NOAA Releases Action Plan to Improve the Seafood Import Monitoring Program
Press Release Date: November 14, 2024
Location: Washington, D.C.
Contact:
Cory Gunkel, Megan Jordan | email: cgunkel@oceana.org, mjordan@oceana.org | tel: Cory Gunkel, 202.868.4061
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released an action plan today that recommends improvements to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) following a nearly one-year review of the program.
NOAA’s recommendations focus on:
- Enhancing NOAA’s ability to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing through improved traceability and risk detection, strengthening the sustainability of seafood globally;
- Contributing to government-wide efforts to address forced labor in the global seafood supply chain;
- Strengthening the integrity and fairness of global seafood supply chains by promoting fair seafood trade practices around the world; and
- Improving NOAA’s implementation of SIMP and building capacity to maintain and grow the program.
NOAA’s process considered input from more than 7,000 stakeholders, including the seafood industry, trade community, and non-governmental organizations. To implement the plan, NOAA will need to advance a package of regulatory updates to the program in 2025.
Oceana Campaign Director Dr. Max Valentine released the following statement in response to NOAA’s announcement:
“NOAA’s action plan outlines important steps to improve the United States’ ability to fight illegal fishing and seafood fraud. Much of the plan relies on President Trump proposing these new rules that will level the playing field for U.S. fishermen while protecting American consumers and the oceans. These proposed actions, combined with the additional improvements to the program, will help to ensure that more seafood is safe, legally caught, and honestly labeled.”
The U.S. government established the Seafood Import Monitoring Program in 2016, requiring catch documentation and traceability for some seafood at risk of illegal fishing and seafood fraud. It currently applies to just 13 types of imported seafood and only traces them from the boat or farm to the U.S. border.
NOAA’s latest announcement comes after it withdrew a proposed rule the agency issued in December 2022 to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program. The rule, which was directed by President Biden’s June 2022 Memorandum on Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing and Associated Labor Abuses, would have expanded the program to include nearly half of all seafood imports.
Oceana released the results of a poll this summer revealing that American voters support stronger safeguards for our oceans, including addressing illegal fishing and transparency in the seafood supply chain. The national online poll, conducted for Oceana by the nonpartisan polling company Ipsos, found that:
- 90% believe imported seafood should be held to the same standards as U.S. caught seafood.
- 88% say consumers should be reassured that the seafood they purchase was legally caught.
- 88% want the implementation of harsher penalties for companies that import or sell seafood that was illegally caught.
- 91% agree that seafood caught using human trafficking and slave labor should not be bought or sold in the U.S.
To learn more about Oceana’s campaign to expand seafood traceability and transparency at sea, visit here.
Background
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a low-risk, high-reward activity, especially on the high seas where a fragmented legal framework and lack of effective enforcement allow it to thrive. IUU fishing can include fishing without authorization, ignoring catch limits, operating in closed or protected areas, targeting protected wildlife, and fishing with prohibited gear. These illicit activities can destroy important ocean habitat, severely deplete fish populations, and threaten global food security. These actions not only contribute to overfishing, but also give illegal fishers an unfair advantage over those who play by the rules.
