Nathan Strout

A group of U.S. lawmakers has reintroduced legislation designed to improve the federal government’s ability to map whale habitats and help reduce vessel strikes. The Whale Conservation Habitat Analysis, Research, and Technical Strategies (CHARTS) Act directs NOAA to improve its mapping of whale habitats while also developing predictive maps that estimate how whale populations might change their habits in response to environmental conditions.… Read More

A pair of NOAA Fisheries surveys of the Northern and Eastern Bering Sea show positive signs for two Alaskan fisheries: pollock and snow crab. “The good news is that there's lots of good news,” Thaddaeus Buser, a NOAA Fisheries research biologist who worked on the Bering Sea bottom trawl surveys, said. Buser’s comments were delivered in a 22 January talk hosted by Straight Science, a seminar series produced by the University of Alaska… Read More

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Labor (DOL) have released an additional 64,716 H-2B visas for fiscal year 2026, roughly doubling the number of temporary nonimmigrant work visas. The U.S. government typically authorizes 66,000 visas annually, and businesses have complained that amount is too low to meet seasonal demand – including from the seafood processing sector. To increase availability, Congress has… Read More

The former harbormaster of Gloucester, Massachusetts, U.S.A., has paid a USD 15,000 (EUR 12,728) fine levied by the state’s ethics board for having his subordinate complete his homework assignments for him. According to the state ethics board, then-Gloucester Harbormaster Thomas Ciarametaro Jr. had his subordinate, the shellfish constable, spend 20 hours of municipal worktime writing at least six college assignments on his behalf while he was… Read More

A North Atlantic right whale was found dead off the coast of North Carolina, U.S.A., nearly two months after it was found entangled, leading conservation groups to renew their calls for regulators to take further action to protect the whales. “Another whale has died, and the blame lies squarely with the government,” Nora Ives, a marine scientist at NGO Oceana, said in a statement. “Humans have caused preventable pain and suffering for… Read More

Improving oversight of shrimp imports is a priority for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2026, with the agency recently laying out several areas it wants to tackle in the coming year. In January, the FDA released its 2026 Priority Deliverables for its Human Foods Program (HFP), which oversees all food safety and nutrition efforts within the agency. “In 2026, FDA will continue to implement multi-year initiatives that advance… Read More

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee has advanced the Protecting Global Fisheries Act, legislation introduced last year to crack down on foreign illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Introduced by U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), the legislation would give the president the authority to impose sanctions on foreign persons or vessels that participate or enable IUU… Read More

Ålesund, Norway-based cod-farming firm Ode finished 2025 as Norway’s largest cod producer by volume, and it plans to continue expanding production in 2026. Ode outcompeted wild-caught cod harvesters in 2025, producing 10,018 metric tons (MT) of farmed cod over the course of the year. That’s equivalent to 65 percent of Norway’s total farmed cod production and nearly 30 percent of the total fresh cod exports in 2025, combining both farmed… Read More

The U.S. state of Massachusetts has introduced new regulations designed to help clean up discarded fishing gear and other marine debris. “Massachusetts is taking action to protect our environment, marine life, and public safety,” Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said in a release. “This is a win-win for our coastal communities; we look forward to continued partnership with the fishing industry… Read More

The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated its previous ruling on an employee lawsuit filed against Inland Seafood, now doing business as Inland Foods, bringing the full court together to rehear the case. The lawsuit involves an employee stock ownership plan established by the Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.-based company in 2016. Under the plan, Inland Seafoods would distribute company stock to employees’ pension accounts based on tenure,… Read More