NOAA Temporarily Eases Entry Rules to Prevent Seafood Trade Disruption on January 1st
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton December 20, 2017
John Henderschedt, director, NOAA Fisheries' Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection, spoke with us today on NOAA’s implementation of the Seafood Inspection Monitoring Program, and about the potential for Congress to add shrimp and abalone to the required species under the budget bill.
SIMP, as it is known, will become effective January 1st, after which all seafood imports of the affected products will require extensive new documentation designed to deter IUU fishing.
The species subject to the new rule are Atlantic and Pacific Cod, Blue crab, Mahi Mahi, Grouper, King Crab, Sea cucumbers, Red Snapper, Sharks, Swordfish and all Tunas.
Since October, NOAA has had a pilot program under which customs brokers using the ACE (Automated Customs Entry) system could test their computer systems with the ten additional data fields required by SIMP. However, Henderschedt says only about 100 test entries have been made on this pilot system.
After January 1st, there will literally be hundreds of entries per day...
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