Courtesy of NAA:
The National Aquaculture Association (NAA) submitted comments in response to a proposed rule by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that would require seafood importers, wild-harvesters, and domestic aquaculture to acquire a permit and electronically report imports, landings or farm-gate sales. The proposed rule is the first step by NOAA to prevent the sale of illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud in the United States.
The NAA commented in support of the agency’s efforts to prevent IUU fishing and seafood fraud. Such activities undermine efforts to sustainably manage wild fisheries, the value of fishery products, and income to legitimate processors and harvesters. The NAA also commented that the development and implementation of the means proposed by the rule to trace fishery products is a necessary and fundamental tool to begin to deny market access to IUU products and prevent seafood fraud.
The NAA recommended that NOAA exclude domestically, farm-raised marine species from the proposed rule for the several reasons: Existing federal and state regulations adequately prevent IUU of U.S. produced marine aquaculture products, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act does not authorize regulation of U.S. marine aquaculture conducted within the boundaries of the sovereign states, and current regulations by NOAA regulating marine aquaculture in the exclusive economic zone achieve the traceability sought in the proposed rule.
For additional information concerning the proposed rule and federal efforts to combat IUU and seafood fraud, visit http://www.iuufishing.noaa.gov/. For additional information about, or a copy of NAA’s comments, please email naa@thenaa.net or call 850-216-2400.
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