Saving Seafood

Climate change may halve omega‑3 fatty acids in fish and the organisms they eat

August 31, 2026 — You’ve probably heard eating fish and other seafood is good for your health. One of the main reasons is that seafood is an excellent source of two important omega-3 fats called EPA and DHA.

EPA and DHA are critical for the development and function of brains, eyes and healthy hearts. They also reduce chronic inflammation, which is linked to many chronic diseases. They can also reduce the risk of premature births and perhaps even some types of cancer.

While humans can produce EPA and DHA from ALA (an omega-3 fat found in plants) and it’s possible to get them from foods such as linseed and walnuts, seafood is the main source for most people.

However, our new study shows many fish and other seafood will become less rich in omega-3s over time, due to rising ocean temperatures as the climate changes. In fact, we found omega-3 could drop by 50% under very high warming scenarios.

This is very bad news for human health but also for the health of other animals in the food web.

Read the full article at The Conversation 

NOAA Is Seeking Public Input on Where to Locate New Aquaculture Opportunity Areas in the United States

August 31, 2026 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Home (NOAA) from the United States (US) is seeking public input on where to focus while searching places to begin the process of identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOA). They are requesting relevant information on specific issues and areas they should consider for future Aquaculture Opportunity Areas. The deadline for comments is September 14, 2026.

According the definition they provided, Aquaculture Opportunity Areas are defined geographic areas that have been evaluated to determine their potential suitability for commercial aquaculture. The AOA identification process takes into account the potential environmental, economic, and social impacts of identifying AOAs and siting aquaculture in those locations drawing from extensive scientific review and analysis. Public input is critical to this process.

As part of the comment period, NOAA will also host three public listening sessions. The sessions will be in English and Spanish, they reported. They look for the citizens attend one of three public listening sessions or provide a written comment through to help inform where NOAA should focus on searching for Aquaculture Opportunity Areas.

The importance of the task relies on the fact that the United States imported an estimated USD 12 billion in farmed seafood in 2024, about half of the USD 25 billion in total seafood imports. “Aquaculture creates jobs, uplifts coastal economies, and complements wild-capture fisheries. It provides healthy and sustainable seafood to American families—bolstering domestic food security,” members of NOAA highlighted.

Read the full article at Aquaculture Magazine

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts pantry uses haddock chowder to stretch food budgets, and boost protein options

August 27, 2026 — For nearly 700 households that rely on the Family Pantry of Cape Cod each week, one item has emerged as a clear favorite: haddock chowder made with help from local fishermen. The popular meal also shows how a local partnership can stretch food budgets while getting a highly sought-after source of protein to families who need it most.

Here’s what to know

According to the Cape Cod Times, the most sought-after item at the Harwich-based Family Pantry of Cape Cod is frozen haddock chowder provided by the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance.

Instead of operating like a standard food pickup site, the pantry allows clients to choose from a weekly printed list, similar to shopping at a small grocery. That list can include proteins as well as canned goods, cereal, pasta, eggs, and dairy items.

The alliance also provides clam chowder and fish stew, giving pantry clients more prepared seafood options to take home.

Read the full article at The Cool Down

Earth is simmering in its hottest water temps on record, and that’s bad for fish and us

August 25, 2026 — The world’s oceans simmered to their hottest temperatures on record over the weekend and are likely to warm even further in the next few months, putting stress on life in the water and on land too, the European climate service Copernicus announced Monday.

Spurred by a still growing but already supersized natural El Nino and human-caused climate change, the world’s ocean temperatures hit 21.1 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday and Saturday, narrowly edging out the average daily record set in March 2024, said Samantha Burgess, strategic climate lead for Copernicus.

“This is yet another sign of our climate system under strain and the ocean under immense pressure,” Burgess said.

Jane Lubchenco, an oceanographer and former chief of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called the record “very troubling.”

“An ocean this warm destabilizes weather patterns and threatens food security, economic prosperity and marine life,” Lubchenco said in an email. “A warmer ocean is not our friend.”

Read the full article at Associated Press

US embassy launched IUU reporting hub in the Philippines

August 14, 2026 — The U.S. Embassy in the Philippines has launched a new initiative to gather community reports of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing around the Southeast Asian nation and share them with authorities.

“Illegal, unreported, and unregulated [IUU] fishing is both an economic and a national security challenge. It depletes fish stocks, disrupts supply chains, distorts markets, threatens food security, and places responsible fishers and legitimate businesses at a disadvantage,” U.S. Embassy Officer Taylor Fincher said in a release. “Addressing illegal fishing and related maritime concerns is an important area of cooperation between the United States and the Philippines.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

EUSeA regrets exclusion of aquatic foods from EU protein agenda Fisheries and Aquaculture Vision 2040 must deliver an EU Blue Foods Action Plan

July 23, 2026 — The following was released by the The European Union Seafood Alliance:

The European Union Seafood Alliance (EUSeA), bringing together EAPO, Europêche, FEAP, Seafood Europe and EMPA, welcomes the European Commission’s renewed focus on protein resilience, strategic autonomy and sustainable food systems, following the publication of the Action Plan for resilience, strategic autonomy and sustainability of the EU protein system and the EU Strategy on Livestock. Together, these initiatives set an important direction for Europe’s food future. They recognize the need to strengthen resilience, reduce strategic dependencies and support more sustainable food production. However, the EU Seafood Alliance stresses that Europe’s protein strategy will remain incomplete if aquatic foods are not recognized.

Aquatic foods are already available, nutritious and high-quality sources of protein. They contribute to healthy diets, coastal communities, responsible production, processing activities, employment, trade, consumer choice and food-system resilience.

Seafood must be part of Europe’s protein conversation. If the EU wants a resilient, sustainable and strategically autonomous protein system, aquatic foods cannot remain at the margins. Fisheries, aquaculture, processing and trade are part of Europe’s food security and competitiveness agenda.

EUSeA underlines that the recent shift in the Commission’s approach towards livestock is particularly noteworthy¹. Whereas livestock was long considered mainly a source of emissions, it is now recognized as a critical element for Europe’s food security. Fisheries and aquaculture deserve the same strategic recognition.

A genuine paradigm shift is needed – one that sees aquatic food production not as part of the problem, but as an essential contributor to food security, coastal resilience, strategic autonomy and the sustainable management of marine resources. These objectives remain crucial, and the EU protein agenda should therefore ensure stronger coherence between the different Commission services.

EUSeA therefore calls once again for an EU Action Plan for Blue Foods to be fully reflected in the forthcoming Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040. This Vision should be ambitious and become the Commission’s main strategic framework for recognizing and strengthening the contribution of aquatic foods to Europe’s food system. It should also ensure that aquatic foods are properly integrated into the wider EU protein and livestock agendas, which explicitly exclude fisheries, aquaculture, and their processing sectors despite being an important source and user of protein in the EU’s food and feed system.

We want to ensure that Europe’s food and protein strategy reflects the full diversity of responsible protein sources available to European consumers. The Alliance highlights the potential of making full and responsible use of aquatic biological resources. EU initiatives² demonstrate how fisheries and aquaculture by-products can be transformed into high-value food ingredients, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, biomaterials, packaging, construction materials, water treatment solutions, soil amendments and bio-based fertilizers. They also illustrate the potential to create new value chains for invasive species and species with limited or no commercial demand.

The EU Seafood Alliance stands ready to work with the European Commission in the preparation of the Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture 2040 and in the implementation of the EU protein and livestock agenda to ensure that Europe’s protein strategy reflects the contribution of all responsible food sectors, including aquatic foods.

Contact EAPO:
Pauline Stephan, Policy Officer

Contact Europêche:
Daniel Voces, Managing Director

Contact FEAP:
Javier Ojeda, General Secretary

Contact Seafood Europe:
Katarina Sipic, Secretary General

Contact the European Mollusc Producers’ Association (EMPA):
Thibault Pivetta, Secretary General

About EAPO, EMPA, Europêche, FEAP and Seafood Europe

EAPO, EMPA, Europêche, FEAP and Seafood Europe represent key parts of the European fisheries, aquaculture, seafood processing and trading value chain. Together, they work to promote responsible seafood production and trade, support resilient coastal and food systems, and advocate for policies that strengthen sustainable growth, food security and competitiveness across the European seafood sector.

NEW JERSEY: New Jersey Department of Agriculture opening USD 518,000 in grants for excess seafood redistribution

July 15, 2026 — The New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced USD 518,000 (EUR 453,250) in grant funding availability aimed at helping nonprofits recover surplus food from farms and seafood producers to redistribute to food-insecure residences.

According to a release from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the funding is a part of the Gleaning and Seafood Recovery Support Program.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FAO Symposium Discusses the Future of Fisheries and Global Food Security

December 4, 2019 — Organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability discussed opportunities to reform the capture fisheries sector to contribute to global food security, eradicate hunger, promote gender equality, and achieve the SDGs. At the event, the High Level Panel on the Sustainable Ocean Economy released a blue paper that analyzes the current status and future potential of food production from the ocean.

The Symposium convened from 18-21 November 2019, in Rome, Italy. The Forum focused on the theme, ‘Strengthening the Science-Policy Nexus’ and aimed to identify pathways to strengthen the science-policy interface in fisheries production, management and trade based on sustainability principles. Panelists discussed opportunities for the fisheries sector to respond to challenges and support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

The High Level Panel released a paper titled ‘The Future of Food from the Sea,’ at the Symposium. The paper finds that the ocean could provide more than six times the food it does today with improved management and technological innovation. In comparison with current fishing projections, the report stresses that reforming the world’s capture fisheries by ending overfishing and improving global fisheries management could result in 20% more catch compared to today and 40% more fisheries catch than current projected future catch. This amount is over two-thirds of the animal protein needed to feed projected future global populations. In addition, the paper emphasizes “highly nutritious nature of seafood,” which contains essential vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients not contained in terrestrial animal proteins or plant-based foods. The report also highlights the potential of the sustainable expansion of marine aquaculture to enhance food security and help eradicate hunger, in line with the SDG 2 (zero hunger).

Read the full story at ISSD