Saving Seafood

New England fishermen ask to weigh in on Seamounts marine monument lawsuit

August 4, 2026 — A pair of fishermen have asked a federal judge for permission to defend U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to reopen the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing in court.

The status of commercial fishing in the 5,000-square-mile area off the coast of New England has flipped multiple times over the last decade, with U.S. President Barack Obama initially banning all commercial fishing except for lobster and crab harvesting when he designated it a marine monument in 2016. A lawsuit brought by commercial fishers failed to succeed in overturning the ban, but Trump reopened the area to commercial fishing in 2020 via a proclamation. U.S. President Joe Biden reinstated the ban in 2021, but Trump again reopened the area to commercial fishing via a proclamation in February 2026.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Department of the Interior Proposes Targeted Updates to Arctic Exploratory Drilling Rule to Advance American Energy Dominance

August 3, 2026 — The following was released by the U.S. Department of the Interior:

The Department of the Interior today announced a proposed rule through the Marine Minerals Administration to modernize and refine federal regulations governing exploratory oil and gas drilling on the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf, advancing President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to unleash American Energy Dominance while maintaining strong safety and environmental oversight.

“President Trump has made clear that America must fully avail itself of Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential for the benefit and security of the Nation and the citizens who call Alaska home,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “This proposed rule reflects a disciplined, mission-focused approach that strengthens regulatory efficiency, reduces unnecessary barriers and ensures that Arctic energy exploration proceeds safely, responsibly and under strong federal oversight.”
The proposal would make targeted revisions to the 2016 Arctic Exploratory Drilling Rule finalized in the Obama administration to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens, improve clarity and operational efficiency, and better reflect technological advancements and implementation experience since the 2016 rule was issued.
The proposed rule supports President Trump’s Executive Order 14153, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential,” and Secretary’s Order 3422, which direct the Department to use all lawful authorities to responsibly develop Alaska’s vast natural resources in support of America’s economic and energy security. The proposal also aligns with Secretary’s Order 3451, “Establishment of the Marine Minerals Administration,” by supporting a more coordinated, efficient and accountable offshore minerals framework.
“The Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf contains some of America’s most promising offshore resources,” said Marine Minerals Administration Acting Director Matt Giacona. “These targeted updates would provide clear, practical compliance options for Arctic Outer Continental Shelf exploration while preserving safeguards to protect workers, the environment and Alaska’s precious natural resources
The Obama administration’s Arctic Exploratory Drilling Rule established a burdensome regulatory framework for exploratory drilling and related operations on the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf. The Department of the Interior’s proposed updates would revise specific provisions of that framework, drawing on lessons learned from implementation of the 2016 rule, advances in technology and stakeholder input received during prior rulemaking efforts.
Under the proposal, the Marine Minerals Administration would update requirements related to blowout preventer real-time monitoring, Arctic source control and containment equipment, relief rig capability, subsea isolation devices, mudline cellars, oil spill response plan-holder reviews, crane operations on artificial islands, and suspensions of operations and production. The proposal would also revise portions of Exploration Plan and Development and Production Plan regulations, including removing the separate Integrated Operations Plan requirement while retaining key Arctic planning information through the Exploration Plan process. The proposed revisions maintain the highest commitment to safe operations.
The proposed rule is designed to provide operators with clearer, more flexible compliance options while preserving federal authority to review, approve, condition or require additional safeguards for proposed Arctic Outer Continental Shelf activities. The proposal does not approve any specific lease sale, exploration plan, permit or drilling activity.
The Marine Minerals Administration will continue to evaluate any proposed Arctic Outer Continental Shelf operations through established federal review processes, including environmental review, exploration plan review, permit review, oil spill response plan review, inspections and compliance oversight. Existing statutory authorities, regulatory protections and public engagement opportunities remain in place throughout the transition to the Marine Minerals Administration.
The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register on initiating a 90-day public comment period.

Two Years After Vineyard Wind Blade Failure, Government Investigation Still Not Completed

July 31, 2026 — Two years after a Vineyard Wind turbine blade collapsed, littering Nantucket’s shores with debris, a federal investigation into the blade failure is still ongoing, with little indication of when it will be completed or why it has taken so long.

Almost immediately after the blade failure, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, a Department of the Interior agency tasked with safety and environmental protection for the offshore energy industry, announced that it would be launching an independent investigation into the collapse. Two years later, that investigation has yet to produce any results.

At this point, the investigation has actually outlived the agency that launched it. On July 10th, President Donald Trump announced that BSEE would be folded into the Marine Minerals Administration and would cease to exist as an independent agency.

In a statement shared with the Current, the Marine Minerals Administration confirmed that it was continuing the investigation, but offered few further details.

“The Marine Minerals Administration is ensuring the investigation is thorough and comprehensive,” the agency wrote. “MMA’s investigation is currently ongoing and does not have a date for completion at this time.”

This mirrors statements BSEE has given in the past.

Read the full article at the Nantucket Current

Trump administration took funding dedicated to fighting IUU fishing and used it for the World Cup

July 31, 2026 — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump took funding set aside for combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and spent it on other priorities, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to a report from Washington D.C.-focused news outlet Punchbowl News.

The outlet reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) diverted most of the USD 170 million (EUR 147 million) set aside in the One Big Beautiful Bill for the U.S. Coast Guard to spend on maritime domain awareness, which would support the government’s anti-IUU fishing enforcement efforts.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Here’s where Trump has canceled wind farms – and how states are pushing back

July 31, 2026 — President Donald Trump’s opposition to offshore wind farms is well-documented. In the early 2010s, he sued the Scottish government when it gave permission for a company to build turbines in sight of one of his resorts. In public testimony over the years, the president has called wind turbines “monstrosities.” He has fretted about their environmental impact, decried their noise, and lamented their impact on tourism.

He lost his case in Scotland. Now, as U.S. president, he has more leverage.

Over the past year, the Trump administration has gone to great lengths to undo his predecessor’s efforts to establish a wind power industry off the coast of the United States. Since March, he’s struck five agreements with private companies to cancel at least nine offshore wind leases – a strategy that rings of Mr. Trump’s tendency toward dealmaking and that environmental policy analysts say no president has employed before.

Read the full article at The Christian Science Monitor 

US representatives introduce bipartisan bill to undo Trump’s ESA rollback

July 29, 2026 — A pair of U.S. lawmakers has introduced a bill that would reverse the federal government’s decision to roll back the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to exclude habitat destruction.

“Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act to prevent extinction – not to document it after the damage has already been done,” U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) said in a release. “For more than 50 years, our nation’s protections have reflected a basic legal, scientific, and commonsense truth: When habitat destruction actually kills or injures protected wildlife, that destruction is harm. The administration’s rule would erase that longstanding safeguard through regulatory action and leave vulnerable species exposed at the precise moment the law is intended to protect them.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US senators call for sanctions on vessels that support China’s distant water fishing fleet

July 28, 2026 — A handful of U.S. senators have asked the Department of the Treasury to issue sanctions on vessels that support China’s distant water fishing fleet, continuing a push from U.S. lawmakers to limit China’s commercial fishing and seafood sectors.

“The Chinese Communist Party is using its global distant-water fleet to conduct ecocide across at least three continents in both hemispheres. They kill endangered species by the hundreds and sharks, whales, and dolphins by the thousands, and have destroyed tens of thousands of acres of coral reefs,” U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in a statement. “Their fleet uses coerced laborers, who are subjected to physical abuse, malnutrition, overwork, and withheld pay. They could not conduct these activities without supply ships, including reefers, tankers, and floating bases. The U.S. should bolster our Maritime Domain Awareness capabilities to identify these vessels, and then we should use every available option to sanction and disrupt them.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Legal group that won IEEPA lawsuits takes aim at latest Section 301 tariffs

July 28, 2026 — The legal team that successfully challenged U.S. President Donald Trump’s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)-backed tariffs is now pursuing a case against the administration’s latest Section 301 tariffs.

The Liberty Justice Center filed V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump in April 2025, just days after Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs. That lawsuit ultimately ended up in a 6-3 ruling at the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year that invalidated the tariffs and kicked off a lengthy refund process that is still ongoing.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Trump’s offshore wind freeze leaves Mass. with idle terminals, soaring energy bills

July 27, 2026 — On a recent weekday afternoon, the State Pier and the adjacent City Pier 3 were bustling with fishing boats, passengers waiting to board the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard or eating lunch at the Whale’s Tail Clam Bar.

But just a mile down the road, at the New Bedford Marine Commerce Terminal, the only chatter came from the seagulls gathering on the empty concrete. The terminal was envisioned as the hub of Massachusetts’ offshore wind industry. But except for the signs at its entrance, a visitor could easily mistake it for an empty waterfront lot.

Construction on Vineyard Wind 1, the first utility-scale offshore wind project in Massachusetts, was completed in March. The 62 turbines off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard can generate up to 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 400,000 homes.

The Marine Commerce Terminal was expected to host the next offshore wind project, SouthCoast Wind, almost immediately after Vineyard Wind 1, but delays from the federal government under the Trump administration have brought the industry to a halt.

The slowdown comes as Massachusetts continues to face some of the highest energy costs in the nation. The state consumes roughly 22 times more electricity than it generates and relies heavily on imported power, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Read the full story at MassLive

Trump administration launches sweeping tariffs on 59 countries, entire EU

July 24, 2026 — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has launched sweeping tariffs on 59 different countries and the entire E.U. following Section 301 investigations.

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) began 60 investigations in March 2026 related to the “failure of various economies to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.” In June, the USTR said it was planning to target those countries with tariff rates of between 10 and 12.5 percent, depending on the commitments the countries made to oppose forced labor.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource