US decides to ban seafood imports that do not meet standards for protecting marine mammals

The ban "will protect numerous threatened species of whales, dolphins, seals and other marine mammals from entanglement in fishing gear used in foreign waters."

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A new ban on seafood imports will require the United States to meet standards for protecting threatened marine mammals. The ban, which will go into effect on January 1, 2026, was reached in the U.S. Court of International Trade.

The legal agreement stems from a lawsuit filed by Natural Resources Defense Council, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Animal Welfare Institute.

“I’m relieved other nations will finally be pressured to prevent whales and dolphins from getting caught in fishing nets. Entanglement is a huge threat to these animals’ survival,” Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said. “The United States has the power to use its enormous seafood market to help the world’s oceans, and it’s about time we started.”

With the United States coming in as the world’s largest seafood importer at $25.5 billion a year in seafood products, the ban “will protect numerous threatened species of whales, dolphins, seals and other marine mammals from entanglement in fishing gear used in foreign waters,” according to a press release.

“Today’s agreement will ensure some relief for threatened marine mammals suffering from bycatch, level the playing field for fishermen working hard to protect marine mammals, and give consumers more confidence that the seafood they consume does not needlessly kill the whales and dolphins they love,” Zak Smith, a senior attorney at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), said.

Bycatch is said to be the greatest threat to marine mammals globally, with more than 650,000 whales, dolphins and other marine mammals killed because of fishing gear. While most are unintentional “bycatch” of commercial fisheries and either drown or are tossed overboard, this will help to eliminate the death from injuries.

“This settlement marks a significant step forward for marine mammal welfare,” Georgia Hancock, program director and senior attorney for the Animal Welfare Institute’s Marine Wildlife Program, said. “Bycatch not only affects marine mammal populations but also raises serious animal welfare concerns. While most animals entangled in fishing gear die by drowning, those who escape often suffer prolonged injuries, such as cuts, broken bones, or amputations, and die weeks or months after their entanglement.”

Follow FishAct to learn more about their dedication to end global overfishing.

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