On November 13, 2008, at the request of the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) and eleven other named individual plaintiffs in case number 08-00394, the Court of International Trade (CIT) issued a temporary restraining order preventing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Customs) from making timely distribution of funds available in fiscal year 2008 for Certain Frozen Warmwater Shrimp and Prawn from Ecuador, Brazil India, Thailand, Vietnam, and China (case numbers A-331-802, A-351-838, A-533-840, A-549-822, A-552-802, and A-570-893). The temporary restraining order has been converted to a preliminary injunction, and will remain in effect until 5:00 p.m. on April 15, 2009 or until the CIT rules on the merits of the case, whichever date is sooner. Customs is prevented from making distributions until the case is resolved.

Pursuant to the CIT’s order, all funds will be held pending the CIT’s ruling. Claims remain subject to verification and audit by appropriate parties notwithstanding the postponement of distributions.

CBP is unable to comment on the ongoing litigation or speculate how long the litigation will last.