Data / Federal rules / 2026-04460

Definition of Shellfish; Inclusion of Cephalopods

The Fish and Wildlife Service published this proposed rule in the Federal Register on March 6, 2026. Comments closed on April 6, 2026.

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What the agency says

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to amend the definition of "shellfish" in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) by removing the phrase "having a shell" and adding specific taxa. This amendment would clarify that squid, cuttlefish, octopus, and other cephalopods are included within the regulatory definition of shellfish. This action is deregulatory in nature, as it reduces regulatory ambiguity, aligns the Service's regulations with current biological understanding and commercial practice, reduces regulatory burden and is within the Service's purview to amend definitions as needed.

Key facts

Document number: 2026-04460
Type: Proposed rule
Action: Proposed rule
Agency: Interior Department; Fish and Wildlife Service
Published: March 6, 2026
Comments due: April 6, 2026
Dates: We will consider comments received or postmarked on or before April 6, 2026. Comments submitted electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES, below) must be received by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the closing date.
Docket: Docket No. FWS-HQ-LE-2026-0628; FXLE12200900000-267-FF09L00000
Regulation ID (RIN): 1018-BJ16
Code of Federal Regulations: 50 CFR 10
Topics: Exports; Fish; Imports; Law enforcement; Plants; Transportation; Wildlife
Pages: 4

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

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Everything from the Fish and Wildlife Service · Rules on exports · Rules on fish · Rules on imports · Published in March 2026

Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.