NOAA Fisheries has fined a U.S. grocery chain USD 12,516 (EUR 10,961) for illegally importing yellowfin tuna.
According to the agency, NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement collaborated with Virginia Conservation Police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection on a joint inspection of a container shipment at the Centralized Examination Station in Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S.A. Inside, law enforcement found more than 1,100 pounds of jarred yellowfin tuna with a declared value of USD 4,889 (EUR 4,281) destined for a grocery store chain.
However, NOAA Fisheries’ Tuna Tracking and Verification Program determined the jars contained tuna from Nicaragua’s purse seine fishery, which is not authorized for export to the U.S., as its laws require foreign tuna fisheries to implement the same dolphin protections as domestic fisheries to be cleared for import.
“Nicaragua is one of seven ‘primary nations’ that may not import certain non-fresh tuna products into the United States as they do not meet the dolphin-safe requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act,” NOAA Fisheries said of the enforcement action. “We do not permit import of those shipments into the United States.”
The grocery chain, which was not named by NOAA Fisheries, paid the USD 12,516 fine in February 2025, according to the agency. NOAA Fisheries' Office of Law Enforcement conducted 55 trade enforcement cases in the first three months of 2025.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the tremendous effort our agents and officers dedicate to preventing illegal seafood products from entering our markets,” James Cassin, acting assistant director of the Northeast Division of the Office of Law Enforcement, said in a statement. “Leveling the playing field for U.S. fishermen and businesses is and has always been at the core of our mission.”
