May 18, 2026 — Federal regulators have revised earlier import restrictions on swimming crab fisheries, allowing some countries to resume shipments to the U.S. while maintaining a ban on others.
According to a May 10 notice from NOAA Fisheries, the agency reconsidered its prior “comparability findings” under the Marine Mammal Protections Act, which requires foreign fisheries exporting to the United States to meet marine mammal protection standards comparable to those required of U.S. fleets.
The decision follows a broader 2025 review in which NOAA evaluated approximately 2,500 fisheries across 135 countries. That review found 240 fisheries in 46 countries out of compliance, triggering import bans that took effect Jan. 1, 2026.