Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Bristol Bay honors 75th anniversary of the end of commercial sailboat fishery

July 29, 2026 — Diesel-powered boats fish Bristol Bay’s waters by the hundreds, but it wasn’t always that way.

Motorized fishing vessels were once banned in Bristol Bay. And in their place, sailboats dominated the commercial fishery until the early 50s. The late Harvey Samuelson was one fisherman who sailed for salmon. His quotations used in this story are from a 2005 interview that aired on KDLG in a Bristol Bay oral history program called “Our Story.”

“We didn’t have no reels or anything like that,” Samuelson told KDLG at the time. “It was all manhandling wooden corks – it’d get awful heavy. Now you’ve got plastic floats, corks.”

Samuelson said without a motorized vessel, the job was not easy.

“Sailing was a lot of fun,” he said. “But to make a living in a sailboat was sort of tough.”

Tim Troll is the creator of “Our Story,” who interviewed Samuelson. He’s also director of the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust and author of the book, Sailing for Salmon. The commercial sockeye fishery used to be federally managed, and Troll says the US Fish & Wildlife Service finally allowed power boats to fish in 1951.

Read the full article at Alaska Pubic Media

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But now, the federal government has officially rescinded that definition — a move that is already being challenged in court.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

 

Advocacy Helps Small Fishing Businesses Secure a Win from Changes to Squid Rules

June 29, 2026 — The following was released by the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy:

The U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) applauds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) final rule to amend the definition of “shellfish” to include cephalopods, providing small fishing businesses simplicity and clarity.

Previous FWS regulations defined shellfish as “an aquatic invertebrate having a shell.” However, cephalopods, including squid, cuttlefish, and octopus, have internal shells, reduced shells, or no shells at all. This has caused confusion over whether cephalopods qualify as shellfish for purposes of federal import/export, declaration, inspection, and enforcement regulations. As a result, small fishing businesses have lost business opportunities and been subject to unnecessary reporting fees.

“I am encouraged to see that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took into account the concerns of our small fishing businesses by finalizing this rule,” said Everett M. Woodel, Jr., Acting Chief Counsel for Advocacy. “I am hopeful that the updated definition will provide small fishing businesses with the much-needed clarity they need to succeed.”

Advocacy worked with many fishing businesses to help bring attention to the real-world impacts of the confusion caused by the old definition of “shellfish.” One of those businesses, Lund’s Fisheries, explained how the updated FWS definition will help their business.

“On behalf of Lund’s Fisheries, we would like to thank the Trump administration for a solution to a burdensome requirement that will save us time, money and administrative difficulties,” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries Inc. in Cape May, New Jersey. “This is a perfect example of numerous federal agencies working in cooperation with the U.S. commercial fishing industry to make our seafood competitive on a global scale and creating thriving business here at home.”

Advocacy submitted a comment letter in support of the FWS’s broadening of the definition of “shellfish” to include cephalopods on April 6, 2026. Advocacy estimates that fixing this regulatory issue could save impacted small businesses at least $2.8 million. The final rule will take effect on July 23, 2026.

The definition of squid is one of the many fishing-related regulations Advocacy has heard about from U.S. small businesses. In March, Advocacy added onboard observer requirements and the designation of marine sanctuaries and national monuments to its “Small Businesses’ Most Wanted Reform” list. In a related development, SBA and Advocacy applauded President Donald J. Trump on June 12 for restoring nearly half a million square miles of U.S. commercial fishing access in three Pacific marine national monuments.

PRESS RELEASE

SBA No. 26-19 ADV

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES, CONTACT:

Samantha Aschieris, Director of Communications

EMAIL:

samantha.aschieris@sba.gov

Federal rule expands ‘shellfish’ definition to include squid, octopus

June 26, 2026 — A longstanding federal definition of “shellfish” is changing to better reflect modern biology and simplify seafood trade regulations.

According to Newsweek, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) finalized a rule on June 23 that removes the requirement that shellfish have an external shell. The updated definition takes effect on July 23, 2026

Under the revised rule, shellfish now includes aquatic invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca, bringing squid, octopus, cuttlefish and other cephalopods under the same regulatory definition as oysters and clams. Crustaceans such as lobster, shrimp and crab remain included.

The previous definition described shellfish as “any species of mollusk having a shell,” language that regulators said no longer matched current biological classifications. Because many cephalopods have internal, reduced or no external shells, the old definition created uncertainty in how these species were handled at U.S. ports of entry.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Official US ‘Shellfish’ Definition Changed, Removes ‘Having a Shell’

June 24, 2026 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has finalized a regulatory change redefining “shellfish,” removing the long-standing requirement that species under the classification must have an external shell.

The rule, published June 23 in the Federal Register, updates language in the Code of Federal Regulations to align with modern science and industry practices, officials said.

This means that squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and other cephalopods will now be included within the regulatory definition of shellfish, The agency said the move would clear up any ambiguity about classification, which it added has led to inconsistent treatment of mollusks and related species at U.S. ports of entry.

Read the full article at Newsweek

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Finalizes Rule Clarifying Squid as “Shellfish”

June 24, 2026 — The following was released by the The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council welcomed a final rule published today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) which clarifies that squid and other cephalopods are included within the regulatory definition of “shellfish.” This change brings the definition in line with current biological understanding and addresses a long-standing concern of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the U.S. squid industry.

Previously, squid were not recognized by USFWS as “shellfish” or “fishery products” and therefore did not qualify for an exemption from certain import and export rules intended to prevent the unauthorized trade of endangered and protected wildlife. While virtually all other U.S. commercial fishery products qualified for the exemption, the U.S. squid industry remained subject to additional licensing, inspection, and user fees that industry members described as duplicative and costly.

The Council has long maintained that these requirements placed U.S. squid producers at a competitive disadvantage in international markets. The issue was identified as a top priority in the Council’s responses to both Executive Order 13921 on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth (2020) and Executive Order 14276 on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness (2025). The Council has detailed the economic impacts of the previous definition in multiple communications to leadership at the Department of the Interior, USFWS, and NOAA Fisheries, including a comprehensive request for action sent to the Secretary of Interior in December 2020.

“We are pleased to see this final rule published,” said Council Executive Director Chris Moore. “This is a common-sense change that will reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens on the U.S. squid industry while improving consistency and clarity in federal regulations. We appreciate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s responsiveness to stakeholder concerns, as well as the support from our partners at NOAA Fisheries in helping to achieve this outcome.”

The Mid-Atlantic Council manages Atlantic longfin squid and Illex squid fisheries in federal waters off the U.S. East Coast as part of its Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management Plan. For additional background information related to this issue, visit the Council’s website.

US Fish and Wildlife Service seizes 50,000 shark fins in coordinated enforcement

April 20, 2026 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced it seized roughly 50,000 shark fins as part of a coordinated enforcement action.

USFWS said it seized the shipments in October 2025 as part of “Operation Thunder,” which was kicked off by inspectors discovering a shipment of shark fins in Anchorage, Alaska. The investigation found additional shipments moving through Anchorage; Louisville, Kentucky; and Cincinnati, Ohio, transiting from Mexico to Hong Kong.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USFWS moves to reclassify squids as shellfish, reduce regulation

March 11, 2026 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed reclassifying squids and other cephalopods as shellfish, removing its responsibility for regulating those fishery products and ensuring they are regulated by NOAA Fisheries like other mollusks.

Current U.S. law describes shellfish narrowly as “an aquatic invertebrate having a shell.” Despite being mollusks and being considered shellfish by NOAA, squids and octopi do not have external shells, precluding them from falling into the shellfish category under U.S. law

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Dam removals boost fish passage in Chesapeake region

October 21, 2025 — The Chesapeake Bay region opened more than 300 miles of rivers and streams for migratory fish in 2022-2023, a tenfold increase from the preceding two-year period.

Thirteen dams were taken down during that span, but more than two-thirds of the total mileage came from the demolition of the Oakland Dam on the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. Another key removal was the Wilson Creek Dam in Virginia.

“In addition to restoring native and recreational fisheries, these projects can improve wildlife habitat along stream corridors and reduce long-term maintenance needs of aging infrastructure, flooding and public safety hazards to local communities,” said Ray Li, a fishery biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Read the full article at the Bay Journal

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Partners Announce More than $23.4 Million for Fish Habitat Conservation in 2025

May 29, 2025 — The following was released by the National Fish Habitat Partnership:
Through the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) (htps://fishhabitat.org), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and partners are providing more than $23.4 million to support 53 on-the-ground fish habitat conservation projects in 29 states. The USFWS is providing $5.9 million this year, with non-governmental organizations, state resource agencies, and other partners contributing an additional $20.4 million. This represents a 6.7:1 leveraged funding match for NFHP funding.
These projects empower and boost locally led conservation efforts that restore and reconnect habitats to create more robust fish populations, improved fishing opportunities, and healthier waterways. Twenty individual Fish Habitat Partnerships across the nation make up our national efforts and work with a variety of partners, including private landowners, farmers and ranchers, Tribes, non-profit organizations, state, federal, and local government agencies, and many others to achieve fish habitat conservation goals that protect, restore, and enhance habitat conditions locally for fish.
In 2025, project types include removing barriers to fish passage, reducing erosion from farm and ranchlands, restoring stream banks, combating the impacts of drought, and conducting monitoring and assessment work to identify conservation needs for fish and their habitats. This year’s projects meet local priorities through partnerships that span from restoring urban and suburban streams to reconnecting tidal wetlands, in states across the country from Alaska to Vermont. Projects target and address limiting factors to improve habitat, water quality, and benefit our nation’s fisheries resources. This funding will also support the coordination of individual Fish Habitat Partnerships and the operations of the National Fish Habitat Board to help establish national priorities under NFHP.
“Annually, the National Fish Habitat Partnership focuses on putting priority conservation projects on-the-ground through partnerships, which benefit both fish and the American people,” said Tim Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Chair of the National Fish Habitat Board. “These locally-driven projects are designed to leave a conservation legacy for the protection, restoration and enhancement of fish habitat for future generations to enjoy in the outdoors.”
 
NFHP uses a nationally focused aquatic conservation strategy to maximize the reach of limited fish habitat conservation dollars. Under NFHP, federal, state, tribal, and privately raised funds are leveraged through regional Fish Habitat Partnerships to address the nation’s biggest fish habitat challenges. The USFWS is a key partner in implementing the partnership, providing leadership and technical expertise on the local, regional, and national levels, as well as financial assistance directly to partners for on-the-ground conservation projects. Since 2006, the USFWS has provided over $65.6 million to conservation projects which leveraged at a 5:1 ratio to provide over $335 million in funding support for fish habitat conservation projects that improve angling and recreational opportunities across the nation.
 
NFHP assembles the collective expertise of federal, state, and non-governmental organizations to identify and prioritize conservation work to achieve significant benefits for fish and other aquatic resources for the American people.
 
For more information on all of our NFHP projects, please visit our Projects and Accomplishments Dashboard.