The U.S. Commerce Department today announced the decision of the National Marine Fisheries Service to withdraw its proposed Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) rule that would have added species to SIMP and amended SIMP regulations to clarify responsibilities and definitions and make other administrative revisions.
DOC attributed the withdrawal decision to “extensive public comments,” saying that NMFS “has decided to conduct a comprehensive program review in order to strengthen the impact and effectiveness of SIMP.” According to DOC, the review will include an emphasis on “better defining the problem that we are working to address and establishing clear, achievable goals through constructive engagement with our stakeholders.”
During the review, NMFS commits to actively seeking engagement and input from “all relevant stakeholder groups,” including industry, NGOs, federal agencies, congressional representatives, and foreign governments. NMFS also plans to establish an informal interagency working group to review NMFS’ approach and identify potential strategies to increase SIMP’s effectiveness and impact in countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and seafood fraud.
