September 25, 2026 — U.S. Congress has sent the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act to President Donald Trump to be signed into law after the Senate agreed to changes made to the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The legislation aims to enable law enforcement to test where seafood products originated from, helping officers suss out products harvested through illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
September 24, 2026 — A coalition of 21 state attorneys general is challenging the Trump administration’s changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), setting up a legal fight over rules that could affect commercial fisheries, species protection, and marine habitat.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta co-led two lawsuits filed against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries. The states are challenging revisions involving the definition of “harm,” critical habitat designations, and protections for species listed as threatened.
The lawsuits ask the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to vacate the rules, arguing they violate the Endangered Species Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.
The changes could be particularly relevant to commercial fishermen because NOAA Fisheries administers the ESA for many marine and anadromous species. ESA protections can influence fishing regulations, federal permitting, habitat protections, and measures intended to reduce interactions with protected species.
September 24, 2026 — U.S. seafood organizations are coming together to call for reform to the European Union’s CATCH digital traceability system, citing unnecessary barriers it creates across the supply chain.
Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based nonprofit organization Pacific Seafood Processors Association (PSPA); Juneau, Alaska, U.S.A.-based marketing institute Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI); and Seattle, Washington, U.S.A and Juneau, Alaska, U.S.A.-based trade association At-sea Processors Association (APA) came together to release a whitepaper titled “Advancing EU Efforts to Combat IUU Fishing: Why CATCH Needs Reforms.”
September 21, 2026 — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) wrote a joint letter to the heads of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee asking them to take action on the Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine).
If passed, the legislation would extend a moratorium on new regulations of the lobster industry related to North Atlantic right whale regulations through 2035.
September 21, 2026, — Commercial fishermen and the broader seafood industry would gain access to new federal lending opportunities and several seafood-specific programs under Farm Bill 2.0, with provisions addressing everything from vessel financing and domestic processing to country-of-origin labeling and shrimp imports.
The Agricultural Act of 2026 includes a series of provisions aimed specifically at commercial fishing, seafood processing, and aquaculture, according to the Senate Agriculture Committee’s section-by-section summary of the legislation.
Among the most direct changes for working fishermen is a provision that would expand eligibility for farm operating loans to commercial fishing.
Section 5216 would make commercial fishing eligible for the loans for costs associated with “acquiring, operating, or maintaining a commercial fishing vessel.”
September 21, 2026 — An internal memo from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik shows the agency’s plan to rewrite the definition of “take” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), effectively allowing unintended harm to or killing of threatened wildlife.
“This stabs at the very heart of the Endangered Species Act by giving federal approval to the killing of some of America’s most beloved wildlife,” Center for Biological Diversity Government Affairs Director Brett Hartl said in a release. “The Trump administration is desperate to annihilate environmental protections, but this incredibly radical measure is both cruel and profoundly unlawful. Killing endangered wildlife is illegal, whether that’s your purpose or not.”
September 21, 2026 — U.S. President Donald Trump has rescinded a 17-year-old executive order directing federal agencies to coordinate restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, claiming that it’s been used to improperly justify stormwater management fees – or rain taxes – implemented by municipalities.
The president went on to state that enough progress has been made on improving the water quality and environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed that the executive order issued by then-U.S. President Barrack Obama is no longer needed.
September 18, 2026 — The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry advanced its version of the Farm Bill on 16 September, approving multiple provisions meant to support the domestic seafood industry.
The Farm Bill is the main piece of legislation dictating U.S. agriculture policy, and the seafood industry has pushed to use the latest Farm Bill renewal as a mechanism to ensure more support for the domestic fishing and seafood sectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The last Farm Bill was approved in 2018 and expired in 2023, but lawmakers have continuously extended the legislation following multiple failed renewal attempts.
September 18, 2026 — The U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee advanced legislation establishing new regional frameworks for killing cormorants, voracious birds that consume vast quantities of fish.
According to bill sponsor U.S. Representative Tim Walberg, out of control cormorant populations have had a devastating impact on Great Lakes fisheries, and a new approach is needed to reduce their numbers.
September 18, 2026 — Shelf-stable seafood continues to succeed at U.S. retail, posting jumps in year-over-year sales in August, while fresh and frozen sales remained relatively stagnant.
Shelf-stable seafood prices rose over 10 percent in August 2026 compared to August 2025, according to Circana data analyzed by 210 Analytics, but sales by volume during the month still rose 5.7 percent, leading to an increase in sales by value of nearly 16 percent to USD 390 million (EUR 338 million).