NOAA Fisheries has imposed seafood import restrictions on 46 nations, citing the need for adequate protections to ensure the safety of marine mammals during commercial fishing.
The federal agency announced on Friday, Aug. 29, that beginning Jan. 1, 2026, fish and fish products from foreign fisheries listed on NOAA’s List of Foreign Fisheries without a comparability finding will be barred from entering U.S. markets.
The list categorizes all foreign commercial fisheries that export to the United States as either exempt—with minimal or no marine mammal bycatch—or export, which carry a higher risk of marine mammal bycatch or have insufficient data. By holding foreign fisheries to the same rigorous standards as U.S. harvesters, NOAA Fisheries aims to protect marine mammals, uphold the integrity of American seafood, and create a level playing field for U.S. fishermen, the agency said.
NOAA Fisheries issued full comparability findings for 89 nations and partial findings for fisheries in 34 nations, while denying comparability for fisheries in 12 nations.
The 12 nations denied comparability for all of their fisheries, as listed in the Federal Register on Aug. 29, are Benin, Grenada, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Namibia, New Caledonia, Russia, Saint Lucia, The Gambia, Togo, and Venezuela. According to NOAA Fisheries, Benin, Haiti, Iran, and Venezuela did not submit applications for a comparability finding.
Nations denied comparability findings for a subset of their fisheries include Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Indonesia, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, Oman, Peru, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Taiwan, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
A comparability finding is NOAA Fisheries’ determination that a foreign export or exempt fishery has met conditions to ensure the protection of marine mammals during commercial fishing. To qualify, a nation must either prohibit the intentional killing or serious injury of marine mammals during fishing or demonstrate reliable certification procedures showing that exported fish and fish products to the U.S. are not derived from such practices.
NOAA Fisheries cited robust requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which also mandate that foreign nations maintain regulatory programs addressing incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals that are as effective as those in the United States. Nations must reapply for a comparability finding every four years to remain eligible to export to the U.S. Fisheries that were initially denied a finding may submit new or updated information and reapply after Jan. 1.
