U.S. Foreign Trade

Current - October 2012

The Fisheries Statistics Division of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has maintained a foreign trade data base for many years. We have developed a series of programs that can be used to summarize U.S. foreign trade in fishery products for the years 1975 to present. You can summarize the kilos and dollar value by your choice of years, products, countries, and the type of trade.

Where does NMFS get this data?

Well, like everyone else, we purchase the data from the Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau. Census is responsible for compiling the information submitted by importers and exporters to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The data are normally scheduled for release to the public 43 days after the close of the statistical month.

Importers and exporters submit their transactions to the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection using the international Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS). The HS is the system for classifying goods in international trade which has been developed under the auspices of the World Customs Organization (WCO), located in Brussels. The WCO is an international organization consisting of representatives of about 161 countries. The U.S. is represented in the WCO by the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. The International Trade Commission maintains the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States used by importers to classify their goods. Exporters use the Schedule B maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Data Update Schedule