Saving Seafood

US lawmakers advance bill reauthorizing NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office

July 17, 2026 — U.S. representatives on the House Committee on Natural Resources voted to advance a bill reauthorizing NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office on 15 July.

“The House just took a key step toward investment in the science, restoration, and education that’s essential to the Chesapeake Bay’s recovery,” Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Senior Policy Director Keisha Sedlacek said in a statement. “We’re grateful to House leaders for advancing the WATERS Act and look forward to action in the Senate on the companion bill.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Trump hits Brazil with 25 percent tariffs, but seafood manages to win exceptions

July 16, 2026 — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on Brazil, with several exceptions for certain seafood items.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced new 25 percent tariffs on imports from Brazil following a Section 301 investigation. The USTR said the tariff action follows an investigation it started in 2025, just days after Trump threatened 50 percent tariffs on the country claiming it was treating former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro unfairly. USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer said at the time the country’s unfair trade practices were documented in the National Trade Estimate Report, and a recent release by the USTR said it identified several practices by Brazil that gave it an unfair advantage over U.S. businesses.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

The NSF Seafood Engine in New England wins $15M U.S. National Science Foundation award to strengthen fisheries and aquaculture

July 15, 2026 — The following was released by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a major new award to bolster the American seafood industry through the NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program within the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (NSF TIP). The NSF Seafood Engine in New England, led by the Portsmouth-based non-profit NERACOOS, is a collaboration of seafood industry, tech sector, government, and research partners across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This innovation ecosystem aims to revitalize the seafood sector through cutting-edge technology. This award will position New England to lead the nation in meeting the goals outlined in the Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.   

“NSF Engines investments in critical technologies and future industries will transform America’s innovation infrastructure for decades to come,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. “The NSF Seafood Engine will leverage cutting-edge resources, including AI, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, robotics, and more to strengthen the New England seafood supply chain, from harvesting to consumer delivery, supporting businesses up and down the coastline.” 

The Seafood Engine will initially receive an award of $15 million over two years, with the potential to grow up to $160 million over ten years as it works to build an internationally competitive technology and innovation cluster. This core funding from NSF creates an unprecedented opportunity to leverage additional resources from public, private, and philanthropic sources to expand the partnership and scale its outcomes. The NSF Engine strives to enhance the competitiveness of fisheries and aquaculture, a pillar of New England’s economy that accounts for 25% of the nation’s seafood value. The technological solutions can be rolled out nationwide, propelling the American seafood industry to a stronger position within the global market. 

“Built on the ingenuity and steadfast determination at the heart of America’s oldest commercial enterprise, the Seafood Engine is ready to confront key challenges facing the industry with bold innovation,” said Jake Kritzer, Principal Investigator of the Seafood Engine and Executive Director of NERACOOS. 

Over time, new R&D, Workforce Development, and Translation activities will work to reshore American seafood processing capacity and strengthen the full supply chain. Together, these efforts will bring new opportunities to small and medium firms across the New England coastline and cut into the $20B seafood deficit facing American businesses.  

WHOI researchers will support these efforts through leadership in ocean observation, technical innovation, and workforce development. Physical oceanographer Glen Gawarkiewicz will partner with New England fishers to deploy a fleet of nine autonomous underwater vehicles from fishing vessels, collecting and analyzing high-resolution data on conditions that affect commercially important species. Marine biologist Michael Brosnahan will develop and deploy robotic systems for data-driven aquaculture management with colleagues from the University of New Hampshire and the University of Rhode Island. WHOI will also develop a two-week course for students in the WHOI-Cape Cod Community College Blue Economy Internship program to help develop future leaders of the regional blue economy. 

“New England’s prosperity has always been tied to the ocean,” said Diane Foster, WHOI’s Vice President and Dean of Academic Programs and a member of the Seafood Engine Workforce Development Sub-team. “NSF’s foresight in establishing the Seafood Engine will not only strengthen the seafood supply chain with unparalleled innovation, it will also turn the region’s maritime economy into a powerhouse that will support blue innovation, national security, and economic prosperity nationwide.” 

Government leaders from across the Seafood Engine region of service welcomed the news from NSF: 

“Massachusetts’ commercial fishing industry is powered by hardworking fishermen, family-owned businesses and coastal communities that have helped define our state for generations,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. “This investment will strengthen those communities by supporting innovation, expanding our workforce and helping to ensure our seafood industry remains competitive for years to come. Congratulations to the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance and all of the partners who made this achievement possible.” 

“Our fishing industry has shaped Massachusetts’ coastal communities for generations, and it’s critical that we continue investing in its future,” said Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This partnership brings together fishermen, researchers and businesses to develop new technologies, strengthen our seafood supply chain and create new opportunities for the next generation. We’re proud to be part of this regional effort to keep New England at the forefront of the seafood industry.”  

In early summer 2024, the Seafood Engine submitted one of nearly 300 letters of intent in response to the second NSF Engines funding opportunity. The preliminary proposal was selected as one of 71 to advance to the next round of competition. Following a merit review, the Seafood Engine was one of 29 teams to share a detailed presentation about their proposed NSF Engine. From this process, 15 finalists were selected to participate in two-day site visits with NSF staff and external experts. The Seafood Engine is one of 12 NSF Engines award winners selected from among these finalists. 

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About the Seafood Engine 

The NSF Seafood Engine in New England, led by the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS), is working to revitalize a legacy industry by leveraging advanced technologies that reduce the national seafood deficit and strengthen every level of the seafood supply chain.  

Learn more at seafoodengine.org  

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Founded in 1930 and based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, WHOI’s mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicate the ocean’s vital role in the global environment. 

Environmental groups sue government to stop a big change to the Endangered Species Act

July 15, 2026 — By altering the interpretation of a single word in the Endangered Species Act, the Trump administration has made what could be a sweeping change to how wildlife is protected in the United States.

That word is “harm.” For more than 50 years, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service defined harm to refer to anything that injures or kills a protected organism, including “significant habitat modification or degradation” that might impact a species’ ability to feed, reproduce or seek shelter.

But now, the federal government has officially rescinded that definition — a move that is already being challenged in court.

“This action restores common sense, respects private property, provides much-needed certainty for landowners and follows the statute Congress actually passed,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement Friday, when the change was announced.

“The final rule will restore the definition of ‘harm’ to its original intent as written under the ESA, and will maintain protections for endangered species while reducing unnecessary or duplicative permitting requirements, cutting compliance costs, and eliminating confusion for Americans,” a representative for NOAA Fisheries said in an emailed statement Tuesday.

But environmental groups worry the rule change, which goes into effect on September 14, could destroy the wild places that endangered species depend on, undermining the protections that have helped sustain them.

Shortly after the new rule was published in the federal register Tuesday, the law firm Earthjustice, alongside more than half a dozen other environmental groups, filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Seattle against the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries (also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service).

Kristen Boyles, an attorney with the group, told NPR that they’re contesting the change on various levels. “The agencies haven’t explained themselves adequately,” she says. “Making this kind of dramatic change doesn’t make any legal sense because it goes against the fundamental purpose and spirit of the statute itself. All of those things make it an unreasoned and unreasonable decision.”

Read the full article at NPR

 

NSF awards $15M to launch New England Seafood Engine

July 15, 2026 — A new federally backed initiative aimed at strengthening the U.S. seafood industry is bringing $15 million to New England, with commercial fishermen expected to play a central role in developing new technologies for the sector.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced July 14 that the NSF Seafood Engine in New England has been selected for funding through the agency’s Regional Innovation Engines program. Led by the Portsmouth, N.H.-based Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS), the initiative brings together seafood industry leaders, researchers, government agencies and technology partners across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, including the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance.

According to the announcement, the project will receive $15 million over its first two years, with the potential to grow into a $160 million investment over the next decade as it builds a regional innovation hub focused on fisheries and aquaculture.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Trump administration touts National Scallops Day designation, Georges Bank territory opening

July 13, 2026 – – The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is touting its designation of National Scallops Day, the opening of the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to scallop fishing, and permit stacking as a means of boosting the fishery.

The administration recently sent a deregulatory wish list to regional fishery management councils, which included a range of different recommendations like modernizing fleet capacity in the area managed by the Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Council and shifting the management of red snapper away from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Thirty years after closure, Northern Edge scallop grounds could reopen

July 10, 2026 — President Donald Trump’s proposal to reopen the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to scallop fishing is generating optimism throughout New England’s scallop industry, though fishermen and scientists say reopening one of the East Coast’s most productive fishing grounds will likely take time and require approval through the federal management process. The Northern Edge has been closed to scalloping since 1994 to protect Atlantic cod habitat.

The Trump administration announced it plans to reopen the area on a rotational basis and allow “stacking” of scallop permits, which would enable vessels to harvest multiple permits on a single trip. However, Maine Public reported that the New England Fishery Management Council would first need to approve the change before the fishery could reopen.

“From an industry perspective, access to the Northern Edge would be a blessing,” Eric Hansen, owner of two New Bedford scallop vessels and a council member, told Maine Public. “The loss of resource and revenue for the scallop industry for the last 30 years has been huge.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Congressional Democrats warn against merging offshore energy agencies

July 10, 2026 — The catastrophic 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster led to the splitting of the federal Marine Minerals Administration into two separate agencies – one focused on offshore leasing and production, and another on safety.

Now Democratic leaders in Congress are sounding the alarm over the Trump administration’s move to reunite the agencies’ functions under one roof.

The April 2010 well blowout and fire killed 11 platform workers, discharged an estimated 4.9 billion barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and was only declared sealed five months later in September 2010.

Economic and environmental damages from the disaster led a year later to the creation of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to handle offshore energy management, alongside the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE).

In a July 8 letter to the Government Accountability Office, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., of the House Natural Resources Committee called for investigating the Department of the Interior’s proposal to recreate a unified Marine Minerals Administration.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

White House Video on the Atlantic Scallop Fishery

July 10, 2026 — This afternoon, White House Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro posted a video on X noting that “.@POTUS is protecting our scallop industry by opening up the Northern Edge of Georges Bank off the coast of New England.”

In the video, Mr. Navarro says:

President Trump is making American fishing great again. The latest example is scallops. America has the largest wild scallop fishery in the world. Atlantic scallops are a premium American protein, yet imports now supply roughly 85% of what Americans consume by weight. While the scallop trade deficit approaches 59 million pounds, $390 million. Only Washington could call that conservation. The insanity is clearest on Georges Bank. Canada lawfully harvests scallops on its side of the line, while American boats remain locked out of the adjacent U.S. northern edge by regulators.

In 2024, Canada landed more than 7 million pounds of scallops from Georges Bank, roughly the same amount America imported from Canada. That’s not a supply problem. That is a policy failure. President Trump and NOAA are moving to fix it by restoring lawful science-based access to the Northern Edge of Georges Bank. And they’re tackling another bad piece of scallop math: the one permit, one boat rule. Today, scallop boats can sit in ports for about 11 months a year. Permit stacking would let the same lawful harvest be taken with fewer idle boats, lower costs, and a stronger American fleet. No higher catch limit, no overfishing, just common sense.

More American scallops, more American jobs, less dependence on foreign seafood. How do you like them scallops?

Watch the video here