Saving Seafood

House to take up bill extending right whale regulatory pause to 2035

August 31, 2026 — A bill that would extend the current pause on the new North Atlantic right whale regulations affecting the lobster and Jonah crab fisheries until 2035 is moving toward a vote in the U.S. House, with fishing industry groups renewing calls for lawmakers to pass the measure.

H.R. 9436, the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act, would extend the existing regulator pause from its current 2028 expiration to 2035. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-New York, and Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine.

As National Fisherman reported in July, the House Natural Resources Committee advanced the bill in a bipartisan 22-13 vote on July 15. The committee has since formally reported the legislation, and it is moving toward consideration by the full House.

The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA), one of several commercial fishing organizations supporting the extension, sent a letter to Congress ahead of the expected House consideration urging lawmakers to pass the bill.

“As H.R. 9436 comes before the full House, we respectfully ask you to support its passage and to help ensure that this bipartisan committee-supported legislation moves forward without delay,” NEFSA Vice President John Drouin wrote to Congress.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Oceana loses court appeal challenging Alaska trawling

August 31, 2026 — Environmental NGO Oceana has lost an appeal of its lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated and remanded an earlier decision, instructing the court to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction.

Oceana first sued NMFS in Alaska District Court in 2024, alleging the agency failed to adequately protect the North Pacific seabed from trawl fishing. The lawsuit claimed NMFS wasn’t fulfilling its obligations under the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Environmental groups take steps to sue to compel new protections for gray whales

August 28, 2026 — Amid a decade of die-offs and a sharp decline in the population of gray whales that swim along the Pacific coast of North America, three environmental groups are preparing to sue the Trump administration over its failure to bring back Endangered Species Act protections for the animals.

The Center for Biological Diversity, the International Marine Mammal Project and Oasis Earth on Tuesday submitted a notice of intent to sue the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over gray whale protections.

Oasis Earth submitted a petition a year ago to NOAA Fisheries for a threatened or endangered listing to be granted to the Eastern North Pacific gray whale population. But the agency neither issued a 90-day finding on the petition’s validity nor a 12-month finding on the population’s status, as required under the law, the groups’ notice said.

Read the full article at Anchorage Daily News

Maine lobster protected: Canada removes seafood from retaliatory tariffs

August 28, 2026 — Lobstermen in Maine breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday after Canada amended its retaliatory tariffs against the United States, removing seafood and fish products from the items that will face the new fee.

In an announcement late Wednesday night, Canada’s Department of Finance said the Canadian government was working with Canadian industries to assess the effectiveness of retaliatory tariffs. Based on feedback, the department said it made “select adjustments to protect against broader economic harms.”

Read the full article at WMTW

NOAA opens $4.6M for bycatch reduction projects

August 28, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is making approximately $4.6 million available for projects aimed at reducing bycatch through improved fishing practices and innovative gear technology.

The agency announced its 2026 funding opportunity through the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program, inviting non-federal researchers to submit proposals for collaborative projects that address bycatch challenges facing U.S. fisheries.

A major emphasis of this year’s funding opportunity is industry involvement. NOAA Fisheries said it is looking for proposals that include proactive and meaningful engagement with the fishing industry in identifying, designing, or implementing projects.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Section 301 tariffs hitting seafood importers hard, but experts advise there are small mitigative levers to pull

August 28, 2026 — Soon after the U.S. implemented Section 301 tariffs on 60 separate economies in July, American seafood import firms voiced concerns that the new rates left them with few options for relief.

“The new duties stack on top of the normal rates, the antidumping and countervailing duties, and the older China tariffs. For a book like ours, that means the annual duty bill more than doubles,” BSF Chief Vision Officer Mark Frisch told SeafoodSource soon after the tariffs were instituted.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

CALIFORNIA: US lawmakers protest Trump’s move to end California’s say on coastal development

August 27, 2026 — More than 30 federal lawmakers from California are protesting a formal government review of the state’s management of its coastal development, arguing that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is simply removing local control in order to advance the president’s policy preferences.

“This extraordinary federal review which singles out California is based upon a thinly veiled and non-evidential argument. It is an attempt to curb our state’s federally approved authority to evaluate offshore energy, infrastructure, and commercial activities,” the lawmakers stated in a 21 August letter to NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs. “This unprecedented review threatens to disrupt 48 years of successful coordination between the state of California and the federal government to protect California’s coast.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

DC Circuit upholds FERC approval of Louisiana LNG terminal

August 26, 2026 — A federal appeals court has roundly rejected environmental groups’ challenge to the federal government’s approval of a massive liquefied natural gas export terminal and pipeline in Louisiana.

On Tuesday, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission complied with federal law when it authorized construction of Venture Global’s CP2 LNG terminal and its associated 91-mile CP Express pipeline in 2025.

“Leaving no stone unturned, [the challengers] improbably allege the Commission committed no fewer than eleven errors under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),” wrote Senior Judge Douglas Ginsburg, a Reagan appointee, in the opinion for the court.

Read the full article at E&E News

USDA announces grants to extend cold chain to food assistance programs

August 26, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced USD 7.5 million (EUR 6.4 million) in grant funding to help extend the cold storage chain to local food assistance programs.

Through the Cold Chain Grants for Emergency Food Assistance Program (CCG), USDA will provide funding to purchase cold chain equipment that helps food assistance programs store and deliver fresh and frozen products.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Amazon greenwashing lawsuit drags dialogue around certification overreliance back into the spotlight

August 24, 2026 — After the filing of another seafood greenwashing lawsuit recently, suppliers, retailers, and restaurants are yet again evaluating the best ways to market their products.

In late July, a class-action lawsuit was filed targeting retail giant Amazon, alleging that several seafood brands selling on the platform and associated retailers misleadingly use sustainability claims on several products bearing Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource