Saving Seafood

US House passes military funding bill eliminating Buy American exceptions for seafood

September 15, 2025 — A last-minute amendment to the U.S. House version of the annual defense funding legislation would eliminate any exceptions for seafood from the government’s usual “Buy American” provisions.

Under the Berry Amendment, the federal government is required to purchase American-made products, although exceptions can be made for select products and those for which the government determines a U.S. produced good is unavailable. However, a provision added by U.S. Representative Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) would ensure exceptions cannot be issued for seafood, fish, or shellfish purchases.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Rep. Nancy Mace pushes amendment to ensure military buys only American-caught seafood

September 10, 2025 — Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace is wading into “Shrimpgate” waters.

On Tuesday, the three-term member of Congress introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which would require the Department of Defense to purchase only American-caught seafood.

“For too long, foreign competitors have undercut American workers, threatened our economy, and exploited loopholes in federal law,” Mace said. “If the Pentagon is buying seafood, it will come from American waters, caught by American hands, not from our adversaries.”

Read the full article at ABC 4

New Legislation Seeks to Amend Magnuson-Stevens Act, Address Economic Causes of Fishery Disasters

October 22, 2024 — Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) introduced the Protect American Fisheries Act of 2024, a law that found the support of various fishing organizations, including the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), along with bipartisan support.

According to a press release from Mace’s office, the bill would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, adding economic causes as allowable grounds for declaring a fishery resource disaster.

“Foreign interference in U.S. fishery markets, particularly through illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, subsidized foreign fleets, forced and child labor, and dumping of contaminated seafood products, is devastating domestic industries.”

“Our domestic fisheries are under assault not only from illegal and subsidized foreign competition but also from bureaucratic red tape failing to protect American industries. The Protect American Fisheries Act takes a stand against these harmful practices and the inefficiencies in our system allowing them to persist. This legislation ensures we can cut through the red tape, defend the livelihoods of hardworking American fishermen, and strengthen our coastal economies by targeting illegal fishing, predatory pricing, and foreign market distortions,” said Mace.

Read the full article at Seafoodnews.com