August 18, 2025 — Susan Linder was hunting for buried treasure.
Every spring, the crabs clickety-clack ashore for a massive orgy timed to the rise and fall of the tides, depositing millions of eggs in the sand.
More catch restrictions due in 2026 to help struggling striped bass
August 18, 2025 — Amid signs that a hoped-for recovery of Atlantic striped bass may be faltering, East Coast fisheries managers are moving to further tighten already restricted catch limits on the popular but beleaguered migratory fish.
At a meeting on Aug. 6 in Arlington, VA, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s striped bass management board voted to proceed with a plan to impose a 12% reduction in 2026 on both recreational and commercial catch of the prized species.
The plan, if adopted later this year, would trim the commercial harvest quota by that amount, while it would require East Coast states to curb the recreational catch by shortening the fishing season or adjusting the size limits for legally catchable fish.
Striped bass are found in the Atlantic from Maine to the Carolinas, but the Chesapeake Bay, where they’re also called rockfish, is the primary spawning and nursery ground for 70% to 90% of the entire stock.
The coastwide striped bass population is currently struggling to recover from years of being overfished, a problem exacerbated by poor reproduction in the Bay — for six straight years in Maryland waters and for the past two years in Virginia. Striped bass spawning tends to vary year to year, but it has never been this low for this long, and scientists aren’t sure why.
The fisheries commission ordered catch restrictions in the Bay and along the coast in 2020 and again in 2024 to halt overfishing and rebuild the stock. But higher-than-expected recreational fishing in 2024, mainly along the Mid-Atlantic coast, cast a shadow over the projected recovery, lowering the odds the stock could reach a healthy level by 2029, as federal law requires.
ALASKA: Alaska salmon harvest tops to 129 million fish
August 15, 2025 — Alaska’s 2025 commercial salmon harvest reached over 129 million fish through Aug. 12, with sockeye, keta and coho catches appearing on pace to reach total annual projections.
Those projected 2025 harvests would add up to 214.6 million salmon, including over 138 million pink, 52.9 million sockeye, 20.8 million keta, 2.3 million coho and 144,000 kings.
Data compiled by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game showed the statewide pink harvest at 62.3 million fish, followed by 51.3 million sockeyes, 14.5 million chum, 888,000 coho and 150,000 king salmon.
Expanded commercial fishing eyed in Pacific marine monuments
August 15, 2025 — Opening marine monuments to commercial fishing may prove more challenging than President Donald Trump thought when he proclaimed in April he was “unleashing American commercial fishing” in the Pacific Ocean.
A federal court in Hawaii ruled last week that the president cannot reinstate fishing by executive fiat but must use the standard regulatory review and public comment process before allowing about 160 fishermen licensed to harvest tuna, mahi-mahi and wahoo access to roughly 256 million surface acres of ocean in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.
The ruling effectively stayed NOAA’s action to implement Trump’s April 27 proclamation rolling back the commercial fishing ban across roughly 400,000 square miles of the Pacific Islands monument about 900 miles southwest of Hawaii.
The Endangered Population of False Killer Whales in the Main Hawaiian Islands is Declining
August 15, 2025 — Three false killer whale populations occur in the waters of Hawaiʻi. There are two island-associated populations—one around the main Hawaiian islands and another around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands—and a broadly ranging pelagic population. The small main Hawaiian Islands insular distinct population segment of false killer whales was listed as endangered in 2012 and faces multiple ongoing threats. Evidence suggests—based on high rates of dorsal fin and mouthline injuries—that fisheries interactions represent one of the most significant threats to this population. This threat may also act synergistically with other threats, such as exposure to pollutants and reduced genetic diversity, on the insular population. Scientists at the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center led the development of a new method to more accurately estimate the size of the main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale population by incorporating animal movement.
We analyzed photos of dorsal fins of 202 main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whales encountered over 20 years (1999–2022) and movements from 53 satellite tags deployed from 2007–2022. We found that the population numbered 139 whales in 2022 and declined by 3.5 percent per year during the last 10 years of the study. Our findings provide the first reliable trend estimate for the population since it was listed as endangered and suggest the population will number fewer than 100 individuals within 10 years.
MAINE: Experts say multiple factors contributing to recent shark sightings off Maine coast
August 15, 2025 — The state says there’s more than one reason behind the recent shark sightings off Maine’s coast, and climate change is one of them.
On Monday, drone video captured a shark, believed to be a great white that was 10 to 12 feet long, near Richmond Island, Higgins Beach, and Scarborough Beach.
It was spotted again near Pine Point Beach on Tuesday.
Matt Davis, a scientist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, says shark sightings are becoming more common because people are more on the lookout and warming waters in Maine are something sharks are “warming up to.”
FLORIDA: Wild oyster harvesting is partially returning to the Apalachicola Bay
August 4, 2025 — About 20 years ago, the Apalachicola Bay had 10,000 acres of healthy oyster habitats. Now, that is no longer the case.
The industry collapsed in 2013, which eventually led to the closure of the bay in 2020.
Research showed that there are only about 500 acres of suitable oyster habitats in the bay, representing a historical 95% decline.
Of those 500, fewer than 100 acres are producing enough oysters that can be harvested commercially.
Newly implemented tariffs not altering Norway’s seafood marketing strategies for the US
August 15, 2025 — The U.S. started out 2025 as the top buyer of Norwegian seafood but fell to third place behind Poland and China in July, according to the latest figures from the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).
NSC Communications Director Martin Skaug told SeafoodSource that while the new tariffs levied by the U.S. on all Norwegian goods might have contributed a bit to July’s shakeup, the NSC is primarily attributing it to the massive volume growth of farmed salmon – both from Norway and other markets this year. Poland’s ascension up the rankings can, therefore, be attributed to the fact it is a country that heavily processes and redistributes salmon to other markets.
New England council seeks fishermen for advisory panels
August 15, 2025 — The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking commercial and recreational fishermen to serve on all its advisory panels, starting in January 2026 for three-year terms through December 2028.
The council relies on fishermen, along with other stakeholders like coastal communities and conservation groups, to help the regional council with guidance as its members develop federal fishery management plans, actions and measures to keep Northeast fisheries healthy.
“The council seeks a diverse mix of members,” according to an announcement Aug. 15. The council seeks advisors who:
- Represent both commercial and recreational sectors
- Offer expertise across different fisheries
- Fish with a variety of gear types
- Come from across the geographic range of the fishery
- Bring a range of social and economic perspectives
Council Seeks Fishermen and Stakeholders for 2026–2028 Advisory Panels
August 15, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council is seeking commercial and recreational fishermen, as well as other stakeholders, to serve on all its advisory panels. The deadline to apply is October 3, 2025.
ABOUT ADVISORY PANELS Advisory panels (APs) support the Council’s Fishery Management Plans. APs provide guidance during the development of federal fishery management plans, actions, and measures. Terms run for three years, from January 2026 through December 2028, and individuals may serve on more than one panel.
Existing AP members who wish to continue must reapply for consideration for the 2026–2028 term.
WHO WE’RE SEEKING
The Council seeks a diverse mix of members who: • Represent both commercial and recreational sectors • Offer expertise across different fisheries • Fish with a variety of gear types • Come from across the geographic range of the fishery • Bring a range of social and economic perspectives
HOW TO APPLY
Download and complete this application form and submit it to Sherie Goutier via email (sgoutier@nefmc.org) or by mail: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950. Paper copies are available by calling the Council office at (978) 465-0492. The deadline is October 3, 2025.
SELECTION PROCESS
Council committees will review all applications, with final selections made by the Executive Committee. Nominees are also subject to review by NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement and may be declined for marine resource violations.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact Alex Dunn at adunn@nefmc.org or 978-465-0492 ext. 112
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