May 26, 2026 — A new policy brief released by a coalition of human rights and environmental civil society organizations concludes that most seafood imported into the United States lacks basic catch documentation and traceability.
The brief draws on a technical report by Simeone Consulting LLC in Littleton, N.H., which outlines critical reforms needed to keep seafood connected with illegal, unreported, and unregulated from entering U.S. markets.
Only a small percentage of all seafood imported into the U.S. is covered under current import regulations, and even for those 13 species groups, there are many loopholes, said John Simeone, author of the report, in an interview on May 19.
Most people think that a report released by NOAA Fisheries in November 2024 to improve the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program is very good, but this plan is missing how those goals would be achieved, he said.