Saving Seafood

MARYLAND: Maryland DNR launches online commercial fishing license renewals

July 24, 2026 — Maryland commercial watermen can now renew their fishing licenses online for the first time.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has added commercial license renewals to its MD Outdoors licensing system, allowing eligible license holders to complete the process without visiting a service center.

The new online option is available only for renewing existing commercial licenses and permits. New licenses, transfers and oyster tag requests must still be handled through a DNR Licensing Service Center.

Watermen with striped bass tag fees or nonresident surcharges must pay those charges online before completing their renewal.

Read the full article at WBOC

NOAA report finds Gulf of Maine warming slowed for now, but ecosystem remains unstable

July 24, 2026 — Although the climate is changing, scientists say fishermen can find a path forward.

Maine’s fishing ports are doing well for now, but climate change is destabilizing the Gulf of Maine, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest “State of the Ecosystem” report for New England waters. Federal scientists presented the report to the New England Fishery Management Council in April, and published it online last week.

They found that some Maine fishing ports are growing busier, likely driven by the high price of lobster. Stonington, Harpswell and Friendship all see more activity now than they did roughly 20 years ago.

And 2025, like 2024, offered slightly cooler water temperatures after more than a decade of rapid and record-breaking warming in the Gulf of Maine. But the scientists predict that  temperatures will warm again this fall, and will continue to rise long-term as the burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

To weather these ongoing changes, fishermen and their communities need to diversify their businesses, experts say.

“Things don’t look particularly stable either in terms of the fishery or the ecosystem,” said Joseph Caracappa, a research biologist at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center who edited the report. “We’re seeing big changes that are sweeping across the ecology of the system and fisheries. Even socially, culturally — how communities are structured, where people are fishing, who’s actually doing the fishing.”

This annual report includes contributions from more than 100 scientists across the Northeast. NOAA has had to make do with fewer resources as the federal government’s priorities have changed under the second Trump administration, but otherwise the report has been prepared and published as usual, Caracappa said. And in fact, this latest report debuted a new section dedicated to forecasting ocean conditions in the year ahead.

Read the full article at The Maine Monitor

Can killing seals save salmon? Conservationists and Washington lawmakers disagree

July 23, 2026 — A marine wildlife hospital based in the Pacific Northwest is worried about an alarming trend: seals coming to them alive, but gravely injured.

Earlier this month, the organization treated its third seal in less than a year with a gunshot wound. That seal pup, named Waffles, was found over Fourth of July weekend. It had to be euthanized once it was determined its injuries were too severe.

“It’s not uncommon for us to see animals that have been shot,” said Casey Mclean, executive director and veterinary nurse at SR3 SeaLife Response + Rehab + Research. “Historically, we often found those animals dead. Now we’re starting to see more of them alive and suffering from gunshot injuries.”This trend, Mclean believes, is being fueled by misinformation about the role marine mammals play in Washington’s continually struggling salmon populations.

Her concern is amplified by a congressional bipartisan bill from two Washington lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, a Republican, and U.S. Rep. Emily Randall, a Democrat. The Northwest Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act (H.R. 9621) would expand the ability of federal, state, and tribal authorities to remove seals and sea lions, known collectively as pinnipeds, from Washington waters in an effort to boost salmon recovery.

In statements to KING 5, both sponsors of the bill lambasted the shooting of the seal pup as illegal, but insisted it should not be confused with what they’re proposing.

“Joe Schmo or any person off the streets shouldn’t be shooting seals or sea lions,” Randall said. “What we have proposed is a robust process to figure out how we can have responsible management of a population that’s decimating our salmon.”

“No one should be illegally poaching sea lions,” Baumgartner said. “I hope the perpetrator is identified and brought to justice. This does not have anything to do with my bipartisan bill to try to save and restore our endangered salmon populations.”

Supporters of the proposal, like the representatives, argue reducing pinnipeds could help struggling salmon populations. However, critics like Mclean say the bill ignores more significant threats to salmon and risks repeating decades-old mistakes in wildlife management.

Read the full article at KUOW

MASSACHUSETTS: ‘Call from God’: New Bedford man recounts saving overboard fisherman

July 23, 2026 — A fisherman spent hours stranded in the water after falling overboard, until a New Bedford fishing crew rushed to his aid.

Joao Dasilva told 12 News that it was a normal day for him and the rest of the crew on the Seel Jr. as they were nearing the end of a nine-day trip.

They heard a call for help about a man overboard and didn’t hesitate to step in.

“So, we haul back … and once we got there, Sammy’s like, ‘go out on the bow and see if you can see anything,’” Dasilva recalled.

Read the full article at WPRI

ALASKA: Bristol Bay sockeye run surpasses forecast as harvest nears 29.3M

July 23, 2026 — In a July 21 Bristol Bay fisheries update, the region’s sockeye salmon run has now exceeded preseason expectations, with the total run climbing to 44.38 million fish—surpassing the forecast of 44.05 million—while the cumulative harvest reached 29.29 million sockeye.

The baywide catch on Monday totaled 164,316 fish, nearly double the previous day’s harvest, while daily escapement remained relatively steady at 69,410 fish.

The Nushagak District added 14,689 sockeye to the harvest, bringing its season total to 8.97 million fish, while the district’s total run reached 15.1 million. The Nushagak River sonar counted 3,422 sockeye, pushing seasonal escapement to more than 3.11 million fish, well above the upper end of its escapement goal.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

ALASKA: Bristol Bay sockeye run closes in on preseason forecast

July 21, 2026 — According to a July 17 fisheries update from KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska, Bristol Bay’s 2026 sockeye salmon run continues to track toward its preseason forecast, with the total run reaching more than 43.2 million fish and the commercial harvest approaching 28.5 million.

Fishermen harvested 356,707 sockeye on Thursday, bringing the season’s cumulative catch to 28,484,324 fish, about 88 percent of the preseason harvest forecast of 32.26 million sockeye. Total escapement reached 43,297,216 fish, putting the overall run within roughly 750,000 fish of the forecasted 44.05 million fish.

Egegik posted the largest daily harvest, with 163,104 sockeye landed Thursday. The district’s season catch has climbed to 8,571,718 fish, already surpassing its preseason harvest forecast of 7.5 million. Egegik’s total run now stands at 10,477,480 sockeye, well above the projected 8.9 million fish.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Scottish fishing leaders look to Northeast cooperative research model

June 21, 2026 — A delegation of commercial fishing leaders from Scotland toured ports across the Northeast last month to study how cooperative research between fishermen and scientists is shaping fisheries management, with hopes of applying similar approaches as Scotland revises its own fisheries policies.

According to NOAA Fisheries, 16 members of the Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation participated in the agency’s first international cooperative research knowledge exchange, visiting four ports over three days. The group toured 12 commercial fishing vessels, six seafood processing facilities and dealers, a net manufacturing company in Point Judith, R.I., and the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center.

The delegation focused on fisheries shared by the United States and Scotland, including Atlantic cod, haddock, Atlantic pollock, Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic herring, dogfish, and shortfin and longfin squid.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council to Meet August 11-13, 2026, in Philadelphia, PA

July 21, 2026 — The following was released by the The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will meet Tuesday, August 11 – Thursday, August 13, 2026 at The Westin Philadelphia. The meeting is open to the public and will also be accessible via webinar. Meeting materials, webinar information, and public comment instructions are available on the August 2026 Council Meeting Page.

Major agenda items include:

  • Surfclam and Ocean Quahog: Adopt 2027-2028 specifications.
  • Butterfish: Adopt 2027-2029 specifications and consider alternative trip limits and other measures intended to increase quota utilization.
  • Monkfish and Skates: Review feedback received during the Spring 2026 listening sessions on potential fishery improvements.
  • Chub Mackerel: Review 2027 specifications and consider revisions if needed.
  • Northeast Fisheries Science Center Surveys: Receive an update on recent fishery-independent surveys and the Regional Industry Based Trawl Survey.
  • Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan: Receive a presentation from NOAA Fisheries on the scoping process for potential future modifications to the plan.
  • Summer Flounder, Scup, Black Sea Bass, and Bluefish: Review 2027 specifications and consider revisions, if needed.
  • Scup Winter I Framework (final action): Review alternatives and take final action.
  • Business Session: Receive committee, agency, and liaison reports; approve an appointment to the Scientific and Statistical Committee; and provide an opportunity for general public comment.

The Council welcomes public comment from in-person and remote participants. Instructions and deadlines for submitting comments are available on the meeting page.

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo at msabo@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5261.

New regulations to protect right whales may be paused until 2035

July 20, 2026 — A bill cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s 2nd District that would further delay new protections for North American right whales has advanced out of Committee.

Golden has cited government layoffs and other slowdowns as reasons for extending a moratorium on new regulations from 2028 to 2035.

Golden said in remarks to the House Natural Resources Committee that the extended moratorium would provide time to collect more data, ensuring that Maine fisheries aren’t unfairly burdened. The Maine Department of Marine Resources and the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association wrote letters of support for the legislation.

“We need more time to make sure that any new measures we ask lobstermen to take will strike a very careful balance between protecting marine life and protecting the livelihoods of fishermen themselves,” Golden said at the committee hearing.

But Gib Brogan of ocean protection nonprofit Oceana said the science is clear.

“All of the available evidence shows that the protections that are in place right now are not enough to support the recovery of North Atlantic right whales.”

Read the full article at Maine Public