Management & Regulation Archives

Proposed NOAA cuts could hit Pacific weather forecasts, fisheries and coral programs

June 8, 2026 — The Trump administration’s proposed 2027 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would slash more than $1 billion from the agency and eliminate dozens of programs, raising concerns across the Pacific islands where communities rely heavily on weather forecasting, fisheries management and coastal conservation.

NOAA’s fiscal year 2027 budget request seeks $4.54 billion, a decrease of about $1.09 billion from the 2026 enacted level. The proposal includes more than $1.3 billion in program terminations and another $523 million in reductions, partially offset by investments in weather radar modernization, satellite systems and selected fisheries initiatives.

For Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the proposed cuts touch areas closely tied to daily life, from typhoon forecasting and marine observations to coral reef protection and coastal resilience.

The budget documents call for terminating the Coral Reef Conservation Program, ending Integrated Ocean Acidification efforts, eliminating regional Integrated Ocean Observing System programs and terminating Coastal Zone Management Grants. The proposal would also eliminate NOAA’s National Coastal Resilience Fund and reduce funding for ocean observations and monitoring.

Read the full article at the Marianas Variety

Fishermen advocate begins campaign against offshore wind, ‘industrializing’ of the ocean

June 8, 2026 — The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association began a campaign to bring attention to what it says is a radical climate activism’s “industrializing” of the ocean through green energy agendas and the disastrous effect such objectives have on commercial fishermen’s livelihoods.

President of the fishermen advocacy Aaron Williams told The Center Square that his organization’s campaign “is intended to bring attention to the growing concerns many commercial fishermen, seafood producers, and coastal communities have regarding the rapid expansion of offshore wind development in productive fishing grounds.”

Read the full article at the Center Square

Advocacy Supports NMFS Effort to Modernize Vessel Speed Rule

June 4, 2026 — The following was released by the US Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy:

On March 4, 2026, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on modernizing the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule (Vessel Speed Rule).

The Vessel Speed Rule was first implemented by NMFS in 2008. It imposes a seasonal, mandatory vessel speed limit of 10 knots on boats 65 feet or larger in designated areas along the east coast to help mitigate boat collisions with right whales.

The NFMS is now “considering possible deregulatory action to modify and modernize” the Vessel Speed Rule. Specifically, the agency seeks to “reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens on the regulated community by replacing current seasonal speed restrictions with alternative management areas and advanced, technology-based, strike-avoidance measures that maintain or enhance conservation efficacy.”

Advocacy held a roundtable on the ANPRM and used the input from attendees to make recommendations on how the current Vessel Speed Rule could be improved to reduce regulatory burdens on small entities while minimizing the risk of vessel collisions with right whales. Additionally, Advocacy notes that reviewing the Vessel Speed Rule aligns with both the Regulatory Flexibility Act and recent Supreme Court precedent.

NOAA proposes moving more commercial fishers to electronic logbooks

June 3, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is accepting public comments on a proposal to switch over more commercial fishers in the Gulf of Mexico – currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the administration of President Donald Trump – and South Atlantic Ocean from traditional, paper logbooks to electronic logbooks.

If approved, the change would apply to all federally permitted commercial fishers harvesting Gulf reef fish, Gulf or Atlantic coastal migratory pelagic species, Atlantic dolphin and wahoo, and species in the South Atlantic snapper-grouper complex.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Proposed electronic reporting requirement for commercial fishing logbooks

June 2, 2026 — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has proposed a rule that would require commercial fishermen holding certain federal permits to submit fishing logbooks electronically instead of using the current paper reporting system.

According to the proposal, commercial fishing logbooks are used to collect catch and effort data, including landed species and weights, fishing locations, water depths and gear types. Under the current system, NMFS mails approximately 100-page carbon-copy logbooks and postage-paid return envelopes each December to owners of federally permitted vessels.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

North Pacific council seeks public comment on pelagic trawl gear

June 1, 2026 — Federal fisheries managers are scheduled to take up pelagic trawl gear issues in Alaska’s commercial fisheries when they meet June 1 to June 9 in Vancouver, Wash.

Members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) plan to hear presentations from industry, processor and research entities and research updates to determine whether further action should be pursued to minimize the impact of trawl bycatch on other species.

NPFMC staff posted the June 2025 Pelagic Trawl Gear Innovation report for discussion at the June meetings. The council may also evaluate potential management measures to minimize the impacts of pelagic trawl gear in areas that are closed to nonpelagic trawl gear and address potential unobserved crab mortality, council staff said.

Trawl bycatch of salmon and other species in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska has prompted economic controversy for years, particularly from rural residents pursuing a subsistence lifestyle. The trawl fishery plays a significant role in the economy of areas such as Kodiak Island.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

WestPac will convene its June meeting in American Samoa

May 29, 2026 — The 207th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene in person June 9- 11, 2026, at the Tauese P.F. Sunia Ocean Center, Fagatogo, AS. A remote participation option will be available by web conference (Webex).

Summary of Action Items at the 207th Council Meeting

1. ACL Specifications for MHI Kona Crab for 2027 to 2030 (Final Action)

The Council will consider specifying multi-year harvest limits for the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI) Kona crab for fishing years 2027-2030. The best scientific information available is the 2019 benchmark stock assessment with catch projection to 2026.

Based on 2019 stock assessment, the maximum sustainable yield was estimated to be at 73,609 pounds and the overfishing limit at 33,989 pounds. In 2019, the Council’s P* (Risk of Overfishing) and SEEM (Social, Economic, Ecological and Management Uncertainty) Working Groups and the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) evaluated the scientific, social, ecological, economic, and management uncertainties and recommended a risk level to the Council. The risk of overfishing informs the Council’s consideration of annual catch limit (ACL) specification, and the management uncertainty informs the Council’s consideration in setting the annual catch target (ACT).

Summary of Potential Action Items at the 207th Council Meeting

Read the full article at Samoa News

US prepares to auction leases for seabed mining blocks in federal waters

May 28, 2026 — The U.S. agency responsible for overseeing deep-sea mining in federal waters is preparing to auction off seabed blocks within months — a step that could kick-start commercial-scale deep-sea mining and make the U.S. one of the first countries to allow it.

Deep-sea mining has not yet begun anywhere in the world. Opponents say it could cause widespread and irreversible damage to the marine environment if it begins, while supporters say it could provide an important source of critical minerals.

In a budgetary document released in April 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) indicated it intends to hold at least three offshore lease sales during the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years. The lease sales will take place through competitive auctions, providing a pathway for winning companies to gain exclusive rights to explore and exploit minerals in designated tracts of seabed.

The first sale is slated for the federal waters of American Samoa in August 2026; a second in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in November 2026; and a third in Alaska in 2027. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the U.S. agency currently responsible for the development of offshore energy and mineral resources on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS), confirmed this timeline.

Read the full article at Mongabay

The Longest Atlantic Red Snapper Season in Years Is on Hold

May 26 2026 — When the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) in early May to states from North Carolina south, Atlantic red snapper anglers couldn’t hold in their excitement. That’s because offshore anglers in the South Atlantic have been completely handcuffed from targeting and keeping red snapper for years. Since 2020, the red snapper season in Atlantic federal waters has been just one to four days in July. Even before 2020, the red snapper season has been in overhaul mode since 2010 — there hasn’t been an Atlantic federal recreational season that’s exceeded 8 days since then.

The EFPs are a way for the states to finally have longer recreational red snapper seasons in 2026. Officially, NMFS said:

“The EFPs allow the states to pilot test state data collection and management strategies for the recreational harvest of red snapper in 2026. The EFPs are intended to improve data on recreational fishing effort and catch of red snapper in the South Atlantic and to inform the development of a long-term state-led management strategy for the recreational harvest of red snapper.”

What that means for anglers is a 2026 season that spans months, not a weekend. Off Florida, anglers in federal waters receive 39 days (May 22 – June 20, October 2-4, October 9-11, and October 16-18), while Georgia and the Carolinas enjoy 62 days (July 1 – August 31). Bag limit is just one red snapper a day, but that couldn’t stop the overall buzz and excitement around the docks.

First up was the Sunshine State. In Florida, anglers readied their boats for a Memorial weekend fishing trip, while charters from Jacksonville south were booked with expectant bottom fishermen. As part of the EFPs, anglers are required to declare their fishing trip and report back their red snapper catches.

Read the full article at Wired2fish.com

Major gaps remain in monitoring of seafood imports

May 26, 2026 — A new policy brief released by a coalition of human rights and environmental civil society organizations concludes that most seafood imported into the United States lacks basic catch documentation and traceability.

The brief draws on a technical report by Simeone Consulting LLC in Littleton, N.H., which outlines critical reforms needed to keep seafood connected with illegal, unreported, and unregulated from entering U.S. markets.

Only a small percentage of all seafood imported into the U.S. is covered under current import regulations, and even for those 13 species groups, there are many loopholes, said John Simeone, author of the report, in an interview on May 19.

Most people think that a report released by NOAA Fisheries in November 2024 to improve the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program is very good, but this plan is missing how those goals would be achieved, he said.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman