The U.S. MMPA import ban is about to take effect, with tuna being the first to bear the brunt.

Core tip: The U.S. government has confirmed that, starting from January 1, 2026, it will officially enforce an import ban on seafood products related to marine mammal protection. This measure, based on the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), will have a substantial impact on seafood imports from dozens of countries and hundreds of fisheries, with tuna and mahi mahi being among the species most affected.

Officials from the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS, under NOAA Fisheries) made it clear at an importer network briefing on December 16 that all seafood products from fisheries deemed non-compliant with the "comparability" requirements of the MMPA must be accompanied by a government-issued "Certificate of Authorization" (COA) upon entering the U.S. If the goods cannot provide a valid COA upon entry, they will be directly refused clearance. NMFS estimates that the ban will affect approximately $3.6 billion in seafood trade, a significant proportion of the approximately $25.8 billion annual seafood imports to the U.S. According to the plan, the ban covers about 240 fisheries in 46 countries, involving partial or full import prohibitions. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will screen incoming goods by matching the commodity tariff number (HTS code) with the country of origin information and trigger the COA requirement. NOAA has released a complete list of ...