In the News | November 2026
Canada worried about China seafood tariff returning
Canada’s fisheries minister visited China in late October, ahead of a tariff deadline between the two countries affecting the lobster and crab industries. As part of an agreement which took effect in March, China suspended a 25% tariff on Canadian lobster and crab until the end of the year. China is Canada’s second-largest seafood export partner. Without confirmation that the agreement will be extended, Canadian lobster and crab industries are uncertain if they will soon have reduced access to a major seafood market.
U.S. whale entanglements dropped in 2025
Confirmed large whale entanglements in U.S. waters declined in 2025, though the total remained slightly above the long-term average, according to a new report from NOAA Fisheries. NOAA documented 76 confirmed large whale entanglements nationwide in 2025, down from 95 in 2024. The total was slightly higher than the annual average of 72.7 confirmed cases recorded between 2007 and 2024.
Care for some lobster in your drink?
Bold Coast Spirits, an Oxford, Maine vodka distillery co-founded by Stuart Littlefield and Jay Lombard, is offering a new lobster vodka flavored with lobster shells. To make the unusual flavor, small-batch vodka is “rested” with lobster shells to infuse it with briny flavor. The liquor is then filtered, proofed, and bottled. Bold Coast Spirits procures the lobster shells from Luke’s Lobster processing plant in Saco.
Study finds decline in juvenile lobsters leads to decline in adults
University of Maine researchers found that a pattern of declining baby lobsters gave early warning of a decline in adult lobsters. The researchers analyzed lobsters at different life stages and depths. Along the midcoast they found an 80% decline in baby lobsters from 2010 to 2022, followed by a 50% decline in adults large enough for lobstermen to catch since 2015. The researchers concluded that the decline is tied to warmer water temperatures and not overfishing. They found a similar decline along the Downeast coast.
Canada Renews Atlantic Fisheries Fund
The Government of Canada and four Atlantic provinces have renewed the Atlantic Fisheries Fund for another five years, committing more than $300 million to strengthen the region’s fish and seafood industry. The federal government will provide 60% of the funding, with the provinces contributing 40%. The program supports market development and diversification, innovation, infrastructure improvements, and fisheries science to improve the industry’s competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience.
Coast Guard Extends Unmanned Vessel Surveys
The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded Saildrone an $8.5 million contract extension to continue monitoring fishing activity off New England through spring 2027. Saildrone uses 33-foot unmanned vessels equipped with radar, cameras, and vessel identification technology to detect and track boats and provide near-real-time information to the Coast Guard.
Between June and August, the vessels traveled more than 19,000 nautical miles monitoring regional fishing grounds. The technology is intended to improve maritime surveillance, deter illegal fishing, and support fisheries enforcement.
Offshore wind lease area surveys begin in January
The Department of Marine Resources (DMR) and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences will be conducting plankton and larval lobster surveys of the Maine Research Array Wind Energy Area between January 1 and March 31, 2027. The survey vessel is R/V Maine, a 42-foot converted Marine Patrol vessel.
It is not anticipated that DMR will have to ask for gear to be moved for these surveys.
American First Seafood Strategy
On October 23, the Trump Administration unveiled the America First Seafood Strategy, which recognizes U.S. fishermen as essential to America’s economic strength, food security, coastal prosperity, and national resilience.
The Strategy prioritizes rebuilding infrastructure by reducing regulatory barriers to expansion and modernization, thereby encouraging investment in processing jobs.
The Strategy identifies how the Trump Administration is helping restore the profitability of U.S. fishermen through strengthening import certification and compliance, engaging in regulatory reform, pursuing partnerships with industry, and seeking expanded market access for American seafood abroad.
The Trump Administration is launching a new website, Seafood.gov — a one-stop destination for U.S. fishermen and consumers to access clear information about federal seafood initiatives and the science- and health-based reasons to choose American seafood.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing a voluntary “U.S. Caught Seafood” label so American consumers and those around the world can clearly identify seafood that is caught and harvested by American fishermen. Additionally, the Trump Administration is providing more than $5 billion in guaranteed loans through the USDA to expand American dominance in modernized meat and seafood processing.
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