CRS: Majority of Audits Found SIMP Noncompliance in 2023

The Seafood Import Monitoring Program covers nearly half of seafood imports, but the majority of SIMP filings later audited were not compliant, frequently because the harvest weight was wrong, or there was an incomplete chain of custody.

The Congressional Research Service, in a recent report on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing, said the National Marine Fisheries Service tracks the compliance rates by species, the volume of imports by species under SIMP, the percent of submissions it audits, and any law enforcement action, and reports all that data annually.

In fiscal year 2023, 56% of audited entries were not compliant -- up from 43% in FY 2020. However, only 10% of noncompliant cases led to civil penalties.

Shrimp is the most common import by weight value, followed by tuna and cod. Species that are more commonly imported tend to have more compliance; in FY 2023, only 35% of shrimp entries that were audited were non-compliant.

Overall, only one-half of 1% of entries are later audited. The agency abandoned a proposed rule to expand SIMP to more species; it has instead worked on strengthening the effectiveness of SIMP. It wants to incorporate machine learning in automated screening.

The report said: "Congress also may consider increasing customs enforcement at the border and whether greater resources are needed to fully account for IUU fished seafood entering the United States. Increased efforts to trace seafood also serve multiple purposes, such as improving seafood safety, stopping seafood fraud, and identifying seafood production related to human trafficking. In addition, Congress may explore ways to improve seafood traceability to verify information currently collected on the origin of and route taken by seafood before its entry into the United States."