Saving Seafood

Conservation & Environment

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Partners Announce More than $23.4 Million for Fish Habitat Conservation in 2025

May 29, 2025 — The following was released by the National Fish Habitat Partnership:
Through the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) (htps://fishhabitat.org), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and partners are providing more than $23.4 million to support 53 on-the-ground fish habitat conservation projects in 29 states. The USFWS is providing $5.9 million this year, with non-governmental organizations, state resource agencies, and other partners contributing an additional $20.4 million. This represents a 6.7:1 leveraged funding match for NFHP funding.
These projects empower and boost locally led conservation efforts that restore and reconnect habitats to create more robust fish populations, improved fishing opportunities, and healthier waterways. Twenty individual Fish Habitat Partnerships across the nation make up our national efforts and work with a variety of partners, including private landowners, farmers and ranchers, Tribes, non-profit organizations, state, federal, and local government agencies, and many others to achieve fish habitat conservation goals that protect, restore, and enhance habitat conditions locally for fish.
In 2025, project types include removing barriers to fish passage, reducing erosion from farm and ranchlands, restoring stream banks, combating the impacts of drought, and conducting monitoring and assessment work to identify conservation needs for fish and their habitats. This year’s projects meet local priorities through partnerships that span from restoring urban and suburban streams to reconnecting tidal wetlands, in states across the country from Alaska to Vermont. Projects target and address limiting factors to improve habitat, water quality, and benefit our nation’s fisheries resources. This funding will also support the coordination of individual Fish Habitat Partnerships and the operations of the National Fish Habitat Board to help establish national priorities under NFHP.
“Annually, the National Fish Habitat Partnership focuses on putting priority conservation projects on-the-ground through partnerships, which benefit both fish and the American people,” said Tim Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Chair of the National Fish Habitat Board. “These locally-driven projects are designed to leave a conservation legacy for the protection, restoration and enhancement of fish habitat for future generations to enjoy in the outdoors.”
 
NFHP uses a nationally focused aquatic conservation strategy to maximize the reach of limited fish habitat conservation dollars. Under NFHP, federal, state, tribal, and privately raised funds are leveraged through regional Fish Habitat Partnerships to address the nation’s biggest fish habitat challenges. The USFWS is a key partner in implementing the partnership, providing leadership and technical expertise on the local, regional, and national levels, as well as financial assistance directly to partners for on-the-ground conservation projects. Since 2006, the USFWS has provided over $65.6 million to conservation projects which leveraged at a 5:1 ratio to provide over $335 million in funding support for fish habitat conservation projects that improve angling and recreational opportunities across the nation.
 
NFHP assembles the collective expertise of federal, state, and non-governmental organizations to identify and prioritize conservation work to achieve significant benefits for fish and other aquatic resources for the American people.
 
For more information on all of our NFHP projects, please visit our Projects and Accomplishments Dashboard.

Seattle’s Alaska Pollock Industry Unites for Inaugural ‘Net Recycling Day’

May 29, 2025 — The following was released by the At-Sea Processors Association:

In a powerful display of responsibility in action, more than 150 volunteers from the Alaska Pollock catcher-processor fleet gathered at Terminal 91 today for the first-ever Net Recycling Day. Today’s event was a collaborative hands-on effort to dismantle and recycle end-of-life fishing nets previously used for harvesting Wild Alaska Pollock—the world’s most sustainable whitefish.

Five of the region’s predominant fishing companies led the event, including: American Seafoods, Arctic Storm Management Group, Coastal Villages Region Fund, Glacier Fish Company and Trident Seafoods. These companies are all members of the At-Sea Processors Association working collectively to raise the bar on sustainable fisheries management.
Volunteers from each of the five companies, as well as from other companies that support and partner with the Wild Alaska Pollock fishery, teamed up throughout the day to cut, sort and prepare four retired fishing nets for recycling. Participants worked side by side with vessel captains, crew, and gear experts, gaining first-hand experience working with the gear and learning how each part functions.

The recycled net material will be sent to specialized facilities where it will be repurposed into new life forms including decking, outdoor furniture and sports equipment, lunch trays, and other goods, thereby extending the life of gear that might otherwise accumulate in coastal communities or in landfills.
“Fishing gear doesn’t last forever—but it also doesn’t have to go to waste. As we continuously improve our nets and gear, it is encouraging to know that the gear that has served one useful purpose can now serve another one,” said Tim Fitzgerald, Chief Sustainability Officer at American Seafoods. “Today’s Net Recycling Day brought out the catcher-processor sector of the Alaska Pollock industry together in a deeply collaborative way to show that recycling efforts are possible—and already happening—right here in Seattle.”
While this is the inaugural event for all five companies representing the catcher-processor sector of the Alaska Pollock fishery, net recycling events have been held, individually, by some of the companies for years. American Seafoods, for example, has been holding its own net recycling events since 2021.
“Access to resources for responsible recycling and disposal of old fishing gear is a pressing need. Any step we can take to prevent accumulation of marine debris, microplastics, and ghost gear, results in valuable lessons we hope to share with other fisheries,” said Caitlin Yeager, Vice President of the At-Sea Processors Association. “Our members are constantly evaluating their fishing practices through collaborative research, improved bycatch reduction devices, and new technology such as live feed cameras. Getting rid of the old makes way for the new and serves as a reminder of the strides being taken in our commitment to responsible fisheries management.”
The Net Recycling Day took place today, at Pier 91, from 8:30am – 3:30pm. Multimedia clips from the event, including photo and video, can be found here.

As glaciers melt, salmon and mining companies are vying for the new territory

May 28, 2025 — The Tulsequah Glacier meanders down a broad valley in northwest British Columbia, 7 miles from the Alaska border. At the foot of the glacier sits a silty, gray lake, a reservoir of glacial runoff. The lake is vast, deeper than Seattle’s Space Needle is tall. But it didn’t exist a few decades ago, before 2 miles of ice had melted.

On an overcast day, a helicopter carrying three salmon scientists zoomed up the valley. As it neared the lake, the pilot banked to the right and flew over the south side of the basin, whirring over a narrow outlet where it drains into the Tulsequah River. He landed on a beach of small boulders and the researchers clambered out one by one.

“We don’t think there are fish here yet,” said one of them, Jon Moore, an aquatic ecologist at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. “But there will be soon.”

The lake, so new to the landscape that it doesn’t have an official name, is still too cold and murky for salmon, but that’s likely to change soon. As the Tulsequah Glacier above it retreats, the lake is getting warmer and clearer, becoming a more attractive environment for migrating fish. “It’s going to be popping off,” Moore said.

Read the full article at KYUK

EU open to extending lobster deal in package on Trump tariffs, FT reports

May 28, 2025 — The European Union is open to extending a deal which allows the duty-free import of U.S. lobsters as part of a broader package aimed at removing U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing two officials.

The EU’s current regulation eliminating customs duties for fresh and frozen lobsters from the U.S. expires on July 31. The lobster deal between the U.S. and EU was struck in 2020 during Trump’s first term.

Read the full article at Reuters

NOAA ocean outlook projects cooler deep waters for Gulf of Maine

May 28, 2025 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The Gulf of Maine, historically one of the fastest-warming ocean regions in the world, is predicted to experience cooler bottom water temperatures this spring and summer, according to a new experimental outlook developed by NOAA scientists.

Initial signs of this shift were reported by NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center and documented in the NOAA Fisheries 2025 New England State of the Ecosystem Report.

Data shows that since late 2023, the Northwest Atlantic has seen cooler bottom-water temperatures due to the southward movement of the eastern portion of the Gulf Stream and possibly an increased influx of Labrador Slope and Scotian Shelf water into the system. Researchers expect the Gulf of Maine to be 0.9-1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (0.5-1 degree Celsius) cooler this summer compared to the average summer temperature.

“The cooling trend from the Labrador Shelf region is significant and could have important effects on local marine ecosystems and fisheries,” said Vincent Saba, a research fishery biologist at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center.

Bottom-water temperatures influence the productivity of groundfish, like cod, haddock, pollock, and several species of flounder, which prefer cooler water. Lobster, the most valuable fishery in the northeast, are also temperature-sensitive. Warming waters along the New England coast in recent decades have contributed to the collapse of the southern New England lobster population while the Gulf of Maine population has boomed. Researchers expect that cooler waters will impact this economically and culturally important species.

The commercial fishing industry in New England is a major economic driver, contributing $1.4 billion in revenue to the regional economy in 2022 and supporting over 280,000 jobs. The industry also has a significant socioeconomic impact on coastal communities.

A companion longer-term outlook, also developed by NOAA scientists, suggests that more frequent inflows of cooler deep waters may continue to temper warming in the basin for the next several years. Continued monitoring is needed to confirm this prediction.

“This is the first product to offer high-resolution predictive information on ocean conditions at near-term time scales for the full East Coast of the U.S.,” said Katherine Mills, Senior Scientist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. “Species in the groundfish complex—like cod, haddock and winter flounder—are more productive when water temperatures are cooler. This information can be used to anticipate where and when certain marine species might be available and help commercial harvesters and supply chain businesses more effectively plan their operations.”

This seasonal outlook was developed under the Changing Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative (CEFI) by scientists across NOAA Research and Fisheries, with input from the National Ocean Service, National Environmental Satellite and Data Information Service and the National Weather Service.

The outlook is based on two models developed by NOAA’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. The first is SPEAR, the “Seamless System for Prediction and Earth System Research”, which provides large-scale predictions for the ocean, atmosphere and land. The SPEAR output is then fed into a higher-resolution regional model, built with the Modular Ocean Model version 6 (MOM6), to simulate ecosystem changes in the coastal regions.

Working in tandem, the two models generate ocean predictions for a wide region along the U.S. East Coast, from the Gulf of Maine through the Southeast U.S. and into the Caribbean Islands  that are home to economically important fisheries and protected species. The outlook for the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean regions predicts moderately above-normal surface temperatures through this spring and summer.

Through CEFI, NOAA Research is building out experimental regional ocean prediction systems for all U.S. coastal regions and the Great Lakes that will include information on ocean chemistry (acidity, oxygen) and plankton populations. The regional configurations all rely on NOAA’s global prediction systems for large-scale information while enabling finer resolution of local features critical for fisheries and coastal communities.

“These outlooks help us communicate these predicted changes, allowing the fishing industry and coastal communities to prepare and respond effectively,” Saba said.

Cooler water bottom temperatures could aid New England fisheries

May 28, 2025 — Cold water flowing into the the Gulf of Maine from Canada’s Maritimes region this spring and summer could have a positive impact on key seafood species whose U.S. populations have plummeted due to climate change-induced warming waters, according to new NOAA research.

Data shows that since late 2023, a shift in the eastern Gulf Stream has helped chill bottom-water temperatures in the Northwest Atlantic, which could result in an influx of cold water into northernmost New England. Researchers from the agency’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center say flows from Canada’s Labrador Slope and Scotian Shelf could result in the Gulf of Maine being 0.9 to 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the summer average.

The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest-warming ocean regions in the world, according to NOAA, where rising water temperatures have spurred migration of lobster and other fish species toward Canadian waters in the Bay of Fundy. The result has been a steep dropoff in southern New England’s lobster economy to the benefit of lobstermen in the Gulf of Maine.

Read the full article at E&E News

Maryland plan to lift fishing ban on spawning striped bass stirs debate

May 28, 2025 — A plan by Maryland to reopen fishing for striped bass in the Chesapeake Bay during their spring spawning season has raised questions about whether it’s a good idea amid a six-year slump in reproduction by the prized migratory fish species.

The Department of Natural Resources wants to lift its current ban on fishing for striped bass, also known as rockfish, during  April and the first two weeks of May. It proposes to allow catch-and-release in April, and then, starting May 1, keeping one fish a day measuring 19 to 24 inches.

To offset that change, DNR said it would close fishing for striped bass altogether for all of August, a change from the previous two-week closure in late July. The monthlong closure aims to reduce the heat-related deaths of fish that can happen even if they’re promptly released after being caught.

DNR has asked the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to include this change in Maryland’s fishing seasons beginning in 2026, as it weighs new steps to speed rebuilding of the striped bass population from past overfishing. The commission, which regulates near-shore fishing for migratory fish species, aims to decide by the end of the year.

DNR said it wants to simplify its regulations and align the state’s striped bass fishing season more closely with Virginia and the separately regulated Potomac River. It also wants to give anglers more incentive to fish in the spring. Mike Luisi, DNR’s fisheries assessment manager, said the closures currently in effect in Maryland have essentially driven all anglers off the water and hurt the business of tackle shops and some fishing guides.

The Maryland proposal, though, has rekindled long-standing friction between commercial and recreational fishing interests. At the Atlantic States commission’s May 6 meeting in Crystal City, VA, Brian Hardman, the head of the Maryland Charter Boat Association charged that Maryland’s proposal would expand striped bass fishing greatly for anglers who practice catch-and-release while further restricting those who want to bring their catch home to eat. Charter captains have reported declines of up to 70% in bookings in 2024 after a rule change deprived their customers of the ability to keep two striped bass per trip.

Read the full article at the Bay Journal

USDA to buy USD 20 million worth of Atlantic groundfish

May 28, 2025 —  The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has unveiled plans to buy USD 20 million (EUR 17.7 million) worth of Atlantic groundfish as part of a bulk purchase of fresh food to distribute to food banks and nutrition assistance programs.

“These purchases deliver healthy, nutritious, American commodities to individuals and families in need. At a time when President Trump and his cabinet are Making America Healthy Again, USDA is proud to play a role in supporting those in need by providing access to the safest and highest-quality fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood in the world,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a statement.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Fisheries Investigates Illegally Imported Tuna in Virginia

May 28, 2025 — A NOAA Fisheries investigation resulted in a grocery store chain paying a $12,516 civil penalty this February. They surrendered more than 1,100 pounds of yellowfin tuna, with a declared value of $4,889. In June 2023, NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement, Virginia Conservation Police, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted a joint inspection of a container shipment at CBP’s Centralized Examination Station (CES) in Chesapeake, VA. Officers discovered jarred yellowfin tuna. Experts from NOAA Fisheries Tuna Tracking and Verification Program determined that two shipments of jarred tuna contained tuna from a Nicaraguan purse seiner. Nicaragua is one of seven “primary nations” that may not import certain non-fresh tuna products into the United States as they do not meet the dolphin-safe requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. We do not permit import of those shipments into the United States.

NOAA’s Office of General Counsel Enforcement Section issued the civil penalty, known as a Notification of Violation and Assessment, to the grocery store chain. NOAA Fisheries’ trade monitoring and enforcement efforts protect U.S. consumers and law abiding U.S. seafood companies by stopping illegally traded seafood products from entering the U.S. market.

Trade Enforcement Efforts

We conduct trade enforcement efforts nationwide. Agents and officers routinely inspect container shipments at major U.S. seaports, airports, and border crossings into the United States. Additionally, we investigate cases referred to us by state and federal enforcement partners for suspected violations discovered during their independent trade enforcement work.

Our agents and officers in the Northeast initiated 55 new trade enforcement cases to protect U.S. consumers and businesses from January 1–March 31, 2025. “I couldn’t be more proud of the tremendous effort our agents and officers dedicate to preventing illegal seafood products from entering our markets,”  said James Cassin, acting assistant director, NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, Northeast Division. “Leveling the playing field for U.S. fishermen and businesses is and has always been at the core of our mission.”

Trade Enforcement Prevents Illegal Imports

Seafood importers must pass through multiple layers of federal oversight to comply with U.S. and international seafood trade regulations. These include the seafood trade monitoring programs NOAA Fisheries administers. We established the national tuna program to ensure compliance with federal regulations regarding dolphin-safe certification. These regulations protect dolphin stocks vulnerable to purse seine fisheries in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Ensuring compliance with seafood import requirements is an important part of our efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

You can reach the Northeast Office of Law Enforcement  at (978) 281-9213 and select “option 2” for regulatory compliance.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

Marine carbon dioxide removal: How fishermen can have a voice

May 28, 2025 — This article is the second in a series for commercial fishermen about marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). mCDR is a set of experimental techniques that could someday play a major role in combating climate change by accelerating the ocean’s uptake and storage of heat-trapping carbon dioxide pollution from the atmosphere.

In this article, we survey contemporary field-wide planning initiatives focused on supporting mCDR research and decision making. Each of these initiatives represents a potential opportunity for the fishing community to strategically engage in shaping the future of mCDR. Then, we describe early efforts to consider interactions between fisheries and mCDR. Finally, we invite fishermen and their representatives to apply to serve on a newly formed Commercial Fishing Industry Thought Leadership Forum on mCDR.

Readers can learn more by attending a May 28 webinar on “Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal: What Fishermen Need to Know”,hosted by the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, and other partners.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman