The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries announced a December 31, 2018, mandatory compliance date for participating government agency (PGA) reporting under the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) on imports of shrimp and abalone products.
Shrimp and abalone had been stayed from SIMP reporting, which went into effect on January 1, 2018, but the stay was lifted on May 24, 2018.
By the December 31, 2018 compliance date, U.S. importers of shrimp and abalone species (originating from both wild capture fisheries and aquaculture operations) will be required to:
- obtain an International Fisheries Trade Permit (IFTP),
- submit harvest and landing information prior to entry into U.S. Commerce, and
- maintain supply chain records from the point of harvest to the point of entry into U.S. Commerce, for a period of two years after entry.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will publish a Federal Register Notice(FRN) when Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) programming has been
completed.
For products harvested prior to the compliance date, U.S. importers should work with their foreign suppliers to ensure that the harvest event and supply chain records are available for any entries made on or after December 31, 2018.
This program was established to prevent illegally harvested and misrepresented seafood from being entered into U.S. Commerce.
If you have any questions regarding SIMP PGA reporting for shrimp and abalone, Livingston can help! Please contact either your Livingston account manager or our regulatory affairs department at usregaffairs@livingstonintl.com.