The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has issued a final rule that would hold nations exporting fish and fish products to the United States to the same bycatch standards as U.S. commercial fishing operations.
The rule also establishes criteria for evaluating the regulatory program for reducing marine mammal bycatch of any nation that wants to export fish to the United States. To comply with U.S. standards, a nation must prohibit the intentional killing or serious injury of marine mammals in all fisheries. Further, it must assess marine mammal stocks, estimate the bycatch of those species and reduce that bycatch to meet U.S. standards. Or it must implement alternative measures for the fisheries. The rule establishes a five-year period for nations to develop these programs.