Nathan Strout

Two major advisory councils to the European Commission have called on regulators to increase scrutiny of squid imports, especially those originating from China’s fleet, to better combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In a new advice issued 1 July, the Markey Advisory Council and the Long Distance Advisory Council called on the European Union to increase verifications and audits of consignments to better address IUU fishing… Read More

A working group of nations that commercially harvest Pacific bluefin tuna concluded its July meeting without agreeing on new management measures to be implemented in 2027. “For much of the last decade, Pacific bluefin management showed that when governments work together, they can bring a severely overfished species back from the brink of collapse. But at a joint management meeting in Nagasaki, Japan, governments disregarded a tentative… Read More

The U.S. government has redefined the meaning of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), no longer considering damage to a species’ habitat as harming its chance of survival. The change could have a massive impact on U.S. commercial fishers, who often are tasked with avoiding habitats listed under the ESA to harvest fish and shellfish. “President Trump is rescinding overly broad and burdensome regulations that have restrained our… Read More

A new bill introduced in U.S. Congress would authorize Native American tribes in Southwest Washington to kill some of the sea lions eating salmon in the Columbia River. California and stellar sea lion populations have ballooned in the Pacific Northwest under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA); since 1950, the population has increased from roughly 10,000 to 250,000. Salmon are a major source of prey for sea lions, and the increased pinniped… Read More

A pair of Houma, Louisiana, U.S.A. residents were cited by local authorities for failing to refrigerate their oyster catch in a timely manner. According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), enforcement agents were patrolling Four League Bay when they spotted Raul Cardenas Calderon, 23, and Luis Angel Perez-Macedo, 29, harvesting oysters from a vessel. The agents made contact and conducted an inspection, which uncovered… Read More

A ten-year retrospective on progress made in tackling forced labor and human trafficking in Thailand’s seafood sector found dramatic improvements for workers in processing facilities, but those working at sea remain at high risk. Commissioned by human rights NGOs Humanity United and the Freedom Fund, the PolicySolve report found that Thailand’s seafood sector was subject to intense international exposure from 2014 through 2016, with media… Read More

The Joint U.S.–Canadian Committee of Advisors to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has called on the U.S. Congress to approve funding to fight invasive mussels in the Great Lakes. “Invasive mussels continue to fundamentally alter the Great Lakes ecosystem and threaten the fish populations, communities, and economies that depend on these waters,” the advisors said in a 3 June joint resolution. Since their introduction to the Great Lakes in… Read More

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) sued NOAA Fisheries over inadequate queen conch protection, noting the agency has yet to designate critical habitat for the snail despite listing the species as a threatened under the Endangered Species Act “The Fisheries Service’s failure to protect the coral reefs and other places where the queen conch lives is driving this iconic snail closer to extinction,” CBD attorney Alex Muir said in a… Read More

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to add wild-caught peeled and deveined shrimp to the list of foods available under its emergency food assistance programs. “Shell-abrate [sic] the great news for America's fishermen!” the department said in social media posts. “USDA plans to add U.S. wild-caught Peeled and Deveined Shrimp to the FY27 emergency food assistance programs on the TEFAP Foods Available List, bringing more… Read More

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has sued the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to find out more about the process behind the government’s decision to roll back a vessel speed limit designed to protect North Atlantic right whales. “The public has a right to know who’s behind a government process that could condemn these whales to extinction,” CBD Oceans Legal Director Kristen Monsell said in a release. “Right… Read More