New Analysis Reveals Major Gaps in U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program, Leaving Billions in Imports Unchecked
Press Release Date: May 14, 2026
Location: WASHINGTON
Contact:
Megan Jordan | email: mjordan@oceana.org | tel: 202.868.4061
A new policy brief released today by the U.S. Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing & Labor Rights Coalition finds that the majority of seafood imported into the United States enters the market without basic catch documentation and traceability requirements, underscoring urgent gaps in the implementation of the government’s Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP).
The brief draws on a technical report by John Simeone of Simeone Consulting, LLC, and outlines critical reforms needed to prevent seafood connected to IUU fishing and human rights abuses from entering U.S. markets.
The brief notes that fully implementing NOAA’s own 2024 Action Plan — and expanding SIMP to all imported seafood — would transform the program into a more effective tool to combat illegal fishing, seafood fraud, and forced labor. Without these reforms, the U.S. risks remaining a major destination for illicit seafood products.
The brief found:
- In 2024, the U.S. imported $25 billion in seafood, yet more than 60% of that value ($15.3 billion) entered its markets without being subject to SIMP reporting requirements.
- Although NOAA designed SIMP in 2016 with the intention of expanding beyond the initial 13 species groups, no new species have been added in the program’s 10-year history.
- Gaps in coverage allow bad actors to evade oversight by mislabeling seafood as visually similar, non-covered species.
- Imports of non-SIMP-covered “close substitute” species far outweigh imports of SIMP-regulated species they commonly replace in the market:
- Nearly 4 times greater for northern red snapper
- More than 8 times greater for Atlantic blue crab
- Over 7 times greater for red king crab
- NOAA’s 2024 SIMP Action Plan outlined needed reforms — such as stronger data verification, prior notification requirements, and labor data collection — but these changes have yet to be fully implemented.
Stakeholders across the coalition emphasized that expanding and strengthening SIMP is essential to combating illegal fishing and forced labor in the seafood supply chain:
“For too long, the United States has been a dumping ground for illicit seafood that undermines U.S. fishers and dupes consumers. Strengthening and expanding the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to cover all seafood imports — as NOAA always intended — is essential to closing loopholes that allow illegal fishing and forced labor to persist. Americans deserve confidence that the seafood they purchase is not tied to ocean destruction or human exploitation. The bottom line is NOAA must fully implement this program to ensure that all seafood sold in the United States is safe, legally caught, responsibly sourced, and honestly labeled.”
— Beth Lowell, Vice President, Oceana
“If we are to prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and stop illegal products from entering the U.S. market, we need to ensure that imports of seafood provide basic information on their legal origin by requiring catch documentation and supply chain traceability. As this analysis shows, closing the gaps in NOAA’s Seafood Import Monitoring Program is an essential step to stop illegal trade, level the playing field for the U.S. seafood industry, and protect the health of our oceans and marine ecosystems.”
— Ben Freitas, Manager, Ocean Policy, World Wildlife Fund
“The U.S. has built a vital foundation for traceability, but the current framework remains fragmented. SIMP’s narrow scope has inadvertently created a ‘back door’ for illegal products, leaving our market vulnerable even when requirements exist on paper. The time is now for the U.S. to show true leadership. By expanding SIMP into a comprehensive import control program, we can close these exploitable loopholes, level the playing field for honest actors, and finally secure our supply chains against IUU fishing.”
— Lindsay Ceron, Governance Reform Program Director, FishWise
“The cost of gaps in SIMP coverage is borne by law-abiding fishers competing against illegal practices, workers whose exploitation is a structural feature of global seafood supply chains, and consumers who have the right to know where the seafood they eat comes from and under what conditions it is caught. This research underscores the urgency of fully implementing NOAA’s SIMP Action Plan, and our coalition stands ready to support that effort.”
— Penelope Kyritsis, Coordinator, U.S. IUU Fishing & Labor Rights Coalition
“I’m proud to publish this analysis today to help strengthen the Seafood Import Monitoring Program. SIMP is an important tool that can help prevent seafood coming from illegal fishing from entering our borders, but it’s clear that it needs improvement. Gaps in SIMP’s coverage are due to two weaknesses: selection criteria that’s too complicated and easy to avoid, and NOAA Fisheries failing to apply it in practice. The result is a program that struggles to accurately assess risk or effectively keep IUU-harvested and mislabeled seafood out of the U.S. market — though the good news is these failures are fixable.”
— John Simeone, Simeone Consulting, LLC
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 habitats, 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.
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 325 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit Oceana.org to learn more.
The U.S. IUU Fishing & Labor Rights Coalition brings together 20+ civil society organizations working to address the intersection of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and labor rights abuses, including forced labor, in seafood supply chains. IUU fishing not only drives labor exploitation, but also contributes to overfishing, destroys essential ecosystems, and threatens global food security.
The Coalition leverages U.S. government mechanisms to promote policy change that addresses the dual human rights and environmental implications of IUU fishing—promoting real-time coordination among civil society, government, and the private sector, as well as with major seafood importers and exporters, to tackle the complex, multifaceted, and inherently linked challenges of IUU fishing and labor rights abuses in seafood supply chains. The Coalition advocates for strengthening traceability and transparency in seafood supply chains and for the robust enforcement of laws to prevent the U.S. from importing seafood produced with forced labor or other IUU fishing practices, while advancing approaches for preventing labor abuse that are worker-centered and rooted in workers’ fundamental rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
