United States of America – Export requirements for fish and seafood

Eligible/ineligible product

Eligible

• All fish and seafood products except those listed as ineligible.

Ineligible

• Fish in the order Siluriformes ("catfish")

Pre-export approvals by the competent authority of the importing country

Establishments

• Fish and seafood exporting establishments must be federally registered or licensed to export. A full listing of approved establishments can be found on the Canadian Establishments Approved List for Export.
• Exporting establishments that handle live and/or raw shellfish (fresh and frozen oysters, clams, mussels, whole or roe-on scallops), must be listed on the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL) and meet all applicable requirements.

Certification for the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL)

Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) licence holders wishing to be added to the ICSSL, to make amendments to a current listing, or to be removed from the list must submit the following information to their local CFIA office:

• full legal name as it appears on the Safe Food for Canadians licence
• facility address (street number, city, province, postal code)
• mailing address (if different than above)
• unique establishment identifier (licence holders ineligible to obtain a unique establishment identifier should submit their Safe Food for Canadians licence number)
• telephone number
• province
• ICSSL designation(s)
  • Depuration Processor (DP)
  • Repacker (RP)
  • Reshipper (RS)
  • Shucker-Packer (SP)
  • Shellstock Shipper (SS)
  • Wet Storage (WS)
• cancellation date (if applicable)
• reason for cancellation (if applicable)
  • decertification
  • out of business
  • other (please specify)

An ICSSL listing for a SFCR licence holder must be renewed annually. The expiration date of Canadian licence holders on the ICSSL is November 30th of each year.

Further information on the types of ICSSL designations can be found in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) - Guide for the Control of Molluscan Shellfish.

Product

Salmonids

• For exports of live salmonids, or non-live, uneviscerated salmonids and parts thereof (including offal), please consult the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Aquatic Animal Health group.

Fish by-products

• For information on instances where by-products require US import permits please visit the APHIS Entry Requirements – Amphibians, Fish, Reptiles, Shellfish, and Aquatic Species webpage.

Prior notice

• The US requires prior notice to import, which includes providing information on all food for use, storage or distribution in the US.
• Prior notification also applies to gifts, trade samples, quality assurance / quality control samples, transhipped products and food for future export.
• Food includes those articles intended for direct human or animal consumption and all ingredients or components of food intended for processing into food for consumption.
• For fish and seafood falling under FDA regulation, prior notice must be received and confirmed electronically by the FDA no more than five days before arrival and no fewer than:
  • two (2) hours before arrival by land by road;
  • four (4) hours before arrival by air, or by land by rail; or,
  • eight (8) hours before arrival by water.
• To electronically submit prior notice information, please use the FDA Industry Systems interface accessible through the Prior Notice of Imported Foods webpage.

Production controls and inspection requirements

• If animal health or aquatic animal health statements, for example BSE related attestations, are written on any import permission documentation, the exporter should provide these documents to CFIA inspection staff for review. CFIA inspectors will in turn consult with Terrestrial Animal Health group or Aquatic Animal Health group as necessary.

Other information

For requirements related to Product of Canada designation, please refer to Country of Origin Declaration – Imported Product Exported From Canada.

United States acts and regulations

• Acts
  • U.S. Code, Title 21 – Food and Drugs
    • Chapter 9 – Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
    • Chapter 12 – Meat Inspection (fish in the order Siluriformes)
• Regulations
  • U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 – Food and Drugs
  • U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9 – Animal and Animal By-Products (fish in the order Siluriformes)

United States official webpages

United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• Registration of Food Facilities
• National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP)
• FSMA Final Rule on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals
• Imported Seafood Safety Program
• FDA Industry Systems
• Prior Notice for Importing Food

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

• Entry Requirements – Amphibians, Fish, Reptiles, Shellfish, and Aquatic Species
• Animal Health Permits

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)

• Country of Origin Labelling (COOL)
• Eligible Foreign Establishments
• FSIS Guidance for Importing Meat, Poultry and Egg Products into the United States