Saving Seafood

Conservation & Environment

New turtle excluder device showing promising signs of protecting both juvenile turtles and maintaining shrimp catch

August 7, 2025 — A new turtle excluder device (TED) design being tested in the Gulf of Mexico, currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, aims to save juvenile turtles from bycatch without diminishing shrimp catch. 

TEDs have long been used by shrimp trawlers to reduce sea turtle bycatch. The current industry standard, while successful at reducing bycatch of adult sea turtles, often fails to exclude juvenile turtles, which can fit between their 4 inch-spaced bars.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ASMFC Atlantic Striped Bass Board Approves Addendum III for Public Comment Draft Addendum Considers Further Fishery Reductions

August 7, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved for public comment Draft Addendum III to Amendment 7 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Atlantic Striped Bass. The Draft Addendum considers management measures to support rebuilding the stock by 2029. The Draft Addendum will also address requirements for commercial tagging programs, a coastwide definition of total length for size limit regulations, and changes to the Maryland recreational season baseline.

The Board initiated the Draft Addendum in response to stock projections indicating a low probability of meeting the 2029 stock rebuilding deadline. The most recent stock projections estimate an increase in fishing mortality in 2025 due to the above average 2018 year-class entering the current recreational ocean slot limit. There is also concern about the lack of strong year-classes behind the 2018 year-class.
 
This proposed action is intended to increase the probability of rebuilding the stock by reducing fishery removals by 12% with management measures implemented in 2026. For the commercial fishery, the Draft Addendum proposes a commercial quota reduction. For the recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum considers season closures and/or size limit changes. For Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay recreational fishery, the Draft Addendum also proposes changing the recreational baseline season to simplify Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay regulations, which could improve compliance and enforcement, and to re-align fishing access based on stakeholder input and release mortality rates.
 
For commercial tagging, the FMP currently allows states to choose whether to tag commercially harvested fish at the point of harvest or point of sale. To address concerns that waiting to tag harvested fish until the point of sale could increase the risk of illegal harvest, the Draft Addendum considers requiring commercial tagging at the point of harvest or first point of landing intended to improve enforcement and compliance.

There is also concern that inconsistent methods of measuring the total length of striped bass for compliance with size limits undermines the intended conservation, consistency, and enforceability of the coastwide size limits. To address this, the Draft Addendum considers coastwide requirements for defining total length for both sectors.

 
The Draft Addendum will be posted to the website in late August at https://asmfc.org/actions/atlantic-striped-bass-draft-addendum-iii-2026-measures-to-support-rebuilding/. A subsequent press release will provide the details on the public hearing schedule and how to submit written comments. The Board will meet to review submitted comments and consider final action on the addendum in October 2025 at the Commission’s Annual Meeting in Dewey Beach, DE.
 
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at efranke@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

ASMFC Sciaenids Board Approves Red Drum Draft Addendum II for Public Comment Draft Addendum Considers Modifications to Red Drum Management

August 7, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission’s Sciaenids Management Board approved Draft Addendum II to Amendment 2 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Red Drum for public comment. The Draft Addendum considers several changes to the management programs in the southern (South Carolina to Florida) and northern (New Jersey to North Carolina) regions in response to the findings of the 2024 Red Drum Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report.

 
Specifically, the assessment found the southern stock to be overfished and experiencing overfishing. As a result, the Draft Addendum considers two fishing mortality options states may not exceed in order to end overfishing. Although the northern stock is not overfished nor experiencing overfishing, the Board is concerned with an increasing trend in fishing mortality observed in the northern region. To address this trend, the Draft Addendum considers changes to the recreational bag and slot limits of states in the northern region, as well as provide states the opportunity to align their differing regulations, particularly in Chesapeake Bay.
 
The Draft Addendum also includes a process for states to propose management measures in response to the 2024 benchmark stock assessment, as well as future assessment advice. Further, the Draft Addendum proposes a process to allow states to submit stock status analyses conducted outside the Commission’s stock assessment process to be considered for management use. Lastly, the Draft Addendum proposes updates to the management program’s de minimis provisions. The Commission includes de minimis provisions in its FMPs to reduce the management burden for states whose measures would have a negligible effect on the conservation of the species.
 
A subsequent press release will provide the details of upcoming state public hearings and how to submit written comments. The Board will meet to review submitted comments and consider final action on the Addendum in October. For more information, please contact Tracey Bauer, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at  tbauer@asmfc.org or 703.842.0723.

VIRGINIA: Omega Protein contributes $250k to Festival Halle project

August 7, 2025 — Omega Protein recently presented a check for $250,000 to the Greater Reedville Association toward the restoration of Festival Halle, a cherished landmark on Main Street in the village.

“With deep roots in Reedville’s maritime heritage dating back to 1878, we are honored to support an organization whose mission is to preserve and share the rich history of our community,” according to Nick Sterrett, vice president of sales for Omega Protein. “We are grateful to be part of an organization like Cooke Seafood, who makes it their mission to strengthen the communities in which they operate.”

Read the full article at News on the Neck

DELAWARE: Trump administration enters the Delmarva offshore wind debate

August 6, 2025 — The Trump administration’s opposition to offshore wind power is now taking aim at a controversial energy project off the Delmarva coast, potentially putting its future at risk.

Last week, the federal government revealed in court documents that it is reconsidering permits that the Biden administration had previously awarded to US Wind, a Baltimore-based company proposing to build an offshore wind farm within sight of beach communities in Maryland and Delaware.

The court documents are part of lawsuits filed by a local Delaware resident and Ocean City, Md., against the U.S. Department of Interior, challenging certain offshore construction approvals for the project.

“An extension in this case is necessary as Interior intends to reconsider its [Construction and Operations Plan] approval and move in the District of Maryland — the first-filed case — for voluntary remand of that agency action,” wrote Delaware U.S. Attorney Julianne Murray and Adam Gustafson, the acting assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division at the U.S. Department of Justice.

The federal courts would have to sign off on a “voluntary remand,” which is a request to send a case back to an administrative agency for reassessment. If the permit approvals were to be reassessed by the Trump administration, it’s possible they could be denied, dooming the project.

Read the full article at Spotlight Delaware

VIRGINIA: Biggest US offshore wind project marches ahead despite Trump attacks

August 6, 2025 — The largest planned offshore wind project in the U.S. is 60 percent complete and is on track to begin delivering electricity early next year.

Officials with Dominion Energy, the utility that’s building the project named Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, said in an earnings call Friday that 134 foundations have been installed, along with all of the deepwater power cables. The project will have 176 foundations altogether. A newly built turbine installation vessel, the first American-flagged ship of its kind, is expected to arrive at the project site as early as this month, they said. It will be the vessel’s first project.

“This project remains consistent with the goal of securing American energy dominance and is part of our comprehensive, all-of-the-above strategy to affordably meet growing energy needs,” Dominion CEO Robert Blue told financial analysts on the call, echoing President Donald Trump’s energy priorities. “The project fabrication and installation are going very well, and CVOW continues to be one of the most affordable sources of energy for our customers.”

Read the full article at E&E News

US retail, restaurant groups express grave concerns with new tariff rates

August 6, 2025 — U.S. retail and restaurant trade groups are urging President Donald Trump to lower tariffs and pursue other measures to achieve his trade goals after he recently issued an executive order implementing new duty rates on 69 countries and the European Union.

“We encourage the [Trump] administration to negotiate binding trade agreements that truly open markets by lowering tariffs, not raising them,” National Retail Federation Executive Vice President of Government Relations David French said. “These higher tariffs will hurt Americans, including consumers, retailers and their employees, and manufacturers because the direct result of tariffs will be higher prices, decreased hiring, fewer capital expenditures, and slower innovation.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Foundation challenges Vineyard Wind project, files petition

August 6, 2025 — The Texas Public Policy Foundation has filed an administrative petition challenging the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind energy project, claiming the livelihoods of the local fishermen they represent have been severely impacted by the project.

“The Biden Administration violated at least thirteen provisions of federal law when it approved the Vineyard 1 offshore wind project,” said TPPF senior attorney Ted Hadzi-Antich. “In the process, they tacitly agreed to the destruction of a prime fishing area that has been used by commercial fishermen to feed Americans for generations.”

Read the full article at Legal Newsline

Bipartisan bill introduced in U.S. Congress to advance open ocean aquaculture

August 6, 2025 — The introduction of the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025 in the U.S. Congress marks a major step forward for sustainable U.S. aquaculture. This bipartisan bill establishes a momentous step forward to support the responsible research of open ocean aquaculture in the U.S. while prioritizing strong environmental standards and community resilience.

“The bipartisan consensus is clear: Congressional action is needed to build a robust American open ocean aquaculture industry, and the MARA Act lays the groundwork towards that goal,” said Drue Banta Winters, campaign manager of Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS). Banta Winters thanked Senators Schatz and Wicker for their leadership in advancing the legislation. The act aims to boost domestic seafood production in a responsible and sustainable way, similar to practices already in use both internationally and in U.S. state waters.

The Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (CSA) also celebrates the bill introduction. “As someone deeply invested in sustainable seafood and responsible food systems, I believe the MARA Act is a landmark opportunity for American aquaculture,” said Barton Seaver, chef and founding member of the CSA. He emphasized that the bill supports a food system grounded in environmental responsibility, while also bolstering food security and coastal economies.

The U.S. currently imports the majority of its seafood, with half of that supply farmed abroad. As seafood demand grows domestically, exploring sustainable seafood production through open ocean aquaculture holds the potential to reduce reliance on imports, foster American ingenuity and innovation, bolster U.S. food security, and lower carbon emissions associated with international seafood transport—while creating jobs and economic opportunities in coastal communities.

Read the full article at Aqua Feed

NEW JERSEY: Cancel Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Projects, LBI Group Asks Trump Admin

August 6, 2025 — A local anti-offshore wind group is petitioning the Trump Administration to cancel the Atlantic Shores offshore wind farm projects.

Save LBI announced Tuesday that the group had formally petitioned the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to cancel the leases for the Atlantic Shores South and North offshore wind projects and rescind existing permit approvals.

“We are committed to permanently stopping the Atlantic Shores projects,” Save LBI wrote in the petition. The group called for an expedited lease cancellation.

Read the full article at the Patch