Nathan Strout

More than a dozen conservation groups have petitioned the U.S. state of New Jersey to take action on the bleeding of horseshoe crabs by a biomedical company, claiming the practice injures the shellfish in violation of state law. “On paper, New Jersey is one of the best state protectors of horseshoe crabs, but look under the hood and you’ll find it’s actually allowing a company to kill and injure horseshoe crabs in huge numbers,” Center… Read More

Authorities in Ghana seized fish being processed under unhygienic conditions after the practice was exposed on social media by environmental nonprofit group Buz Stop Boys. In a video posted on Instagram, the group showed fish being stored outdoors at Tema Newtown near a shoreline covered in refuse, where defecation was taking place openly. “There are growing concerns about hygiene and food safety practices during the handling, storage, and… Read More

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump took funding set aside for combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and spent it on other priorities, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to a report from Washington D.C.-focused news outlet Punchbowl News. The outlet reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) diverted most of the USD 170 million (EUR 147 million) set aside in the One Big Beautiful… Read More

NOAA Fisheries recently said a law requiring it to ban imports from foreign fisheries that don’t align with U.S. marine mammal protections has been a useful tool in reducing bycatch but admitted it is very difficult to execute. The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has long required U.S. commercial fishers to take steps to reduce marine mammal bycatch, but a similar requirement to ban imports from foreign fisheries that do not take action to… Read More

Buford, Georgia, U.S.A.-based seafood wholesaler Moon N Sea GA has agreed to pay USD 265,000 (EUR 231,436) to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). “This lawsuit is a reminder that employers violate discrimination laws when they fail to hire qualified applicants on the basis of sex,” Marcus G. Keegan, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District, said in a release.… Read More

The European Commission has approved a EUR 149 million (USD 171 million) plan to subsidize fuel costs due to high prices, which remain elevated due to the U.S.-led war on Iran. Attacks by the U.S. and Israel on Iran beginning in February led to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical transportation thoroughfare for much of the world’s oil supply. The strait has remained closed for almost the entirety of the conflict, with control of… Read More

A pair of U.S. lawmakers has introduced a bill that would reverse the federal government’s decision to roll back the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to exclude habitat destruction. “Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act to prevent extinction – not to document it after the damage has already been done,” U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) said in a release. “For more than 50… Read More

Legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would ban commercial fishing for and sale of red snapper from the South Atlantic when the recreational fishery is closed, effectively limiting commercial fishing to two days per year. The bill is being backed by the recreational fishing industry, which claims it’s unfair for angling to be limited while commercial fishers are allowed to catch and sell red snapper. “For years,… Read More

NOAA Fisheries has denied a petition seeking to list smalltail sharks under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), concluding that the species is not threatened with extinction. “We have determined the smalltail shark is not presently in danger of extinction, nor is it likely to become so in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range,” NOAA Fisheries stated in its 12-month finding. “Therefore, the smalltail… Read More

A handful of U.S. senators have asked the Department of the Treasury to issue sanctions on vessels that support China’s distant water fishing fleet, continuing a push from U.S. lawmakers to limit China’s commercial fishing and seafood sectors. “The Chinese Communist Party is using its global distant-water fleet to conduct ecocide across at least three continents in both hemispheres. They kill endangered species by the hundreds and sharks,… Read More