April 3, 2026 — NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has officially rescinded the regulations that prohibited commercial fishing within the boundaries of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
The move by NMFS comes after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order revoking restrictions on commercial fishing in February.
April 3, 2026 — The White House released its fiscal 2027 budget request Friday morning, unveiling plans to continue waging its longstanding war against renewable energy and climate initiatives while boosting support for artificial intelligence and fossil fuels.
The spending blueprint also includes a proposed reorganization for core Interior Department energy offices — the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
President Donald Trump’s budget would take a sledgehammer to Biden-era energy and environment programs that the administration has not already decimated, proposing tens of billions of dollars in cuts to everything from electric vehicle chargers to efforts to prosecute certain environmental crimes.
April 3, 2026 — The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a five-year research project that will use nuclear and related technologies to strengthen participating countries’ ability to detect and prevent seafood fraud.
According to IAEA, seafood consumption per capita has nearly doubled since the 1960s and is projected to double again by 2050, increasing the need to reduce seafood fraud now and protect fair trade practices.
April 3, 2026 — Maritime technology and surveillance company ThayerMahan reported a positive demonstration of its counter illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing solution with NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, validating its technologies for future use.
“This demonstration is important for our maritime national security, and the preservation of U.S. marine resources,” ThayerMahan Vice President Offshore Programs Greg Sabra said in a release. “We’ve proven to NOAA, the Coast Guard, and their partners that ThayerMahan’s advanced sensing and data flows give them a dependable, scalable, and repeatable way to observe protected waters and areas of interest, around the clock, with no crewed vessels or aircraft in the loop. This is how the United States can combat illicit actors at operational scale.”
April 3, 2026 — After nearly a century off the water, fish traps are back on the Columbia River – this time as part of a closely watched experiment that could reshape how salmon are harvested in the Pacific Northwest.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, Washington and Oregon authorized three commercial fish traps in 2025, marking the first time the gear has been used commercially on the river in almost 100 years. The goal: determine whether traps can compete economically with gillnets while reducing impact on threatened salmon stocks.
April 3, 2026 — Florida’s spiny lobster season closed April 1 across both state and federal waters, bringing a halt to commercial and recreational harvests as the fishery enters its annual spring shutdown.
The closure, set by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, applies fleetwide and marks the start of a four-month pause during the species’ peak spawning period.
April 3, 2026 — Oil prices have surged above $100 a barrel since the U.S. and Israel began the war with Iran, with tankers stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.
Those disruptions mean Hawaii drivers are paying a lot more to fill up their tanks. AAA says a regular unleaded gallon of gas averages about $5.50, up more than a dollar from last month — a 20% jump.
Some drivers say they’re riding out the price surge as they’ve done in past years.
“We continue to do what we do, shop, shop, shop,” said Honolulu resident Michael MacDonald. “I’m sure we’re going to see it come down. Eventually, quickly, I hope.”
Liza Blum of Waipio hopes to save money by not driving as much. It now costs $10 more to fill up her SUV, which lasts about 10 days.
“It’s very hard on our pocket,” she said. “I don’t go out anymore. I just go home and work and groceries and like that.”
April 3, 2026 — NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service rescinded a regulation that prohibited commercial fishing within the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument boundaries. This action was necessary to align fishing regulations with President Trump’s Executive Proclamation Unleashing American Commercial Fishing in the Atlantic to reopen the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing.
NOAA is proud to support the Administration’s pledge to restore US seafood competitiveness through the America First Fishing Policy. The President’s Executive Proclamation and NOAA’s regulatory actions come as a direct result of feedback from the US fishing industry, and they will increase economic opportunities for American fishermen.
April 2, 2026 — A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: The cost of fuel oil is rising because of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Now, we’re seeing it on the ground at gas stations and in the air as airlines raise prices. Today, we look at the water. David Wright reports from Ocean State Media in Rhode Island, where the price of diesel fuel is about $5.75 a gallon.
(SOUNDBITE OF ICE SCRAPING)
DAVID WRIGHT, BYLINE: Mike Pugliese, known locally as Fishmonger Mike, starts his day scooping plenty of ice.
(SOUNDBITE OF ICE SCRAPING)
WRIGHT: The shelf life of his product depends on it.
What’s this?
MIKE PUGLIESE: That’s fluke. It’s a type of flounder. That was caught two days ago.
WRIGHT: Right now, fresh seafood is under pressure, in part because rough weather has made this a tough year for New England fishermen. Now they’re facing higher fuel prices, too.
PUGLIESE: I’m praying that the diesel prices don’t go any higher because right now, I think they’re at the pinnacle for particularly the local boats here that are doing the fluke offshore.
WRIGHT: Over the past month since the war in Iran kicked off, the cost of diesel here in Rhode Island has jumped nearly 50% at local gas stations and here at the dock.
Read the full transcript at NPR
April 2, 2026 — President Trump has tried to cut funding for virtually every federal program that addresses climate change. But Congress has been pushing back, sometimes with surprising bipartisan support.
This year, lawmakers quietly saved funding for the government’s popular Energy Star program, which ranks appliances based on energy conservation and cost savings. Bipartisan majorities also salvaged weather forecasting, fisheries and climate research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and even some international environmental aid.
Mr. Trump’s new proposed budget is expected to be made public on Friday, and climate advocates said they were bracing for steep new cuts to environmental programs. The White House declined to comment on the budget but noted that Mr. Trump had already eliminated his top targets, like federal support for wind, solar and other renewable energy.
Advocates for climate action said their modest success last time had given them some hope of again retaining popular programs in next year’s budget.