Saving Seafood

Saving Seafood statement on the America First Seafood Strategy

October 27, 2026 — “Saving Seafood, our national coalition, and our many supporters and colleagues throughout the commercial fishing and seafood industry welcome the America First Seafood Strategy and, in particular, its commitment to bringing the federal government together behind a stronger American seafood industry.

“For too long, seafood policy has too often been treated as only the responsibility of NOAA. This strategy recognizes that rebuilding American seafood production requires a much broader effort. We are especially pleased to see USDA working closely with NOAA, alongside the Department of Health and Human Services, FDA, the Coast Guard, the U.S. Trade Representative, MARAD and other federal agencies.

“American seafood is simultaneously a food product, an agricultural and nutritional priority, a major source of employment, an international trade commodity and an essential part of the economy of our coastal communities. The strategy reflects that reality by bringing together the agencies responsible for fisheries, food and nutrition, trade, infrastructure, financing and enforcement.

“That kind of coordinated federal attention to American seafood is long overdue, and it creates an opportunity to strengthen fishermen, processors, working waterfronts and seafood businesses throughout the country.”

 

Trump’s America First Seafood Strategy puts US fishermen in focus

October 26, 2026 — The Trump administration has rolled out a new federal seafood strategy aimed at increasing domestic production, rebuilding shoreside infrastructure, and strengthening the position of U.S. fishermen and processors against foreign competition.

President Donald Trump announced the America First Seafood Strategy as part of his administration’s implementation of the 2025 executive order, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” NOAA Fisheries will play a central role in carrying out the plan alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration (USDA), and other federal agencies.

The strategy calls for expanding harvest opportunities where supported by science, reducing regulatory costs, investing in processing and waterfront infrastructure, strengthening seafood import enforcement and creating new ways to distinguish domestically harvested seafood in the marketplace.

“The species managed in U.S. waters are American icons, from Maine lobster to Gulf shrimp, from Alaskan salmon to Florida stone crab,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in NOAA’s announcement. “The America First Seafood Strategy ensures that the future of seafood in the United States will be built by American fishermen, American workers, and American industry, not by foreign imports.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

US House approves bill authorizing FDA to destroy contaminated shrimp imports

May 27, 2026 — A U.S. House of Representatives committee has advanced the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, legislation that would enable the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to destroy imported goods that have been refused entry due to contamination.

“I am proud to champion bills like the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, which was passed yesterday in [the House Committee on Energy and Commerce] to create a fair playing field for our fishermen and domestic shrimp industry,” U.S. Representative Troy Carter (D-Louisiana), who sponsored the bill, said in a social media statement.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US government asks industry what to call rockfish

April 7, 2026 — The U.S. government is soliciting recommendations from the seafood and fishing sectors on what name Sebastes – a group of species collectively referred to as rockfish – should be marketed under moving forward.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published a request for information in the Federal Register “to help make an evidence-based determination that balances food safety, regulatory clarity, and industry interest regarding a potential update to the acceptable market name” for more than a dozen Sebastes species.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Indonesia clears contamination at shrimp plant, reaches deal with FDA to resume US imports

October 21, 2025 — Indonesian officials said they have reached a deal with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that will allow containers of shrimp from the country to enter the U.S. following a prolonged stretch of recalls.

Indonesian shrimp from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati began being recalled in August after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detected traces of Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive material, in a container containing shrimp from the company. That recall expanded later that same month, affecting major U.S. retailers like Walmart and Kroger and leading to an import alert for frozen breaded shrimp from Indonesia.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

A deep dive into seafood safety amid a government shutdown

October 3, 2025 — On the heels of back-to-back radioactive shrimp recalls, and in the midst of a federal government shutdown. Seafood safety is a question for many who enjoy flavors from the coast.

There are multiple federal agencies, including the FDA, USDA, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Customs and Border Protection, to inspect various imports and domestic products, like the hundreds of thousands of recalled shrimp from Indonesia over the past two months.

But one organization stands out, the National Marine Fisheries Service, under the U-S Department of Commerce.

Read the full article at WCTI 12

Nutrition expert calls for update to US FDA guidelines on seafood consumption

September 25, 2025 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) current guidance on seafood consumption during and before pregnancy – and for young children – highlights the importance of omega-3s, but according to nutrition expert Maya Maroto, it is still focusing more on the fear than the facts.

The U.S. FDA recommends eating seafood during pregnancy and while breastfeeding as a means of supporting a child’s brain development. The agency has created a chart which showcases seafood but also leads with the importance of “choosing a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

More potentially radioactive frozen shrimp recalled. See list.

September 8, 2025 — The Food and Drug Administration announced another recall for shrimp due to possible radioactive contamination.

In August, the FDA announced four recalls (one of which was updated on Friday, Aug. 29, to include best-by dates) for frozen shrimp due to potential radionuclide (Cesium-137) contamination. Cesium-137, also known as Cs-137, is a man-made radioactive isotope that can lead to an elevated risk of cancer if ingested, the FDA states.

Various brands of frozen shrimp sold throughout the country voluntarily issued the recalls. As of Friday, Sept. 4, no illnesses had been reported in conjunction with the recalls.

Read the full article at USA TODAY