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Building a Transparent Seafood Supply Chain

As more countries develop and refine their Import Control Schemes (ICSs), stakeholders—including exporters, governments, and enforcement agencies—must stay informed and engaged to navigate evolving regulations. ICSs are designed to ensure that seafood entering global markets complies with legal requirements and sustainability standards by implementing documentation, traceability, and monitoring requirements.

ICSs play a critical role in preventing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and labor abuses, safeguarding marine resources, and protecting honest fishers. The EU and US have established ICSs that have demonstrated a tangible impact on addressing IUU fishing around the world. As additional markets have started developing and adopting their own ICSs, aligning these efforts through shared best practices becomes increasingly important: harmonization supports a transparent, sustainable seafood trade framework that is easier to comply with and enforce.

Import restrictions can have significant consequences for exporting countries. To avoid sanctions, restrictions, and other negative impacts, governments and supply chain actors can take proactive steps to ensure compliance with all import control schemes. However, inconsistencies among ICSs across key markets create compliance challenges and regulatory gaps that illicit actors can exploit. Opaque supply chains further hinder enforcement, allowing IUU products to infiltrate markets undetected. Harmonized, efficient ICSs—supported by digital tools like electronic monitoring and interoperable data systems—can improve traceability, close loopholes, and protect both ecosystems and workers.

New Resource for Navigating Seafood Import Regulations

The Seafood Exporter Toolkit provides practical guidance on compliance best practices, advocacy strategies, and opportunities to enhance ICSs across the global seafood supply chain. Stronger and more harmonized ICSs benefit the seafood industry by promoting fair competition, reducing regulatory uncertainty, alleviating capacity and administrative burdens and upholding the integrity of global supply chains.

Business Case for Strong, Harmonized ICSs

Effective ICSs ensure fair pricing and protect supply chain integrity, strengthen consumer confidence in the integrity of the product, and reduce reputational risks and legal liability. Weak or fragmented regulations allow illicit seafood to infiltrate supply chains, undercutting producers operating honestly and legally, and placing responsible businesses at a competitive disadvantage. Conversely, strong and harmonized systems simplify compliance, reduce administrative burdens, and boost consumer confidence in responsible sourcing. As demand for legality and sustainability grows, companies that support robust ICSs position themselves as leaders in responsible trade.

Strengthening ICSs for Global Impact

Governments can streamline trade processes and improve oversight by aligning ICSs across borders. Investing in robust ICS systems strengthens food security, economic resilience, and fisheries governance. A coordinated approach—through data-sharing, digital traceability, and intergovernmental collaboration—enhances enforcement and promotes a level playing field across the industry.

Driving Advocacy and Implementation

Exporters understand how complicated import control schemes can be, and they, therefore, can play a key role in advocating for harmonized, efficient ICSs. Navigating this regulatory landscape requires all supply chain actors, and particularly exporters, to manage volumes of documentation and data requests, verify the legality of their sources, and ensure products meet sustainability criteria where applicable. However, disparities such as redundant data collection or differing data formats can create confusion and challenges for exporters working to ensure proper compliance with these import control schemes. Effective advocacy from exporters can advance harmonized global regulations, promote greater transparency from governments, and reduce the administrative burden on supply chain actors.

Enforcement agencies, in turn, are crucial for ensuring system integrity. Tools like electronic monitoring, vessel monitoring systems, and real-time data sharing enable proactive enforcement and better detection of violations. Integrating labor-related key data elements into ICSs also helps close critical oversight gaps.

Resources

Seafood Exporter Toolkit: Navigating Import Control Schemes for a Transparent Global Supply Chain Brochure