Saving Seafood

New regulations to protect right whales may be paused until 2035

July 20, 2026 — A bill cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District that would further delay new protections for North American right whales has advanced out of Committee.

Golden has cited government layoffs and other slowdowns as reasons for extending a moratorium on new regulations from 2028 to 2035.

Golden said in remarks to the House Natural Resources Committee that the extended moratorium would provide time to collect more data, ensuring that Maine fisheries aren’t unfairly burdened. The Maine Department of Marine Resources and the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association wrote letters of support for the legislation.

“We need more time to make sure that any new measures we ask lobstermen to take will strike a very careful balance between protecting marine life and protecting the livelihoods of fishermen themselves,” Golden said at the committee hearing.

But Gib Brogan of ocean protection nonprofit Oceana said the science is clear.

“All of the available evidence shows that the protections that are in place right now are not enough to support the recovery of North Atlantic right whales.”

Read the full article at Maine Public

Golden-sponsored bill to extend pause on new lobster fishing rules

July 16, 2026 — The Maine lobster industry may be getting an extended reprieve on new regulations aimed at protecting North Atlantic right whales.

A bill, the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), will extend a moratorium on those regulations for Maine lobster fishermen until 2035. Yesterday, the bill passed the House Natural Resources Committee by a vote of 22-13.

In remarks to the committee, Golden noted that many communities in Maine rely on the lobster industry, and are being threatened by the new regulations.

Read the full article at Spectrum News

US congressional committee votes to extend moratorium on new right whale regulations through 2035

July 16, 2026 — In a 22-13 vote, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee advanced legislation that would extend a five-year pause on new lobster regulations related to North Atlantic right whales through 2035.

“Protecting the North Atlantic right whale and supporting America’s fishing communities are goals that can and must go hand in hand. By extending the current regulatory framework through 2035, the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act provides the time needed to develop durable, science-driven solutions that protect this endangered species without imposing unnecessary burdens on fishermen,” U.S. Representative Mike Lawler (R-New York) said in a release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FISH Act moves closer to halting entry of illegal seafood harvests

April 23, 2026 — Commercial fisheries legislation targeting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing harvests from entering U.S. markets is moving closer to being signed into law by President Trump.

The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday, April 21, passed the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act out of committee. It next goes to the full House floor.

The Senate has already unanimously passed its version of the FISH Act, authored by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

The legislation was introduced in the House by Reps. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Seth Magaziner, D-R.I.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

US House committee advances FISH Act

April 23, 2026 — The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee has approved the Fighting Illegal Seafood Harvests (FISH) Act, legislation intended to penalize foreign vessels and individuals who participate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

“My bipartisan bill with Representative Dan Crenshaw [R-Texas] and Rep. Nick Begich [R-Alaska] to crack down on illegal international fishing that undercuts Rhode Island fishermen just passed the House Natural Resources Committee,” U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-Rhode Island) said in a social media post. “Let’s level the playing field and stand up for local fishermen.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Democrats question whether NOAA’s new fisherman in residence violating conflict of interest law

March 4, 2026 — Democrats on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee are questioning the appointment of New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association Chief Strategist Dustin Delano as NOAA’s “Fisherman in Residence,” a newly created position held by someone who also works for a regional commercial fishing advocacy group.

“We are concerned that this singular position cannot speak for the diverse fishing communities and fishing sectors across our country and are concerned with NOAA’s lack of transparency regarding the appointment of this position and the role,” U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (D-California) and U.S. Representative Maxine Dexter (D-Oregon) said in a joint letter. “For the sake of the 2.1 million jobs that rely on healthy, sustainably managed fisheries, we seek full transparency regarding the role of ‘Fisherman in Residence.’”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Natural Resources plans hearings on energy, parks, fisheries

December 2, 2024 — The House Natural Resources Committee is planning a trio of hearings this week as it ramps up its activity following the extended recess during the government shutdown.

The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, headed by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), will hold a hearing titled “Unleashing American Energy Dominance and Exploring New Frontiers.” It’s the latest in a string of hearings focused on the new administration’s pro-development energy posture.

The Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee, led by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), will question witnesses on sea lions eating salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Congress approved legislation in 2018 making it easier for states and tribes to kill sea lion that congregate near dams and other areas to eat the salmon.

Read the full article at E&E News

Seafood industry raises alarms about foreign subsidies

June 5, 2025 — On Wednesday, Russia was accused of subsidizing their seafood industry and exporting farm-raised, mislabeled salmon – an accusation levied by other seafood producers against countries such as India, Vietnam, and China.

The accusation came at Wednesday’s meeting of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.

The meeting was held in response to an executive order issued in April by President Donald Trump titled Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness.

“In the case of Russia, for instance, not only are they flooding global markets with hatchery-produced salmon, it is also often mislabeled,” Jamie O’Connor, deputy executive director of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, told the committee. “And so we are operating in the best faith that we can as small businesses to compete in a vast global market. And we need your help to do that.”

Read the full article at The Center Square

Rep. Peltola’s fight for salmon debuts in Resources Committee

September 23, 2022 — Alaska’s new congresswoman wants her new colleagues on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee to understand how dire the fish crisis is for families in her home region, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, where people depend on salmon for food. On Wednesday, she told them about one Kuskokwim fisherman who usually harvests 2,000 chum salmon a year.

“Because he has a dog team, and a very large family. So typically, every summer he would harvest 2,000 chum salmon,” Rep. Mary Peltola said. “Two summers ago, he was only able to harvest two chum salmon.”

The impact of her anecdote in the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee room was hard to measure. Republicans attended in force to skewer many provisions in a Democratic bill to re-write the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the primary federal fishing law. Some spoke of how important sportfishing is to their families and communities.

It was an unfinished goal of the late Congressman Don Young to renew the bill. Now Peltola, in her first committee session as a member of Congress, is trying to pass a version that will refocus fisheries management to address the needs of subsistence fishermen — particularly in Western Alaska, where salmon have become painfully scarce. One of her main campaign themes is that she’ll fight for salmon but she’s facing strong headwinds.

The bill includes a change Peltola has advocated for in November, when she came to the committee as a hearing witness: adding two seats on the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council for Alaska tribal members.

Without those seats at the table, she argues, the fisheries management council will always be more receptive to the large trawl fleet. They catch salmon by accident. Peltola said this bycatch is one reason the fish don’t return to the rivers like the used to.

Read the full article at Alaska Public Media