CIT Allows NOAA to Reconsider Import Ban on New Zealand Seafood

The Court of International Trade on Aug. 13 granted a government motion to reconsider its refusal to implement a ban on seafood imports from New Zealand for the country’s failure to protect the endangered Maui dolphin. CIT says new developments since a petition for the ban was denied, including the issuance by the New Zealand government of new regulations protecting the Maui dolphin from harmful fishing practices, mean the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should be given the chance to reconsider its denial. CIT set an Oct. 30 deadline for NOAA’s remand redetermination. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Sea Shepherd New Zealand filed the lawsuit in May, seeking a court order directing NOAA to ban seafood from New Zealand (see 2005220048).