Saving Seafood

eDNA could play a bigger role in stock assessments

September 5, 2026 — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is backing legislation that would expand the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) in federal fish stock assessments, potentially giving fisheries managers another tool to collect more frequent and comprehensive data.

According to Cornell University, the Fisheries Science Modernization Act would direct NOAA to test and validate eDNA technologies for use alongside existing fishery assessment methods. The bill is led by Senator Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Senator Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, co-chairs of the Senate Oceans Caucus, and has eight republican, democratic, and independent co-sponsors.

NOAA currently develops stock assessments using methods including research vessel surveys, bottom trawls, acoustic sonar, longlines, and commercial fishing data. Those assessments ultimately help regional fisheries managers establish annual harvest levels.

The legislation calls for NOAA to expand its use of eDNA to increase survey coverage and frequency while potentially lowering costs.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Seafood Task Force launches first-of-its-kind tuna vessel monitoring program

September 5, 2026 — McLean, Virginia, U.S.A.-based seafood nonprofit Seafood Task Force (STF) recently launched a first-of-its-kind risk-based assurance and remediation program on hundreds of tuna vessels to improve traceability and labor conditions.

According to a release by STF, the program was developed to improve social responsibility challenges facing tuna vessels, especially in high-sea fishing fleets. The program will run for 5 years, with a stated goal of both identifying issues and course-correcting them during that period.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Trump administration vows to bring ‘common sense’ back to fishing laws

September 3, 2026 — From Gulf Coast shrimpers’ lips to the Trump administration’s ear, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced an extensive set of priorities for reforming the nation’s fisheries on Wednesday, a so-called “operational roadmap” to unshackle what the administration views as a lucrative and essential but unnecessarily burdened industry.

An overture to the executive branch’s nascent America First Seafood Strategy, Wednesday’s announcement continues NOAA’s work under Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, an April 2025 White House executive order that called seafood “one of the most heavily regulated sectors in the United States.” Since then, according to a news release, NOAA Fisheries has received input from more than 700 entities, including regional fishery councils, commercial producers, and members of the public.

Read the full article at CHRON

US House passes bill delaying start of new right whale rules

September 3, 2026 — The U.S. House has passed a bill that would delay the start of new federal regulations intended to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

The bill, known as the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act, would extend an existing moratorium on new federal rules for fishermen until 2035.

The current moratorium, which was championed by Maine’s congressional delegation and inserted into a 2023 budget measure, is set to lift at the end of 2028.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced the beginning of a public comment period intended the launch discussions about new federal regulations, which the agency said must be in place by the last day of 2028.

Read the full article at Maine Public

Global Labor Justice launching “Freedom for Fishers” campaign against unnamed US seafood brand

September 3, 2026 — Washington D.C., U.S.A.-based advocacy organization Global Labor Justice (GLJ) recently launched a campaign called “Freedom For Fishers” targeting an unnamed U.S. seafood brand with multiple documented allegations of labor violations.

GLJ has been working with Forum Silaturahmi Pelaut Indonesia – Pingtung Migrant Fishers Union (FOSPI-PMFU) for the past three years on the campaign to collect evidence of the alleged labor violations the two organizations say involve fishers working for the U.S. seafood company’s supply chain.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Fisheries announces priorities for restoring American seafood competitiveness

September 3, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has announced an “operational roadmap” of priorities it will pursue under U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order, Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.

“Through these priorities, the agency is taking actionable steps to fulfill the president’s vision of making the United States the world’s dominant seafood leader,” NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs said in a release. “NOAA is proud to deliver real-world results to the American public through innovative solutions that streamline regulations.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US pledges USD 17 million to fight IUU fishing in the Pacific Islands

September 3, 2026 — The United States has pledged USD 17 million (EUR 14.7 million) to fight counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in and around the Pacific Islands.

“The United States is a Pacific nation and has long stood with our Pacific friends and neighbors to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” the U.S. Department of State said in a release. Our commitment to the security and prosperity of the Pacific Islands is steadfast, enduring, and a key pillar of our America First Foreign Policy.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

 

MAINE: Lobstermen buoyed by US House passage of Golden bill to pause right whale protections until 2035

September 3, 2026 — The U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday passed a bill to extend the pause on federal lobster rules in a 219-196 vote.

If passed by the Senate, the bill — introduced by Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Michael Lawler (R-New York) in June — would continue shielding lobstermen from new regulations to protect North Atlantic right whales until 2035.

In a statement, Golden described it as a win not only for the Maine fishing industry, but also for bipartisan work in Congress.

“While the threat of unnecessary, industry-killing regulations is a matter of survival for lobster harvesters in Maine, the issues at play affect fishermen across the Northeast,” Golden said. “Building bridges across party lines is essential for a functional Congress, but unfortunately, it’s a skill that has been lost for far too many members.”

Read the full article at Maine Morning Star

NOAA announces priorities to promote science-based American seafood dominance

September 2, 2026 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA announced priorities for advancing reforms within NOAA Fisheries to move towards regulations grounded in science that support American seafood dominance. These agency-level actions follow the Regional Priorities guidance that was released on July 2, 2026 to apply the same standard of accountability to NOAA’s own operations, regulatory frameworks, and scientific pipelines. This priority list serves as an operational roadmap of NOAA Fisheries’ direct support of the President’s Executive order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness and will lead to the broader interagency America First Seafood Strategy that will be released in the coming months.

“Through these priorities, the agency is taking actionable steps to fulfill the President’s vision of making the United States the world’s dominant seafood leader,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., NOAA administrator. “NOAA is proud to deliver real-world results to the American public through innovative solutions that streamline regulations.”

“These priorities represent NOAA Fisheries’ commitment to ensuring that federal fisheries management boosts domestic harvesters,” said Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “We are proud to empower hard-working American fishermen to produce more seafood for American plates.”

After considering input from more than 700 individuals and organizations, including from councils, the fishing industry, and the public, NOAA Fisheries is advancing a science-based approach to fisheries management that supports sustainable fishing opportunities while ensuring responsible conservation practices and improving regulatory efficiency. These efforts touch on all aspects of the agency’s mission from protected resources and science to national policies and improving fishing opportunities.

The complete list of priority actions is available on the NOAA Fisheries website.

While this announcement outlines the immediate internal priorities for the agency, it also serves as a bridge towards a broader, interagency transformation of federal seafood policy. In the coming months, the agency will unveil future actions towards this goal to strengthen national seafood markets, rebuild U.S. fisheries infrastructure and processing capacity, and tackle IUU fishing issues to ensure American seafood dominance.

Advancing Agency-Level Reforms to Restore American Seafood Competitiveness

September 2, 2026 — Over the past year, I have met with fishermen, processors, coastal community leaders, and regional fishery management council members and staff across the country. In every harbor and at every meeting, the message has been consistent: American fishermen just want to fish, and they need their government to clear the bureaucratic barriers standing in their way.

On July 2, 2026, NOAA Fisheries sent Regional Priorities guidance, providing the regional fishery management councils a clear roadmap of actions to reduce regulatory burdens and better support the health of our industry, while maintaining our public trust duty to maintain stock and ocean ecosystem health. But our democratic council process is only part of the equation. To complement that guidance, NOAA Fisheries is applying the same standard of accountability and results to its own operations, regulatory frameworks, and scientific pipelines.

Today, I am announcing NOAA Fisheries’ priorities for agency-level actions in support of the Seafood Executive Order. It will serve as our operational roadmap for regulatory, scientific, and administrative reform. Informed by the 787 public comments submitted under the 2025 “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness” Executive Order (EO 14276), these priorities focus strictly on the policy levers directly within the agency’s authority.

This announcement outlines our immediate priorities for the agency and serves as a bridge toward a broader, interagency transformation of federal seafood policy. In the coming months, the administration will release the America First Seafood Strategy, a comprehensive, multi-agency initiative developed in close coordination with our federal partners and informed by extensive feedback from stakeholders. The strategy will firmly outline how efforts under EO 14276 have begun—and will continue—to elevate domestic seafood production to a priority in matters of national food security and strategic independence.

NOAA Fisheries will pursue the actions outlined below immediately as we look forward to that broader strategy. We are moving away from regulations that treat domestic harvesters like a problem to be managed, and toward a science-based, common-sense system that recognizes the importance of those who feed our citizens and the communities they support.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries