Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Judge blocks Chilean sea bass imports due to fishing dispute

A Florida federal judge has ruled to block the import of Chilean sea bass from waters near Antarctica, siding with U.S. regulators in a dispute stemming from Russia’s obstruction of global fishing conservation efforts. The decision halts imports of the high-value fish, also known as Patagonia toothfish, from South Georgia, a UK-controlled island in the South Atlantic.

The case arose after Russia refused to approve catch limits for the fish in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which has set sustainable catch limits for over 40 years. Russia’s refusal disrupted the established international cooperation, with the UK setting its own, lower catch limit unilaterally, drawing concerns from the U.S. and environmental groups about potential overfishing.

Judge David Leibowitz’s ruling reinforces the U.S. government’s stance, arguing that unregulated fishing would undermine global conservation efforts. The decision upholds a ban on Chilean sea bass imports from UK-licensed vessels fishing near South Georgia, but allows imports from other countries like Australia and France, where catch limits remain intact.

This legal battle highlights ongoing tensions between international fishing regulations and national interests, with significant implications for businesses in the seafood supply chain, which rely on these regulations for access to sustainable markets. Environmental groups have lauded the decision, emphasising the risk to marine ecosystems if unilateral actions continue.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our news site - please take a moment to read this important message:

As you know, our aim is to bring you, the reader, an editorially led news site and magazine but journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them.

With the Covid-19 pandemic having a major impact on our industry as a whole, the advertising revenues we normally receive, which helps us cover the cost of our journalists and this website, have been drastically affected.

As such we need your help. If you can support our news sites/magazines with either a small donation of even £1, or a subscription to our magazine, which costs just £31.50 per year, (inc p&P and mailed direct to your door) your generosity will help us weather the storm and continue in our quest to deliver quality journalism.

As a subscriber, you will have unlimited access to our web site and magazine. You'll also be offered VIP invitations to our events, preferential rates to all our awards and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Just click here to subscribe and in the meantime may I wish you the very best.
















Latest news

Related news

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close