Analysis
HTS 0308.12.00 covers sea cucumbers (Stichopus japonicus, Holothuroidea): frozen under heading 0308 (aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and molluscs, live, fresh, chilled, frozen…).
The normal trade relations rate here is zero, shared by about 86% of the 272 tariff lines in chapter 03, a useful check when a neighbouring dutiable line is a candidate. Free here means free of the base duty only: origin-specific Chapter 99 duties such as Section 301 can still be owed.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 114112 (Shellfish Fishing), an industry of 940 US establishments employing 1,604 people. That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
All 7 neighbouring lines carry the same duty-free rate, so a borderline choice between them changes the statistics reported, not the duty paid.
Every edition we compared, from Jan 2023 to Oct 2026 (Rev. 22), shows the same general rate of Free.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0308.11.00 | Live, fresh or chilled | Free |
| 0308.19.01 | Sea cucumbers (Stichopus japonicus, Holothuroidea): other | Free |
| 0308.21.00 | Live, fresh or chilled | Free |
| 0308.22.00 | Sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus spp., Paracentrotus lividus, Loxechinus albus, Echinus esculentus): frozen | Free |
| 0308.29.01 | Sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus spp., Paracentrotus lividus, Loxechinus albus, Echinus esculentus): other | Free |
| 0308.30.00 | Jellyfish (Rhopilema spp.) | Free |
| 0308.90.01 | Aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and molluscs, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and molluscs, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process: other | Free |