U.S. Department of Commerce Amends Results of Shrimp Duty Review
Estimated reading time: 3–5 minutes
Date: 2026-09-14
The U.S. Department of Commerce has made amendments to the results of a recent trade review. This review focused on the countervailing duty on frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador. The review period was from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022. The changes were made to fix errors that occurred earlier.
The Department of Commerce oversees international trade and ensures fair practices. They had to amend the final results of their review to fix what are termed “ministerial errors.” These errors included mistakes in calculations or clerical errors.
The initial final results came out on August 6, 2026. However, on August 12, companies were informed that they could comment on any errors. By August 17, the Ad Hoc Shrimp Trade Action Committee pointed out these mistakes. Another party, Empacadora del Pacifico S.A. (known as Edpacif), responded with comments on August 24, 2026.
A “ministerial error” arises from simple calculation mistakes or copying errors. It does not result from any major change in policy or procedure. The Department of Commerce’s regulations ensure that such errors can be identified and corrected.
In this case, two companies were affected by these errors: Edpacif and Nirsa/Proposorja. For Edpacif, an incorrect figure was used in the final calculations. As a result, their subsidy rate changed slightly from 15.17 percent to 15.18 percent. For Nirsa/Proposorja, the department failed to apply a necessary revision, increasing their subsidy rate from 2.21 percent to 2.23 percent.
The revised results will affect how duties are collected in the future. The Department uses these results to instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the rates they should apply to imports. This also impacts the cash deposits companies must make when importing these goods into the U.S.
The detailed memorandum that discusses these errors and the department’s rationale is available online for registered users. This information is logged in a centralized electronic system where interested parties can access it.
This amendment ensures fair trade practices are upheld and serves as a reminder of the importance of accuracy in international trade assessments by government agencies.
The department has announced that these changes will be published in the Federal Register and are now effective. This means any shipments of impacted goods brought into the U.S. will follow these revised rates.
This announcement serves as a reminder to companies about the importance of following trade regulations closely and the obligations related to any agreements or protections in place. Compliance with these requirements is crucial for fair international trade operations.
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