Saving Seafood

Trump Administration Advances First Offshore Critical Minerals Lease Sale Under New Marine Minerals Agency

July 17, 2026 — The Trump administration has taken another step toward launching a U.S. offshore critical minerals industry, with the newly created Marine Minerals Administration (MMA) releasing a proposed leasing notice that could lead to the first federal deep-sea mineral lease sale in U.S. waters.

The proposal covers federal waters off American Samoa and marks one of the first major regulatory actions by the MMA since the Trump administration announced plans in April to merge the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) into a single offshore regulator.

The proposed lease sale is part of the administration’s broader effort to secure domestic supplies of critical minerals—including nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese—that are widely used in batteries, defense systems and advanced manufacturing while reducing dependence on Chinese-controlled supply chains.

“Critical minerals have become a strategic asset in global competition, and China’s dominance in the supply of many of these materials creates unacceptable risks for America’s energy, defense and manufacturing sectors,” Acting MMA Director Matt Giacona said.

Read the full article at gCaptain

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

Northeastern researchers want to help keep New England seafood from going to China and back

July 14, 2026 — The longfin squid that ends up on your plate as calamari may have been caught in Rhode Island, but it’s likely traveled to China and back again for processing before being served.

That example is illustrative of what’s known as the “seafood deficit,” a roughly $20 billion trade deficit due to the U.S. importing 80% to 90% of the seafood it consumes. For instance, more than 80% of squid caught in Rhode Island is frozen and shipped to China for processing, then refrozen and imported back to the United States, according to the Westerly Sun.

“It’s not because we don’t have seafood, it’s because we don’t have the capacity to process it,” said Taskin Padir, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern.

Read the full article at Northeastern Global News

NOAA again cites Mexico for illegal fishing as Southern Shrimp Alliance calls for seafood import ban

July 13, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has once again issued a negative certification to Mexico over illegal fishing in U.S. Gulf waters, marking the third consecutive report to do so.

Last week, NOAA Fisheries issued its most recent “biennial” report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management. The agency explained that despite the recent release, the report “was prepared in 2025.”

Six countries were identified for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing: Costa Rica, Grenada, Mexico, Morocco, the People’s Republic of China, and the Russian Federation.

Two countries were identified for the production of seafood-related goods through forced labor: Burma and the People’s Republic of China.

The agency also updated “certification” determinations, providing this explanation:

“NOAA Fisheries issues a positive certification if the nation or entity has provided evidence of actions that address the activities for which it was identified. If sufficient action has not been taken, NOAA Fisheries issues a negative certification which results in U.S. port restrictions for fishing vessels of that nation or entity, and could result in import restrictions on certain fish or fish products.”

Read the full article at

NOAA identifies six foreign governments engaging in IUU fishing, including Russia and China

July 7, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has identified six nations engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing based on the activities of those foreign governments from 2022 through 2024.

Every two years, the agency sends a report to Congress identifying which countries are engaged in IUU fishing, which countries have adequate shark protections, and which countries have forced labor present in their seafood supply chains. NOAA Fisheries also issues certifications based on what actions countries identified in past reports have done to address the problems raised by the agency.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to 2018 Trump tariffs on China

June 18, 2026 — The U.S. Supreme Court has denied to hear a case that targeted the 2018 Section 301 tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term.

Trump issued a series of Section 301 tariffs targeting Chinese goods, including seafood, in 2018, kicking off a trade war between the two countries. Those tariffs, launched as a means of combating alleged intellectual property theft, were maintained through the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden and currently still stand eight years later.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

China could lose $1.5 billion seafood market as US petition targets shark finning

May 27, 2026 — A petition drawing attention to a crisis involving both shark deaths and the treatment of migrant workers on distant-water fishing vessels could put billions of dollars in seafood trade on the line.

If U.S. officials determine that China is not meeting American shark conservation standards, the dispute may lead to restrictions on about $1.5 billion in Chinese seafood imports.

What happened?

The Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned the U.S. government to review possible sanctions against China under the Moratorium Protection Act, saying the country’s shark finning rules do not match U.S. protections, according to Inside Climate News.

In the United States, along with over 90 other jurisdictions, fishers are generally required to land sharks with fins still attached to their bodies. Conservationists say that standard is the most effective way to prevent shark finning. China permits fin removal in many fisheries under ratio-based rules, which critics say are hard to enforce and easy to game.

Shark populations are down by over 70% since 1970, and over a third of shark and ray species face extinction. Per Chinese figures, in 2023, crews discarded more than 10,000 blue sharks and nearly 1,700 shortfin makos in one Pacific region.

WASHINGTON: Washington state reclassifying golden mussels as a banned invasive species

April 27, 2026 — The U.S. state of Washington is taking emergency action to reclassify golden mussels as a Prohibited Level 1 invasive species following the discovery of the species in Oregon earlier in the month.

Originally from China and Southeast Asia, golden mussels are an invasive species in the U.S. that are known to cause damage to infrastructure and reduce water quality, harming local fishing operations. The species was first detected in California in 2024, but a second instance was detected in Oregon in April 2026. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), a watercraft was intercepted at the Ashland Boat Inspection Station carrying golden mussels.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: Alaska lawmakers push for continued ban on Russian seafood imports

April 1, 2026 — A legislative resolution urging a continued and better-enforced ban on Russian seafood in the United States is headed to Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

Part of a series of actions by Alaska lawmakers to try to shore up the state’s ailing seafood industry, House Joint Resolution 29 won final passage last week and was transferred to the governor on Monday.

The resolution calls for continuation of the ban on Russian seafood imports imposed in 2022, after that country’s invasion of Ukraine. The ban was expanded in 2023 to cover imports of Russian seafood to the U.S. through a third-party country, usually China, where fish are processed.

The import ban is set to expire later this year. That makes the resolution timely, supporters aid.

Among the supporters is Jeremy Woodrow, executive director of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

Woodrow, in testimony to the Senate Resources Committee on Feb. 27, said a stockpile of Russian fish that was in the U.S. before the ban went into full effect is just now being depleted.

Read the full article at Alaska Public Media

Some tariffs may be gone, but wholesale seafood industry is still reeling

March 19, 2026 — Walking into the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston, you can smell the seafood. Which makes sense given that it’s hosting the country’s largest wholesale seafood expo. Suppliers from around the world dole out samples of fresh sashimi, crispy fish sticks, and seaweed salad.

“It’s sweet, and it’s a little bit spicy, and it’s a compliment to meat or heavier stuff,” said Camille Zhu, who runs a seaweed company on the coast of Shandong province in Northern China.

She began selling to the U.S. just last year and said it’s been hard with all the trade tensions and tariffs. But she’s confident in her product.

“People are starting to accept seaweed as a source of nutrition, and they’re looking for a healthy diet,” she said. “And with the popularity of Japanese cuisine, yeah, it’s getting pretty big for us.”

About 80% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. Some of the biggest suppliers —including China and India — have seen some of the highest tariffs from the Trump administration in the past year. All that has thrown the global seafood trade into chaos.

Read the full article at Marketplace