Saving Seafood

NEW YORK: Looking to Ease Fuel Tax Burden on Fishing Industry

April 9, 2026 — With the soaring cost of diesel fuel amid the American-Israeli war against Iran affecting multiple industries, including commercial fishing, Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni has introduced legislation that would provide fuel tax exemptions for operators of commercial fishing vessels.

In the days prior to the war that began on Feb. 28, the average retail price for diesel in the East Coast region was around $3.81 per gallon. The price has steadily risen since then: As of Tuesday, the average price was around $6 per gallon, higher than the national average.

Unlike farmers, under current state law commercial fishermen must pay sales tax upfront when buying fuel and supplies. To get that money back, they must file a refund claim with the Department of Taxation and Finances, which can take months to process, while farmers and commercial horse-boarding operators can seek immediate and additional relief by applying for a state tax exemption certificate. Mr. Schiavoni’s proposed legislation would bestow the same benefit on the commercial fishing industry by allowing fishermen to use a tax exemption certificate at the point of purchase.

Read the full article at The East Hampton Star

New York lawmaker pushes upfront fuel tax break for fishing fleet

April 8, 2026 — A New York lawmaker is pushing to ease the burden of rising fuel costs on commercial fishermen, introducing legislation that would allow fishing vessel operators to access fuel tax exemptions upfront rather than waiting months for reimbursement.

According to Spectrum Local News, New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni introduced the bill on April 6, citing increasing diesel prices tied to the war in Iran and the growing financial strain on the state’s commercial fleet. The proposal aims to bring commercial fishermen in line with the agricultural sector, which already benefits from more immediate fuel tax relief.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

‘Really challenging’: Fuel surge hits Hawaii drivers, fishing industry

April 3, 2026 — Oil prices have surged above $100 a barrel since the U.S. and Israel began the war with Iran, with tankers stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.

Those disruptions mean Hawaii drivers are paying a lot more to fill up their tanks. AAA says a regular unleaded gallon of gas averages about $5.50, up more than a dollar from last month — a 20% jump.

Some drivers say they’re riding out the price surge as they’ve done in past years.

“We continue to do what we do, shop, shop, shop,” said Honolulu resident Michael MacDonald. “I’m sure we’re going to see it come down. Eventually, quickly, I hope.”

Liza Blum of Waipio hopes to save money by not driving as much. It now costs $10 more to fill up her SUV, which lasts about 10 days.

“It’s very hard on our pocket,” she said. “I don’t go out anymore. I just go home and work and groceries and like that.”

Read the full article at Hawaii News Now

Rhode Island’s fishing industry is feeling the pinch of high fuel prices

April 2, 2026 — A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: The cost of fuel oil is rising because of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Now, we’re seeing it on the ground at gas stations and in the air as airlines raise prices. Today, we look at the water. David Wright reports from Ocean State Media in Rhode Island, where the price of diesel fuel is about $5.75 a gallon.

(SOUNDBITE OF ICE SCRAPING)

DAVID WRIGHT, BYLINE: Mike Pugliese, known locally as Fishmonger Mike, starts his day scooping plenty of ice.

(SOUNDBITE OF ICE SCRAPING)

WRIGHT: The shelf life of his product depends on it.

What’s this?

MIKE PUGLIESE: That’s fluke. It’s a type of flounder. That was caught two days ago.

WRIGHT: Right now, fresh seafood is under pressure, in part because rough weather has made this a tough year for New England fishermen. Now they’re facing higher fuel prices, too.

PUGLIESE: I’m praying that the diesel prices don’t go any higher because right now, I think they’re at the pinnacle for particularly the local boats here that are doing the fluke offshore.

WRIGHT: Over the past month since the war in Iran kicked off, the cost of diesel here in Rhode Island has jumped nearly 50% at local gas stations and here at the dock.

Read the full transcript at NPR

 

Fuel costs squeeze US fleets as Dungie season ends on a low note

April 2, 2026 —  As the Dungeness crab season winds down on the Washington coast, fishermen are closing out a difficult year marked by low landings and rising fuel costs – pressures now being felt across all U.S. fisheries.

According to reporting from the Chinook Observer, Washington commercial crabbers landed 9,382,410 pounds of crab as of March 23, putting the season on pace to be the lowest-volume year since 2014-2015. At the same time, marine diesel prices are hovering near $6 per gallon, adding strain to an already challenging season.

“Hopefully, we’re at the point where it won’t go up anymore,” F/V Brandy owner and captain Ryan Walters told the Observer before departing on a trip with crew on March 28.

Fuel remains one of the largest expenses for vessels. Crew member Paul Munowich, who has fished commercially for 25 years, said prices are among the highest he can remember. “Fuel is one of our biggest expenses, just one of those things you’ve got to deal with,” he told the Observer, noting their vessel holds 3,000 gallons– putting a full fuel bill at more than $15,000.

While ex-vessel prices have held steady, the lack of volume has made for a tough season. “It’s been slow, a tough year,” Walters said. “The price has been good, just not the volume.”

Even so, fishermen are continuing to fish through the added costs. “It just affects the bottom line,” Munowich said. “That’s the problem with this industry –a lot of it gets dictated out of our control, but we’ve just got to keep fishing,” he told the Observer.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

The ‘God Squad’ Waives Environmental Rules for Offshore Drilling

April 1, 2026 — A powerful panel of Trump administration officials voted unanimously on Tuesday to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from measures to protect endangered whales and other imperiled species.

The panel, the Endangered Species Committee, a high-level group that is often called the God Squad because it essentially holds the power to decide whether a species lives or dies, adopted the move during a brief, closed-door meeting at the Interior Department.

Until Tuesday, the God Squad had convened only three times, and never in the past three decades.

It was the Trump administration’s latest move to weaken the Endangered Species Act, the bedrock environmental law intended to prevent plant and animal extinctions. In November, the administration proposed to relax restrictions on drilling, logging and mining in critical habitats for endangered species across the country.

To justify the sweeping decision on Tuesday, administration officials said that protections for endangered species had hindered oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, which President Trump calls the Gulf of America. They said that lifting these protections would increase domestic energy supplies and bolster national security.

“When development in the Gulf is chilled, we are prevented from producing the energy we need as a country,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the meeting.

“Recent hostile action by the Iranian terror regime highlights yet again why robust domestic oil production is a national security imperative,” Mr. Hegseth said, although he clarified that these concerns predated the Middle East war and the resulting spike in gasoline prices.

The United States is the world’s biggest producer of oil and gas, and the Gulf accounts for about 15 percent of U.S. crude oil output.

Read the full article at The New York Times

WASHINGTON: Washington coast commercial fishermen feel the pinch of rising fuel prices

March 30, 2026 — As Dungeness crab season limps to a historically low-volume finish, punishing fuel prices are putting a final dash of salt on an unsavory year for the Washington coast fleet.

As of March 23, Washington commercial crabbers have landed 9,382,410 pounds of crab, currently on pace for the lowest volume since the 2014-2015 season (7.5 million pounds).

Meanwhile, the average price of marine diesel fuel is hovering around a historic high of $6/gallon, capping what has been a forgettable season for commercial crabbers.

“Hopefully, we’re at the point where it won’t go up anymore,” said F/V Brandy owner and captain Ryan Walters before departing on a trip with crew on Saturday, March 28.

Read the full article at the Chinook Observer

Iran war brings higher fuel prices for struggling Gulf shrimpers

March 26, 2026 — U.S. shrimpers are facing higher fuel prices due to the Iran war, leading to higher operating costs for an industry that is already struggling.

“For a recent 30-day trip, I spent USD 47,000 (EUR 40,740) on diesel before I even left the dock. That is USD 20,000 (EUR 17,337) more for a single trip than the previous year,” Coden, Alabama, U.S.A.-based Zirlott Trawlers owner Jeremy Zirlott said in a release. “U.S. shrimpers operate on razor-thin margins, and right now, the increased cost of diesel makes it nearly impossible to turn a profit in the wholesale shrimp market.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource