On August 15, 2023, the Department of Agriculture of the Philippines issued Memorandum Circular No. 36, 2023, establishing requirements for the import of aquatic products, with immediate effect and continuing effect, and any previously issued inconsistent with this provision shall be void. The main contents include:

(1) The quota of 35,000 tons of imported fishery products and their varieties in 2023, including palang, mackerel, skipjack, etc., and the quota allocation method and the requirements of importers applying for quotas are stipulated;

(2) An importer with a quota may apply for a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Permit (SPSIC) for import of agricultural products, which will be issued in two periods, and the importer's application for SPSIC should be accompanied by a bill of lading and an invoice, and must have a cold storage or rental cold storage. The SPSIC under the 2023 quota is valid for 45 days and expires at the latest on January 15, 2024, and the imported aquatic products should arrive before the expiration of the SPSIC;

(3) importers issued with SPSIC should regularly submit import reports to the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), BFAR inspectors should be allowed to inspect and test imported aquatic products stored in BFAR-registered storage facilities, and BFAR should encourage importers to import as soon as possible to avoid conflicts with locally caught aquatic products after opening the sea;

(4) Qualified importers shall undertake to meet the requirements of this Regulation, shall purchase from legitimate suppliers of non-IUU fishing, and strictly comply with laws and regulations and food safety standards, shall not transfer quotas, and any violation of this regulation may result in the disqualification of imports.