Saving Seafood

US lawmakers introduce marine carbon dioxide removal bill

March 3, 2026 — U.S. lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation to improve research into removing carbon dioxide from the ocean, potentially through aquaculture practices like seaweed farming.

“Carbon dioxide removal is an essential tool in the fight against the climate crisis, in addition to being a driver of American innovation,” U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said in a release. “Our bill will encourage research into mCDR [marine carbon dioxide removal] to ensure it’s safe and effective, benefits coastal communities, and protects ecosystems.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Study finds that harvesting fewer fish would require more land use to make up protein gap, leading to loss of biodiversity

February 27, 2026 — A recently published study concluded that replacing the harvesting of fish would necessitate substantially more land for agricultural production to make up the ensuing protein gap, meaning it would not be a quick solution for sustainability.

The study, titled “Biodiversity Consequences of Replacing Animal Protein From Capture Fisheries With Animal Protein From Agriculture,” features research from scientists in Australia, the U.K., Sweden, and the U.S. Their collective work found that replacing all animal protein taken from marine fisheries with other sources could require an additional estimated 5 million square kilometers of land for livestock and poultry production.

Read the full article SeafoodSource

Whale Entanglements in Fishing Gear Surge Off U.S. West Coast During Marine Heatwaves

February 26, 2026 — Each spring, humpback whales start to feed off the coast of California and Oregon on dense schools of anchovies, sardines and krill—prey sustained by cool, nutrient-rich water that seasonal winds draw up from the deep ocean.

That process, known as coastal upwelling, turns the California Current into one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world, giving whales a chance to rebuild the energy reserves they depleted during months of fasting in their winter breeding grounds in Mexico.

But according to a new study published on Wednesday in the scientific journal, PLOS Climate, rising ocean temperatures are shrinking and redefining this critical foraging habitat, putting the humpbacks at greater risk of entanglement in fishing gear.

Marine heatwaves weaken upwelling, reducing the amount of cold, nutrient-rich water reaching the surface. That, in turn, reduces offshore krill blooms. Humpbacks then begin to move inshore, where other prey, like anchovies and sardines tend to swarm. There, they are more likely to overlap with dangerous fishing activity and fixed gear, like Dungeness crab traps.

Read the full article at Inside Climate News

OREGON: Record-breaking year for Oregon fishing industry in 2025

February 24, 2026 — The Oregon commercial fishing industry reached a new economic high in 2025. The industry generated $517 million in income and supported 10,321 jobs. This marks a significant increase from the previous five-year average.

The total economic activity, including harvesting and processing, was valued at $1.1 billion. The total harvest value for onshore deliveries was $223.3 million.

Despite these gains, challenges remain. The industry faces catch variability, volatile market conditions, and climate change impacts. There are also conflicts with other ocean uses, such as energy generation and telecommunications.

Marcus Hinz of the Oregon Coast Visitors Association emphasized the industry’s importance. “It shows the fishing industry’s significance in Oregon’s blue economy,” Hinz said. “But this is not an ‘all clear’ when it comes to threats to the industry.”

Read the full article at KDRV

New study assesses geoengineering marine ecosystem risks, knowledge gaps

February 20, 2026 — Science has made it clear: The prospect of heat waves without end, increasingly destructive floods, relentless drought, rapidly rising sea levels, and the risk of “point of no return” tipping points require humanity to swiftly stop burning fossil fuels to avoid catastrophe.

But with political will and action lagging, some researchers say now is the time to evaluate the safety and feasibility of geoengineering. These are a suite of proposed technologies that could potentially delay the worst warming or sequester carbon, thus buying civilization time as it struggles to slash fossil fuel emissions.

One place scientists are looking for geoengineering solutions is the world’s oceans, which store vast amounts of carbon, including about a quarter of anthropogenic emissions. Some researchers are especially interested in a set of geoengineering methods collectively dubbed marine carbon dioxide storage (mCDR). Still others are looking at ways to artificially cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight into space, especially above oceans.

One major concern with all these untried technologies is that, if widely implemented, they could profoundly impact marine ecosystems, says Kelsey Roberts, a research associate at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in the U.S.

In a recent Reviews of Geophysics paper, Roberts and co-authors examined eight geoengineering interventions most likely to directly impact marine ecosystems, identifying knowledge gaps and risks.

“If we implement some of these insane science fiction-sounding technologies, what would happen to the fish? What would happen to the megafauna … and particularly, [what’s] the importance for global food security?” Roberts asks.

Read the full article at Mongabay

MAINE: What warming waters could mean for Maine’s fishing economy

February 10, 2026 — Fishing is a major part of Maine’s economy, with commercial fisheries generating about $709 million in 2024, according to state data. But what happens when a warming climate begins to collide with business?

Scientists consider the Gulf of Maine to be one of the fastest-warming ocean regions in the world — and changing conditions have already reshaped parts of the industry.

In Maine, warming waters have contributed to long-term declines in northern shrimp populations. Shrimp fisheries in the Gulf of Maine have been closed for more than a decade, after regulators imposed a moratorium on shrimping — a ban that has now been extended until 2028.

And it’s not just shrimp.

Graham Sherwood, a senior scientist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, says warming waters could begin to affect Maine’s billion-dollar lobster industry, even as the fishery remains strong today.

Marketplace’s Sabri Ben-Achour spoke with Sherwood. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Read the full article at Marketplace

Rising ocean temperatures could devastate scallop fishery

February 10, 2026 — The Northeast Atlantic sea scallop fishery, one of the most valuable fisheries in the world at more than $500 million per year, faces serious threats from ecosystem changes, according to the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation.

Although the catch hasn’t dropped yet, climate change poses a serious threat to the scallop fishery in decades to come.

“It’s a huge fishery with hundreds of boats and thousands of crew members,” said Fred Mattera, president of the Commercial Fisheries Research Center, which is based in South Kingstown. “The crews are used to making hundreds of thousands of dollars. If that’s reduced by 30, 40 or 50%, that’s going to have a devastating impact.”

Due to global warming and an increase in atmospheric temperature, the ocean’s potential of hydrogen, or pH, will decrease, leading to ocean acidification, according to Rebecca Smoak, a research biologist at the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation. The process happens when carbon dioxide is absorbed by the ocean, causing the CO2​ levels in the water to increase.

Read the full article at The Westerly Sun

MASSACHUSETTS: New bill takes aim at climate-driven quota challenges

February 9, 2026 — Legislation introduced by a trio of U.S. senators would require NOAA Fisheries to more formally account for climate-driven shifts in fish stocks when setting commercial fishing quotas.

The bill, titled the Supporting Health Interstate Fisheries in Transition (SHIFT) Act, is sponsored by Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts. The legislation would direct the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to investigate when fish stock has shifted from one regional fishery management council’s jurisdiction into another’s and coordinate management between councils going forward, according to an article published by SeafoodSource.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

US lawmakers want NOAA Fisheries to consider climate impacts and shifting stocks in setting fishing quotas

February 5, 2026 — A trio of U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would require NOAA Fisheries to consider the impact of climate change on fish distribution in setting commercial fishing quotas.

“This legislation addresses outdated fishing requirements and ensures that climate change conditions like rising water temperatures that shift fish stocks are prioritized in fishery management plans. Our changing climate has seriously altered our oceans, forcing fishermen to travel far distances to earn a living or throw back valuable fish,” U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) said in a release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

New report raises red flags on looming threat that could devastate global seafood industry: ‘Adaptation is not optional’

January 26, 2026 — The nonprofit financial think tank Planet Tracker released a new report on the impacts of extreme weather on the seafood industry, which concluded that failing to adapt could cost billions, as Seafood Source reported.

How are rising temperatures disrupting the seafood industry?

The report found that if the seafood industry and society in general don’t take substantial action to reduce the risks of rising temperatures, it could cost $15 billion annually by 2050 due to higher ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, acidification, and low oxygen levels.

Depending on pollution levels, fish stocks could decline by up to 21% by 2100, which will impact seafood companies, investors, and the broader economy.

The new report, titled “Catch It Like It’s Hot,” explained how a rise in atmospheric pollution directly affects the seafood industry through factors like shifting currents, delayed spawning, greater disease risk, and higher frequency of algal blooms and marine heatwaves.

In turn, supply chains are affected, infrastructure damage increases, assets are stranded, revenue drops, and more companies close.

These disruptions threaten the economy and society, posing risks to food security, employment, government revenue from fishing, and consumer purchasing power. The effects later cascade through the financial system, impacting banks, insurers, and asset managers.

Read the full article at The Cool Down