Today, the Federal Register published notice of the U.S. Department of State’s (State Department) annual determination and certification of shrimp harvesting nations. In total, the State Department certified 42 nations and Hong Kong, authorizing these countries to export wild-caught shrimp to the United States. The list of countries certified by the State Department under Section 609 of Public Law 101-162 is unchanged from 2025.
Last year, the United States imported 59.6 million pounds of wild-caught shrimp from 34 different countries, valued at $325.8 million. Over 90 percent of this wild-caught shrimp (in both volume and value terms) originated from just four countries: Argentina (34.1 million lbs.; $183.4 million); Canada (2.2 million lbs.; $13.5 million); Ecuador (6.4 million lbs.; $24.6 million); and Mexico (11.5 million lbs.; $78.6 million).
Peru, the fifth largest supplier of wild-caught shrimp to the United States, lost its Section 609 certification last year. As the agency explains in the Federal Register notice, “[t]he importation of wild-caught shrimp or products from that shrimp from any nation or fishery without a certification or determination will not be allowed.” Nevertheless, even without a Section 609 certification, Peru was the fifth largest supplier of wild-caught shrimp to the U.S. market in 2025 and increased both the volume and value of its wild-caught shrimp shipments to the United States in the first two months of 2026 (142,800 lbs.; $775,700) compared to the first two months of 2025 (112,200 lbs.; $702,000). Shipments of wild-caught shrimp from other non-certified nations continue to be reported despite the prohibition, with over $3.9 million imported in wild-caught shrimp from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam last year.
At the same time, official U.S. trade data indicate that enforcement of the Section 609 ban on imports of wild-caught shrimp from non-certified nations has significantly improved over the last few years. For example, in 2022, the United States imported roughly 6.7 million pounds of wild-caught shrimp from India valued at $26.4 million despite the fact that India has never been certified under the Section 609 program. Last year, reported imports of wild-caught shrimp of Indian origin fell to 107,000 pounds valued at just $390,000. Similarly, while the U.S. imported roughly 1 million pounds of Indonesia wild-caught shrimp worth $4.3 million in 2022, that amount dropped to 258,000 pounds worth $734,000 in 2025. As with India, Indonesia has never been certified under the Section 609 program.
With the improvement in enforcement, our foreign trading partners are reporting making significant strides to regain access to the U.S. market. For instance, India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Commerce, recently issued its annual report for 2025-2026, summarizing extensive work done to progress towards meeting the requirements of Section 609:
“Turtle Excluder Device (TED) Awareness: To meet U.S. shrimp export regulations, 152 TED awareness programmes, 72 special campaigns, and 14 on-board trials were held across coastal states. These demonstrations showed the operational efficiency and conservation benefits of TEDs to local fishers.”
The Indian government also described practical steps taken to encourage the adoption of turtle excluder devices:
“Implementation of (Turtle Excluder Device) TED: MPEDA-NETFISH conducted 14 field trials and 152 awareness programmes for TED implementation in all the coastal states & UTs. MPEDA had proposed to DoF to implement TED in all Coastal states & extend financial assistance under PMMSY. Based on MPEDA’s proposal, scheme for financial assistance for TED has been included in the PMMSY under Centrally sponsored scheme, where in central and state governments share the cost of TED (60 per cent and 40 per cent respectively).”
The State Department’s formal certification determination comes a day after the Gulf Council sent a letter to NOAA Fisheries requesting that the agency “fully utilize the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriation of up to $600,000 for implementation and enforcement of the Section 609 program of U.S. Public Law 101-162.” The Gulf Council’s request originates from a motion adopted by the Council’s Shrimp Advisory Panel, chaired by SSA Board Member Leann Bosarge, where the Panel “emphasized the importance of effective Section 609 enforcement, particularly given that domestic wild-caught shrimp fisheries operate under strict and costly sea turtle conservation requirements while competing with imported wild-caught shrimp product.” Blake Price, director of SSA, presented extensive public testimony to the Shrimp AP documenting the need for such enforcement and the $600,000 appropriation was secured as a direct result of SSA’s efforts working with Congress, specifically Senator Hyde-Smith (R-MS).
“The Section 609 program continues to prove that access to our market can be used as leverage to meaningfully improve practices overseas,” said Blake Price, the Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Although a small part of the overall responsibilities of the State Department and NOAA Fisheries, Section 609 is a government program that delivers substantial value at little expense, helping to ensure that American shrimpers are able to compete on a level playing field.”
Review the Federal Register notice of the State Department’s Annual Determination and Certification of Shrimp-Harvesting Nations (April 21, 2026) here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-Published-FR-Section-609-Certification-Shrimp.pdf
Read the Gulf Council’s April 20, 2026 letter to NOAA Fisheries here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/7309-2026-Prioritization-of-Section-609-Funding.pdf