Countries exporting seafood to the United States will be required, beginning in 2019, to submit a progress report to the US government detailing the development of their regulatory programs to reduce marine mammal bycatch.

The requirement is the next step in a phased-in process mandating that nations exporting wild and farmed seafood to the United States meet fishing standards for protecting marine mammals equal to those American fishermen.

The new regulatory regime was established in 2016 and officially took effect Jan.