0305.52.00.00 - Tilapias (Oreochromis spp.), catfish (Pangasius spp., Silurus spp., Clarias spp., Ictalurus spp.), carp (Cyprinus spp., Carassius spp., Ctenopharyngodon idellus, Hypophthalmichthys spp., Cirrhinus spp., Mylopharyngodon piceus, Catla catla, Labeo spp., Osteochilus hasselti, Leptobarbus hoeveni, Megalobrama spp.), eels (Anguilla spp.), Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and snakeheads (Channa spp.)

This HTS category, 0305.52.00.00, specifically classifies dried, salted, or brine-preserved fish belonging to a defined list of species, excluding those that have been smoked. The primary types of fish covered include tilapias, various catfish species, carp of numerous genera, eels, Nile perch, and snakeheads. The key classification criterion here is the species of fish, as these particular groups are segregated within the broader dried and salted fish provisions.

Distinguishing this category from its siblings is crucial for accurate classification. Unlike 0305.51.00.00, which is solely for cod, or 0305.53.00.00, which encompasses a broader range of fish families primarily characterized by their scientific classification (excluding cod), this subcategory focuses on a distinct set of commercially significant freshwater and certain marine fish types. Furthermore, it differs from 0305.54.00.00, which consolidates a wide array of pelagic and migratory species like herrings, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, and billfish.

As this is a leaf node within the HTS database, there are no further subcategories. Therefore, precise identification of the fish species within the description is paramount for correct classification. Any dried, salted, or brine-preserved fish belonging to the enumerated species (tilapias, catfish, carp, eels, Nile perch, snakeheads) will fall under this heading, provided they have not undergone a smoking process.