Saving Seafood

Fellow fishermen, Coast Guard rescue overboard crewmember

July 20, 2026 — A commercial fisherman was rescued Saturday after falling overboard from a fishing vessel east of Truro, Mass., following a coordinated search by the U.S. Coast Guard and nearby fishing vessels.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Sector Southeastern New England received a report at 12:52 p.m. on July 18 that a crewmember had fallen overboard from the fishing vessel Western Edge. The vessel reported the crew member missing approximately seven nautical miles east of Truro and immediately turned around to retrace its route while searching for the missing fisherman.

The Coast Guard issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast (UMIB) and launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat from Coast Guard Station Provincetown along with an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod. The Coast Guard Cutter Melvin Bell, which was already on patrol nearby, was diverted to assist in the search.

At 2:47 p.m., the crew of the fishing vessel Seel Jr. reported spotting the missing crewmember in the designated search area.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

The NSF Seafood Engine in New England wins $15M U.S. National Science Foundation award to strengthen fisheries and aquaculture

July 15, 2026 — The following was released by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution:

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a major new award to bolster the American seafood industry through the NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program within the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (NSF TIP). The NSF Seafood Engine in New England, led by the Portsmouth-based non-profit NERACOOS, is a collaboration of seafood industry, tech sector, government, and research partners across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, including the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This innovation ecosystem aims to revitalize the seafood sector through cutting-edge technology. This award will position New England to lead the nation in meeting the goals outlined in the Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.   

“NSF Engines investments in critical technologies and future industries will transform America’s innovation infrastructure for decades to come,” said Brian Stone, performing the duties of the NSF director. “The NSF Seafood Engine will leverage cutting-edge resources, including AI, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, robotics, and more to strengthen the New England seafood supply chain, from harvesting to consumer delivery, supporting businesses up and down the coastline.” 

The Seafood Engine will initially receive an award of $15 million over two years, with the potential to grow up to $160 million over ten years as it works to build an internationally competitive technology and innovation cluster. This core funding from NSF creates an unprecedented opportunity to leverage additional resources from public, private, and philanthropic sources to expand the partnership and scale its outcomes. The NSF Engine strives to enhance the competitiveness of fisheries and aquaculture, a pillar of New England’s economy that accounts for 25% of the nation’s seafood value. The technological solutions can be rolled out nationwide, propelling the American seafood industry to a stronger position within the global market. 

“Built on the ingenuity and steadfast determination at the heart of America’s oldest commercial enterprise, the Seafood Engine is ready to confront key challenges facing the industry with bold innovation,” said Jake Kritzer, Principal Investigator of the Seafood Engine and Executive Director of NERACOOS. 

Over time, new R&D, Workforce Development, and Translation activities will work to reshore American seafood processing capacity and strengthen the full supply chain. Together, these efforts will bring new opportunities to small and medium firms across the New England coastline and cut into the $20B seafood deficit facing American businesses.  

WHOI researchers will support these efforts through leadership in ocean observation, technical innovation, and workforce development. Physical oceanographer Glen Gawarkiewicz will partner with New England fishers to deploy a fleet of nine autonomous underwater vehicles from fishing vessels, collecting and analyzing high-resolution data on conditions that affect commercially important species. Marine biologist Michael Brosnahan will develop and deploy robotic systems for data-driven aquaculture management with colleagues from the University of New Hampshire and the University of Rhode Island. WHOI will also develop a two-week course for students in the WHOI-Cape Cod Community College Blue Economy Internship program to help develop future leaders of the regional blue economy. 

“New England’s prosperity has always been tied to the ocean,” said Diane Foster, WHOI’s Vice President and Dean of Academic Programs and a member of the Seafood Engine Workforce Development Sub-team. “NSF’s foresight in establishing the Seafood Engine will not only strengthen the seafood supply chain with unparalleled innovation, it will also turn the region’s maritime economy into a powerhouse that will support blue innovation, national security, and economic prosperity nationwide.” 

Government leaders from across the Seafood Engine region of service welcomed the news from NSF: 

“Massachusetts’ commercial fishing industry is powered by hardworking fishermen, family-owned businesses and coastal communities that have helped define our state for generations,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. “This investment will strengthen those communities by supporting innovation, expanding our workforce and helping to ensure our seafood industry remains competitive for years to come. Congratulations to the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance and all of the partners who made this achievement possible.” 

“Our fishing industry has shaped Massachusetts’ coastal communities for generations, and it’s critical that we continue investing in its future,” said Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This partnership brings together fishermen, researchers and businesses to develop new technologies, strengthen our seafood supply chain and create new opportunities for the next generation. We’re proud to be part of this regional effort to keep New England at the forefront of the seafood industry.”  

In early summer 2024, the Seafood Engine submitted one of nearly 300 letters of intent in response to the second NSF Engines funding opportunity. The preliminary proposal was selected as one of 71 to advance to the next round of competition. Following a merit review, the Seafood Engine was one of 29 teams to share a detailed presentation about their proposed NSF Engine. From this process, 15 finalists were selected to participate in two-day site visits with NSF staff and external experts. The Seafood Engine is one of 12 NSF Engines award winners selected from among these finalists. 

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About the Seafood Engine 

The NSF Seafood Engine in New England, led by the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS), is working to revitalize a legacy industry by leveraging advanced technologies that reduce the national seafood deficit and strengthen every level of the seafood supply chain.  

Learn more at seafoodengine.org  

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Founded in 1930 and based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, WHOI’s mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicate the ocean’s vital role in the global environment. 

NSF awards $15M to launch New England Seafood Engine

July 15, 2026 — A new federally backed initiative aimed at strengthening the U.S. seafood industry is bringing $15 million to New England, with commercial fishermen expected to play a central role in developing new technologies for the sector.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced July 14 that the NSF Seafood Engine in New England has been selected for funding through the agency’s Regional Innovation Engines program. Led by the Portsmouth, N.H.-based Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS), the initiative brings together seafood industry leaders, researchers, government agencies and technology partners across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, including the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance.

According to the announcement, the project will receive $15 million over its first two years, with the potential to grow into a $160 million investment over the next decade as it builds a regional innovation hub focused on fisheries and aquaculture.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: Trump says he’ll reopen Northern Edge to scalloping; New Bedford may benefit more than Cape Cod

July 8, 2026 — South Coast scallopers are rejoicing at President Trump’s pledge, on Thursday, to reopen a prime scallop fishing area off Massachusetts.

But the process could take more than 18 months, and Cape Cod scallopers may not benefit as much as those in New Bedford.

“From an industry perspective, access to the Northern Edge would be a blessing,” said Eric Hansen, owner of two New Bedford scallop vessels. “The loss of resource and revenue for the scallop industry for the last 30 years has been huge.”

The Northern Edge, a section of Georges Bank, has been closed to scalloping since 1994.

Aubrey Church, policy director at the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, said some of the smaller commercial vessels on Cape Cod Cape are unlikely to be able to make the 15-hour trip to the Northern Edge.

Many of Cape Cod’s commercial fishing vessels are dayboats, meaning they go out and return on the same day.

Church said the alliance wants to hear more from its members before taking a position on access to the Northern Edge.

“Understanding how different sectors of the fleet may be affected will be an important part of our discussions with members,” she said.

Read the full article at NHPR

Endangered whale recently seen off Cape Cod may need rescue after entanglement

June 15, 2026 — A young right whale that was seen off Massachusetts two months ago may need to be rescued after it was observed in Canadian waters with fishing gear in its mouth.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada said that on June 8, aerial observers spotted an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Shippagan, New Brunswick. They said if the whale is spotted again and conditions allow, “efforts will be made to remove any gear from the animal.”

The New England Aquarium said that the unnamed 5-year-old male was seen gear-free in Cape Cod Bay on April 21.

Read the full article at CBS News

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts lobsterman beats local red tape: ‘He preserves … Cape Cod’s identity’

May 18, 2026 — The Yarmouth Zoning Board of Appeals has approved a special permit for resident Jon Tolley to reopen his shop at his home this summer. A year ago, the board forced him to operate elsewhere despite a decades-long record of no complaints from his neighbors.

“I am glad that everything finally went that way, except it has cost me quite a bit of money to (fight) this,” Tolley told the Herald on Saturday, after the ZBA approval. He said he will have to wait about 20 days to secure the permit in hand.

Resident Cheryl Ball, founder of “Cape Cod Concerned Citizens,” an advocacy group that fights for regulations that maintain the region’s culture, said she applauds Yarmouth for “making the right decision.”

Read the full article at the Boston Herald

Enviros sue Trump admin to stop fishing in Atlantic monument

May 5, 2026 — Green groups and an ocean conservationist have sued the Trump administration over its attempt to open a 3.1-million-acre national monument off the coast of Cape Cod to commercial fishing.

President Donald Trump’s proclamation would jeopardize endangered whales, vulnerable corals and other delicate species and ecosystems protected by the Atlantic Ocean’s first and only marine national monument, the groups said in a statement announcing their lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Washington.

“Northeast Canyons and Seamounts is a living scientific laboratory and a refuge for species as varied as cold-water corals and sperm whales. Only the Trump administration would think it makes sense to open it up to damage and harm from commercial fishing,” said Devon Flanagan, a senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “That decision is clearly unlawful, and we will be fighting it in court until we win.”

Read the full article at E&E News

See the 1-in-50-Million Split-Color Lobster Caught Off the Coast of Massachusetts. It’s Carrying Two Sets of Genetic Information

April 28, 2026 — On April 16, the crew aboard the Timothy Michael spotted an unusual-looking lobster in their haul while fishing off Cape Cod. One half of its body—stretching from head to tail—was orange-red, while the other half was dark brown, with a straight line dividing the two hues, a rare 1-in-50-million example of a “split-color” lobster.

Wellfleet Shellfish Company, which pulled in the rare lobster, decided not to sell it. Rather, the company donated the creature to the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, a Cape Cod institution operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries.

“Instead of heading to market, she’s heading somewhere even more special,” the company wrote on social media.

The aquarium, established in 1875 and the nation’s oldest public marine aquarium, is currently closed for repairs. But once it reopens early next year, the split-color lobster will be “one of the first animals going back into the aquarium,” Julia Studley, an aquarium biotechnician, tells the Cape Cod Times’ Heather McCarron.

Read the full article at the Smithsonian Magazine

MASSACHUSETTS: Climate change is driving scallops north. That’s good news for New Bedford

April 21, 2026 — For the past five years, New Jersey scallop fisherman Brady Lybarger has been spending more time in New Bedford. Scallop yields have been poor in the mid-Atlantic’s historic scalloping grounds, known as the Elephant Trunk. So Lybarger makes the 250-mile voyage from Cape May, New Jersey’s southernmost point, out to Georges Bank, east of Cape Cod.

Fuel is expensive, so Lybarger docks his vessel in New Bedford during the busy summer season. Between trips, he drives six hours each way to New Jersey to spend time with his family.

With 25 years in the fishing industry, Lybarger says the sacrifice is nothing new.

“No one wants to be away, right?” Lybarger said. “But you also got to go make money.”

Lybarger is part of a growing cohort of fishermen docking their vessels in New Bedford while calling another port home. Since 2016, the number of these “transient” vessels has increased over 300%, while scallop landings in mid-Atlantic and southern ports have declined.

The shift, some researchers say, is driven by climate change: ocean temperatures and acid levels are rising unevenly across the Eastern Seaboard. As scallops react to warming waters, fishermen are following suit — spending more time and landing more shellfish in New Bedford. It’s a boon for the Whaling City, but it’s a challenge for the southern ports left behind.

“We’re getting decimated,” said Sean Barto, the vice president of Sea Gear Marine Supply in Cape May. “It’s been straight downhill for the past five or six years.”

The shift may further consolidate an industry that’s already tough for independent fishermen, driving an even greater portion of fishing wealth into New Bedford’s privileged few.

The shifting tides aren’t enough to make Lybarger leave his home port behind entirely, though he’s willing to consider it someday.

“From what I’ve seen in the past 20 years, [New Bedford] has turned around,” Lybarger said. “I wouldn’t mind living in New Bedford, be honest with you. It’s not my top choice, but I wouldn’t mind it if I had to.”

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

RHODE ISLAND: Recent fishermen’s deaths hit home in Point Judith

March 13, 2026 — This winter has been an especially difficult season for the fishermen of New England, with the death of a Stonington man and two recent boat sinkings.

On Jan. 25, late at night, Thomas Williams’ body was found in the water near the town dock in Stonington. Williams was a well known captain of the F/V Heritage and a long-time local fisherman out of Stonington and Point Judith.

Last Wednesday, New Bedford, Mass., police rescued a man from freezing water, according to 7 News Boston. The man fell between two fishing vessels, where he became trapped and unable to get out. Five officers were able to pull him safely out of the water after he was found holding onto dock lines.

A day later, the commercial fishing vessel Yankee Rose sank off Cape Cod, according to the Associated Press. The U.S. Coast Guard was able to pull one person out of the water, but the second crew member is still missing.

As a third-generation fisherman, Williams was a staple of the Rhode Island community for over 25 years. He was known as one of the best fishermen in Rhode Island, according to Fred Mattera, a retired local fisherman and president of the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation.

Read the full article at The Independent