A NOAA Fisheries investigation resulted in a $12,516 civil penalty for a grocery store chain, for a 500kg shipment of imported yellowfin tuna with a declared value of $4889.
NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement, Virginia Conservation Police, and US Customs and Border Protection conducted a joint inspection of a container shipment at CBP’s Centralized Examination Station (CES) in Chesapeake. Officers discovered jarred yellowfin tuna, and experts from NOAA Fisheries Tuna Tracking and Verification Program determined that two shipments contained tuna from a Nicaraguan purse seiner.
Nicaragua is one of seven ‘primary nations’ that may not import certain non-fresh tuna products into the United States as they do not meet the dolphin-safe requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
NOAA’s Office of General Counsel Enforcement Section issued the civil penalty, known as a Notification of Violation and Assessment, to the grocery store chain.
Agents and officers in the Northeast initiated 55 new trade enforcement cases between 1st January and 31st March this year.
‘I couldn’t be more proud of the tremendous effort our agents and officers dedicate to preventing illegal seafood products from entering our markets,’ said James Cassin, acting assistant director, NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, Northeast Division.
‘Leveling the playing field for US fishermen and businesses is and has always been at the core of our mission.’
Seafood importers must pass through multiple layers of federal oversight to comply with US and international seafood trade regulations. The national tuna program aims to ensure compliance with federal regulations regarding dolphin-safe certification.
