Saving Seafood

US court hears arguments against turtle excluder devices in inshore Louisiana waters

August 14, 2026 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is considering a challenge to a 2019 NOAA Fisheries rule forcing Louisiana inshore shrimpers to install turtle excluder devices (TEDs).

A TED is a grid of metal bars placed in a trawl net that block larger animals – like turtles – while allowing smaller animals – like shrimp – to pass through. Louisiana shrimpers claim the requirement on inshore vessels is excessive, making their work more difficult and expensive despite little risk to turtles.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Another offshore wind project bought out by Trump administration

August 10, 2026 — Another offshore wind power developer has announced a settlement with the U.S. Department of the Interior which will see it relinquish its offshore wind leases and instead invest in other energy projects.

RWE U.S. Offshore said the deal will see it end its lawsuits against the U.S. government over its leases off the coasts of New York, California, and Louisiana. Despite investing roughly USD 1 billion (EUR 866 million) in energy projects on those leases, the company said it was no longer possible to secure permits for them.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Shrimp industry fights $9.4M loss from federal turtle device mandate

August 6, 2026 — A federal appeals court heard arguments Tuesday over whether Louisiana shrimpers should be required to use turtle protection devices in their nets, a rule the state’s shrimp industry says could have major financial consequences.

The Louisiana Shrimp Association is challenging a federal mandate requiring shrimp boats longer than 40 feet to use Turtle Excluder Devices, or TEDs. The group argues the devices are unnecessary in Louisiana’s inland waters, where members say sea turtles are rarely found.

The requirement was issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service as part of federal efforts to protect endangered and threatened sea turtles from becoming trapped in shrimp nets.

Attorneys representing the shrimp industry argued that the devices are costly to install and can reduce shrimp harvests by collecting trash and debris inside the nets. Association members also contend they have rarely encountered sea turtles while operating in the state’s shallow inland waters over several decades.

Read the full article at KFLY

Louisiana shrimpers challenge federal TED rule at 5th Circuit

August 5, 2026 — A federal appeals court heard arguments on Tuesday in a case brought by Louisiana shrimpers challenging a 2019 federal rule that requires them to install Turtle Excluder Devices on their boats.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments Aug. 4 in Louisiana Shrimp Association v. Lutnick, a case that puts more than 30 years of regulatory history under the microscope.

The Louisiana Shrimp Association, along with individual shrimpers John Brown, Larry L. Helmer Jr. and Penny V. Zar, argues that the National Marine Fisheries Service acted arbitrarily when it eliminated a longstanding tow-time exemption and required inshore skimmer trawlers to use Turtle Excluder Devices. They say the agency offered no new scientific data to justify the change.

Read the full article at WBRZ

Gulf lawmakers aim to extend state borders to 9 miles offshore

July 15, 2026 — A bipartisan coalition of Gulf Coast lawmakers is pushing to change a 73-year-old law that limits their states’ maritime boundaries to 3 miles offshore, potentially reshaping the regulation of local fisheries and generating billions of dollars in tax revenues from offshore energy and minerals leases.

Introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, R-Miss., and a group of legislators that includes Reps. Troy Carter Sr., D-La., Clay Higgins, R-La., and Shomari Figures, D-Ala., the Offshore Parity Act would extend state waters from 3 nautical miles out to 9 – matching the long-held boundaries of Texas and Florida.

Read the full article at The Center Square

NORTH CAROLINA: How one NC fish house ships fresh catch to seafood markets across US

July 8, 2026 — On a late March morning, barrels full of slippery bluefish straight off the boat glistened in the sun at O’Neal’s Sea Harvest in Wanchese. Within hours, the fresh catch would be shipped to seafood markets stretching from Canada to Louisiana.

“You try to get it in and out as quick as you can because it’s perishable,” said Ashley O’Neal. “They go on a truck today, and they’ll be wherever they are going by 2 or 3 o’clock tomorrow,” he said.

O’Neal’s Sea Harvest is one of several competitive fish houses on the southern tip of Roanoke Island on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The family-owned company also operates a seafood market and restaurant in front of its fish process center in Wanchese Seafood Industrial Park.

Benny and Linda O’Neal started the business in 1995. Today, their three children, Nicole Harper and brothers Colby and Ashley O’Neal, along with their respective wives, Lara and Abby, operate it.

Read the full article at the Miami Herald

 

LOUISIANA: Louisiana expands red snapper limits for Fourth of July weekend

July 2, 2026 — State officials will temporarily expand the number of red snapper recreational anglers can take home in Louisiana for the Fourth of July holiday.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will allow those fishing in state coastal waters for red snapper to take home five fish per person per day, increased from the typical four-fish limit, Thursday through Sunday.

LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth said the temporary increase is meant to encourage people to get outside and enjoy the celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary.

“Increasing our red snapper limit to five fish is a way we’d like to thank the anglers of our state as they enjoy this special holiday with family and friends,’’ Bosworth said in a statement.

Read the full article at the Louisiana Illuminator

LOUISIANA: Louisiana governor signs commingled seafood labeling law

June 15, 2026 — Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed legislation requiring commingled seafood to be labeled as such, preventing wholesalers and retailers from mixing imported shrimp with domestic product and selling it as locally sourced.

“I was down in Lafitte today with … our local shrimpers to sign HB 857 into law. This bill finally puts teeth behind the rules by penalizing the sale of unlabeled and commingled seafood,” Landry said in a Facebook post after signing the bill on 11 June. “We’re protecting Louisiana jobs and defending our seafood industry!”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

LOUISIANA: Louisiana Legislature Chose Balance on Menhaden: Stronger Oversight Without Sacrificing Coastal Jobs

June 8, 2026 — This article is brought to you by the Louisiana Commercial Fisheries Coalition LLC.

Louisiana’s menhaden fishery is often scrutinized from afar, which makes it easy to forget that behind the headlines are working families, multi-generational fishing operations, and blue-collar jobs in coastal communities like Plaquemines and Vermilion parishes, and localities in between, that depend on this resource.

That is why the commercial menhaden fishery approached this legislative session with a simple goal: work cooperatively with lawmakers on practical, science-based measures that improve transparency, reporting, and accountability, without inflicting unnecessary harm on the people who make their living on the water.

That is exactly what happened.

Lawmakers considered several proposals this session impacting where the menhaden fleet operates. The debate was sometimes heated, and some advocates cast the fishing industry as a villain. But our industry listened, engaged, and worked with the Legislature to advance reasonable measures while opposing proposals that would have imposed severe economic harm.

The Legislature chose to strengthen oversight and public confidence through better reporting, clearer accountability, and vessel-tracking requirements, while rejecting an approach that would have pushed the fishery into an unworkable corner.

First, HB 872 requires purse seine vessels engaged in commercial menhaden reduction fishing, to use Automatic Identification Systems. The larger steamers or mother ships are already equipped with the technology. AIS creates a vessel-location record that can support enforcement, improve accountability, and answer whether boats are respecting established boundaries. It will require industry investment in equipment, installation, maintenance, and compliance, but it is a practical and transparent bill.

Read the full article at the Advocate