Seafood Import Monitoring Program

The Seafood Import Monitoring Program, or SIMP, is a risk-based traceability program requiring the U.S. importer of record to provide and report key data—from the point of harvest to the point of entry into U.S. commerce—on thirteen imported fish and fish products identified as vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and/or seafood fraud.

Fishermen at sea.

Overview

The Seafood Import Monitoring Program establishes reporting and recordkeeping requirements for imports of thirteen seafood species, to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated-caught and/or misrepresented seafood from entering U.S. commerce. SIMP provides additional protections for our national economy, global food security, and the sustainability of our shared ocean resources.

Compliance for the first eleven species began on January 1, 2018. Compliance for shrimp and abalone, the remaining two species, became effective on December 31, 2018.

Included Species

These thirteen imported fish and fish products have been identified as particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing, seafood fraud, or both. NOAA uses the International Trade Data System, the U.S. government’s single data portal for all import and export reporting, to trace these species back to the point of harvest or production and verify whether they were lawfully harvested or produced.

  • Abalone
  • Atlantic cod
  • Blue crab (Atlantic)
  • Dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi)
  • Grouper
  • King crab (red)
  • Pacific cod
  • Red snapper
  • Sea cucumber
  • Sharks
  • Shrimp
  • Swordfish
  • Tuna (Albacore, Bigeye, Skipjack, Yellowfin, Bluefin)

Contact Us

NOAA Fisheries offers technical support and assistance to SIMP entry filers. For assistance regarding compliance and submissions with SIMP data, contact SIMPsupport@noaa.gov or the SIMP support line at (301) 427-8301 (toll) or (833) 440-6599 (toll-free).

Resources

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Model Catch Certificate for Seafood Import Monitoring Program

Available also in Spanish, French, Indonesian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Thai.

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Model Aggregated Catch Certificate for Seafood Import Monitoring Program

Also available in Spanish, French, Indonesian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

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Harmonized Tariff Codes for Seafood Import Monitoring Program

These harmonized tariff schedule codes were updated in March 2019. Contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection for any questions on selecting codes. …

Publications