Steve Bittenbender

Contributing Editor

Steve Bittenbender works as a freelance journalist based in Louisville, Kentucky. Besides working for SeafoodSource.com as a contributing editor, Steve also works as an editor for Government Security News and as the Kentucky correspondent for the Reuters News Service. He also works as a sports writer for The (Louisville) Courier-Journal and The Associated Press. He has received awards from the Kentucky Press Association and the Louisville Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists for his on-going and enterprise reporting work.

Published on
January 5, 2021

Lawmakers representing the U.S. state of Massachusetts said on Monday, 4 January, they were thankful the USD 900 billion (EUR 732 billion) COVID relief bill – passed late last month and signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump – will include a second round of emergency funding for fisheries.

The latest spending plan sets aside USD 300 million (EUR 244 million) in relief funding for fishermen and others in the industry

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Published on
January 4, 2021

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, 1 January, vetoed a bill that would have banned the use of driftnets in federal waters off the California coast.

The move means lawmakers will need to start efforts anew to pass legislation that mirrors what California lawmakers passed in 2018, as a new U.S. Congress was sworn into office on Sunday, 3 January.

In rejecting Senate Bill 906, the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act, Trump said his

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Published on
December 23, 2020

NaturalShrimp, Inc. and Ecoponex Systems International announced on Tuesday, 22 December, they have signed a letter of intent with a North Carolina company to develop an organic shrimp farm in Puerto Rico using the NaturalShrimp’s patented technology ... 

Photo courtesy of

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Published on
December 23, 2020

As the distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccines continues across the United States, discussions are now taking place to determine the groups that should receive the vaccine after nursing home residents and staff and essential health care workers. Food processing businesses, including those in the seafood industry, are urging leaders in their respective states to keep them toward the front of the line.

According to the U.S. Centers

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Published on
December 11, 2020

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported on Friday, 4 December, that it refused 88 seafood entry lines for the month of November, most of which pertained to a single Indian exporter ... 

Photo courtesy of U.S. Food and Drug

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Published on
December 9, 2020

A bill that would help the next generation of fishermen enter the business passed a major hurdle last week when the U.S. Senate passed the measure by a voice vote.

Sponsored by U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), the bill is fashioned after a U.S. Department of Agriculture program to aid new farmers and ranchers. Among the steps the legislation calls for is the establishment of competitive grants at state, local, tribal, and regional levels; the

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Published on
December 2, 2020

Shrimp landings in the Gulf of Mexico are tracking to return the worst annual total in at least 18 years ... 

Photo courtesy of Dan

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Published on
December 2, 2020

A bipartisan group of lawmakers from both the U.S. Senate and House proposed on Tuesday, 1 December, a USD 908 billion (EUR 750.8 billion) COVID-19 relief package that would include additional funding for fisheries affected by the pandemic.

That package includes USD 26 billion (EUR 21.5 billion) for nutrition and agriculture programs, which U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) said in a release would include assistance for fisheries. The exact

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Published on
November 19, 2020

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is on pace to reject the fewest entry lines of shrimp imports because of banned antibiotics in 14 years, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance, which tracks historical data for the industry.

Through October, the FDA has rejected just 27 entry lines for antibiotics, less than half the number refused for all of 2019. Barring a sharp uptick in the final two months, 2020 will be the third-lowest year

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Published on
November 16, 2020

A Canadian company has launched a new dog food product that provides pooches with protein while removing an invasive species from North American waterways.

Wilder Harrier already has its Asian carp dog food on shelves in pet food stores in Quebec, and the Montreal-based company plans to make it available elsewhere in Canada starting in January. It’s also available online at Wilder Harrier’s website.

The company works with fishermen

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