Saving Seafood

NOAA seeks input on scallop permit stacking proposal

November 5, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is considering changes to the Atlantic sea scallop fishery that would allow fishermen to combine two limited access permits on a single vessel, potentially reducing operating costs for businesses with multiple boats.

The proposal, under consideration by the Secretary of Commerce, would allow two limited access scallop permits in the same category, under common ownership or control, to be stacked on one vessel. That vessel could then fish the allocations associated with both permits, reducing expenses tied to maintaining multiple vessels with limited days-at-sea allocations.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Announcing Scoping for Potential Permit Stacking in the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery

November 3, 2026 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Comment Period open through January 4, 2027

NOAA is committed to addressing the recent decline in fisheries landings and revenue, boosting sustainable aquaculture, reducing the seafood trade deficit, and strengthening supply chain resilience. After considering input from regional fishery management councils, the fishing industry, and the public, NOAA Fisheries sent Regional Priorities guidance in July 2026, providing the councils a clear roadmap of actions to support the goals of the Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness. To complement that guidance, NOAA Fisheries applied the same standard of accountability and results to its own work and announced agency-level actions in support of the EO.

Based on comments received in response to Executive Order 14276, the Secretary of Commerce is considering whether to develop an amendment to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan to allow permit stacking in the limited access scallop fishery. This is an important step in fulfilling the EO’s mandate to reduce burdens on domestic fishing and enhance economic profitability. The Secretary is considering addressing excess capacity in the limited access scallop fishery by allowing two Limited Access scallop permits within the same category and under common ownership or control  to be combined on a single vessel. The vessel would be permitted to fish the allocations for both permits, which would reduce business expenses associated with maintaining multiple vessels with low days-at-sea allocations.

NOAA Fisheries will hold five public hearings in November and December 2026 to solicit public comment on this potential Secretarial amendment to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The public hearing schedule is as follows:

Boston, Massachusetts

November 17 *4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Hilton Garden Inn Boston Logan Airport, 100 Boardman St., Boston, MA 02128

(*Note: The time of this Scoping Meeting is approximate and will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Joint Scallop Committee and Advisory Panel Meeting)

Please register here.

Webinar

November 23, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Join the webinar here. 

Please register here.

Barnegat, New Jersey

December 3, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Barnegat Light Volunteer Fire Department, 907 Central Ave, Barnegat Light, NJ 08006

Please register here.

Webinar

December 7, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Join the webinar here. 

Please register here.

New Bedford, Massachusetts

December 14, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology East
836 South Rodney French Blvd., New Bedford, MA 02744

Please register here. 

NOAA Fisheries is also soliciting written scoping comments on this topic through January 4, 2027.

To access the scoping document and meeting details, please visit the scallop stacking page. 

Fish is food: Opening USDA doors for commercial fishermen

October 30, 2026 — When the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) were established in 1970, it was recommended that they become part of their own oceans department or the Department of the Interior. But the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, which preceded NOAA, focused on marine resources as economic assets, so the Nixon Administration put the new agencies in the Department of Commerce, and that’s where they have remained for the last 56 years.

But many people in the industry have noticed the limitations of looking at fish strictly as economic assets, and they will be talking about it on the Fish is Food: Opening Doors for Seafood in Federal Programs Panel at the 2026 Pacific Marine Expo. “For years seafood has been treated as a commodity rather than part of the food system,” says Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA). “With Mike Illenberg leading the USDA’s [United States Department of Agriculture] new office of seafood, we have someone who knows the industry and can help fishermen access the programs we need.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Trump announces America First Seafood Strategy with new label for domestic products

October 26, 2026 — U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an American First Seafood Strategy to boost the nation’s seafood, aquaculture, and commercial fishing policies, complete with a new voluntary “U.S.-Caught Seafood” for domestic products.

“The species managed in U.S. waters are American icons – from Maine lobster to Gulf shrimp, from Alaskan salmon to Florida stone crab, American seafood is a rich part of U.S. history and our vibrant coastal economy,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a release. “The America First Seafood Strategy ensures that the future of seafood in the United States will be built by American fishermen, American workers, and American industry – not by foreign imports.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Trump’s America First Seafood Strategy puts US fishermen in focus

October 26, 2026 — The Trump administration has rolled out a new federal seafood strategy aimed at increasing domestic production, rebuilding shoreside infrastructure, and strengthening the position of U.S. fishermen and processors against foreign competition.

President Donald Trump announced the America First Seafood Strategy as part of his administration’s implementation of the 2025 executive order, “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” NOAA Fisheries will play a central role in carrying out the plan alongside the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration (USDA), and other federal agencies.

The strategy calls for expanding harvest opportunities where supported by science, reducing regulatory costs, investing in processing and waterfront infrastructure, strengthening seafood import enforcement and creating new ways to distinguish domestically harvested seafood in the marketplace.

“The species managed in U.S. waters are American icons, from Maine lobster to Gulf shrimp, from Alaskan salmon to Florida stone crab,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in NOAA’s announcement. “The America First Seafood Strategy ensures that the future of seafood in the United States will be built by American fishermen, American workers, and American industry, not by foreign imports.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

US announces USD 15.8 million in financial relief for fishery disasters

October 26, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Commerce has allocated USD 15.8 million (EUR 14.1 million) in funding for multiple fisheries disasters impacting the states of California and Florida, as well as the Makah Tribe in Washington.

“The U.S. seafood industry plays a critical role in our coastal economy,” NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs said in a release. “Our fishermen depend on each catch to sustain their livelihoods, yet fishery disasters can have devastating impacts on the businesses and communities that rely on these resources. NOAA is committed to supporting and uplifting our coastal businesses and communities through such challenges so they can continue to thrive.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Trump Administration Targets Fourth Offshore Wind Project for Remand

October 22, 2026 — In what is clearly emerging as a new tactic to derail the offshore wind energy sector, the Department of Justice filed for the fourth time in just a matter of days, asking a District Court to remand the prior approval of the Construction and Operations Plan of a proposed offshore wind farm. The latest target is New England Wind and is drawing angry criticism from environmentalists and elected officials.

The Department of Justice filed a memorandum in support of the long-running case between an environmental group, Ack For Whales, which has been suing the Department of Commerce and Avangrid, the developer of a project known as New England Wind. In the now common tactic, DOJ asks the District Court for the District of Columbia to remand the approval of the Construction and Operations Plan back to the Department of the Interior so that it can reconsider the approval under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

It writes in the memorandum that the approval, which was announced on July 1, 2024, “did not properly consider or explain how the COP ‘provides for’ the subsection’s identified factors.” It is the fourth time DOJ has used a similar tactic to target the permits for wind farms. It took the same approach to challenge the largely completed Revolution Wind project, which should complete commissioning by the end of this year, and then to challenge a series of projects that had gained approvals under the Biden administration but have not commenced construction.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive 

US States Sue Trump Administration for Weakening Endangered Species Protections

September 9, 2026 — U.S. states filed two lawsuits on Wednesday accusing President Donald Trump’s ⁠administration ⁠of illegally weakening the federal Endangered Species Act, a landmark ⁠law that has shielded the bald eagle and other wildlife from dangers posed by development.

The lawsuits by the Democratic attorneys ​general of 20 states and Washington, D.C. were filed less than two months after the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce announced final rules that could make it easier for ‌developers, fossil fuel companies and others to disturb ‌lands that environmental advocates say need protection from business interests.

Enacted by Congress in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has been credited with saving animals including the California condor, grizzly bear and ⁠humpback whale.

In one lawsuit, ⁠the states challenged a rule that narrowed the Endangered Species Act’s definition of “harm,” which had long included encroachments on ​habitats where endangered animals live.

The new rule, which the states called “a reversal of staggering proportions,” allows oil drilling, mining and other activities in those habitats so long as those activities are not “directed immediately and intentionally” against particular animals, even if they cause injuries or death.

In the other lawsuit, the states challenged two rules. One rule eliminates broad protections for newly threatened species unless the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service creates ​species-specific protections. The second rule requires the government to consider objections by businesses, such as potential economic burdens, before declaring areas as “critical habitats.”

“The Trump administration is ⁠trying to ⁠undermine the law, the will of ⁠Congress and the will of the people ​who overwhelmingly support protections for endangered species,” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said at a press conference. “Instead of stewardship, this administration’s approach to our land, to ​our water is one of exploitation.”

Read the full article at US News

Nonprofit sues over U.S. push to auction areas of water around American Samoa for potential mining

August 20, 2026 — A legal environmental group sued the U.S. government on Tuesday to halt the Trump administration’s plans announced last month to auction off sections of water surrounding American Samoa for potential deep-sea mining.

Earthjustice filed the lawsuit against the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on behalf of two groups: Fa‘asao Amerika Samoa and Conservation Council for Hawai‘i.

The legal nonprofit is requesting that a judge order the National Marine Fisheries Service to stop moving forward with its plans and to comply with the Endangered Species Act and other federal laws.

“The United States has never opened its waters to deep-sea mining. Until now,” the lawsuit stated.

It noted that the U.S. plans to sell leases with the intention of allowing mining across 33 million acres of seabed off American Samoa that is rich in minerals including nickel, cobalt and manganese that are used to build batteries, electronics and other products.

Read the full article at NBC News