Nathan Strout

Grenada’s seafood products can once again be exported to the U.S. after NOAA Fisheries issued the nation a Marine Mammals Protection Act (MMPA) comparability finding. “What that means is that our fisher folks can now go out to sea and continue fishing,” Lennox Andrews, Grenada’s minister for economic development, planning, agriculture and lands, forestry, blue economy, marine resources, and cooperatives, said during a 18 March briefing.… Read More

A provision that would have funded 100% Fish startups in the U.S. state of Oregon was cut from a bill before it was passed by the Oregon state legislature, but advocates are hopeful the funding will be approved in the next session. “Unfortunately, as lawmakers worked to reduce spending late in the session, this funding was removed from the final legislation,” the Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) said in its summary of the short… Read More

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Mitigation Action and Waterman Support (MAWS) Act, legislation designed to support the use of invasive blue catfish in pet food products, on 17 March. "With House passage of the MAWS Act, we are one step closer to creating new opportunities in a growing market for blue catfish, which pose a direct ecological and economic threat to the Chesapeake Bay,” U.S. Representative Sarah Elfreth (D-Maryland)… Read More

The head of NOAA Fisheries said the U.S. needs better commercial fishery representatives on regional fishery management councils, but he acknowledged nominations are a political process that limits his control of who takes those seats. “We need to have better council members and better managers,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler said. “You need council members who are more involved and knowledgeable of science… Read More

U.S. lawmakers in Congress are continuing to prioritize spending to address ongoing issues between the New England lobster industry and the endangered North Atlantic right whale, a species whose habitat overlaps with valuable fishing grounds. The North Atlantic right whale population – which began experiencing an “unusual mortality event” in 2017 – hit a low in 2020, when researchers estimated their population at just 358 individuals.… Read More

U.S. Representative Andy Harris (R-Maryland) is highlighting the concerns of Maryland catfish harvesters over a bill that would promote the fish’s use in pet food, arguing that it would undermine efforts to market catfish for human consumption. “Seafood processors on the Eastern Shore have spent years developing commercial markets for wild-caught blue catfish. Their work helps remove an invasive species from the Chesapeake Bay while… Read More

Atlantic cod has long been seen as the king of whitefish, commanding a dominant presence in the market for consumers looking for the idyllic mild, flaked fish experience. However, cod prices and availability have been hard hit by dwindling supplies. With cod harder to source – and more expensive in the places it is found – U.S. seafood suppliers believe now is the perfect time to educate consumers on alternative whitefish that can fill that… Read More

U.S. commercial fishers have a simple request: to be treated the same as American farmers by the U.S. government. The U.S. agriculture sector has long received substantial support from the federal government, whether that be crop insurance, equipment subsidies, financial services and low-interest loans, or direct injections of cash. In 2025, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced USD 12 billion (EUR 10.4 billion) in direct… Read More

The U.S. state of California is set to close its central coast to commercial Dungeness crab fishing with traditional gear to prevent whale entanglements, but harvesters will be allowed to continue operating if they use pop-up gear. “The use of pop-up fishing gear is an exciting new development in California fisheries management,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Meghan Hertel said in a release. “For the first… Read More

Commercial salmon trawlers may be allowed to harvest fish in California for the first time in more than three years, although opportunities will remain limited as regulators work to enable stock recovery on the West Coast. “Increased forecasts this year, particularly of Klamath and Sacramento River fall Chinook, created opportunities to expand fishing options compared with recent years,” PFMC Executive Director Merrick Burden said in the… Read More