The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America supports the National Marine Fisheries Service's efforts to automate entry processing for seafood imports, although the trade association also said NMFS needs to address some outstanding issues stemming from that agency's efforts to create a streamlined process that can parse out restricted shipments from non-restricted shipments, according to a Feb. 18 comment submitted to NMFS.

NCBFAA offered its comments in response to a notice of proposed rulemaking calling to revise and automate the submission of the Certification of Admissibility form. The comment period opened on Dec. 17, 2024.

The trade provided recommendations in six areas. NCBFAA questioned NMFS' conclusion that the rulemaking would result in a "minimal" cost to trade because it's unclear which countries would be subject to trade restrictions. Mexico is the only country where it's required for a seafood importer to submit a COA for a specific fish, but by the end the year, the U.S. has been charged with developing a list of fisheries that are not up to U.S. standards.

"At that point, do trade restrictions apply to all countries with nonconforming fisheries? Or will NMFS take a more measured approach, choosing only the most egregious violators? The costs will differ significantly depending on whether it applies to two countries or twenty," NCBFAA said

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