Saving Seafood

Maine lobster protected: Canada removes seafood from retaliatory tariffs

August 28, 2026 — Lobstermen in Maine breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday after Canada amended its retaliatory tariffs against the United States, removing seafood and fish products from the items that will face the new fee.

In an announcement late Wednesday night, Canada’s Department of Finance said the Canadian government was working with Canadian industries to assess the effectiveness of retaliatory tariffs. Based on feedback, the department said it made “select adjustments to protect against broader economic harms.”

Read the full article at WMTW

Section 301 tariffs hitting seafood importers hard, but experts advise there are small mitigative levers to pull

August 28, 2026 — Soon after the U.S. implemented Section 301 tariffs on 60 separate economies in July, American seafood import firms voiced concerns that the new rates left them with few options for relief.

“The new duties stack on top of the normal rates, the antidumping and countervailing duties, and the older China tariffs. For a book like ours, that means the annual duty bill more than doubles,” BSF Chief Vision Officer Mark Frisch told SeafoodSource soon after the tariffs were instituted.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

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

Amazon greenwashing lawsuit drags dialogue around certification overreliance back into the spotlight

August 24, 2026 — After the filing of another seafood greenwashing lawsuit recently, suppliers, retailers, and restaurants are yet again evaluating the best ways to market their products.

In late July, a class-action lawsuit was filed targeting retail giant Amazon, alleging that several seafood brands selling on the platform and associated retailers misleadingly use sustainability claims on several products bearing Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Canada announces retaliatory tariffs on US, targets fish and seafood

August 25, 2026 — The government of Canada has announced a sweeping set of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, including 25 percent duties on fish and seafood.

The U.S. and Canada had been undergoing trade talks after U.S. President Donald Trump continuously threatened Canada with tariffs since taking office in January 2025, including threats of 100 percent tariffs in February 2026 after Canada and China finalized a trade deal. Those trade talks had become rocky in recent months, with United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer announcing tariffs as high as 50 percent on Canadian goods in July, even as the two countries discuss the United States, Mexico, Canada agreement (USMCA) – a trade deal that Trump established in 2020.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Lawsuit accuses Amazon of false seafood sustainability claims, greenwashing

August 3, 2026 — A new class-action lawsuit is targeting Amazon, alleging that several seafood brands selling on the platform and associated retailers misleadingly use sustainability claims on several products bearing Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.

According to the complaint, which was filed 31 July in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, allegedly misleading claims on such brands as 365 by Whole Foods Market, Bumble Bee, Starkist, Chicken of the Sea, Fishwife, and others include “dolphin safe,” “sustainable,” “responsibly sourced,” and “traceable.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US consumers buying less beef, shifting to seafood, other proteins instead

July 31, 2026 — Over half of Americans are buying less beef or have stopped buying it entirely due to high prices, according to supply chain management firm Blue Yonder’s 2026 Consumer Grocery and Protein Trends survey.

Forty percent of beef buyers said they are purchasing beef less frequently, 11 percent have largely stopped buying beef, and 4 percent have completely stopped buying beef. Meanwhile, 17 percent have switched to cheaper cuts due to higher prices.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

OREGON: Oregon’s Newest Food Trail Highlights Local Seafood and the People Who Catch It

July 29, 2026 — From dock to plate, the Oregon Coast Seafood Trail puts the people behind the catch at the center of every meal. While much of the seafood consumed in Oregon comes from outside the country, Oregon’s newest trail highlights where you can enjoy Oregon-landed seafood that directly supports local fisheries. The trail guides travelers to vetted eateries, restaurants, seafood markets, food carts and dockside retailers that prioritize local seafood.

Central to the trail is the idea of “Oregon-landed” seafood, meaning the catch was delivered to a port in Oregon. Oregon’s fisheries are among the most sustainably managed in the world, with species like pink shrimp, albacore tuna, groundfish and Dungeness crab certified for responsible harvest. Additional local species — including Pacific halibut, salmon, oysters, clams and sea vegetables — round out the diversity of Oregon’s coastal waters and ensure every meal reflects the region’s bounty.

Each stop along the trail offers a window into the working waterfronts that sustain coastal communities. A dynamic map helps travelers sort stops by region, business type, seasonal events and more. The trail allows visitors to time their trip with the commercial crab season, albacore tuna runs or opportunities to buy directly from the docks. Along the way, visitors can explore coastal eateries, seafood markets and other businesses where transparency, sustainability and local sourcing are part of the story.

Read the full article at South Sound

Opinion: Why targeting one fishery puts Alaska’s seafood economy at risk

July 29, 2026 — Alaska’s commercial fishing economy works because of a simple truth: it is built on interdependence.

Like a three-legged stool, the state’s seafood economy depends on three connected pillars: fishermen who harvest responsibly, processors who transform that harvest into marketable products, and the coastal communities whose infrastructure, workforce, and local economies make it all possible.

Remove any one of those legs, and the entire system becomes unstable. That is why proposals to dismantle major parts of Alaska’s seafood economy are not isolated fishery debates. They are statewide economic questions.

Increasingly, public rhetoric around trawling has been reduced to simplistic slogans and social media talking points that ignore both the scale of Alaska’s seafood economy and the complex systems that sustain it. Some have advanced sweeping calls to “end trawling” without acknowledging what those policies would actually mean for Alaska communities.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: Scallopalooza shucking contest returns to New Bedford

July 28, 2026 — The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will once again celebrate the city’s iconic scallop fleet with the return of its annual Scallopalooza Scallop Shucking Contest during August AHA! Night on Thursday, Aug. 13.

The free community event will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Bethel Street in front of the Fishing Heritage Center, bringing together commercial fishermen, seafood lovers, local businesses, and families for an evening centered on New Bedford’s scallop industry.

The highlight of the evening begins at 6:30 p.m., when 15 local scallop fishermen will compete for the title of New Bedford’s best scallop shucker and a championship trophy.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman