On December 8, 2016, NOAA Fisheries launched a comprehensive Seafood Import Monitoring Program to further curb Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices and to identify misrepresented seafood imports before they enter the U.S. market.
The program requires that importers report information and maintain records about the harvest, landing, and chain of custody of imported fish and fish products for certain priority species identified as especially vulnerable to IUU fishing and seafood fraud. The program will eventually expand to include all species.
The U.S. will use the existing International Trade Data System to collect seafood catch and landing documentation for the priority seafood species. Information collected through the data system is confidential and will not be available to consumers.
January 1, 2018, is the mandatory compliance date for most priority species listed in the rule. Due to gaps in availability of information regarding U.S. farmed shrimp and abalone, implementation for these species will be effective at a later date.
source: NOAA Fisheries