U.S. Grants Two-Year Extension for Pakistani Fish Imports
The United States has granted a two-year extension to the exemption period for Pakistan’s fish imports, providing additional time for commercial fishing operations in Pakistan to align with U.S. standards.
The US Department of Commerce and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), a federal agency, granted this two-year extension to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) exemption period.
Notably, in FY2022-23, Pakistan’s seafood exports globally touched a record high of $469 million. Pakistan’s seafood export is hindered by the six-year-long U.S. ban on shrimp trade due to non-compliance with Turtle Excluder Device (TED) regulations. The European Union has also enforced a ban since 2007, partially lifted for three Pakistani companies, while India and Iran have significantly more companies exporting seafood to the EU.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Ministry of Finance highlighted the significance of this extension, citing a Federal Register Notice that extends the deadline for comparability findings for commercial fishing operations exporting fish and fish products to the US to December 31, 2025. Originally scheduled to conclude this fish imports on December 31, 2023, the exemption period has been extended to allow for further alignment of Pakistan’s fishing practices with the highest international standards.
The statement emphasized that this accomplishment goes beyond securing an extension, serving as a testament to Pakistan’s commitment to upholding the objectives of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It acknowledges the practical challenges of evaluating regulatory programs in foreign countries while demonstrating Pakistan’s dedication to sustainable marine resource management.
The extension, according to the Ministry of Finance, represents a significant revision to the regulations implementing the import provisions of the MMPA, initially introduced in 2016. These regulations initially granted foreign nations a five-year exemption period to develop regulatory programs addressing marine mammal bycatch comparable to US standards.
The NMFS, responsible for evaluating each nation’s regulatory programs, recognizes the complexity of assessing the incidental and intentional mortality and serious injury of marine mammals in fisheries exporting to the US. In a strategic move, the Department of Commerce and NMFS have determined that additional time is necessary to ensure fair and consistent comparability determinations across harvesting nations, setting a powerful precedent for other countries to follow suit.
