Saving Seafood

MISSISSIPPI: Mississippi to begin enforcing new seafood labeling law

June 13, 2025 — The U.S. state of Mississippi is set to begin enforcing a newly passed seafood labeling law which will require grocery stores, markets, restaurants, and other vendors to clearly note whether the seafood and crawfish they sell are imported or domestic.

“Mississippi’s new seafood labeling law is a pivotal step toward restoring consumer trust and safeguarding the integrity of our Gulf Coast heritage,” Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) Executive Director Joe Spraggins said in a statement. “By mandating clear domestic or imported labeling for all seafood products, the law empowers consumers to make informed choices, ensuring they receive the quality they expect and deserve. This transparency not only supports local fishermen and businesses but also holds establishments accountable. As we embrace this change, we reaffirm our commitment to honesty, quality, and the rich culinary traditions that define Mississippi.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

How a Small Gulf Fish is Transforming Pet Health

June 9, 2025 — From grain-free kibble to gourmet treats, the pet food aisle has transformed dramatically in the past decade. Pet owners are reading labels more closely than ever, seeking natural, nutritious ingredients that support their pets’ long-term health. Surprisingly, one of the most valuable ingredients behind many top-tier pet foods doesn’t come from a lab or a farm. It comes from the Gulf.

Meet Gulf menhaden, a small, oily fish caught off Louisiana’s coast. Processed into nutrient-rich oil and high-protein fishmeal, menhaden is a foundational ingredient in premium pet foods across the U.S. and beyond. While not a household name, the benefits it brings to millions of dogs and cats are profound—and growing.

Menhaden’s Nutritional Superpowers

Menhaden is prized for its natural abundance of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA and EPA. These long-chain omega-3s are essential for joint health, immune function, and brain development in pets. Because pets can’t produce these nutrients on their own, their diets must supply them—making menhaden oil a critical source.

The benefits are wide-ranging. Omega-3s support shiny coats, healthy skin, cardiovascular health, and reduced inflammation. They are especially beneficial for aging pets and developing puppies and kittens. In fact, pet food manufacturers increasingly prioritize ingredients that promote specific health outcomes, making menhaden fishmeal and oil a go-to for functional formulas.

Read the full article at NOLA.com

Observer programs push for eyes on Gulf fisheries

June 5, 2025 — Since 1987, NOAA’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center has operated fishery observer programs in the U.S. Gulf to monitor the impacts of fishing activity on finfish stocks and protected species.

What began as an economic evaluation of turtle excluder devices (TED) has evolved into a critical effort to collect biological data and refine gear technology in both shrimp and reef fish fisheries in the Gulf of America (President Donald Trump’s new name for the Gulf of Mexico).

Read the full article at National Fisherman

US pioneers restoration of deep water corals damaged by country’s worst oil spill

June 2, 2025 — In the twilight depths of the Gulf of Mexico, about as deep down as a football field is long, U.S. Navy divers carefully snip small branches of corals with gloved hands. Their voices crackle through communication systems to the ship above, distorted to high-pitched tones by the helium mixtures they breathe.

“These guys, they’re tough, tough Navy dudes that are saturation experimental divers,” Chris Gardner, a U.S. government fisheries biologist on the team that oversees deepwater coral restoration in the Gulf, told Mongabay. “But the audio can be a little goofy because they’re breathing mostly helium. So, there’s definitely some Mickey Mouse effects going on.”

The surreal scene, of highly trained Navy divers speaking in cartoon voices while performing precise underwater surgery on orange and purple coral colonies, illustrates the extraordinary measures underway to restore ecosystems damaged by the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater Horizon spill, the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

This work marks one of the world’s first attempts at deep-sea coral restoration, and the largest to date, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency in charge of the restoration.

Read the full article at Mongabay

Grand jury indicts former Louisiana fisheries regulator for bribery, conspiracy

May 27, 2025 — A federal grand jury has indicted the former head of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) on one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The indictment alleged that former LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet conspired with other officials to award state contracts in exchange for kickbacks.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Florida Man Sentenced to 30 Days for Shooting and Poisoning Dolphins

May 27, 2025 — For years, Zackary Barfield of Panama City, Fla., made his living on the Gulf of Mexico guiding fishing charters, often with dolphins trailing close behind, riding the boat’s wake. But when the dolphins began stealing red snapper from his clients’ lines, prosecutors say, the longtime captain turned predator.

Between 2022 and 2023, Mr. Barfield laced baitfish with pesticide and shot at dolphins from his boat, doing so once in front of “two elementary-aged children,” the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Florida said on Friday in a statement.

Mr. Barfield, 31, was sentenced this week to 30 days in prison and fined $51,000 for three counts of poisoning and shooting dolphins, violating both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, according to federal prosecutors.

His sentence will be followed by one year of supervised release. Mr. Barfield pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 12, according to court documents.

Read the full article at The New York Times

Lawsuit filed in effort to protect endangered Rice’s whales in the Gulf

May 22, 2025 — A lawsuit has been filed to force the federal government to protect endangered Rice’s whales in the Gulf. Scientists believe there are fewer than 50 remaining.

Federal regulators recently released a “biological opinion” that found strikes by oil tankers and vessels in the Gulf’s well fields are likely to threaten the existence of Rice’s whales.

The lawsuit is asking for stronger restrictions on speeds and for ships to keep at least 500 yards from visible whales.

NOAA Fisheries Service estimates that nine Rice’s whales would be killed and three seriously injured over the next 45 years. Chris Eaton, an attorney with the environmental group Earthjustice, said that might doom the species.

“The Fisheries Service has said because the population is so low that if just one female dies, that could send the species to extinction,” Eaton said. “And the problem with this biological opinion is that it recognizes that risk, but doesn’t provide adequate measures to prevent that risk to those species.”

The Department of the Interior can lease areas of the Gulf to oil and gas drillers. But first, the Fisheries Service must study how endangered species are likely to be harmed.

NOAA Fisheries said the proposed rule would make lethal vessel strikes “extremely unlikely to occur.”

Read the full article at WUSF

US finds endangered Gulf of Mexico whale threatened by oil and gas vessel strikes

May 21, 2025 — The Trump administration published a long-awaited environmental assessment on Tuesday that found that vessel strikes related to oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico are likely to jeopardize the existence of the endangered Rice’s whale.

The analysis, known as a biological opinion, governs how endangered and threatened marine species should be protected from oil and gas activities in the region, which President Donald Trump has renamed the Gulf of America.

US Justice Department indicts four Mexican fishers for illegal red snapper harvest

May 16, 2025 –A grand jury in Texas has indicted four Mexican fishers on charges of illegally harvesting red snapper in U.S. waters.

According to the criminal complaint, U.S. authorities observed a crew of four fishers from Matamoros, Mexico, operating several miles north of the U.S.-Mexico maritime border in the Gulf of Mexico, currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the U.S. government. Operating in an unmarked, unregistered, panga-style fishing vessel without running lights, the crew reportedly harvested 315 kilograms of red snapper.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

LOUISIANA: Looking back: The impact of the BP oil spill on Louisiana’s commercial menhaden fishing industry

May 12, 2025 — The BP oil spill—triggered by the Deepwater Horizon explosion 15 years ago last month—remains the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. The Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 people and released nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf, devastating ecosystems and contaminating key fishing grounds.

Among the species affected were menhaden—small, oily fish essential to the Gulf’s ecosystem and Louisiana’s economy. As filter feeders and prey for larger predators, they play a critical ecological role. Louisiana’s menhaden fishery, one of the largest in the nation, was hit especially hard. Just two companies harvest menhaden from Louisiana’s waters: Westbank Fishing in Empire and Ocean Harvesters in Abbeville. Together, they employ more than 2,000 workers and contribute over $25 million annually to the state and local economy. But when oil from the spill spread across the northern Gulf, it forced widespread closures of federal and state waters—including over half of Louisiana’s inshore fishing grounds. The industry was suddenly paralyzed, facing a collapse in access, markets, and operating stability.

For Westbank Fishing, the disaster struck just five years after Hurricane Katrina had devastated its home base in Plaquemines Parish. The company had only recently rebuilt its fleet, processing facility and workforce. “We’d already learned how to survive after Katrina,” said Shane Treadaway, Vice President of Operations. “So, when the oil spill happened, we knew how to dig in, stay focused, and do whatever it took to come back strong.” That hard-earned resilience became critical as the company confronted yet another crisis.

Read the full article at The Advocate