Steve Bittenbender

America’s aquaculture industry took center stage at a United States Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing Tuesday, 30 January.

Lawmakers discussed no specific bill during the hearing. However, they heard from four experts about opportunities to grow aquaculture, the challenges they face, and the economic impact.

One of the major challenges discussed was the regulatory procedures that often keep fish farming

StarKist’s efforts to keep its tuna processing plant in American Samoa viable got a boost last week when one of the most prominent lawmakers in the United States Senate filed a bill that seeks to streamline the process for commercial air service in the remote territory.

U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) filed legislation on 25 January that would reduce regulations for regional carriers who provide service between Tutuila, the largest American

An international non-government organization that monitors fisheries for sustainable practices announced earlier this week is will bolster its certification processes amid criticism from advocates who claim the group has not lived up to its mission.

Later this year, the Marine Stewardship Council will review its Fisheries Standard certification process as part of the organization’s ongoing commitment to observe best practices in fishery

The shutdown of the U.S. federal government lasted less than three days. However, the deal reached on Monday, 22 January to end it may have set up the stage for another one in less than a month.

Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement on a short-term budget resolution that included long-term funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and a promise to bring an immigration bill up for a vote by 8 February. If that vote on the

Newly released plans for an expansion of domestic offshore drilling from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump could come at a significant cost to the country’s seafood industry, according to  environmental advocates and public officials.

As the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management held a public comment meeting in an Annapolis, Maryland hotel on Tuesday, 16 January, those opposed to the plan met at the same hotel.

William C.

A Virginia businessman faces federal charges for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to sell fraudulent seafood products.

James R. Casey, owner and President of Casey’s Seafood, Inc., in Newport News, Virginia, is accused of violating the Lacey Act, which covers the trafficking of illegal fish and wildlife. According to a news release from Dana Boente, the U.S. Attorney for Virginia’s eastern district, he faces up to five years

American shrimp imports continued to rise in November, according to information released by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The United States imported 65,267 metric tons of shrimp in November, compared to 61,684 metric tons received in November 2016. The 2017 year-to-date totals reflect a more than 10 percent increase from 2016, with the U.S. importing more than 604,000 metric tons through the first 11 months of 2017, according to the

Last week, officials with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration approved in large part a series of recommended changes within the New England Fishery Management Council’s jurisdiction.

The changes were designed to keep the council in compliance with the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which calls on councils to review designated habitat areas and protect those areas so fish can mature and spawn. 

Council members had been

A U.S. federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against two American and two Thai seafood companies accused of forcing workers into involuntary servitude and profiting from human trafficking.

In a decision published on Thursday, 4 January, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter dismissed the case against Phatthana Seafood Co., S.S. Frozen Food Co., Rubicon Resources, and Wales & Co. Universe. 

Seven Cambodian workers filed the suit in the

A U.S. federal appeals court ruled last month that a decision to expand longline swordfishing in Hawaii was arbitrary and went against laws designed to protect endangered species, namely loggerhead sea turtles.

The decision rendered by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals partially overturns a federal district court ruling that allowed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue a permit in 2012 to the National Marine Fisheries Service.