Seafood Import Monitoring Program for Shrimp and Abalone

Background:
SIMP established reporting and recordkeeping requirements for imports of certain seafood products to prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated and/or misrepresented seafood from entering U.S.

**On January 1st, 2018, SIMP declaration has been mandated for the following priority species: Atlantic Cod, Blue Crab (Atlantic), Dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi), Grouper, King Crab(red), Pacific Cod, Red Snapper, Sea Cucumber, Sharks, Swordfish, Tunas: Albacore, Bigeye, Skipjack, Yellowfin, and Bluefin. **

Mandatory Compliance for Shrimp and Abalone.

NOAA Fisheries has established the date for importers of shrimp and abalone to be in effect with the requirements of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP). The Federal Register notice establishes that compliance with the SIMP requirements will be mandatory for shrimp and abalone importers as of December 31, 2018.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 directed NOAA Fisheries to lift the stay on the implementation of SIMP for shrimp and abalone and to establish a compliance date no later than the end of 2018.

The requirements of SIMP involve 3 parts:
1) obtain an International Fishery Trade Permit (IFTP),
2) report through ACE certain harvest event data elements for each shipment of product and
3) maintain records which support the chain of custody traceability from point of harvest landing to import into the United States

NFI will be holding an online seminar for members who import shrimp and abalone. An announcement will be made as to the date and time of the online seminar.

Commodity’s subject to SIMP requirements in addition to the above species that had already been mandated:
• Shrimp (Frozen, live, Fresh, Prepared meals, cooked, breaded, chilled, etc.)
• Abalone (Frozen, live, fresh, prepare, preserved, products for prepared meals or chilled)

Flegenheimer International would like to remind importers and shippers to keep sending accurate and complete information along with their shipping documents in timely manner; otherwise shipments with incomplete or incorrect data will not get a “May Proceed’ from NMFS.

For full list of Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes applicable to the products follow the below link:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/04/24/2018-08553/magnuson-stevens-fishery-conservation-and-management-act-lifting-the-stay-on-inclusion-of-shrimp-and

For record keeping provision, please read:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/us-seafood-import-monitoring-program-include-shrimp-and-abalone-december-31

To read the Federal Register Notice:
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-04-24/pdf/2018-08553.pdf