Fresh or Chilled Bigeye Tuna

Bigeye tuna is listed under NOAA's Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) because of documented concerns about illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud in global tuna supply chains. Importers must collect and report harvest event data — vessel, flag state, gear type, and catch area — at the time of CBP entry. Failure to comply can result in cargo holds, penalties, or refusal of entry.

Because 'ahi' is a non-specific market name covering both Thunnus obesus (bigeye, HTS 030234) and Thunnus albacares (yellowfin, HTS 030232), importers must obtain species-level identification from the exporter — ideally supported by a catch certificate or species verification from the harvesting vessel. Entering under the wrong heading exposes the importer to post-entry audit risk and potential FDA mislabeling liability. Consult a licensed customs broker or FDA-registered laboratory for species verification when documentation is ambiguous.