The United States will stop importing seafood from countries lacking policies to protect marine mammals, according to a settlement reached Thursday between the Commerce Department and environmental groups.
The requirement will take effect Jan. 1, 2026, and cover seafood harvested by foreign fishermen whose nets entangle whales, dolphins, seals and other protected marine mammals, according to the agreement reached Thursday between plaintiffs and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
“I’m relieved other nations will finally be pressured to prevent whales and dolphins from getting caught in fishing nets,” Sarah Uhlemann, international program director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “Entanglement is a huge threat to these animals’ survival.”
A NOAA spokesperson said the agency is working with the Justice Department “to consider options for responding to the lawsuit,” adding the agency works both nationally and internationally to reduce the threat of bycatch to marine mammals. NOAA expects to publish “comparability findings” later this year that would authorize foreign countries to ship fish products to the United States.
