Saving Seafood

OREGON: Lawmakers urge continued support for West Coast fishermen, Oregon’s seafood industry

September 22, 2026 — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley led a bipartisan group of Oregon and Washington lawmakers in a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins that calls on the USDA to deliver critical federal support to West Coast fishermen and seafood harvesters, processors, and distributors by purchasing Pacific Hake (whiting) fillets under its Section 32 purchase program.

“Historically, Pacific whiting exports to Ukraine, one of the largest whiting fillet markets, reached up to nearly $95 million per year, but instability in the region as a result of war has put that market in jeopardy and caused significant impacts to the supply chain. Compounded by trade embargoes, increased imported competition from low-cost proteins, inflationary pressures, rising operational costs, and more, these factors threaten the long-term stability and viability of this once-booming market and create uncertainty for coastal economies that rely on the whiting fishery’s success for their livelihoods,” wrote the lawmakers.

Read the full article at Lincoln County Leader

Pacific Northwest lawmakers request Section 32 purchase of hake

September 22, 2026 — U.S. lawmakers from the Pacific Northwest are asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make a bulk purchase of Pacific whiting, or hake, as the ongoing war in Ukraine and other supply chain issues continue to impact demand.

“Historically, Pacific whiting exports to Ukraine, one of the largest whiting fillet markets, reached up to nearly USD 95 million per year (EUR 83 million), but instability in the region as a result of war has put that market in jeopardy and caused significant impacts to the supply chain,” the lawmakers said in a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “Compounded by trade embargoes, increased imported competition from low-cost proteins, inflationary pressures, rising operational costs, and more, these factors threaten the long-term stability and viability of this once-booming market and create uncertainty for coastal economies that rely on the whiting fishery’s success for their livelihoods.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

OREGON: West Coast lawmakers ask USDA to buy more Oregon fish

September 21, 2026 — Oregon and Washington lawmakers want the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support the West Coast’s ailing seafood industry by purchasing locally-caught fish to supplant profits from product that’s usually shipped to war-ravaged Ukraine.

The lawmakers, led by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, said in a Sept. 18 release that the agency’s purchase of Pacific Hake, or whiting, fillets, would support harvesters, processors, and coastal economies.

A letter from the lawmakers supporting the call said Ukraine is one of the largest Pacific whiting fillet markets. Regional instability from the war has impacted the supply chain and jeopardized that export market, which brings in nearly $95 million annually.

Read the full article at the Central Oregon Daily 

US Senate’s Farm Bill would give commercial fishers access to USDA loans

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.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Federal funding targets invasive blue catfish in Chesapeake Bay

September 10, 2026 — Up to $6 million in federal grant funding will be available to help seafood processors expand capacity for handling invasive blue catfish, a move intended to support efforts to remove the species from Chesapeake Bay waterways while creating additional market opportunities for the seafood industry.

The funding is available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, according to a community announcement. Grants ranging from $50,000 to $2 million may be used to expand facilities, purchase equipment and increase processing capacity for invasive wild-caught catfish.

Applications are due Dec. 7 through grants.gov.

U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, R-Maryland, announced the funding opportunity and said expanding processing capacity could strengthen demand for wild-caught invasive catfish. Harris also said increased harvesting could help reduce the population of blue catfish, which scientists and fisheries managers have identified as a threat to native species in the Chesapeake Bay.

Read the full article at Delmarva now.

USDA announces another USD 6 million to expand invasive catfish processing

September 9, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced another USD 6 million (EUR 5.2 million) in funding to expand processing capacity for invasive wild blue catfish, matching the amount made available in 2025.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, the USDA is actively implementing actionable and innovative solutions like this one that solve serious challenges,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a release. “By investing in seafood processors, we can help our hardworking watermen remove invasive catfish from our waterways while strengthening the future of our rural communities.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USDA announces nearly USD 20 million in catfish awards

September 8, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued nearly USD 20 million (EUR 17.2 million) in awards for catfish products, which it will use for federal nutrition programs like national school lunches.

The department first declared its intention to purchase USD 20 million worth of farm-raised catfish in July as part of a USD 76.5 million (EUR 65.8 million) bulk buy of several products.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

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

Office of Seafood shifts from launch to strategy as outreach expands

August 25, 2026 — More than three months after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the creation of its Office of Seafood, officials say the focus has shifted from launching the office to building what they described as an “America First Seafood Strategy” while identifying ways existing USDA programs can better serve commercial fishermen and seafood producers.

Since Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the office in April, USDA has been meeting with industry while conducting an internal review of agency programs that could be available to the industry, according to Mike Illenberg, acting director of the Office of Seafood.

“USDA has been meeting with and gathering feedback from fishermen, aquaculturists, processors, policymakers and other stakeholders to inform the development of the America First Seafood Strategy,” Illenberg told National Fisherman.

The office was established to follow up on President Donald Trump’s April 2025 executive order “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” with the goal of bringing seafood more fully into USDA’s food policy and rural development programs.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Seafood Harvesters of America Releases National Policy Roadmap to Strengthen U.S. Seafood Competitiveness

July 16, 2026 — The following was released by Seafood Harvesters of America:

Seafood Harvesters of America today released the Fisheries Leadership and National Policy Forum Report, a national roadmap outlining priorities to strengthen the competitiveness of the U.S. seafood industry while building on America’s global leadership in science-based fisheries management.

The report is the result of Seafood Harvesters of America’s inaugural Fisheries Leadership and National Policy Forum, which brought together seafood industry leaders, senior officials from the White House, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, State, and Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other federal agencies, and representatives from Congress, to assess the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. seafood sector.

“This was truly a first-of-its-kind convening of government and seafood industry leaders,” said Hannah Heimbuch, a commercial fisherman and Board President of Seafood Harvesters of America. “It was a landmark gathering, built around a shared commitment to strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. seafood and growing America’s global leadership in sustainable, science-based fisheries management. It was clear throughout these discussions that maintaining a strong U.S. seafood industry will require coordinated leadership, strategic investment, and continued collaboration across government and the seafood sector. This report provides a roadmap for turning that commitment into action.”

The report is intended to serve as a resource for Congress, the Administration, federal agencies, and industry leaders as they work together to strengthen the future of U.S. seafood and America’s working waterfronts.

About Seafood Harvesters of America

Seafood Harvesters of America is the leading national organization representing seafood producers from across the United States. The organization advances science-based fisheries management and advocates for policies that strengthen the sustainability, competitiveness, and long-term resilience of the U.S. seafood industry.