Good news for sea turtles, dolphins, whales, and other marine animals: The United States will finally ban seafood imports from fisheries whose fishing practices result in fatal bycatch — thanks to pressure from several wildlife conservation groups, as announced by the groups in a press release.

When fisheries trawl the seafloor – dragging gigantic nets across the bottom of the ocean in hopes of scooping up shrimp or other “seafood” – their nets kill indiscriminately. Protected species, like loggerhead sea turtles, may also be swept up in the nets. This is called bycatch – and a sea turtle who becomes bycatch of the seafood industry may drown while entangled in nets, be crushed under the weight of other sea life after being dumped onto a shipping vessel, or otherwise suffer a senseless death.

Over 650,000 innocent marine animals are killed in fishing gear each year to supply the world’s demand for seafood – and the U.S. is the world’s largest importer, according to the press release. This change in policy from the U.S. may put pressure on the international seafood industry to make changes to their fishing practices to better protect marine life from becoming bycatch.

This news is the result of a settlement between several federal U.S. departments and the groups who filed a lawsuit – the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Natural Resource Defense Council – demanding the U.S. uphold an existing law meant to stop importing seafood from countries whose bycatch regulations are less strict than those of the U.S. However, the U.S. has failed to follow through with this law, according to the lawsuit.

The change in policy is expected to take effect in 2026 and has the potential to change the global industry.

The exact number of animals who have died due to the global fishing industry is incalculable – fish mortality is generally estimated by weight, not by individual lives. Fish are sentient beings, however, and are just as worthy of respect and compassion as other animals.

From loggerhead sea turtles to humpback whales, the ocean is home to so many unique and beautiful marine animals. They deserve to live their lives wild and free in the ocean – without being violently killed in the global seafood industry.

Lady Freethinker welcomes this news and encourages everyone to make a difference for marine animals by choosing compassionate plant-based alternatives to seafood.