US Senators Urge Treasury Secretary Bessent to Crack Down on Chinas IUU Activity

Contact

Expana
P.O. Box 389
Toms River, NJ 08754
1-732-240-5330

Editorial

Jamie Chadwick
Managing Editor
1001 Corporate Circle
Toms River, NJ 08755
Voice: 732-575-1983
jamie.chadwick
@expanamarkets.com

Ryan Doyle
Editor
SeafoodNews.com
1001 Corporate Circle
Toms River, NJ 08755
ryan.doyle
@expanamarkets.com

Susan Chambers
Associate Editor
SeafoodNews.com
Voice: 541-297-2875
susan.chambers
@expanamarkets.com

Peggy Parker
Science and Sustainability Editor
PO Box 872
Deming, WA 98244
Voice: 360-592-3116
peggy.parker
@expanamarkets.com

John Sackton
Contributor
8 White Pine Lane
Lexington, MA 02421
Voice: 617-308-0776
[email protected]

Support and Questions
1-800-443-5330
[email protected]

Subscription Info
1-800-932-0617
[email protected]

Terms

License Agreement

US Senators Urge Treasury Secretary Bessent to Crack Down on China's IUU Activity

Last Wednesday, US Senator Todd Young (R-IN) and eight other senators sent a four-page letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlining efforts already underway to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by Chinese fleets and urging the administration to now target the supply vessels that enable them. China's illegal fishing practices, the senators wrote, undermine international law, threaten global fish stocks, and harm American fishermen.

In the letter, the senators outline a strategy to target China's distant-water fishing fleet by sanctioning...

To Read Full Story Login Below.

Note: All comments are displayed with user's screen name. If screen name is not present, user's full name will be used. Please go to My Account to update your screen name.

Submit comment or question

This comment will be posted using your screen name:

Submit Notification

Comment Policy: SeafoodNews.com and Urner Barry have made the comment feature available to encourage further discussion of our news stories. Defamatory or offensive Comments, or comments deemed not relevant to the story will be removed, and if necessary, SeafoodNews.com and Urner Barry may restrict the right of individual subscribers to offer comments. IN all cases, comments represent opinions of the poster only, and do not represent fact, news, opinions or estimates put forward by SeafoodNews.com and Urner Barry.

The Winding Glass: What Alaska Has Lost

In 2016, Alaska fishermen received an average of 40 cents per pound for their catch (in 2025 dollars). In 2024, they got 27 cents, a 32% decline in real terms. Alaska's other resource industry, oil, saw its price rise 30% in real terms over the same period.

These are not just the actions of commodity markets. Seafood lost a third of its real value, a fifth of its processing plants, and most of its mid-sized owners. The losses did not fall evenly along the supply chain. Total wholesale sales fell by only...

Full Story »

USDA Announces $76.5 Million Food Purchase, Including $25 Million for Atlantic Groundfish and Catfish

The US Department of Agriculture announced it will purchase up to $76.5 million in agricultural commodities from American farmers and producers for distribution to food banks and nutrition assistance programs, including $25 million earmarked for seafood

The purchases are made under Section 32 of the Agriculture Act of 1935, a permanently authorized federal program that funds surplus commodity purchases for domestic food assistance programs, including school nutrition and food banks. The full commodity breakdown is as follows...

Full Story »

US Senators Urge Treasury Secretary Bessent to Crack Down on China's IUU Activity

In the letter, the senators outline a strategy to target China's distant-water fishing fleet by sanctioning...

Full Story »

EU Seafood Consumption Hits Decade Low as Price Pressure and Convenience Demands Reshape the Market

European consumers are eating less fish than at any point in the past decade. EU apparent consumption fell from 12.94 million tonnes in 2014 to 10.25 million tonnes in 2023, with per capita intake dropping from 25.5 kg to 22.9 kg — the lowest level of the period — according to a sweeping new study from the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA). The sharpest decline came after 2019, as COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and sustained food price inflation accelerated behavioral shifts...

Full Story »

Thai Union Names New CFO, CDO and Strategy Chief to Drive Strategy 2030

Thai Union has appointed three new members of its global leadership team as the company looks to accelerate its Strategy 2030 priorities around core business revitalization, new growth platforms, and capability building.

The company named Ratiporn Ratcharoen as Chief Financial Officer, Daniel Laverick as Chief Digital Officer, and Sumit Narang as Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer.

"Strategy 2030 sets a clear direction for Thai Union's next phase of growth, and these appointments strengthen the leadership capabilities we need to deliver it...

Full Story »

NOAA Flags Ecosystem Shifts Across the Northeast US Shelf in Latest Annual Report

NOAA has released its annual State of the Ecosystem Reports for the Northeast US Shelf, regarded in the report as one of the world’s most productive marine ecosystems, highlighting notable changes in ecosystem conditions and the services the region provides.

Prepared for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils, the reports are designed to inform decision-making on ecological, oceanographic, and socioeconomic conditions across the region, including fishing activity and climate trends in 2025.

The latest findings show that the Northeast Shelf experienced...

Full Story »

Two Tuna Boats Collide off Washington State, One Sinks After USCG Rescue of Crew

A commercial fishing vessel sank last Tuesday off the coast of Washington state following a collision with another vessel approximately 22 miles offshore of Grays Harbor. All three crew members aboard the stricken vessel were safely rescued.

An initial report of the collision between the Tabitha, a 62-foot commercial fishing vessel, and the Nora J, a 35-foot wooden commercial fishing vessel, reached Coast Guard watchstanders at the Sector Columbia River Command Center at 6:40 a.m...

Full Story »

ANALYSIS: Eastern Pacific Tuna Landings for Yellowfin and Skipjack Diverge as El Niño Emerges

The latest data from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) shows cumulative yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) landings from January to May 2026 increased 12.6% YTD in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). Mexico leads yellowfin landings with a 39% share, followed by Ecuador at 22%...

Full Story »

HF Foods Expands into Canada with $35M Acquisition of Searay Foods

HF Foods Group Inc., a distributor of international foodservice solutions to Asian restaurants and other businesses across the United States, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Searay Foods Inc., including Morgan Foods Inc. and Searay Foods USA Inc. for approximately CAD$47.9 million (about US$35 million based on current exchange rates).

Announced July 23, the acquisition marks HF Foods' first expansion outside the United States and its entry into the Canadian market.

British Columbia-based Searay is an importer and distributor of ethnic...

Full Story »

EU Seafood Alliance Calls Out Europe's Protein Strategy for Leaving Aquatic Foods on the Sidelines

Europe's seafood sector is pushing back on the European Commission's newly published protein agenda, warning that a strategy built around livestock and plant-based sources while sidelining fisheries and aquaculture will leave critical gaps in the bloc's food security framework.

The European Union Seafood Alliance (EUSeA) — which brings together EAPO, Europêche, FEAP, Seafood Europe, and the European Mollusc Producers' Association (EMPA) — welcomed the Commission's Action Plan for resilience, strategic autonomy and sustainability of the EU protein system...

Full Story »

EPA Grants First-Ever Tier 4 Engine Exemption to Support New England Lobster Industry

The US Environmental Protection Agency has exempted a specific new lobster boat model in Chatham, Massachusetts, from Tier 4 marine engine requirements — marking the first time the agency has invoked this exemption authority since the waiver process was established in 2024.

The exemption allows the Chatham vessel builder to use a Tier 3 engine after EPA determined that currently available Tier 4 engines cannot fit within the applicant's vessel design while maintaining essential operational requirements. The exempt engine must meet Tier 3 emission standards...

Full Story »

Middle East Market Intelligence Brief: Week Ending July 24, 2026

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a new front in the US-Iran war and threatening global energy supplies via the Bab el-Mandeb, a key oil shipping route.

The move, described as retaliation against Saudi Arabia, came as mediators proposed a 10-day ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

Tensions escalated after the Houthis claimed missile and drone attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. President Donald Trump vowed to hold Iran responsible for any future Houthi attacks, threatening "major military punishment"

Full Story »

Norwegian Salmon Mortality Falls 35.7% as Industry Improvements Drive Decline

Mortality among Norwegian farmed salmon and trout has fallen significantly in recent years, with new data from the Directorate of Fisheries showing a 35.7% decline compared with the same period over the past three years.

The decline marks the lowest mortality level recorded for the first half of the year since 2018, with June 2026 also recording the lowest figures for the month across the same period.

The improvement has been seen across most of Norway’s production areas (POs), with 11 of 13 POs reporting lower...

Full Story »

ANALYSIS: US Sockeye Prices Hold Firm as Reports of Increased Freezing Surface

Prices for fresh wild sockeye H&G have held firm through the 2026 season, establishing a year-over-year premium that has become one of the more notable storylines of this year's Bristol Bay campaign. As of mid-July 2026, pricing carries an average of $7.625/lb, compared to an average of approximately $5.90/lb at the same point last year — a spread of roughly $1.70/lb or approximately +29% year-over-year.

What makes this year particularly notable is the shape of the pricing curve, not just the absolute levels. In 2025, the season...

Full Story »

De Heus Opens Vietnam Cold-Water Fish Feed Mill

De Heus Animal Nutrition has opened a new marine and cold-water fish feed mill in Vinh Long Province, Vietnam. It is the De Heus' first facility dedicated exclusively to cold-water fish feed production, the company stated. Its annual production capacity will amount to 84,000 MT.

According to De Heus, the facility will serve both domestic Vietnamese producers and international markets. It will cater to growing opportunities in marine aquaculture for species including sea bass and barramundi destined for regional and export markets.

Full Story »

WA and OR Legislators and Industry Respond to Sudden Loss of BPA Funding for Columbia River Hatchery

State and federal lawmakers are joining industry to object to the Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) June 18 decision to end its $2.4 million annual fund for the Select Area Fisheries Enhancement (SAFE) Program in the Lower Columbia River. The SAFE Program is a collaboration of three partners: the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and Clatsop County.

Withdrawal of the funds places more than 7 million hatchery salmon currently in production at immediate...

Full Story »

Chile Defines 'Micro-Relocation' in Aquaculture Reform, Unlocking 95 Stalled Concession Requests

Chile's Senate Environment Committee has approved a key definition within the country's sweeping aquaculture reform legislation, establishing the concept of "micro-relocation" for salmon farming concessions and exempting such moves from the country's full environmental impact assessment process.

Under the approved language — put forward by President José Antonio Kast's administration — a micro-relocation is defined as a shift of no more than 350 meters from any vertex of an existing concession, undertaken solely to improve environmental conditions such as water depth and current velocity, which affect the dispersion...

Full Story »

Start Date:
End Date:
	Search Title?
	Search Article?
	Search Tags?