Importing and Exporting Antarctic Marine Living Resources and Obtaining Permits

The United States is a member of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the organization responsible for conserving marine life south of the Antarctic Convergence. CCAMLR applies an ecosystem approach to the conservation of marine living resources, with standards designed to conserve individual populations and species, as well as the Antarctic marine ecosystem as a whole. The United States implements CCAMLR’s conservation measures through the regulations set forth in 50 CFR 300 Subpart G.

Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish, also referred to as Chilean sea bass, are harvested in and beyond waters subject to CCAMLR’s measures. CCAMLR implemented a catch documentation scheme (CDS) for toothfish in 2000, significantly reducing the trade of toothfish caught in illegal, unregulated, or unreported fishing. The CDS allows for monitoring the international trade of toothfish, tracking the origins of imports, and determining if imports caught in the area CCAMLR protects follow CCAMLR conservation measures. It also provides catch data for stock assessments. Currently, 30 contracting parties of CCAMLR have fully implemented the CDS. NOAA Fisheries implements the CDS in the United States.

Requirements

Any person importing, exporting, or re-exporting Antarctic marine living resources into or from the United States must have an International Fisheries Trade Permit (see below). This applies to all imports of toothfish, whether they were harvested inside or outside CCAMLR waters.

Dealers must apply for pre-approval of each frozen toothfish import so that NOAA Fisheries can review its catch documentation in advance. There is a $200 fee for each pre-approval, and dealers must submit the pre-approval paperwork to NOAA Fisheries 10 working days before the shipment arrives. A separate application is required for any re-export of toothfish. Dealers must report fresh toothfish within 24 hours of importing it. For all other Antarctic species, such as Antarctic krill, dealers must submit an import ticket within 24 hours of importing the resource.

How to Obtain an International Fisheries Trade Permit

To obtain an International Fisheries Trade Permit, visit the Fisheries National Permit System website. The following links provide the forms and instructions required for trading frozen toothfish, fresh toothfish, and other Antarctic marine living resources:

• Application for Pre-Approval Certificate to Import Frozen Toothfish (PDF, 2 pages)

• Application for Re-Export of Toothfish (PDF, 2 pages)

• Reporting Form for Shipments of Fresh Toothfish (PDF, 2 pages)

• Antarctic Marine Living Resource Import Ticket (not required for trading toothfish) (PDF, 1 page)

Contact Us

For more information on toothfish import/export and Antarctic krill requirements, please contact Kim Dawson (kim.dawson@noaa.gov) or Lori Robinson (lori.robinson@noaa.gov) at the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory.

For any other inquiries regarding Antarctic marine living resources, please contact Mi Ae Kim (mi.ae.kim@noaa.gov) NOAA Fisheries Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection.