New Delhi: In what has come as a aid to India’s seafood business, the US Nationwide Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has mentioned that India’s exports meet America’s mammal safety requirements, permitting their continued shipments.
Apparently, India’s seafood export rivals—China, Mexico, and Ecuador—have been denied certification, barring sure fisheries exports to the US past 31 December, two authorities officers conscious of the event mentioned.
The US mammal safety requirements check with guidelines that stop killing or wounding marine mammals corresponding to dolphins and whales whereas fishing. The US requires exporting nations to indicate that their fishing strategies do not hurt sea mammals greater than what’s permitted for American fishers.
NMFS’s approval of Indian marine exports comes at a time when Chinese language processors are more and more sourcing Indian shrimp for re-export. The NMFS certification comes within the backdrop of India and the US persevering with their bilateral commerce settlement (BTA) talks. India exported seafood price $7.39 billion in FY25, of which greater than a 3rd or $2.68 billion went to the US. Indian shrimp exports to the US are at the moment much less aggressive than these from Ecuador, Vietnam, and Indonesia as a result of steep 50% tariff.
The event removes a significant potential non-tariff barrier for Indian seafood exports, particularly shrimp aquaculture, which is India’s largest export to the US. Whereas tariff-related problem stays, India’s compliance beneath the MMPA (Marine Mammal Safety Act) strengthens its place as a accountable and sustainable seafood exporter, mentioned the primary of the 2 authorities officers cited earlier, each of whom spoke on the situation of anonymity.
When contacted by way of e mail, the NOAA Fisheries, also referred to as the Nationwide Marine Fisheries Service, mentioned: “The MMPA import provisions staff is at the moment in a furlough standing. We’ll reply to emails as soon as authorities features resume. “Please word fish and fish merchandise originating from a denied fishery will probably be prohibited from import into america on January 1, 2026,” it added.
Queries emailed to India’s ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry, and dairying remained unanswered until press time.
“It is a optimistic step in the proper route. Nevertheless, so long as the excessive tariff is there, this isn’t going to assist Indian exporters a lot,” mentioned Alex Ok. Ninan, vice-president, The Seafood Exporters Affiliation of India.
The US Marine Mammal Safety ACT is a US federal legislation that goals to guard marine mammals and their habitats. Whereas the MMPA primarily applies to US waters and actions, it additionally has implications for seafood exporting international locations that want to export their merchandise to the US.
In 2017, the US launched provisions beneath the MMPA that required all seafood exporting nations to exhibit that their fisheries have safety measures comparable in effectiveness to US requirements to restrict harm and mortality of marine mammals corresponding to whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals.
“Below the MMPA international locations in search of to export seafood to the US should receive a comparability discovering by way of a certification course of carried out by the US Nationwide Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),” mentioned the second official. This evaluates whether or not exporting international locations have efficient laws and measures to cut back incidental catch of marine mammals whereas fishing.
Based on the primary official, the NMFS had earlier famous that the general danger of marine mammal bycatch (unintended catch of non-target species) in Indian fisheries is “excessive.”
To make sure sustainability and uninterrupted seafood exports to the US, the federal government has supported a mission titled ‘Marine Mammal Inventory Assessments in India’ with a complete price of ₹13.28 crore beneath the Central Sector Scheme, mentioned the second official.
Based on the second official, NOAA Fisheries introduced its MMPA comparability determinations within the Federal Register, masking round 2,500 fisheries throughout 135 nations. Of those, 240 fisheries from 46 nations have been denied comparability findings, proscribing their means to export to the US, in response to NOAA Fisheries web site.
Following these engagements, NMFS has granted India a comparability discovering, confirming that its fisheries meet US marine mammal safety requirements. The approval ensures India’s seafood exports can proceed to the US past the 31 December 2025 deadline.
