CBP to Refuse Entry of Frozen Chilean Seabass Without NOAA Pre-Authorization
CBP will refuse entry until further notice of all shipments of frozen Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea bass) arriving at a port without the required National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pre-approval authorization and associated catch document certification pre-filed in ACE, CBP said in a Jan. 24 CSMS message. Shipments of fresh or chilled Patagonian toothfish, on the other hand, will be allowed entry with only a catch document certification, CBP said.
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The policy is necessary due to the ongoing government shutdown, which prevents NOAA from verifying that toothfish products comply with all applicable conservation measures required by international agreements and domestic regulations, CBP said. “This interim procedure will continue during the current partial government shutdown and until NOAA is able to resume normal operations following conclusion of the current shutdown,” it said. CBP officials on a Jan. 23 conference call said NOAA-regulated shipments are having issues during the shutdown, and specifically mentioned a large shipment of toothfish sitting at a port that the agency is unable to clear (see 1901230040).
Under the policy, shipments falling under the following subheadings covering frozen toothfish require both pre-approval and catch documents prior to entry: 0303.62.0000, 0303.62.0005, 0303.62.0010, 0303.62.0090, 0303.62.1000, 0303.62.9000, 0303.79.4094, 0303.83.0000, 0304.20.6093, 0304.20.6094, 0304.22.0000, 0304.22.0003, 0304.22.0006, 0304.22.1000, 0304.22.9000, 0304.85.0000, 0304.92.0000, 0304.92.1000 and 0304.92.9000.
Shipments in these subheadings covering fresh toothfish require only a catch document certification filed in ACE pre-entry: 0302.39.4097, 0302.68.0000, 0302,68.0010, 0302.68.0090, 0302.69.4097, 0302.83.0000, 0304.12.0000, 0304.46.0000 and 0304.55.0000.