Pakistan Secures 2-Year Extension in Marine Mammal Protection Act Exemption Period

Pakistan has attained a global milestone as the Department of Commerce and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) granted a two-year extension to the exemption period. This extension, as outlined in a Federal Register Notice, extends the deadline for comparability findings for commercial fishing operations exporting fish and fish products to the US to December 31, 2025. This extension represents a notable revision to the regulations implementing the import provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), initially introduced in 2016. The regulations initially granted foreign nations a five-year exemption period to develop regulatory programs addressing marine mammal bycatch comparable to US standards. Originally set to conclude on December 31, 2023, this exemption period has now been extended. NMFS, entrusted with evaluating each nation’s regulatory programs, acknowledges the complexity of assessing the incidental and intentional mortality and serious injury of marine mammals in fisheries exporting to the U.S. The Department of Commerce and NMFS, in a strategic move, have determined that additional time is necessary to ensure fair and consistent comparability determinations across harvesting nations. The extension underscores Pakistan’s dedication to upholding the objectives of the Marine Mammal Protection Act while navigating the practical challenges of evaluating regulatory programs in foreign countries.