Saving Seafood

New cod regulations could squeeze remaining New England groundfish fleet

July 9, 2026 — New cod fishing regulations in New England will make life more complicated for the region’s groundfish fleet during a period already impacted by high fuel costs.

The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) recently approved a new multispecies fishery management plan that split the management areas for cod in the Northeast U.S. into four separate areas, an increase from the two areas it was previously. That rule, Amendment 25, set separate allowable catch limits for each quadrant, which combines to a total allowable limit of 608 metric tons (MT) across all areas.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

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

Groundfish season opens on time after NOAA passes emergency catch limits

May 1, 2025 — The fishing season for cod, haddock and flounder started on time Thursday after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued emergency regulations this week.

The move came after weeks of delay because of the Trump administration’s cuts to NOAA staff, and controversy over proposed changes to how the agency measures cod populations.

For now, catch limits for these bottom-dwelling fish will remain lower than last season. NOAA said it will delay any decision about the suggested updates to cod fishing regulations until next year.

Read the full story at WBUR

NOAA takes ‘emergency action’ to open Atlantic cod fishery

April 30, 2025 — NOAA will allow fishermen to harvest cod and other high-value species off the Northeast Atlantic coast beginning May 1, averting what could have been a major disruption to one of the East Coast’s most economically important and environmentally threatened fisheries.

NOAA issued “a temporary rule for an emergency action” Tuesday allowing what’s known as the Northeast Multispecies fishery to open on schedule, even though new regulations governing the management of certain species are not yet in place.

“This action ensures the fishery can continue without interruption,” the agency said in a notice.

Read the full story at E&E News

New England fishers protest proposed changes to region’s cod management plan

December 4, 2024 — Commercial fishers in the U.S. region of New England are protesting a new cod management plan under consideration by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), claiming the changes will destroy the region’s historic cod fishery.

“These restrictions are going to be the end of the trawlers and anyone else buying fish,” New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA) CEO Jerry Leeman said in a statement. “Everyone in the fisheries expects Addendum 25 to torpedo their businesses.”

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

US restaurant chains launch lobster, shrimp, cod specials as Lent kicks off

February 14, 2024 — Coinciding with the start of Lent on 14 February, numerous U.S. restaurant chains are rolling limited-time offers featuring lobster, shrimp, and cod.

One of the biggest U.S. seafood restaurant chains, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.-based Red Lobster, is bringing back its popular Lobsterfest promotion and adding several new shrimp and lobster dishes to its menu, including Lobster Lover’s Dream featuring twin North American lobster tails and linguine with lobster sourced from Maine.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: New quota system to start for trawl harvests of cod in Bering Sea and Aleutians

August 21, 2023 — Commercial fishermen netting Pacific cod from the Bering Sea and Aleutians region will be working under new individual limits starting next year designed to ease pressure on harvests that regulators concluded were too rushed, too dangerous and too prone to accidentally catch untargeted fish species.

The new system will require fishers who harvest cod by trawl – the net gear that scoops up fish swimming near the bottom of the ocean – to be part of designated cooperatives that will then have assigned quota shares. The fisheries service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has notified eligible participants and is asking for applications.

The cod-trawling program, to start next January, is the first new fishery quota system started since 2012 in federal waters off Alaska, according to NOAA Fisheries.

The Pacific cod harvest is the second-biggest commercial groundfish catch in the waters off Alaska, after pollock, according to NOAA Fisheries. The 2021 commercial harvest totaled 330.4 million pounds and was worth $86.5 million, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Read the full story at KTOO

NEFMC Takes Final Action on Framework 65 with Gulf of Maine Cod Rebuilding Plan, 2023-2025 Specifications

December 15, 2022 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council selected final measures for Framework Adjustment 65 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan when it met December 5-8, 2022 in Newport, RI. The Council also voted to submit the framework to NOAA Fisheries for approval and implementation. The framework will guide the 2023 fishing year for groundfish, which begins on May 1. Several provisions and specifications in this action will apply to fishing years 2024, 2025, and beyond.

Gulf of Maine Cod:

Gulf of Maine cod is overfished and experiencing overfishing. Framework 65 contains a new 10-year rebuilding plan, which has a 70% probability of rebuilding this stock by 2033. The strategy: (1) utilizes a fishing mortality rate set at 60% of what the rate is that would produce maximum sustainable yield; and (2) produces a fishing mortality rate of 0.104, which is very low and will continue to result in low catch limits during the 10-year rebuilding period.

The Council initially considered a higher fishing mortality rate of 0.121 for Gulf of Maine cod as recommended by its Groundfish Committee. However, the higher rate, while still extremely restrictive, resulted in a lower probability of stock rebuilding during the 10-year period and led to higher catch limits.

After fully debating the best course forward, the Council agreed by consensus to adopt the lower fishing mortality rate to offer more protection for Gulf of Maine cod and give the stock a better chance of rebuilding.

This new rebuilding plan will not change the 551 metric ton (mt) acceptable biological catch (ABC) that the Council adopted for fishing years 2023 and 2024. Allocations to the fishery will be based on these existing ABC values, which the Council supported in part because of uncertainty over stock projections. Also, the 551 mt ABCs will promote stock rebuilding since they are lower than they would be if calculated under the new fishing mortality rate in the rebuilding plan.

The rebuilding plan will begin in 2024 and remain in place for 10 years unless the Council is notified by NOAA Fisheries that Gulf of Maine cod is rebuilt or the plan is modified.

Read the full release here

USDA plans more Alaska, West Coast groundfish buys for nutrition programs

June 22, 2022 — Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, have announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s approval of up to $52 million in Pacific and Alaskan groundfish purchases.

The USDA will buy cod, haddock, pollock, and flounder to supplement the federal government’s food-assistance programs as part of its Section 32 program.

Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act authorizes a percentage of customs receipts to be transferred to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to support the prices of surplus domestic commodities and to distribute those commodities through various USDA programs designed to feed hungry Americans.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Haul of Atlantic cod, once abundant, reaches new low

May 10, 2022 — One of the oldest fishing industries in the U.S. sank to a new low in catch last year, signaling that efforts to rebuild the fishery still have a long way to go.

New England fishermen have caught Atlantic cod for centuries, but the catch has dwindled over the last decade due to overfishing, restrictive fishing quotas, and environmental changes. The vast majority of the fish come to the docks in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Maine fishermen brought fewer cod to the docks last year than any other in recorded history, state regulators said earlier this month. The state’s catch, which was more than 20 million pounds in the early 1990s, was less than 50,000 pounds last year, state records show.

Cod are the fish of choice for fish and chips in the U.S., but the industry’s collapse has left the country dependent on imports from countries such as Iceland. Russia is another major exporter, but the U.S. banned imports of Russian seafood due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at News Center Maine