On August 14th 2018 the Court of International Trade imposed an immediate import restriction on fish and fish products of Mexican origin caught with gillnets deployed in the Northern Gulf of California to protect the critically endangered Vaquita Porpoise. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a notice in the Federal Register on August 28, 2018 to implement these specific import restrictions regarding certain fish products from Mexico.
The import ban was placed on any Chano, Sierra, Curvina, or Shrimp that was caught with gillnets deployed in the Northern Gulf of California. Any imports of shrimp, fish and fish products of Mexican origin that are entered under the designated HTS codes (updated February 9,2019) must be accompanied by a Certification of Admissibility. For any guidance on completing the Certification of Admissibility, NOAA has issued Instructions for Certification of Admissibility Form. Commodities may only be disclaimed for processed fish products filed under the HTS codes 2309.90 or 2309.10, or HTS code 0511.99.3060.
All Certification of Admissibility statements must be signed by an Official Designated by the Government of Mexico to Validate the U.S Certification of Admissibly.
If you have any questions regarding NOAA enforcement, Livingston can help! Please contact either your Livingston account manager or our regulatory affairs department at usregaffairs@livingstonintl.com