US EditionRepublicans try to weaken 50-year-old law protecting whales, seals and polar bears
The Seafood Coalition argues NOAA's import ban under the Marine Mammal Protection Act threatens U.S. restaurants and supply chains, citing economic harm and sustainability investments.
- On Oct. 10, 2025, the Restaurant Law Center, the National Fisheries Institute and key seafood suppliers sued the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York City.
- NOAA's September 2, 2025 decision triggered a sweeping import ban effective January 1, 2026, which plaintiffs say ignored economic impacts on U.S. businesses.
- Angelo Amador warned that `Restaurants are already facing tight margins and labor shortages`, and plaintiffs say many may remove popular seafood, raise prices, or close as domestic fisheries cannot meet demand.
- Plaintiffs are asking the court to vacate the bans and force National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reconsider using a lawful, results-based approach, while Republican Rep. Nick Begich of Alaska drafted legislation this summer to roll back parts of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
- Conservation groups say the changes would roll back hard-won protections for the North Atlantic right whale and Rice's whale , while the complaint notes affected foreign fisheries invested in sustainability yet lost access.
115 Articles
115 Articles
50-year-old law protecting whales, seals and polar bears targeted for rollback
A GOP-led bill in the works has support from fishermen in Maine who say the law makes lobster fishing more difficult and lobbyists for big-money species such as tuna in Hawaii and crab in Alaska.
Associated Press News
Republicans try to weaken 50-year-old law protecting whales, seals and polar bears
One of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, credited with helping save rare whales from extinction, is the subject of an effort for cutbacks from Republican lawmakers who now feel they have the political will to do so.
Bennington Banner
Seafood Coalition, Including Restaurant Law Center, Sues NOAA Over Marine Mammal Protection Act Implementation
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Restaurant Law Center, along with the National Fisheries Institute and key seafood suppliers, has filed a lawsuit against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) over its implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection…
E&E News: Seafood coalition sues NOAA Fisheries over import bans
Lawsuit: The agency's decision — based on the strength of exporting countries' marine mammal protections — lacked "reasoned explanation, fishery-specific evidence, or consideration of the devastating domestic and international economic consequences they are already causing."
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