry into the United States are not subject to import prohibitions (see Certification of Admissibility section below).
NOAA Fisheries mapped out prohibited fisheries by each nation, target species and associated HTS codes, fishing area (or aquaculture operation), and fishing gear to aid nations, the seafood industry, and the trade community in identifying their products associated with import prohibitions under the MMPA. The information contained in these resources should be used to support the identification of U.S. imports potentially subject to MMPA import restrictions and Certification of Admissibility submission requirements. These resources are available online: Harmonized Tariff Codes and other resources for the Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Prohibitions
These lists are subject to change as HTS codes or species names change, or in light of other updated trade information.
Comparability finding determinations may be updated, for example, as nations reapply with new information. Updates to comparability finding determinations can be found here.
Certification of Admissibility
NOAA Fisheries requires a Certification of Admissibility (COA) to attest that the species composition, method, and location of harvest of the products are not subject to MMPA import restrictions. The COA allows seafood products to enter the United States that would otherwise be blocked at entry due to sharing similar trade data as prohibited products.
MMPA import restrictions are identified by the Country of Origin (COO) and U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) implements these restrictions through its Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). For any entry filings indicating the applicable COO and HTS code combination, the COA will be required in ACE. Please see the entry filing instructions in CSMS # 67590021.
The COO is determined by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. For the MMPA Import Provisions, the COO is often synonymous with the harvesting nation. Exceptions to this may occur if fish or fish product is substantially transformed in the supply chain.
When seeking to import products subject to COA requirements, the U.S. Importer of Record/Agent must validate and submit a copy of the COA fish harvest record form to NOAA Fisheries through the CBP ACE.
COA Resources
- Certification of Admissibility and Instructions for Certification of Admissibility Form
- Harmonized Tariff Schedule Codes and Other Resources under the MMPA Import Provisions
- Certification of Admissibility Authorized Officials Under the Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions
Contact Information
For information related to the MMPA Import Provisions program and its history, comparability finding determinations, including Comparability Finding Application Final Reports or the List of Foreign Fisheries (LOFF), please contact MMPA.LOFF@noaa.gov.
For technical assistance on current COA requirements, please contact trademonitoring.support@noaa.gov.
More Information
- Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions
- Comparability Finding Determinations
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Learn more about NOAA Fisheries’ other trade monitoring programs: