Understanding the Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions
What is the Marine Mammal Protection Act?
The Marine Mammal Protection Act is a policy in the USA which has been in place for over 50 years. It was brought in to prevent the further decline of marine mammals due to human activities. The policy protects all marine mammals including those who live in water (such as dolphins) and those who move between the water and land (such as seals). It imposes measures to reduce bycatch and serious injury or intentional mortality of marine mammals. It is applicable in US waters and to US citizens.
What is the Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provisions?
The Import Provisions have been brought into force to ensure that countries who trade seafood with the USA can meet the same standards of marine mammal protection. The foreign country’s regulatory programme does not need to be the same as the US but comparable in effectiveness. Each country had to provide information regarding their procedures and monitoring process. The UK submitted its application and has formally been added to the list of comparable nations. Countries whose fisheries were denied comparability will be prohibited from importing affected products into the United States from 1 January 2026.
240 fisheries from 46 nations have been denied, but only for commodities that did not meet the standards. Nations who were denied all fisheries did not submit the required data or do not have a regulatory programme for marine mammal protection.
Published from NOAA pages as of October 2025:
Nations denied for some fisheries
Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Indonesia, Ireland, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Taiwan, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam
Nations denied all fisheries
Benin*, Grenada, Guinea, Haiti*, Iran*, Namibia, New Caledonia, Russia, Saint Lucia, The Gambia, Togo, Venezuela*
What does this mean for UK exports to the US?
Because the UK has comparable status, business can continue as usual for UK origin seafood. For businesses who process seafood and export to the US, it is advisable to check if the country of origin and commodity is on the prohibited list. If it is, it will flag at import and require additional paperwork to attest that the fishery product offered for entry into the United States is not subject to import prohibitions. The goods will need a Certificate of admissibility detailing the fishing gear and vessel information. For example, salmon from Ireland, squid or sardines from China, prawns from Indonesia would require the additional paperwork. Tuna is also prohibited from a number of countries.
You can view all the denied countries and species on the links below.