Starting January 1, 2026, any fish or fish products from fisheries without a comparability finding cannot be imported into the United States.
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The United States will ban seafood imports from hundreds of foreign fisheries that do not meet its marine mammal protection standards, according to a decision announced by NOAA Fisheries at the end of August.
The decision comes under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which requires foreign fisheries to demonstrate that their practices to prevent harm to marine mammals are comparable to those used by US fleets.
NOAA reviewed about 2,500 fisheries across 135 nations and issued its 2025 comparability determinations on a fishery-by-fishery basis.
According to the agency, 240 fisheries from 46 countries were denied approval, meaning they will no longer be allowed to export fish or fish products to the US from 1 January 2026. The fisheries in question can reapply for approval after that date if they improve their practices.
The US agency said the measure aims to protect marine mammals and ensure fair competition for US fishermen. Lists published by NOAA show which nations had all their fisheries approved, some approved, or all denied.
"Bycatch - the unintentional capture of marine mammals in fishing gear- is a global threat to many species. While U.S. fishermen already comply with strict bycatch mitigation rules, the Marine Mammal Protection Act import provisions extend these protections worldwide. This rule ensures foreign fisheries must meet similar standards to protect marine mammals in order to trade with the United States," NOAA Fisheries said in a statement.
A total of 89 countries were given a "full comparability" finding, with a further 34 nations designated as having "partial comparability", meaning some of their fisheries will receive export bans. The US agency denied comparability entirely for 12 countries. The full list of findings is published on the NOAA website.