Appellate Court Rejects Government Challenge to Ban on Importation of Some Mexican Seafood; Ability of SIMP to Stop Illegal Shrimp Imports at Issue in Court Case
On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) rejected the U.S. Government’s appeal of a preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) in July 2018 ordering the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “to ban the importation of all fish and fish products from Mexican commercial fisheries that use gillnets within […]
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Court of International Trade Orders Federal Government to Ban the Importation of Some Mexican Seafood
This morning, the U.S. Court of International Trade ordering the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “to ban the importation of all fish and fish products from Mexican commercial fisheries that use gillnets within the vaquita’s range.” The Court’s order was for a preliminary injunction pending final adjudication of a lawsuit brought by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., the […]
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North Carolina Company Sentenced for Mislabeling Imported, Farm-Raised Shrimp as Wild-Caught Domestic Shrimp
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice (Justice Department) announced that Alphin Brothers Inc., a North Carolina-based seafood processor and wholesale distributor, was sentenced in federal court for falsely labeling imported shrimp. As part of a plea agreement reach on February 10, 2015, the company pleaded guilty to one felony count of making or submitting false records in violation of the […]
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Southern Shrimp Alliance Strongly Endorses H.R. 1907, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015
On Tuesday, the Chairman of the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade, Pat Tiberi (R-OH), introduced H.R. 1907, the “Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act.” The proposed legislation includes several measures that would substantially strengthen the federal government’s ability to prevent and deter fraudulent trade, while increasing consumer confidence in the market. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act […]
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Senator Landrieu’s Enforcement Efforts Huge Boost to Shrimp Industry
Last week, the Senate Committee on Appropriations submitted a report regarding the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, 2015 (S. 2534) emphasizing the importance of trade law enforcement. The report: Directs U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to dedicate $3 million to develop an automated system for the administration and oversight of Single Transaction Bonds (STBs); Instructs CBP […]
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Court of International Trade Affirms Commerce’s Treatment of Chinese Exporter Found to Have Committed Material Misrepresentation
Yesterday, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) issued an opinion in the challenge to the final results of the 5th annual review of the antidumping duty order covering shrimp imported from China between 2009 and 2010 brought by the Ad Hoc Shrimp Trade Action Committee (AHSTAC). During the course of AHSTAC’s appeal, Commerce received permission to consider evidence […]
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Department of Justice Enforcement Action
U.S. Government Takes Aggressive Action against Surety to Recover Uncollected Antidumping Duties Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) filed a complaint in the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) seeking to recover unpaid antidumping duties from a surety company, Hartford Fire Insurance Company. The complaint filed at the CIT sheds light on some of the challenges faced by U.S. […]
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DOJ Challenges 6% Holdback of Final Payments Made by GCCF
In a court filing on January 12, the Department of Justice challenged the decision by U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier to set aside six percent of all claims payments made by the GCCF after December 30. The money set aside would be held in escrow to fund expenses of trial lawyers affiliated with the plaintiff’s steering committee in litigation […]
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Seafood Distributor Sentenced for Mislabeling Shrimp
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Richard Stowell, of United Seafood Imports, had been sentenced to two years of probation and six months of home confinement for mislabeling imported shrimp products sold in the U.S. market. Mr. Stowell’s sentencing follows a related criminal conviction and sentencing in March of this year of Mark Platt, of Shifco Inc., […]