Panama restarts tuna exports
- Panama regained U.S. authorization to export yellowfin tuna after a 26‑year suspension. - U.S. authorities certified Panama's fishing fleet, reopening direct yellowfin exports to American markets. - Reopened access widens regional seafood sourcing options and suggests procurement teams should periodically revisit local supplier eligibility. ( )
Panama can again ship yellowfin tuna to the United States after U.S. regulators restored import eligibility this month. (federalregister.gov) The National Marine Fisheries Service issued Panama a new five-year “affirmative finding” effective April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2031. The notice covers yellowfin tuna and yellowfin tuna products harvested in the eastern tropical Pacific by purse seine vessels under Panamanian jurisdiction or exported from Panama. (federalregister.gov) The U.S. approval ends a suspension that Panamanian outlets said had blocked direct exports for 26 years. Newsroom Panama reported the reopening on April 18, 2026, after the U.S. certification was published in the Federal Register on April 15. (newsroompanama.com) (federalregister.gov) In plain terms, this is a market-access ruling, not a change in tuna biology or trade tariffs. U.S. law allows these imports only if the exporting country meets Marine Mammal Protection Act rules tied to dolphin protection in the eastern tropical Pacific tuna fishery. (fisheries.noaa.gov) (federalregister.gov) The federal notice said the decision was based on documents submitted by Panama and information from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission. It also said the finding remains subject to annual reviews by the National Marine Fisheries Service. (federalregister.gov) (govinfo.gov) The rule is narrow. NOAA says the import framework applies to yellowfin tuna harvested by large purse seine vessels in the eastern tropical Pacific, while fresh yellowfin tuna is exempt from the embargo rules that apply to frozen and processed products. (fisheries.noaa.gov) (federalregister.gov) For buyers, the reopening adds Panama back to the list of eligible origins for this trade lane, but only while the U.S. finding stays in force. NOAA says an affirmative finding can be terminated if a country stops meeting the regulatory requirements or fails to enforce violations consistently. (fisheries.noaa.gov) (regulations.justia.com) Panama’s return to the U.S. yellowfin market now depends less on a one-time announcement than on keeping that certification current through the next annual reviews. (federalregister.gov)
