NOAA Fisheries to establish first-ever traceability program for U.S. aquacultured (farmed) shrimp and abalone.
NOAA Fisheries has issued a proposed regulation to implement the first-ever traceability program for U.S. aquacultured (farmed) shrimp and abalone—establishing comparable reporting requirements to those required for imported seafood products under the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP).
Congress has directed the Secretary of Commerce to establish a domestic traceability program for U.S. aquaculture of shrimp and abalone from point of production to entry into U.S. commerce.
NOAA Fisheries is committed to working closely with U.S. aquaculture producers to develop a program that provides the necessary comparable data, while reducing stakeholders’ compliance burden to the maximum extent practicable.
This proposed regulation establishes the domestic counterpart to the traceability requirements for imported seafood under the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP)—a step to allow imports of the comparable product to be subject to U.S. seafood traceability requirements under SIMP.
SIMP and the traceability system it established facilitates better data collection and retention, sharing, and analysis among relevant regulators and enforcement authorities for imported seafood—marking a significant step forward for addressing illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud.
Mandatory compliance for eleven of the species covered under SIMP began on January 1, 2018. Shrimp and abalone compliance will be effective on December 31, 2018.
Establishing comparable requirements for domestic aquacultured shrimp and abalone also allows imports of shrimp and abalone to be subject to SIMP requirements— further leveling the playing field for U.S. fishermen, aquaculture producers, and seafood producers who play by the rules.
NOAA Fisheries has received public comments on the proposed regulation to implement a traceability program for U.S. aquacultured (farmed) shrimp and abalone.
NOAA Fisheries held two public webinars about the proposed regulation to implement the Traceability Information Program for Seafood. View transcripts below:
An oceanic whitetip shark swims near the surface of the water. Photo courtesy of John Carlson.
Veteran intern Antonio Jones at an oyster farm in Drayton Harbor, Washington, checking traps for European Invasive Green Crab. Credit: Northwest Straits Commission
A bidder checks the quality of tuna at the Honolulu Fish Auction. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
