Nathan Strout

Three conservation NGOs have filed suit to block the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump from using more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, arguing that the action would harm endangered fish populations like winter-run Chinook salmon. The lawsuit, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), San Francisco Baykeeper, and Friends of the River in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, claims… Read More

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has advanced a bipartisan weather bill containing more than a dozen previously introduced pieces of legislation, including language from the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Act. The latter legislation would direct NOAA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop a standardized chemical field test that can identify the country of origin of imported red… Read More

Conservation NGO Sea Shepherd Conservation Society conducted multiple operations to remove illegal fishing nets and activity around the habitat of vaquita, a highly endangered porpoise that lives in the Upper Gulf of California. Though there were more than 500 vaquita in the wild as recently as 1997, illegal fishing has reduced the population to fewer than 10 individuals, making it one of the most endangered species on the planet. Gillnets used… Read More

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged three Southeast Alaska fishers with intentionally sinking their fishing vessels, an illegal act under federal law. The alleged deliberate sinkings took place in 2025 in three unrelated incidents. According to the Department of Justice, Sitka, Alaska, U.S.A. resident John Fishers intentionally sunk the F/V Igloo in the Sitka Sound on 8 March 2025; Petersburg, Alaska resident Joseph Poling sunk the F/V… Read More

The U.S. House Committee on Financial Services voted to advance the Save Our Shrimpers Act, legislation that would require U.S. executive directors at international financial institutions to oppose funding for foreign shrimp operations and development. “After pushing this America First legislation for nearly two years, I’m proud that my bill, the Save Our Shrimpers Act, passed the House Financial Services Committee,” U.S. Representative… Read More

The state of California has announced USD 11 million (EUR 9.5 million) in funding for five salmon restoration projects as part of nearly USD 60 million (EUR 52 million) in grants awarded by the state’s Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB). The funding for salmon projects is another investment into Governor Gavin Newsom’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, a guide introduced in 2024 to coordinate the state’s efforts to… Read More

Following the U.S. government’s promise to take “deregulatory-focused action” on a vessel speed limit rule designed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, NOAA Fisheries has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to gather feedback. “This reckless decision threatens the future of North Atlantic right whales,” Conservation Law Foundation Senior Counsel Erica Fuller said in a statement. “The species… Read More

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Young Fishermen's Development Act, which would renew a grant program supporting the commercial fishing workforce for another five years. The Young Fishermen’s Development Act was signed into law in 2021, establishing a competitive grant program providing training opportunities for laborers joining the commercial fishing industry. The program provided USD 2 million (EUR 1.7 million) in annual funding… Read More

Democrats on the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee are questioning the appointment of New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association Chief Strategist Dustin Delano as NOAA’s “Fisherman in Residence,” a newly created position held by someone who also works for a regional commercial fishing advocacy group. “We are concerned that this singular position cannot speak for the diverse fishing communities and fishing sectors across our… Read More

With the backing of animal welfare NGOs, a Mexico lawmaker has introduced legislation that would ban octopus farming in Mexico. Mexico is the latest nation to consider a ban on octopus farming; last year, similar legislation was introduced in Chile, and United States lawmakers renewed their efforts to enact a national ban. The states of Washington and California have already implemented state-level bans on commercial octopus farming, while… Read More