Ten Senators Urge NOAA to Expand SIMP, Use Forced Labor as Criterion

A bipartisan letter from 10 senators urges the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to work on a process to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), including by setting clearer criteria for determining which species are covered by SIMP and adding forced labor as a factor.

The letter, led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., also reminded NOAA that it has to produce a report on SIMP by Jan. 29, under statute.

They wrote: "The proposed rule, which has been withdrawn, proposed to expand SIMP to several additional species but did not include a process for selecting species to add to SIMP. NOAA did not explain why certain species were selected while others were not, even among similar species that can too readily be substituted for each other. For example, NOAA lists red king crab as an 'at risk' species but not blue king crab. Developing and sharing explicit criteria will provide clarity on NOAA’s rationale and process for making selections and will support predictability for seafood importers."

The letter goes on to say: "We encourage NOAA to establish and share a timeline by the end of this year to strengthen SIMP and expand it to cover all seafood imports. The timeline should include your complete schedule of listening sessions and your plans to include input from stakeholders that may have been marginalized in the previous rulemaking process."

The other signers were Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Ben Cardin, D-Md., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Edward Markey, D-Mass., Chris Coons, D-Del., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Cory Booker, D-N.J.