Steve Bittenbender

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has decided against appealing a federal judge’s ruling that NOAA Fisheries illegally withdrew a proposal that would have placed hard caps on the bycatch of protected species caught in California’s swordfish drift gillnet fishery.

On Monday, 15 April, when its brief was due to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the administration instead filed a notice to dismiss its appeal

A panel of federal appellate judges has upheld a lower court’s decision that ruled on NOAA Fisheries’ method for assessing bycatch in New England fisheries.

The ruling, which was announced on Friday, 12 April, in the District of Columbia chambers of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, allows NOAA Fisheries to use statistical sampling to determine the amount of bycatch. It stems from a 2011 court case where judges ruled the agency did

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday, 8 April, it will consider adding new tariffs on products from the European Union, and seafood imports are on the list for potential duties.

The action stems from a World Trade Organization ruling that stated E.U. illegally subsidized airplane-maker Airbus, creating an unfair trade advantage. As a result of that ruling, the U.S. is contemplating tariffs on USD 11 billion (EUR

The U.S. seafood industry and others that rely on temporary labor received good news at the end of last month when President Donald Trump's administration announced it would allocate an extra 30,000 visas under the H-2B worker program.

It’s a marked change from the last couple years, when the administration released only 15,000 visas, which companies can use to hire foreign workers for non-agricultural jobs. This year’s announcement

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council announced on Thursday, 4 April, it approved plans for states to manage the red snapper recreational fishery for the upcoming season.

Pending the approval of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, which is likely since he’s praised the ongoing pilot project, the five states will get the quota share they originally requested in their applications. 

Florida holds the largest share with 44.8

A draft assessment on Pacific sardine by NOAA Fisheries shows the stock remains overfished, which could lead to it remaining closed for commercial fishermen.

Officials estimate the sardine biomass will be 27,547 metric tons by this July, well below the 150,000 metric ton biomass necessary to reopen the stock for fishing. Anything less than 50,000 metric tons is considered overfished.

Sardines, a forage fish that serves as prey to a multitude of

A U.S. organization representing the seafood industry announced on Tuesday, 26 March, that it reached a 10-year agreement with two key federal agencies regarding the development process for offshore wind energy projects in the Atlantic Ocean.

Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed by NOAA Fisheries, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, they will seek to engage local and

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, 20 March that U.S. tariffs on imported products from China would continue, even as the two countries make strides toward resolving their trade issues.

Earlier this month, media reports indicated Chinese and American officials were close to a deal that would repeal the levies in exchange for China agreeing to purchase additional products. However, Trump’s comments to reporters outside the

A bipartisan group of congressmen has unveiled a bill that seeks to save the critically North Atlantic right whale.

H.R. 1568, or the Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered (SAVE) Right Whales Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton earlier this month, would provide up to USD 5 million (EUR 4.4 million) in grants annually for the next 10 years to develop technology that would reduce the mortality rates for the species.

Some of the grant