The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is pressing ahead with its plan to ban Fast Ferries between the Massachusetts mainland and Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket between November 1st and May 30. I first wrote...more
The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to reconsider the Chevron doctrine, which instructs courts to defer to a federal agency’s reasonable interpretation of an ambiguous statute that US Congress delegated to the...more
The action marks the clearance of another significant hurdle toward BOEM’s offshore wind lease sales in federal waters offshore California, anticipated to occur this fall. In the first half of 2022, the Bureau of Ocean...more
Key Takeaways What Is Happening? An increased focus on climate change and environmental stewardship is rapidly changing the legal and regulatory landscape affecting the fisheries and aquaculture industries, and agencies and...more
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that it has identified the first two regions where Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) will be located in federal waters off Southern California and in the...more
On May 7, 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth (the EO) with the goal of reducing regulatory burdens and developing a more robust domestic seafood...more
On May 7, 2020, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the allocation of $300 million in federal assistance to coastal states, tribes and territories for distribution to participants in the fishery industry who have been...more
On November 1, 2019, Chad Ponce of Jacksonville, Florida pleaded guilty to killing a smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata), an endangered species protected under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Florida...more
Amidst much fanfare, on Friday President Trump released a Presidential Memoranda (much like an Executive Order, yet different?) directing Federal agencies to work together to reduce regulatory burdens on Western water...more
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation voted to approve the Modern Fish Act on Feb. 28, 2018. The Modern Fish Act has bi-partisan support but is opposed by commercial fishing interest and some...more
NEW REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS - Federal - Final 2014 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan and 2014 Annual Effluent Guidelines Review Report EPA is announcing the availability of its Final 2014 Effluent Guidelines...more