April 20, 2026 — A new University of Maine study found a possible new threat to lobsters.
They’re working to find out if lobsters are being eaten by a predator species called the cunner fish.
CALIFORNIA: Commercial salmon fishing returns to Pillar Point Harbor after three-year closure
April 20, 2026 — This year, for the first time since a three-year near-total closure of the industry, commercial fishers will be out on the water catching salmon off Pillar Point Harbor.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which regulates the fishing industry, announced in a press release April 12 that specific improvements to California salmon populations have allowed for commercial salmon fishing to begin again.
“I’m going to have to remember how to do it,” local fisher Steve Meis joked. “We’ve got to figure out where all our gear is.”
CALIFORNA: California delicacy unavailable for 3 years will soon be back on the menu
April 20, 2026 — A California delicacy is back on the menu in restaurants after a three year hiatus thanks to a move by the region’s fishery council.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council announced that state waters will once again open to fishing the California King Salmon, after it was closed in 2022 due to fear of a plummeting population amid extended years of drought in the state.
The council cited the move due to “increased forecasts for both Sacramento and Klamath River fall Chinook compared to recent years.”
“Providing meaningful fishing opportunities, achieving conservation and management goals, and ensuring the long-term health of salmon populations and fishing communities are all key priorities for the Council,” Council Chair Pete Hassemer said in the press release.
NEW YORK: A familiar name earns one of the Mid-Atlantic’s top honors
April 17, 2026 — The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has named longtime industry representative and former Council member Peter Hughes as the recipient of the 2025 Ricks E. Savage Award, recognizing his decades of contributions to fisheries management and conservation in the region.
The award was established in 2006 to recognize individuals who have added value to the Council process and management goals through significant scientific, legislative, enforcement, or management activities. The Council’s meeting last week in New York City was when Hughes accepted the award.
ALASKA: Alaska lawmakers weigh trawl ban as salmon crisis fuels debate
April 16, 2026 — A renewed push to ban bottom trawling in Alaska state waters is gaining traction in Juneau, as lawmakers grapple with declining salmon runs and mounting pressure from fishermen, tribes, and conservation groups.
According to reporting by Alaska Beacon, legislation introduced by Sen. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, and Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, would prohibit bottom trawling and dredging in state waters beginning in 2028. The proposal also calls for a state-led study on trawling impacts, with an estimated cost of $3.9 million.
The issue is deeply tied to the state’s identity and economy, with salmon declines– particularly on the Yukon River– intensifying scrutiny of bycatch in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. “Salmon is our identity,” Brian Ridley of the Tanana Chiefs Conference told lawmakers, emphasizing the cultural and subsistence importance of the resource.
To overcome consumer price perceptions, US seafood stakeholders call for health-focused marketing
April 16, 2026 — Though U.S. consumers are increasingly demanding healthy protein options and the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) have recommended people to eat more seafood, price, whether real or perceived, remains a barrier that may impede the extent to which U.S. seafood consumption rates rise.
Nearly 40 percent of Americans are non-seafood consumers, according to FMI – The Food Industry Association’s 2026 Power of Seafood Report. Over half of those shoppers said price is a reason they don’t eat seafood.
ALASKA: Alaska Longline Fisherman’s Association launches hybrid electric fishing vessel
April 16, 2026 — Jeff Turner has owned and operated his commercial fishing vessel Mirage since 2010 in Sitka, Alaska, U.S.A.
This year, thanks to a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant awarded to the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association (ALFA), his boat was rebuilt to have hybrid diesel-electric capabilities.
California salmon season plan draws mixed reactions
April 15, 2026 — Commercial salmon season is opening off the coast of California for the first time since 2022 this May. The Pacific Fishery Management Council announced this week that it had elected to adopt recommendations for the 2026 fishing season on the West Coast. It’s an auspicious occasion for many, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who announced the opening in a news release on Monday with the triumphant title “Let’s go fishing! Salmon fishing is back in California after more than 3-year closure.”
“We’re seeing progress because of the work we’re doing together,” Newsom said. “We’re doubling down on our strategies to protect this iconic species and ensure it thrives, not just for today, but for generations to come.”
This season, though, might be less propitious than hoped for fishermen on the North Coast, who have hoped their three years of sacrifice would pay immediate dividends.
Salmon fishing will remain closed from the Oregon border to Point Arena (the Klamath Management Zone, or KMZ, and the zone immediately to the south of that) and further restricted from Point Arena to Pigeon Point, forcing fishermen on the North Coast to travel far north to Oregon or south to the central California coast to take advantage of a limited season.
ALASKA: Alaska salmon harvest projected down sharply in 2026
April 15, 2026 — A draft report by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game indicates a lower statewide harvest of 125.5 million salmon this season, compared to last year’s tally of 194.8 million fish. That adds up to 69.3 million fewer salmon, a decline of nearly 36 percent.
The preliminary data show drops in all projected catches except for Chinook salmon.
Comparisons by species show that for 2026, the projected Chinook harvest is pegged at 197,000 compared to 181,892 in 2025.
For sockeye salmon, the harvest forecast of nearly 50 million compares to more than 52.6 million last year.
Coho catches are expected to top 2.4 millon, down from nearly 2.5 million.
MAINE: Charting a course for electric boats on Maine’s coast
April 14, 2026 — Getting vessels to convert to electric or hybrid power is kind of a chicken or the egg problem, according to Lia Morris, leader of the Marine Decarbonization program at the Island Institute in Rockland, Maine.
“Boats aren’t going to convert unless there’s infrastructure,” says Morris. “We wanted to see what that would look like, so we commissioned a study with Homarus Strategies and Haley Ward Inc. There are so many parts to the puzzle. We wanted to see what type of vessels and which ports along the Maine coast would be best for going electric.”
Noah Oppenheim, the principal at Homarus Strategies, has been at the interface of fisheries and fisheries policy for the past decade. He compiled a detailed report outlining the requirements for creating the charging infrastructure needed to support an increasing number of electric and hybrid boats in various use scenarios, including ferries, aquaculture, and commercial fishing.
Oppenheim and the research team looked at things like distance from the grid, number of boats that could be served, the likelihood that the boats in a harbor would want to use electric power, and whether the harbor lent itself to hosting the necessary infrastructure. “We scored the ports along the coast and created a map of the most viable locations,” he says, noting that the map of those towns is in the report.
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