Saving Seafood

National Fisheries Institute Statement on Executive Order on American Seafood

April 21, 2025 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

Tonight, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at strengthening the U.S. seafood community. NFI commends the President and his Administration for taking a thoughtful, strategic approach to supporting American seafood production and consumption. The EO outlines key actions to benefit every link in the supply chain—from hardworking fishermen to parents who serve their family this nutritious and sustainable protein at home.

Importantly, the Order calls for reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens on fishermen and seafood producers while also promoting the many benefits of eating seafood as part of a healthy, balanced diet. 

NFI stands ready to support the Administration in advancing this important policy initiative and improving the lives of all those who depend on the commercial seafood industry. 

 

Fishers celebrate Trump’s seafood order while conservation groups fear overfishing

April 18, 2025 — President Donald Trump’s executive order to boost the U.S. commercial fishing industry drew praise from commercial fishing groups and condemnation from environmental organizations who said they fear cutting regulations will harm fish populations that have already dwindled in some areas of the oceans.

The order represents a dramatic shift in federal policy on fishing in U.S. waters by prioritizing commercial fishing interests over efforts to allow the fish supply to increase.

The president described his decision as “an easy one” that will improve the U.S. commercial fishing industry by peeling back regulations and opening up harvesting in previously protected areas.

“The United States should be the world’s dominant seafood leader,” he said Thursday, citing the nation’s seafood trade deficit, which is more than $20 billion.

National Fisheries Institute Statement on appointment of the new Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries

April 15, 2025 — The following was released by National Fisheries Institute:

The National Fisheries Institute congratulates Eugenio Piñeiro
Soler on his appointment to serve as the new Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. We
commend the administration for working quickly to fill this vital position and for choosing a
seasoned veteran of the council management system and Magnuson-based fisheries policy. We
look forward to working with him.

 

National Fisheries Institute Statement on Tariff Announcement 

April 2, 2025 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

While we are encouraged by exemptions on reciprocal tariffs for some countries, like Canada and Mexico, tariffs will raise the cost of seafood, making the healthiest animal protein on the planet less available and more expensive. Meanwhile, the tariffs could threaten many of the 1.6 million American jobs that, according to the federal government, U.S. commercial seafood companies support.

National Fisheries Institute Sushi Council launches website

April 1, 2025 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

The NFI Sushi Council has established a digital presence with the launch of NFIsushicouncil.com. The site serves as a central knowledge bank for all things sushi, educating supply chain actors on food safety, product quality and economic integrity as well as promoting sushi as a healthy and exciting seafood-centric cuisine.

“Having achieved mass popularity, sushi can be found by consumers with ease,” said NFI Sushi Council Chairman Michael McNicholas of Culimer USA. “But for industry, locating the right information on properly sourcing and preparing sushi can be a challenge.”
With food safety as the group’s core mission, the NFI Sushi Council has created an accessible website that acts as a clearinghouse for guidance on product handling and preparation. The dynamic site invites seafood professionals to learn best practices critical to their value chain roles in producing the highest level of sushi products.
“Sushi is as much a business as a consumer trend,” said council member Annie Trinh of Jensen Tuna, who served on a task force designing the site. “The website reflects these natures with both the substance to keep sushi safe and the style that makes sushi a thriving driver of seafood consumption.”
The NFI Sushi Council is a pre-competitive stakeholder group working to enhance sushi product integrity and promote industry-led food safety. The council, aided by its website, seeks to position itself as a unified voice for the sushi marketplace. Visit NFIsushicouncil.com for more information on how to “Sushi Responsibly.”

National Fisheries Institute Revitalizes AboutSeafood.com to Continue Connecting, Providing Resources to the Seafood Community

March 13 2025 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

The National Fisheries Insitute launched a revitalized AboutSeafood.com to continue its efforts connecting the seafood community and increase access to crucial seafood information. The updated website is part of NFI’s Strategic Plan, launched in March of 2024, which aims to shape, connect, and grow the sector across the supply chain.

“A renewed AboutSeafood.com will help us better align with NFI’s Strategic Plan by increasing our interactions with key audiences, improve overall functionality, and enhance the user experience,” said Lisa Wallenda Picard, NFI President and CEO. “Advances to AboutSeafood.com will continue to position NFI as the leading voice for the seafood community.”
The website will offer resources for stakeholder audiences, providing the latest information on seafood with a direct focus on combatting misinformation in the media and equipping its users with facts on seafood policy, including health and nutrition, trade and commerce, sustainability and sourcing, safety, and economic integrity.
“The work done to enhance the website is far more than a facelift, it’s a project that will help support sound public policy and nutrition information based on science by putting resources in the hands of members and boosting NFI’s already loud digital voice. This will have a lasting impact on the industry moving forward,” said Ryan Clark, CEO and President of The Town Dock and NFI Chairman.
To view NFI’s website, visit AboutSeafood.com.

NFI, FMI push back against US FDA’s “unnecessary” new food labeling proposal

January 16, 2025 — The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and other organizations are concerned about new front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing for most packaged U.S. food products.

The FDA said the new nutrition labels would give consumers “readily visible information about a food’s saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars content – three nutrients directly linked with chronic diseases when consumed in excess.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

National Fisheries Institute Statement on FDA’s Proposed Front of Package Nutrition Panel

January 15, 2025 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

We are disappointed that the Food and Drug Administration is proposing still more significant, unnecessary regulation in the waning hours of the Biden Administration.  The proposed front of package labeling is redundant and could deliver an inaccurate message to consumers including healthy seafood in their diets.

By focusing on negative saturated fats, FDA misses the point and misleads label readers. Fish, such as salmon, contain almost entirely unsaturated essential omega-3s, the healthiest fatty acids found in any protein. Meanwhile, the planned labeling provides no way to highlight nutritious components of the product, including for fish, the unsaturated fats associated with brain and heart health.
In the case of seafood, this regulation is essentially pointless and can confuse consumers while adding an unneeded compliance burden to American producers who will need to retool their labels for the massive U.S. market.
The incoming Trump Administration should withdraw the proposal in its entirety.
Lisa Wallenda Picard
President & CEO

National Fisheries Institute Announces New Additions to its Board of Directors

November 13, 2024 — The following was released in National Fisheries Institute:

The National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) members approved a new slate of Directors of the Board at its Annual Membership Meeting.

NFI’s bylaws allow for a 51-person Board, with 45 at-large Directors. There is an 18-person Executive Committee drawn from the Board and six officers. NFI elects a new slate of board members annually to serve three-year terms.
“This Board is comprised of some of the most knowledgeable individuals in the seafood community,” said NFI President and CEO Lisa Wallenda Picard. “The NFI Board of Directors’ never-ending commitment to the industry will always impress me, and I’m honored to welcome these new voices and outlooks to the Board.”
The newly elected Board members as well as Executive Committee members in italics are as follow:
Marcy
Bemiller
Candor Consulting, LLC
Founder
Frank
Bodin
Nordic Group Inc.
Vice President of Finance and Administration
Jason
Driskill
H-E-B
Vice President – Seafood
Paul
Jewer
High Liner Foods
President and CEO
Dick
Jones
Blue Ocean Mariculture
CEO
Bart
Lovejoy
Glacier Fish Company
Vice President, Global Sales
Chris
Maze
Pescanova Inc.
CEO
Ben
Medearis
Americold Logistics, LLC
Vice President, Business Development Protein Sector
Roger
O’Brien
Santa Monica Seafood Company
President and CEO
Bret
Scholtes
Cooke Aquaculture USA
Chief Operating Officer
Matthew
Simpson
Monarch LLC
President
Anjan
Tharakan
Newport International
President
Dennis
Williams
Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors
Vice President Seafood Sales & Purchasing
Lisa Webb, Gorton’s Inc. Vice President of Operations, joins the officer’s group as Treasurer and David Melbourne, President and CEO of AquaBounty Technologies, Inc., joins the officer’s group as Secretary.

US seafood groups celebrate National Seafood Month with promotions, program launches

October 8, 2024 — The National Fisheries Institute (NFI), Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP), and other seafood organizations have promotions running throughout October for National Seafood Month and National Pescatarian Month.

NFI’s annual National Pescatarian Month campaign encourages consumers to eat fish and shellfish through an updated e-cookbook that includes more than 100 pescatarian-friendly recipes. The campaign also includes NFI’s Dish on Fish blog, on-air TV segments, and digital and social media activations.

“We view National Pescatarian Month as a win for our members, for the fish and seafood industry, and for consumers, and we are proud to promote it through Dish on Fish and its sponsorship of the campaign,” NFI Vice President of External Affairs and Councils Brandon Phillips said. “Some of our most important work throughout the year culminates in October, when we all work together to celebrate a healthy and tasty pescatarian diet and lifestyle.”

Through its blog and recipes, NFI aims to “show that adopting a pescatarian lifestyle – for a few weeks, a month, or even longer – can be healthy, versatile, easy, and satisfying,” NFI Registered Dietitian Rima Kleiner said.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource