According to court documents, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reached a settlement with importers, suspending the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act-related ban originally set to take effect on January 1, 2026.
Brice Phillips, Vice President of Phillips Foods, a U.S. seafood importer, said in an interview with UCN: "We are glad that we have resolved this thorny issue, and we have gained more time to advocate for those banned fisheries."
Previously, it was reported that in September, NOAA planned to implement a new seafood import ban, with all products and supplying countries that do not comply with the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act regulations being listed as subjects of regulation, and these goods would be unable to enter the U.S. market starting January 1, 2026.
According to a list published by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in August, up to 178 fishery products have been listed on the key monitoring list, including products processed and re-exported in third countries. The total U.S. seafood import amount is approximately $25.8 billion annually, with the value of these restricted products being about $3.6 billion.
Crab products imported from Asian countries are the category most affected by the ban, with about 90% of crabs in the U.S. coming from imports, with an annual import value of approximately $45.3 million.
On October 9, ten U.S. importers, together with the U.S. National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and the Restaurant Law Center, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury, claiming that the new ban "has no reasonable explanation, no evidence from the fishery sector, and no consideration of the economic impact."
On October 14, the U.S. court accepted the plaintiffs' application, facilitating a settlement between the parties during the U.S. government shutdown.
Gavin Gibbons, Chief Strategy Officer of NFI, told UCN: "We are satisfied with this outcome on behalf of all the plaintiffs, and we appreciate the efforts of the Department of Justice in promoting this matter and reaching a satisfactory resolution during a difficult time, which avoided irreversible damage to the interests of some U.S. companies. Both parties decided to resolve the issue through a settlement, aiming to ensure the practical enforcement of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which has always been our goal."
As of now, the U.S. government has been shut down for over a month, and bipartisan lawmakers have not been able to reach an agreement on the budget bill. However, the government shutdown does not mean that the Marine Mammal Protection Act will not eventually be implemented. The affected countries still need to submit more information to prove that they have taken measures to ensure that marine mammals in fishing are adequately protected. Other relevant parties, including the plaintiffs and other industry stakeholders, can also submit relevant information to NMFS.