Nathan Strout

Conservation NGO the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has filed a lawsuit challenging NOAA Fisheries’ regulations for pollock trawling in Alaska, arguing that the government has not done enough to protect northern fur seals. The lawsuit centers on the seal population around St. Paul Island, Alaska, U.S.A., where many mothers raise their pups. According to CBD, those seals rely on the same pollock that are harvested by the commercial… Read More

NOAA Fisheries and the National Fish and Wildlife Service (NFWF) have announced USD 3.4 million (EUR 2.9 million) in grants to support data modernization and electronic data collection. “By investing in emerging technologies, NOAA is continuing to provide fishermen with the high-tech tools necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of our nation's seafood sources,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler said in a… Read More

In a joint letter to NOAA Fisheries, the senators representing the U.S. state of Maine asked NOAA Fisheries to pay attention to the concerns of lobstermen over ropeless gear implementation. “Maine lobstermen’s concerns about ropeless gear are well-documented and deserve serious consideration,” the senators said. “It is important to give full and meaningful weight to concerns raised by fishermen regarding ropeless/on-demand fishing gear… Read More

NOAA Fisheries' Office of Law Enforcement (OLE) has conducted several trainings in Botswana and Thailand on how to tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, teaching officials from 19 countries on best practices to combat the issue. The counter-IUU trainings are offered through agreements brokered by the U.S. Department of State in an effort to identify illegal fishing at its source and prevent IUU-tainted products before they… Read More

A Mississippi court has struck down a private lease scheme invented by the state legislature for future oyster harvesting, deeming the program unconstitutional. “In sum, and as discussed hereafter, the court finds that the On-Bottom Lease Laws effectively deny the plaintiffs and the public the right to harvest oysters guaranteed to them by [the Mississippi state constitution] and further that the obligations placed on the lessees by the… Read More

The U.S. Coast Guard seized USD 65,000 (EUR 56,180) worth of unreported pollock roe from a catcher-processor vessel during a boarding. According to the U.S. government, a pre-boarding audit by NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement revealed “major discrepancies” between the catcher-processor vessel Northern Eagle’s production reports and the electronic lawbook. The Northern Eagle is currently operated by American Seafoods, per the… Read More

A report from conservation NGO Oceana found that 38 percent of the fish sold in Mexico isn’t what it appears to be, with vendors labeling cheaper species as more commercially viable, higher-priced fish. The report claims that species substitution is a major ongoing issue in Mexico. A genetic analysis of 1,262 samples collected from markets and restaurants revealed that 38 percent of fish did not match their label. That’s roughly double the… Read More

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to confirm that a disaster has hit the state’s oyster industry, enabling oystermen to access emergency loans and financial support. Like their counterparts working in Chesapeake Bay, New York oystermen have been beset by extreme cold weather and icy conditions that have kept them from working for much of the season. “With freezing temperatures that lasted for… Read More

The U.S. government is soliciting recommendations from the seafood and fishing sectors on what name Sebastes – a group of species collectively referred to as rockfish – should be marketed under moving forward. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published a request for information in the Federal Register “to help make an evidence-based determination that balances food safety, regulatory clarity, and industry interest regarding a… Read More

U.S. President Donald Trump has once again proposed making massive cuts to NOAA, even though Congress largely rejected his similar request for fiscal year 2026. The White House’s fiscal year 2027 budget outline recommends a USD 1.6 billion (EUR 1.4 billion) cut to NOAA. “The Budget terminates a variety of Green New Scam programs at NOAA. For example, NOAA’s educational grant programs have consistently funded efforts to radicalize students… Read More