Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries establishes task force to address West Coast humpback whale entanglements

November 4, 2025 — NOAA Fisheries has established a federal task force to address the problem of humpback whales becoming entangled in commercial fishing gear along the west coast.

The announcement came just prior to a 31 October deadline set by the courts in response to a lawsuit brought by conservation NGO the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). The group sued NOAA Fisheries in 2022, claiming the agency’s sablefish fishery permit didn’t incorporate any plans to reduce entanglements or harm to the endangered whales. In 2023, NOAA Fisheries signed a legal agreement as part of a settlement, committing to create a task force by 31 October 2025.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Conservation groups sue US government to enforce marine mammal protections on imported seafood

August 12, 2024 — The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government, alleging that regulators are not doing enough to protect marine mammals in foreign fisheries.

“Americans love whale- and dolphin-safe seafood, and U.S. fishers take pride in putting more sustainable food on our tables,” NRDC Director of Global Biodiversity Conservation Zak Smith said in a statement. “But, our government continues to let foreign fisheries peddle their whale- and dolphin-killing fish in the U.S. market, while taxpayers and fishers spend millions domestically to do the right thing.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource