Saving Seafood

NEW YORK: USDA issues disaster designation for New York oyster sector

March 28, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a secretarial disaster designation for the aquaculture sector in Suffolk County, New York, allowing commercial oystermen to access low-interest loans.

“Early last month, I urged the USDA to take swift action to declare Suffolk County a disaster area and help our aquaculture growers get the assistance they need to recover and move forward,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said. “With this secretarial disaster declaration, the producers who have seen economic loss can now take advantage of low-interest loans to help ensure they’re able to sustain their operations. I have long been committed to helping this important agricultural sector grow and thrive, and the state will continue to support the industry through this hardship.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US House passes Farm Bill with some seafood amendments attached

May 1, 2026 — The U.S. House has passed its Farm Bill renewal legislation, voting to attach two seafood-related amendments before final passage.

The Farm Bill is the main legislation guiding agriculture and food policy in the U.S., and the domestic seafood sector has latched onto the omnibus bill as a vector for growing the presence of seafood and aquaculture in particular within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and ensuring American fishers get the same federal support as American farmers. The House released its draft of the Farm Bill in February.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US lawmakers attempt to attach several seafood amendments to Farm Bill

April 28, 2026 — U.S. lawmakers are pushing to attach several seafood amendments to the forthcoming Farm Bill renewal as part of an ongoing effort to grow the seafood industry’s presence within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“We urge Members of the House to support these amendments and deliver a Farm Bill that recognizes America’s commercial fishing families as the food producers they are,” Southern Shrimp Alliance Director Blake Price said in a release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Fish and Wildlife Service seizes 50,000 shark fins in coordinated enforcement

April 20, 2026 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced it seized roughly 50,000 shark fins as part of a coordinated enforcement action.

USFWS said it seized the shipments in October 2025 as part of “Operation Thunder,” which was kicked off by inspectors discovering a shipment of shark fins in Anchorage, Alaska. The investigation found additional shipments moving through Anchorage; Louisville, Kentucky; and Cincinnati, Ohio, transiting from Mexico to Hong Kong.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Bill would require US government to only purchase domestic seafood for school lunches

April 20, 2026 — A U.S. lawmaker has introduced legislation requiring the federal government to only purchase domestically produced seafood for school lunches and other federal programs.

“In Louisiana, seafood is a cornerstone of our economy and a way of life. My Buy American Seafood Act would ensure that taxpayer-funded seafood is sourced from American fishermen and processors, protecting taxpayers from subsidizing foreign countries or adversaries like China,” U.S. Representative Julia Letlow (R-Louisiana) said in a release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USDA launches new office to support US seafood industry

April 17, 2026 — The federal government is rolling out a new office aimed at making it easier for fishermen and seafood businesses to get help from Washington.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it is creating an Office of Seafood, a first of its kind office aimed at better connecting seafood producers with federal programs and support.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said in a statement the goal is to make it easier for fishermen, processors and aquaculture businesses to navigate government resources that haven’t always been easy to access.

Read the full article at WSUA9

Senator Collins’ Statement on the Creation of the USDA Office of Seafood

April 17, 2026 — The following was released by the Office of U.S. Senator Susan Collins:

U.S. Senator Susan Collins released the following statement announcing the creation of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Seafood:

“Fishing is the very foundation of Maine’s heritage. Today, the seafood industry in our region generates more than $5 billion in income and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, in addition to providing a nutritious food supply, delicious restaurant meals, and sustaining entire coastal communities. I appreciate that USDA is recognizing our fishermen as farmers of the sea and establishing the Office of Seafood. The creation of this office is a long-overdue, essential step to expanding seats at the table for our hardworking fishing families, who are a key piece of our nation’s history and our future as well.”

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The USDA Office of Seafood will expand federal support for America’s fishermen and seafood harvesters, and ensure fishermen, small businesses, and coastal communities have greater access to USDA programs. It will also coordinate across USDA agencies to ensure fishermen are able to interact directly with the U.S. Department of Commerce and other federal partners to revitalize the American seafood industry.

Senator Collins has been a strong advocate for Maine’s fishermen and women and the seafood industry. Senator Collins led the Maine delegation in securing a provision in the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations legislation that protected the Maine lobster fishery from unfair federal regulation for six years. Since the enactment of this provision, Senator Collins has secured more than $80 million in funding for North Atlantic Right Whale research and monitoring through her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee. This research supports Maine’s lobster industry by improving the quality of the data used to inform federal regulations.

Senator Collins also led efforts to rebuild Maine’s working waterfronts. After back-to-back storms in January 2024 that caused significant damage to Maine’s coast, Senator Collins secured $15 million to help communities recover from coastal infrastructure damage in the Fiscal Year 2024 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act. The legislation included $10 million, administered through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, to repair and renovate infrastructure affected by recent storms, and $5 million to establish a new program at the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for working waterfronts.

The announcement came during the week of the fiftieth anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Act—the primary law governing marine fisheries in U.S. federal waters.

USDA launches first-ever Office of Seafood

April 16, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday the creation of its new Office of Seafood, a first-of-its-kind office designed to give commercial fishermen, aquaculture producers, and seafood processors a clearer path to accessing federal programs and resources.

The announcement was made by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R.-Alaska, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

The new office will primarily serve as a coordinating body, working across USDA agencies to better integrate fishermen into existing programs while also partnering with the Department of Commerce and other federal agencies. A central piece of its mission will be helping develop the America First Seafood Strategy, an initiative aimed at boosting domestic production, marketing, export, and processing capacity for U.S. seafood.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman