The Department of Commerce has issued a report identifying nations of concern with respect to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and related forced labor activities.
- China, Costa Rica, Grenada, Mexico, Morocco, and Russia are identified for IUU fishing.
- Burma and China are identified for forced and child labor in seafood supply chains.
- China, Ghana, Japan, Mexico, Namibia, and Taiwan are identified for shark catch without a regulatory program comparable to that of the U.S.
- Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are identified for bycatch of protected living marine resources without a regulatory program comparable to that of the U.S.
The DOC will work with the identified nations over the next two years to address the activities of concern and will thereafter issue a certification determination for each indicating whether it has taken actions to remedy those activities. A negative certification will result in the denial of U.S. port access for fishing vessels of the specified nation and can result in restrictions on the importation of its fish or fish products into the U.S.
With respect to nations identified in the DOC’s 2023 report:
- Angola, Gambia, Taiwan, and Vanuatu received positive certifications following IUU fishing identifications;
- China, Grenada, and Mexico received negative certifications following IUU fishing identifications and Russia’s negative certification remains in effect; and
- China and Vanuatu received negative certifications following identifications for shark catch without a comparable regulatory program.
The DOC notes that Mexican fishing vessels that fish in the Gulf of Mexico have been prohibited from entering U.S. ports and denied port access and services since February 2022 and that certain China-flagged longline vessels have been prohibited from entering U.S. ports and denied access to port services since October 2024.
In addition, certain relevant flagged fishing vessels from Algeria, Barbados, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Namibia, Senegal, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and Türkiye have been denied access to U.S. ports and port services since October 2024 due to negative certifications regarding bycatch of protected living marine resources. The DOC notes that these denials will remain in effect while the negative certifications are in place and that it may recommend appropriate trade restrictions to the president.
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