Saving Seafood

Fishermen cast federal limits as untenable before First Circuit

March 3, 2026 — The federal government had no right to impose severe limits on how much haddock New England fishermen can catch, a fishermen’s group told the First Circuit Monday, but the judges seemed uncertain, peppering both sides with sharp questions over constitutional authority.

The New England Fishery Management Council, created by Congress in the 1970s to oversee commercial fishing operations, infuriated local fishermen in 2023 by slashing haddock catch limits by more than 80% while placing additional restrictions on hake and cod.

A fishermen’s group sued, claiming the council was unconstitutional because it wasn’t subject to executive branch control as required by the appointments clause. Although council members exercise federal authority, they’re selected by state officials, not federal officials, and most can be removed only by a two-thirds vote of fellow members.

A federal judge in Maine agreed the council was unconstitutional, but he tried to remedy the problem by rewriting the law to limit the members’ powers, which would make them employees rather than federal officers. And he left the catch limits in place — finding that while the limits harmed fishermen’s livelihoods, they didn’t amount to “significant” federal action.

At oral argument, the judges struggled to determine whether the council members were officers who exercised significant federal authority and whether that meant the haddock rule must be struck down.

Read the full article at Courthouse News Service

Gulf of Maine haddock quota stalled as boats near tying up

February 23, 2026 — For commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Maine, spring typically means fresh haddock.

It’s the time of year when the fish show up thick, boats can finally make steady trips, and crews start to see paychecks that carry them through the lean months. But this year, instead of chasing the fish, Gulf of Maine (GOM) groundfishermen are waiting and watching their quota meters hit zero.

Framework 69, the regulatory vehicle that would increase the GOM haddock quota by 50 percent due to assessments of the stock, is stuck in federal review at NOAA’s level, despite being approved by the New England Fishery Management Council and signed on Dec. 4, 2024.

In the meantime, boats are nearing the limit of haddock they’re legally allowed to land.

“We were, for instance, four weeks ago, on track at the current quota level to be out of Gulf of Maine haddock quota right around the end of this year,” said Hank Soule, manager of the Sustainable Harvest Sector. New England sectors are self-managed groups of commercial fishing vessels holding limited access permits for Northeast multispecies (groundfish), including haddock.

“Right now, we’re on track to run out of Gulf of Maine haddock quota by late March,” said Soule. For groundfishing, that means a year reset on May 1, which is beyond devastating to fishermen.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Unusual Juvenile Haddock Aggregation Observed During the November 2025 Scallop Research Set-Aside Survey of Eastern Georges Bank

November 14, 2025 – Researchers from the Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF)
recently made an unexpected discovery during their November 2025 scallop survey on
Georges Bank: 76 juvenile haddock caught at several stations aboard the F/V Vigilance.
Haddock are rarely found in such numbers in scallop dredge surveys, making this
observation particularly noteworthy.

The finding, part of CFF’s long-term Seasonal Scallop Survey, underscores the
importance of consistent monitoring efforts that not only support scallop management
but also reveal broader ecosystem patterns across Georges Bank. The CFF seasonal
survey is unique in the region because it operates six times per year, collecting data
during months when other surveys used for fisheries management are not active.

Read the full story at Coonamessett Farm Foundation

NOAA Fisheries extends emergency rule for Northeast cod and haddock fisheries

October 7, 2025 — NOAA Fisheries has extended an emergency action to keep the Northeast commercial multispecies fishery open, ensuring that New England groundfish harvesters can continue operating in the absence of regular management measures for the 2025 season.

“This inability to fish would result in substantial adverse economic impacts on vessel owners and operators, dealers, and the fishing communities that rely on them,” NOAA Fisheries noted in a Federal Register notice justifying the extension.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA slowdowns and new science delay the usual ‘scramble’ to set fishing catch limits

March 26, 2025 — The start of this year’s commercial fishing season could be a bust for fishermen who catch groundfish species like cod, haddock and flounder.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has yet to approve new catch limits for the season slated to open May 1. People in the fishing industry said the annual process has been delayed by changes to the science used to measure cod populations, and the Trump administration’s cuts to the agency.

Scallop fishery regulations also won’t be finalized by the season’s start on April 1. But since there aren’t new regulatory strategies under consideration like with cod, there are default catch limits in place for scallops. Scallopers are facing just 10 fewer fishing days at the start of the season.

Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney representing the Sustainable Scalloping Fund, said this “doesn’t have much of an impact” on the fishery. He’s expecting new limits to be approved within a week of the start of the season.

Scalloper Eric Hansen of New Bedford said he’s cautiously optimistic about an approval coming soon. He remembers a similar slowdown when the Biden administration took over four years ago.

“ If history repeats itself, it won’t be catastrophic,” he said. “And that’s a big if.”

Read the full article at wbur

US capable of achieving seafood independence, study shows

August 13, 2024 — From lobster to haddock and seaweed, seafood plays an important role in the U.S. economy, diet and culture. The nation is one of the top producers of marine and aquatic foods worldwide, but also the second largest seafood importer.

Through extensive data analysis and calculations, University of Maine researchers found the U.S. could achieve  independence, or meet its entire seafood needs through its own production. But according to their new study in the journal Ocean Sustainability, “achieving greater seafood independence would require shifts in , investments in infrastructure and continual adaptation in the face of climate change.”

Becoming seafood independent offers opportunities for the U.S. to improve dietary outcomes as well as individual and national food security, particularly against disruptions in , according to the research team. Despite its capacity to rely solely on the seafood it produces, the nation exports the majority of it and imports 80–90% of the seafood Americans consume.

Read the full article at PHYS.org

Is there a new hybrid fish in New England? Meet the ‘coddock.’

July 2, 2024 — Linda Hunt was hoping they would call the strange fish she came across last winter a “Lindacod.”

“Then some of the fishermen that don’t like me would have to say, ‘You got any more of those Lindacods?’” Hunt quipped.

Hunt, a fishmonger with Coastline Sea Food, was offloading boxes from a boat in Gloucester when she saw the fish, the likes of which she had never seen.

“I just thought it was cool and took the picture,” Hunt said.

A couple of weeks later, Hunt, who has been in the fishing industry for 32 years, saw the same curious creature, with speckled dots similar to a cod, but also resembling another white fish.

Read the full article at  The Boston Globe

NOAA extends emergency measures for Gulf of Maine haddock quota

January 9, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries has taken emergency action to increase the Gulf of Maine haddock acceptable biological catch (ABC) for the 2023 fishing year.

At the New England Fishery Management Council’s request, NOAA Fisheries increased the fishing year 2023 ABC to the fishing mortality associated with the maximum sustainable yield (FMSY), which is 2,515 metric tons. The action is effective Tuesday, Jan. 9.

Read the full article at Gloucester Daily Times

MAINE: Haddock catch limits have been raised for Maine fishermen, but are still down over previous years

September 11, 2023 — Federal regulators have increased the amount of haddock Maine fishermen are allowed to catch this season.

The industry had been facing about a 70% cut in the allowable haddock catch as compared to last season. But the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has raised those limits by about 30%, a level that regulators say should avoid a potential shutdown of Maine’s groundfish fishery but still prevent over-harvesting.

Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, says despite initial stock assessments that suggested otherwise, the Gulf of Maine haddock population appears healthy.

Read the full article at Maine Public

MAINE: Fishermen’s Alliance Highlights Offshore Wind Threat to Haddock, Lobster Fisheries in Gulf of Maine

August 8, 2023 — An alliance of groups representing New England’s fishermen is highlighting scientific research that suggests offshore wind development could have “population-scale effects” on key fish and crustacean species in the Gulf of Maine, including electromagnetism-induced deformities in lobsters.

The New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) on Monday released an “Offshore Wind Research Summary” summarizing the existing scientific research on the environmental impact of offshore wind power development.

The scientific evidence, they believe, shows that offshore wind development would have unpredictable and potentially harmful consequences for key marine species, such as lobster and haddock.

“The studies featured in the Research Summary indicate that there is no scientific consensus as to the effects of offshore wind on ocean ecosystems and marine life,” said Jerry Leeman, NEFSA CEO and a longtime commercial fishing captain.

“We cannot industrialize the Gulf of Maine until we understand how the wind industry interacts with the fisheries that wild harvesters have stewarded responsibly for decades,” Leeman said.

The interaction between wind power development and marine species is generally understudied. That means there could be massive unintended or unforeseeable consequences from an unprecedented industrial project in the Gulf of Maine.

Read the full article at the Maine Wire