Saving Seafood

US bill would strengthen “Buy American” provisions for school lunch program

August 7, 2026 — A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate would strengthen the “Buy American” provisions for the national school lunch program, limiting how often waivers can be used and expanding the requirement to other school food programs.

“It doesn’t make sense for American schools to purchase imported food when the very best beef and agricultural products are produced right here at home, including in my home state of Montana. Buying U.S.-grown agricultural products not only protects the health and wellbeing of American kids, but also supports our nation’s economy, American farmers and ranchers, and small and local agricultural businesses,” U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Montana) said in a release. “The American Food for American Schools Act strengthens the ‘Buy American’ requirement for schools to build a more secure domestic food chain and ensures federal policies back the producers who feed our nation, not foreign competitors.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: Sullivan, Peltola battle for Alaska fishing vote in Senate race

July 16, 2026 — Members of Congress routinely post news releases on legislation they introduce and cosponsor, including for Alaska’s delegation, a plethora of seafood legislation impacting the seafood industry.

Once in a while, one of these bills becomes law. The odds are 1-3 percent.

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, who are both running for his current Senate seat, have issued news releases stating their priorities for federal regulations related to the nation’s federal fisheries. Many of their campaigns are focused on convincing Alaskans engaged in the fisheries industry that they can do the most to protect and improve benefits for Alaskans working in that industry.

Purchases of Russian seafood were blocked from federal school lunch programs by an amendment introduced by Sullivan, which passed the Senate in November 2023.  That amendment closed a loophole that had allowed Russian seafood processed in China to bypass the National School Lunch Program “Buy American” requirements.

In 2022, the Alaska Salmon Task Force Act, sponsored by Sullivan, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and Rep. Don Young, Alaska’s all Republican delegation, was established as a federal task force. On July 12, 2024, the task force submitted its final science report on the complex biological, environmental and socioeconomic factors impacting Alaska salmon to the Secretary of Commerce, the Alaska Legislature and relevant congressional committees.

On June 25, Sullivan introduced the Bycatch Reduction Act, an updated version of bycatch legislation introduced by the Alaska congressional delegation in January of 2026, which remains in the introduced stage in the Senate and the House.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

US lawmakers insert seafood measures into annual defense funding bill

July 6, 2026 — U.S. legislators in Congress are once again utilizing the fiscal year 2027 annual military funding bill to advance several key seafood provisions, most of which block the Department of Defense from purchasing foreign seafood.

The U.S. House took up its version of the bill recently, which most notably would eliminate any exemptions from the military’s “Buy American” requirements when it comes to seafood. That requirement is part of the Berry Amendment, which directs the federal government to purchase American-made and -sourced products. The Berry Amendment requires all seafood products to be sourced from U.S.-flagged vessels or harvested from U.S. waters, and all processing must take place in the U.S. or on a U.S.-flagged vessel.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource