Harmonized Tariff Codes and Other Resources for the Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Prohibitions

On September 2, 2025, NOAA Fisheries announced in the Federal Register its 2025 comparability finding determinations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions (MMPA).  NOAA Fisheries identified prohibited fisheries by each nation, target species, associated HTS codes, fishing area (or aquaculture operation), and fishing gear to aid nations, the seafood industry, and the trade community in identifying the products associated with import restrictions under the MMPA.  The following information is provided to support the identification of U.S. imports subject to MMPA import restrictions and Certification of Admissibility (COA) submission requirements.

These lists are subject to change as HTS codes or species names change, or in light of other updated trade information. 

Country of Origin (COO) and U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Codes that will be “flagged” due to the MMPA import restrictions beginning January 1, 2026 and will require a Certification of Admissibility to enter the United States 

For each of the listed COO, the corresponding "flagged" HTS Codes for products imported from that country will require the submission of a Certification of Admissibility (COA) indicating that the product being imported is not prohibited under the MMPA import restrictions.

Harmonized Tariff Schedule Codes (Excel download)

Prohibited Fisheries by Country of Harvest, Species, Gear Type, and Fishing Areas due to the MMPA import restrictions

The resource below identifies prohibited fisheries by associated Country of Harvest, Species (defined by FAO ASFIS 3-Alpha code), Gear Types (identified by fishing gear code), and Fishing Areas (identified by NOAA Fisheries List of Foreign Fisheries). U.S. imports from a Country of Origin with prohibited fisheries (one of the Countries of Harvest in the provided list) will require a Certification of Admissibility to attest that the product is not from one of the prohibited fisheries identified in this resource. Descriptions of the gear types can be found in the "Gear Codes Description" resource below. 

Restricted Fisheries 2025 (Excel download)

Prohibited Fishing Areas by Country of Harvest due to the MMPA import restrictions

For each Country of Harvest subject to import prohibitions under the MMPA, the resource below defines fishing areas within Exclusive Economic Zones and international waters.  This resource provides detailed descriptions of each prohibited fishing area, based on the areas defined in the MMPA List of Foreign Fisheries (LOFF), along with its assigned fishing area code.  A fishing area code is assigned to each fishing area subject to an import prohibition and listed on the Restricted Fisheries resource.

Fishing Area Description 2025 (Excel download)

Gear Code Descriptions under the MMPA Import Provisions

This resource provides detailed descriptions of the gear types and codes used to define fisheries subject to import prohibitions under the MMPA.  These codes can be used on the Certification of Admissibility to indicate the type of fishing gear used to harvest a product by a nation's fisheries. 

Fishing Gear Codes Description 2025 (Excel download)