US CBP to redistribute USD 2.6 million in seafood-related antidumping duties

U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to redistribute USD 2,598,890 (EUR 2,417,871) collected from antidumping and countervailing duties on imported seafood products to domestic producers in the 2023 fiscal year.

The vast majority of the collected funds came from crawfish tail meat imported from China, which accounted for USD 2.3 million (EUR 2.1 million). Vietnamese frozen fish fillets were the other major contributor, accounting for USD 302,754 (EUR 281,676). CBP also collected a total of USD 3,270 (EUR 3,042) for frozen warmwater shrimp and prawns imported from Ecuador, Brazil, India, and Thailand.

Duties on seafood products make up more than half of the USD 4.4 million (EUR 4.1 million) available in the agency’s account as of 30 April. 

The totals are preliminary and could be adjusted further, according to CBP. For example, in 2022, CBP reported a preliminary collection of USD 1,269 (EUR 1,181) in duties on shrimp imports, but the agency later distributed USD 339,684 (EUR 316,028), according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance.

Earlier this month, the U.S. International Trade Commission announced it will maintain antidumping duties on shrimp from India, China, Thailand, and Vietnam following a year-long sunset review process.

“The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that revoking the existing antidumping duty orders on frozen warmwater shrimp from China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time,” the commission said in a 1 June notice.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance, the American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA), and several U.S. lawmakers had urged the commission to keep the duties in place to help protect the domestic shrimping industry.

“Unfortunately, the domestic shrimp industry remains fragile,” U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) told the ITC in a letter. “Shrimp imports from these four countries remain significant and continue to undercut domestic prices. We must use every tool at our disposal to help these hardworking Americans remain competitive and ensure that the rich traditions of this industry are passed down to future generations.”

The U.S. industry groups praised the commission’s unanimous decision.

"Decades of increasing imported shrimp volumes have created a race to the bottom on prices and decimated our market share,” ASPA President Trey Pearson said following the announcement. “Today, the ITC provided us with a lifeline and incentive to continue the fight to allow this industry to survive in a fair competitive environment."

“This morning’s vote was a great result for the industry,” Southern Shrimp Alliance Executive Director John Williams said.

U.S. shrimp imports are down more than 50,000 metric tons (MT) so far this year, with imports totaling 235,349 MT over the first five months of 2023.

Photo courtesy of Santhosh Varghese/Shutterstock