Saving Seafood

US House passes MAWS Act

March 19, 2026 — The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Mitigation Action and Waterman Support (MAWS) Act, legislation designed to support the use of invasive blue catfish in pet food products, on 17 March.

“With House passage of the MAWS Act, we are one step closer to creating new opportunities in a growing market for blue catfish, which pose a direct ecological and economic threat to the Chesapeake Bay,” U.S. Representative Sarah Elfreth (D-Maryland) said in a release. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to get this legislation past the finish line. If we can prove this innovative strategy works in the Chesapeake [Bay], my hope is it can utilize similar tools in waterways across the country – like invasive carp in the Mississippi [River] and Great Lakes.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US House votes to end Trump tariffs on Canada

February 12, 2026 — The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to block President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, setting the bill up for a vote in the Senate.

Trump has continuously threatened Canada with tariffs since taking office in January 2025, and recently threatened a 100 percent tariff on the country’s goods over its trade deal with China. The country currently faces a 35 percent “fentanyl” tariff on all goods from the country, with the caveat that any goods entered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) – which is virtually all seafood goods – are not required to pay the tariff.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US House passes legislation funding NOAA Fisheries for fiscal year 2026

January 9, 2026 — The U.S. House has voted to pass appropriations legislation funding the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior for the remainder of fiscal year 2026.

“Today, the House took another step forward in advancing three more FY26 appropriations bills to President Trump’s desk,” U.S. Representative Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said after the vote. “Through bipartisan, committee-led consensus, we are delivering full-year measures that spend less than current funding, implement critical priorities for our districts, and continue to advance the America First agenda. This was not by accident – it is the result of ending bloated omnibuses, empowering members, and doing the hard work Article I of the Constitution demands.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US House passes military funding bill eliminating Buy American exceptions for seafood

September 15, 2025 — A last-minute amendment to the U.S. House version of the annual defense funding legislation would eliminate any exceptions for seafood from the government’s usual “Buy American” provisions.

Under the Berry Amendment, the federal government is required to purchase American-made products, although exceptions can be made for select products and those for which the government determines a U.S. produced good is unavailable. However, a provision added by U.S. Representative Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) would ensure exceptions cannot be issued for seafood, fish, or shellfish purchases.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US House Republicans adopt amendment that would vastly increase number of H-2B visas

July 1, 2025 — Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have adopted an amendment that – if passed into law – would vastly increase the number of seasonal migrant workers allowed into the United States every year.

Backers of the amendment say it is necessary to ensure stability for businesses that consistently bring in temporary foreign workers and reduce uncertainty within the H-2B visa system. Currently, the federal government allocates H-2B visa slots to employers through a lottery, meaning businesses have no guarantee on how many temporary workers they’ll be able to bring in every year.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US House passes bill speeding up financial relief for fisheries disasters

December 4, 2024 — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to speed up the delivery of financial relief to fishers and businesses affected by federally recognized fisheries disasters.

Once requests for federal financial relief for fishery disasters are approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce, states, Tribes, or other governments set to receive those funds must submit spending plans on how they plan to distribute the money to eligible individuals and businesses.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

US House committee proposes 22 percent cut to NOAA Fisheries budget in 2025

July 22, 2024 — Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have proposed a 22 percent cut to NOAA Fisheries’ 2025 budget, significantly scaling back funding for the agency charged with regulating America’s fisheries.

A 2025 funding bill recently approved by the House Appropriations Committee on a 31-26 vote includes just USD 865 million (EUR 795 million) for NOAA Fisheries’ operations, research, and facilities. That’s USD 248 million (EUR 228 million) less than Congress allocated for the agency in the omnibus 2024 spending bill passed in March 2024 and USD 239 million (EUR 220 million) less than the agency requested for 2025.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US House passes Oregon Congresswoman Val Hoyle’s port infrastructure bill

July 19, 2023 — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill clarifying that ports can apply for Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grants that support commercial fishing.

Run through the U.S. Transportation Department’s Maritime Administration, PIDP is a federal program that distributes competitive grants to port authorities, states, and local governments for port-related infrastructure projects. However, it was unclear whether ports could use PIDP funding for commercial fishing projects, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (D-Oregon) said.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US House pays tribute to Don Young by passing salmon task force bill

April 28, 2022 — The U.S. House of Representatives honored the late Don Young on Tuesday, 26 April, by passing legislation the longtime Alaska Republican congressman sponsored.

Young first won the state’s only House seat in 1973. He was the “Dean of the House,” a term given to the longest-tenured member in Congress. He died at age 88 on 18 March while traveling back to the state from Washington, D.C.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource