Federal Law Requires US Seafood Imports to Not Threaten Marine Mammals. A Lawsuit Is Pushing the Government to Finally Act.
Key takeaways
- On Thursday, Earthjustice filed suit on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Center for Biological Diversity in the U.S.
- We deliver climate news to your inbox like nobody else.
- Our #1 newsletter delivers the week’s climate and energy news – our original stories and top headlines from around the web.
Why this matters: environmental and climate reporting with long-term consequences.
May 22, 2026 Share This Article Republish. A fishing trawler drags its net through the waters near Greenock, Scotland, on March 5, 2019. Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images Related China’s Shark Finning Could Lead to US Seafood Sanctions Warming Waters in the Gulf of Maine May Affect the Future of Lobsters One in Five Fish Products Tied to Fraud Share This Article Republish Most Popular Wildfire Crews Race to Keep Fierce California Blaze From Former Nuclear Reactor Site What to Expect as El Niño Approaches EPA Claims ‘Overwhelming Rejection’ of EVs as It Moves to Loosen Air Pollution Rules Environmental groups on Thursday sued the United States government to ensure internationally sourced seafood doesn’t threaten whales or dolphins that become entangled or drown due to sometimes lethal fishing techniques.
The U.S., the world’s largest seafood importer, has long had laws ensuring that fishers in its waters don’t ensnare marine mammals as incidental “bycatch.” But the federal government has never enforced those laws, which require the nation to ban seafood imports from countries that don’t have similarly protective rules.
On Thursday, Earthjustice filed suit on behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Animal Welfare Institute and the Center for Biological Diversity in the U.S. Court of International Trade, challenging seafood sales from eight countries that import to U.S. consumers. The suit alleges that commercial fisheries in these countries kill thousands of marine mammals in part by using lethal fishing gear, including gillnets, longlines and trawlers.