Nathan Strout

A group of Oregon state lawmakers representing coastal communities have asked environmental regulators to pause any financial penalties on Clackamas, Oregon, U.S.A.-based seafood processor Pacific Seafood as the company appeals USD 3.2 million (EUR 2.7 million) in fines for wastewater violations. Pacific Seafood was alerted to the fines in April, which were issued in response to wastewater violations at three of the company’s facilities. The… Read More

NOAA Fisheries is accepting public comments on a proposal to switch over more commercial fishers in the Gulf of Mexico – currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the administration of President Donald Trump – and South Atlantic Ocean from traditional, paper logbooks to electronic logbooks. If approved, the change would apply to all federally permitted commercial fishers harvesting Gulf reef fish, Gulf or Atlantic coastal migratory… Read More

A Venice, California, U.S.A.-based seafood restaurant and people involved in the business have been ordered to pay more than USD 100,000 (EUR 86,004) after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) discovered multiple, repeat violations of the state’s commercial fishing regulations. Law enforcement officials said Dudley Market and its businesses – Dudley Street Oyster Bar and Shark Bite Fish Co. – advertised its seafood as… Read More

The European Commission is seeking feedback as it prepares to revamp its multiannual management plans (MAP) across the European Union’s sea basins. “The commission asks E.U. countries, the fishing sector, scientific institutions, non-governmental organizations, regional authorities and coastal communities to give their views and to send scientific, ecosystem and economic data on fisheries MAPs,” the commission said in a release. In the… Read More

A seafood restaurant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.A. was raided by state law enforcement, who claim individuals associated with the business are connected to illegal marijuana grows, organized crime, and human trafficking. "This investigation includes black-market marijuana trafficking from grow operations around the state linked to people associated with the Lucky Zhang restaurant," Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Public Information Officer… Read More

The California state senate has passed legislation that would make several changes to how the state’s Dungeness crab fishery is managed, most notably by freeing up commercial fishing vessels to transit through closed areas even if they have crabs on board. “The commercial fishing fleet is the lifeblood of rural coastal communities here on the North Coast,” State Senator Mike McGuire, who sponsored the bill, said in a release. “From… Read More

U.S. senators have expanded their inquiry into imported shrimp, which they claim “poses serious risks to families’ health,” sending questions to three of the largest seafood certification bodies. Together, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) have sent a list of questions to the Global Seafood Alliance, the Marine Stewardship Council, and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. Cassidy began an… Read More

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has sued NOAA Fisheries to secure Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for horseshoe crabs, just months after the agency denied their petition. “Horseshoe crabs have survived meteor impacts and ice ages, but they’re facing their biggest threat yet: us,” CBD Senior Attorney Danny Waltz said in a release. “It’s deeply upsetting that the Trump administration is unwilling to save these living… Read More

The Louisiana House of Representatives has passed a resolution calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to buy shrimp from the Southern state. The lawmakers asked the federal government to purchase shrimp landed in Louisiana under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which authorizes the USDA to purchase surplus goods to support domestic producers and use the food for federal nutrition programs, such as school lunches. The… Read More

Construction on an installation meant to block invasive Asian carp from entering the U.S. Great Lakes has finally begun, despite more than a year of back and forth between state officials and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on funding for the project. “Construction is officially underway on the first phase of the USD 1.15 billion [EUR 987.3 million] Brandon Road Interbasin Project!” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit… Read More