Notification of Comparability Findings for Suriname Under the Import Provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act
Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [RTID 0648-XF785] AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin...
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION:
Notice; publication of comparability finding determinations.
DATES:
This comparability finding is valid and in effect from June 22, 2026 through December 31, 2029, or for such other period as NMFS may specify.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michael Abbey, Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, NMFS, (301) 427-8019,
mmpa.loff@noaa.gov.
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 Marine Mammal Protection Act 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.
Suriname was denied a comparability finding for one of its fisheries, and has reapplied for a comparability finding for
( printed page 37087)
that fishery. NMFS determined that Suriname has addressed the issues for which it was denied a comparability finding and with this notice announces that the drift gillnet fishery, Fishery ID 2899, has received a comparability finding and the corresponding import prohibition is removed effective June 22, 2026. This comparability finding report can be found at:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/international-affairs/marine-mammal-protection-act-comparability-finding-determinations-harvesting.
Dated: June 16, 2026.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine Fisheries Service.
Use this for formal legal and research references to the published document.
91 FR 37086
Web Citation
Suggested Web Citation
Use this when citing the archival web version of the document.
“Notification of Comparability Findings for Suriname Under the Import Provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act,” thefederalregister.org (June 22, 2026), https://thefederalregister.org/documents/2026-12494/notification-of-comparability-findings-for-suriname-under-the-import-provisions-of-the-marine-mammal-protection-act.