CSMS Message: 18-000482

In response to an United States Court of International Trade order (Slip-Op 18-92) and in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is imposing immediate import restrictions on fish and fish products from Mexico caught with gillnets deployed in the range of the vaquita, a species of porpoise endemic to northern Gulf of California waters in Mexico and listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

This action prohibits the importation into the United States from Mexico of all shrimp, curvina, sierra, and chano fish and fish products harvested by gillnets in the upper Gulf of California (UGC) within the vaquita's geographic range. To effectuate the court order, shrimp, curvina, sierra, and chano fish and fish products imported into the United States under the HTS codes listed below, caught with a gillnet within the vaquita's range, are prohibited from entry into the United States. Any shrimp, curvina, sierra, and chano fish and fish products imported under the HTS codes listed below from Mexico as country of origin must be accompanied by the certification set forth below upon arrival.

CBP also is requiring that all other fish and fish products not within the scope of the import restrictions but imported under the HTS codes listed below from Mexico as country of origin be accompanied by the following certification upon arrival:

U.S. IMPORT CERTIFICATION OF ADMISSIBILITY:

As the Importer of Record or duly authorized official/agent of the importer of record, I do hereby certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the fish/fish products contained in this shipment are of species of fish or fish products, or from fisheries, not caught with gillnets deployed in the range of the vaquita, in the upper Gulf of California waters in Mexico.

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Printed Name (Importer/Agent)

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Signature

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Date

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Telephone

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E-mail

If a completed U.S. IMPORT CERTIFICATION OF ADMISSIBILITY is not filed, then the entire shipment must be denied entry.
This U.S. IMPORT CERTIFICATION OF ADMISSIBILITY may be submitted to CBP via the Document Imaging System (DIS), e-mail, fax or physical presentation in hardcopy form to the appropriate CBP Port of Entry official for review.

These trade restrictions on these products harvested by gillnets in the UGC of Mexico are an interim measure and will continue and U.S. Import Certification of Admissibility will be required for the HTS codes listed in this notice until further, superseding guidance from NMFS regarding these trade restrictions is issued.

Any questions of CBP regarding this message should be forwarded to the Commercial Targeting & Analysis Center (CTAC) at CTAC@cbp.dhs.gov.
 

Referenced By

CSMS #18-000720, 18-000595, 18-000584, 18-000555, 18-000502, 18-000483