U.S. Department of Commerce Maintains Antidumping Duties on Frozen Fish Fillets from Vietnam

Estimated reading time: 2–5 minutes

April 15, 2026

The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced its final decision regarding certain frozen fish fillets imported from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. They have decided not to remove the antidumping duties currently in place.

What This Decision Means

Antidumping duties are in place to prevent products from other countries being sold at unfairly low prices, which can hurt U.S. businesses. The Department of Commerce has determined that removing these duties could lead to more dumping of fish fillets by Vietnam. This means they believe Vietnam might continue to sell fish fillets at very low prices in the United States, making it hard for U.S. companies to compete.

Background of the Decision

The Department first set these duties in August 2003. Every five years, they review if these duties are still needed. This is known as a “sunset review.” The recent review began on December 1, 2025.

The Catfish Farmers of America, as well as some individual U.S. catfish processors and producers, showed interest in keeping these duties. They believe these duties help protect their businesses from unfair pricing by Vietnamese exporters.

The Review Process

The Department of Commerce received feedback from U.S. catfish farmers, processors, and producers, showing their support to keep the duties. They said they are important to ensure fair competition.

However, the Vietnamese companies did not respond with any comments. As a result, the review was done quickly, and the decision was made within 120 days.

Future Steps

The decision means that the U.S. will continue to have duties of up to 63.88% on certain frozen fish fillets from Vietnam. This helps protect U.S. companies from the negative effects of dumping.

Any parties involved must follow the rules about confidentiality and the use of information. The details are governed by the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty laws.

Conclusion

The Department of Commerce’s decision shows their commitment to ensuring fair trade practices. The duties aim to support U.S. businesses and maintain competitive market conditions.

Legal Disclaimer

This article includes content collected from the Federal Register (federalregister.gov). The content is not an official government publication. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For case-specific consultation, please contact us. Read our full Legal Disclaimer, which also includes information on translation accuracy.