Saving Seafood

US Fish and Wildlife Service reclassifies squid and other cephalopods as shellfish

June 30, 2026 —  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has finalized a rule reclassifying cephalopods as shellfish, a move advocates claim will reduce red tape and unnecessary fees around squid harvesting.

“On behalf of Lund’s Fisheries, we would like to thank the Trump administration for a solution to a burdensome requirement that will save us time, money and administrative difficulties,” Wayne Reichle, president of Cape May, New Jersey, U.S.A.-based squid harvester Lund’s Fisheries, said in a release. “This is a perfect example of numerous federal agencies working in cooperation with the U.S. commercial fishing industry to make our seafood competitive on a global scale and creating thriving business here at home.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Advocacy Helps Small Fishing Businesses Secure a Win from Changes to Squid Rules

June 29, 2026 — The following was released by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy:

The U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) applauds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) final rule to amend the definition of “shellfish” to include cephalopods, providing small fishing businesses simplicity and clarity.

Previous FWS regulations defined shellfish as “an aquatic invertebrate having a shell.” However, cephalopods, including squid, cuttlefish, and octopus, have internal shells, reduced shells, or no shells at all. This has caused confusion over whether cephalopods qualify as shellfish for purposes of federal import/export, declaration, inspection, and enforcement regulations. As a result, small fishing businesses have lost business opportunities and been subject to unnecessary reporting fees.

“I am encouraged to see that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took into account the concerns of our small fishing businesses by finalizing this rule,” said Everett M. Woodel, Jr., Acting Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “I am hopeful that the updated definition will provide small fishing businesses with the much-needed clarity they need to succeed.”

Advocacy worked with many fishing businesses to help bring attention to the real-world impacts of the confusion caused by the old definition of “shellfish.” One of those businesses, Lund’s Fisheries, explained how the updated FWS definition will help their business.

“On behalf of Lund’s Fisheries, we would like to thank the Trump administration for a solution to a burdensome requirement that will save us time, money and administrative difficulties,” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries Inc. in Cape May, New Jersey. “This is a perfect example of numerous federal agencies working in cooperation with the U.S. commercial fishing industry to make our seafood competitive on a global scale and creating thriving business here at home.”

Advocacy submitted a comment letter in support of the FWS’s broadening of the definition of “shellfish” to include cephalopods on April 6, 2026. Advocacy estimates that fixing this regulatory issue could save impacted small businesses at least $2.8 million. The final rule will take effect on July 23, 2026.

The definition of squid is one of the many fishing-related regulations Advocacy has heard about from U.S. small businesses. In March, Advocacy added onboard observer requirements and the designation of marine sanctuaries and national monuments to its “Small Businesses’ Most Wanted Reform” list. In a related development, SBA and Advocacy applauded President Donald J. Trump on June 12 for restoring nearly half a million square miles of U.S. commercial fishing access in three Pacific marine national monuments.

PRESS RELEASE

SBA No. 26-19 ADV

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES, CONTACT:

Samantha Aschieris, Director of Communications

EMAIL:

samantha.aschieris@sba.gov

Federal rule expands ‘shellfish’ definition to include squid, octopus

June 26, 2026 — A longstanding federal definition of “shellfish” is changing to better reflect modern biology and simplify seafood trade regulations.

According to Newsweek, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) finalized a rule on June 23 that removes the requirement that shellfish have an external shell. The updated definition takes effect on July 23, 2026

Under the revised rule, shellfish now includes aquatic invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca, bringing squid, octopus, cuttlefish and other cephalopods under the same regulatory definition as oysters and clams. Crustaceans such as lobster, shrimp and crab remain included.

The previous definition described shellfish as “any species of mollusk having a shell,” language that regulators said no longer matched current biological classifications. Because many cephalopods have internal, reduced or no external shells, the old definition created uncertainty in how these species were handled at U.S. ports of entry.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Official US ‘Shellfish’ Definition Changed, Removes ‘Having a Shell’

June 24, 2026 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has finalized a regulatory change redefining “shellfish,” removing the long-standing requirement that species under the classification must have an external shell.

The rule, published June 23 in the Federal Register, updates language in the Code of Federal Regulations to align with modern science and industry practices, officials said.

This means that squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and other cephalopods will now be included within the regulatory definition of shellfish, The agency said the move would clear up any ambiguity about classification, which it added has led to inconsistent treatment of mollusks and related species at U.S. ports of entry.

Read the full article at Newsweek

After 100 years, and decades of cleanup, shellfishing set to return to Boston Harbor

March 26, 2026 — The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has declared parts of Boston Harbor clean enough for recreational shellfishing for the first time in a century. Since many shellfish are filter feeders that pump water through their gills, waterborne contaminants tend to build up in their bodies, making them bellwethers for overall water health. If the shellfish are free of pollutants, it’s a sign the water is cleaner.

Shellfishing will soon be allowed in some areas off the coasts of Winthrop, just northeast of the city, and in Hingham and Hull, two towns on the southern end of the harbor. Residents will have to wait for the towns to create regulations, and shellfishing might still be prohibited during times of low water quality, such as after heavy rains. Still, a region with a legendary reputation for fresh, high-quality seafood has reason to celebrate. (Try an authentic clam chowder recipe.)

“It speaks a lot to all of the hard work that was done to clean up the harbor, to make quality of life [better] for not only the people that live here, but also the marine life,” says Joanne Coletta-Levine, a spokesperson for Schooner’s, a seafood restaurant in Hull.

Cities and states across the country have worked to clean up waterways since 1972, when the Clean Water Act made it illegal to discharge pollution into water without a federal permit. Between 1972 and 2001, the share of U.S. waterways clean enough for fishing increased by more than 10 percentage points, according to a 2018 study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics that analyzed some 50 million water samples.

Read the full article at The Christian Science Monitor

US lawmakers ask government to provide financial aid for shellfish sector

February 19, 2026 — A group of U.S. lawmakers has asked the federal government to provide financial support to the nation’s struggling shellfish sector, which they claimed has been hit hard by increased tariffs.

“Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs have led to higher consumer prices, altered supply chains, reduced availability, higher equipment costs, and market instability for farmers of all kinds, including shellfish growers,” the lawmakers said in the joint letter dated 6 February. “In the last year, our strongest trade partners have launched retaliatory tariffs against the United States, causing uncertainty and hurting geoduck, oyster, and other shellfish industries many of our communities rely on as lifelines.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource