Notification of Comparability Findings for New Caledonia, Grenada, and Ireland Under the Import Provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) precludes the import into the United States of fish and fish products taken in foreign commercial fisheries that cause serious injury and mortality of marine mammals in excess of U.S. standards. Regulations issued to implement the MMPA import provisions require exporting nations to receive a finding that they maintain a regulatory program with respect to incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals in the course of commercial fishing operations that includes, or effectively achieves, results comparable to the U.S. program.

On September 2, 2025, NMFS announced its 2025 MMPA comparability finding determinations in the Federal Register (90 FR 42395) and posted the determinations on its website. Nations whose fisheries were denied comparability findings were prohibited from importing fish and fish products from those fisheries into the United States beginning January 1, 2026. Nations may reapply for a comparability finding for the affected fisheries at any time.

New Caledonia, Grenada, and Ireland were denied comparability findings for some or all of their fisheries, and have reapplied for comparability findings. NMFS determined that they have addressed the issues for which they were denied comparability findings and with this notice announces that the denied fisheries (New Caledonia: Fishery ID 1880; Grenada: Fishery IDs 1251, 1252, 1253, 1258, and 12603; and Ireland: Fishery IDs 1388 and 1386) have received comparability findings and the corresponding import prohibitions are removed effective March 16, 2026. These comparability finding reports can be found at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/international-affairs/2025-marine-mammal-protection-act-comparability-finding-determinations.