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This report outlines Philippine government requirements for the importation of fishery and seafood products. The report aims to assist U.S. exporters by providing information on labeling, packaging, permitted ingredients, and other relevant information. It also provides points of contact for key Philippine government authorities.

Japan will require importers of U.S. products containing mackerel, Pacific saury, sardine, squid and cuttlefish to submit a newly approved Catch Certificate issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The requirement extends to all seafood originating from these species if the marine product is harvested after November 30, 2022.

In 2021, U.S. seafood exports to Hong Kong recovered 31 percent year-on-year to $180 million, and taking over a significant share in niche market segments such as lobsters, eels, oysters, and other frozen mollusks products. Hong Kong has a vast seafood market with an import value of $4 billion in 2021, recovering 20 percent despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Korean seafood imports totaled $5.74 billion in 2021, up 9 percent from 2020, with imports from the United States increasing slightly to $217 million. The United States remains the fifth largest seafood exporter to Korea with a 3.8 percent market share.

In the summer of 2022, ATO Beijing Director Lashonda McLeod Harper, together with Chef Andrea Susto and Chef Rain Xing from Michelin star restaurant, Opera Bombana, created cooking videos that combined Chinese and Western cuisine featuring U.S. food and wine. The demonstration videos were launched during China’s Dragon Boat Festival and were an instant social media hit, receiving well over 1.1 million views.

On April 26, 2022, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries designated mackerel, Pacific saury, sardine, squid and cuttlefish as vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. From December 1, 2022, Japan will require catch certificates to import products containing these species as a main ingredient.

The Philippines has long been an underserved market and an anomaly in Southeast Asia for U.S. seafood, accounting for less than $10 million of the total foreign supply in 2021, valued at $970 million.

The lobster market in Korea was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In 2021, Korean lobster imports totaled 413.6 metric tons. The United States was the second largest supplier, holding a 7.7 percent market share by volume. Canada is the largest supplier.

Fresh oysters are considered a special treat in China, part of a niche luxury market mainly in coastal cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, and Beijing.

FAS/Bangkok successfully negotiated with the Thai Food and Drug Administration to accept the Global Seafood Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) seafood processing standard – Issue – 5.1 for U.S. seafood exports to Thailand.

An Online Public Consultation on the new Draft Fisheries Administrative Order on the Rules and Regulations Governing Food Safety and Traceability of Imported Fish is set for Wednesday, January 12 at 9:00 AM (Manila Time).