Saving Seafood

Tuna meltdown

September 18, 2025 — For Marty Scanlon, president of the Blue Water Fishermen’s Association (BWFA), tuna fishing is a passion as much as a business. Since 1991, he has been running his 43-foot vessel, the Provider II, out of Long Island. But the business is getting rough.

By the time he gets into the Willie Etheridge Seafood dock in Wanchese, N.C., in August 2025, just ahead of Hurricane Erin, he and his crew are at their limit. A problem with the longline reel has forced them to haul back fifteen miles of gear by hand, and not for a lot of fish.

 “It took us two days to get the gear back,” says Scanlon, pointing to a pile of monofilament in a big fish box. “And it only took us a half an hour to unload.”

According to Scanlon, the number of East Coast U.S. tuna fishermen has dropped precipitously from 438 to 68 over the course of his career. The remaining fishermen have faced numerous challenges, among them cheap imports and uncertain and ambiguous regulations.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Hurricane Erin churns up dangerous waves and closes beaches along US East Coast

August 19, 2025 — Hurricane Erin churned slowly toward the eastern U.S. on Tuesday, stirring up treacherous waves that already have led to dozens of water rescues and shut down beaches along the coast in the midst of summer’s last hurrah.

While forecasters remain confident the center of the monster storm will remain far offshore, the outer edges are likely to bring damaging tropical-force winds, large swells and life-threatening rip currents into Friday.

Warnings about rip currents have been posted from Florida to the New England coast, and the biggest swells along the East Coast are expected over the coming two days. Rough ocean conditions already have been seen along the coast — at least 60 swimmers were rescued from rip currents Monday at Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington, North Carolina.

New York City closed its beaches to swimming on Wednesday and Thursday, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered three state beaches on Long Island to prohibit swimming through Thursday. Several New Jersey beaches also will be off-limits.

Read the full article at the Associated Press 

Once in Dire Straits, Atlantic Sturgeon Are Staging a Comeback on the East Coast

May 29, 2025 — Matt Balazik surveyed Virginia’s James River for the carcass of a local legend. Growing up along the 340-mile tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, the scientist had heard plenty about Atlantic sturgeon, the large, ancient fish that was once abundant in this water. The species had always inspired fascination, here and elsewhere, because of its prehistoric build. Instead of scales, five rows of bony plates run along the length of its torpedo-shaped body—like armor on a dinosaur, a fellow creature of the Cretaceous period. Spotting a sturgeon jump out of the water was thus like glimpsing a living fossil.

But after periods of rampant overfishing and pollution, the fish had nearly vanished from the James and, in its scarcity, gained a certain mythological status. For all his days out on the river, Balazik had never seen one.

So when somebody reported an eight-foot floater near Herring Creek one day in 2007, the then-Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) graduate student didn’t hesitate to hop in a boat and start scanning the river’s surface for the fish that had long eluded him.

His sweeping search, however, proved fruitless. And as he turned around, he realized his vessel wouldn’t have enough fuel to make it back to VCU’s Rice Rivers Center. Chagrined, he waited by shore for his adviser to ferry over some gas.

Only then did Balazik finally lay eyes on the mammoth fish. One leapt from the water.

Read the full article at the Smithsonian Magazine

Bluefin tuna fishing halted along East Coast after quota exceeded

March 8, 2025 — Fishermen from Maine to Florida will not be able to catch the bluefin tuna for the rest of the month after exceeding the federal government’s winter quota.

Ship captain Tyler McLaughlin said the bluefin tuna is the most prized fish in New England.

He said several fishermen rely on the tuna for their livelihood, and the restrictions could affect how much fish they can catch during their busiest time of year.

“I’ve really chased the bluefin tuna my whole life up and down the coast, and I have a wide grasp on the fishery and the fishery in multiple locations throughout the year,” McLaughlin said.

Read the full article at wmur

East Coast ‘slow zone’ to protect endangered whales withdrawn

January 16, 2025 — Federal officials have withdrawn a proposed slow zone for ferries, ships and large boats along the U.S. East Coast after months of heated criticism from Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and other coastal communities. Whale conservationists lamented the move as a major loss, saying the proposal was a “much-needed” effort to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales from extinction.

In a document filed Wednesday morning, officials from a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said they decided to withdraw the plan after receiving 90,000 public comments — many of which included requests for more public engagement.

“Despite its best efforts, [the National Marine Fisheries Service] does not have sufficient time to finalize this regulation in this Administration due to the scope and volume of public comments,” the filing said. “NMFS hereby withdraws the August 2022 proposed rule and terminates this rulemaking proceeding.”

Read the full article at Connecticut Public

Fishing Flotilla Protests at Still-Damaged Vineyard Wind Turbine As Debris Continues to Wash Ashore

August 26, 2024 — A flotilla of fishermen from across the East Coast gathered yesterday near the site of a damaged Vineyard Wind turbine to protest the perceived risks posed by offshore wind projects to the ocean and maritime communities. The protest, which also included a “Hands Across the Beach” demonstration on shore, highlighted growing concerns among fishermen about the impact of large-scale wind farms on their livelihoods and the environment.

Vineyard Wind, which has been constructing towering turbine structures off the coast, has faced increasing criticism from local fishing communities. The concerns have escalated following a turbine blade failure in July that left fiberglass debris in the surrounding waters. Fishermen fear that the turbines, which are taller than the Statue of Liberty, may not withstand the harsh winter conditions and powerful storms of the North Atlantic.

Read the full article at Shore News Network

New Study Examines How Wind Turbines May Affect Ocean Floor

August 14, 2024 — Over the next ten years, thousands of wind turbines will be installed along the Atlantic coast of North America. This will be the biggest change to the sea floor in the area since the last Ice Age ended about 14,000 years ago.

A new research study, conducted by Kevin D. E. Stokesbury, N. David Bethoney, Felipe Restrepo, Bradley P. Harris, and sponsored by the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation has been conducted to:

  1. Understand the differences between the sea floor in areas where wind turbines will be built and other locations;
  2. Help scientists predict how the ecosystem might change when the turbines are installed;
  3. Provide a detailed picture of the current sea floor, so future changes can be measured accurately after the turbines are in place. 

To understand what the sea floor is like now, scientists combined two large sets of data. One set comes from underwater camera surveys done from 2003 to 2019, and the other set is from geological studies dating back to 1966. They used this information to create detailed maps of the sea floor from Virginia Beach to the Gulf of Maine, down to a depth of about 300 meters. These maps show the probability of finding different types of materials on the sea floor, like rocks or sand, in specific areas.

Background

Offshore wind energy development goals are set to bring thousands of wind turbines to the North American Atlantic coast over the next decade. Such rapid development will significantly change the underwater environment. For example, currently soft seabeds (mud, sand, etc.) will have new hard structures introduced by wind farms (towers, foundation base materials, etc.). To understand the impact of wind farm development on marine habitats, we need to gather baseline information on the current state of these underwater areas.

What We Did
We studied the ocean floor along the East Coast of the United States using historical data. This involved using data collected from 2003 to 2019 by camera surveys from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology and marine sediment data from the United States Geological Survey dating back to 1966. We wanted to map the composition of the ocean floor before wind farm development began, so we looked at the percentages of mud, sand, gravel, cobble, shell, and rock in different areas. Then, we created maps to show where each of these types of substrate are found.


Photo: The six substrate types based on the Wentworth scale for the SMAST drop camera samples. Credit: Stokesbury, K. D. E., Bethoney, N. D., Restrepo, F., & Harris, B. P. (2024). Anticipating the winds of change: A baseline assessment of Northeastern US continental shelf surficial substrates. Fisheries Oceanography, e12693

What We Found
1) Across all of the areas we mapped, sand was the dominant bottom type (found in 59% of areas), followed by mud (34%), and gravel (6%).

2) Areas slated for wind farm development had different substrate types than the rest of the continental shelf. For example, wind farm lease areas predominately had a mix of sand (99% of areas) and shell (92%) as their substrates.

Looking Forward

Wind farm lease areas currently consist mainly of soft-bottom habitats with low percentages of harder substrates such as gravel, cobble, and rock. Wind farms will add a lot of hard structures to these areas, potentially altering the habitat and species that inhabit these areas, which will likely affect fisheries. The maps created in this study will help us monitor changes to the substrate after wind farm construction. This will provide a more comprehensive view of the impacts of offshore wind on ocean ecosystems.

The published paper on this research, which was led by Dr. Kevin Stokesbury. Dean of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, is available here: “Anticipating the winds of change: A baseline assessment of Northeastern US continental shelf surficial substrates.” 

Environmentalists decry attempt to delay shipping rules meant to save endangered whales

July 3, 2024 — A Georgia congressman has proposed a yearslong delay in changes to federal rules meant to protect vanishing whales, prompting a rebuke from environmental groups who say the animals need protection now.

The delay proposed by Republican Rep. Buddy Carter concerns new vessel speed rules issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service that are being finalized by the federal government. The proposed rules, which are much anticipated by shippers and fishermen, would expand protective slow zones off the East Coast and require more ships to slow down.

The rules are designed to protect the North Atlantic right whale, which numbers fewer than 360 and is vulnerable to collisions with large ships. Carter’s bill states that it would prevent any amendments or updates to the right whale vessel strike reduction rule until Dec. 31, 2030.

The government’s proposed rule changes would “cause grave safety issues for recreational vessels and pilot vessels alike” and economic harm, Carter said in a statement. A hearing on Carter’s bill was held June 27.

Read the full article at Centralmaine.com

Study links increased vessel traffic to uptick in East Coast whale strandings

June 8, 2024 — More than 500 whales were stranded on the East Coast between 1995 and 2022. Many of those were discovered in our region.

WSHU’s Sabrina Garone spoke with Dr. Lesley Thorne of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Thorne led a study that looked into the possible explanations.

WSHU: Of those hundreds of strandings, most of those happened between 2016 and 2022. Your study took a look at some of the reasons for this. Could you take me through the major findings?

LT: We looked at patterns of large whale strandings relative to that of different threats to large whales. And we focused on humpback whales, which are the species that strand most frequently on the East Coast. Vessel strikes, where whales are struck and hurt by vessels, and entanglement in fishing gear are major threats that face whales globally. So, we looked at patterns of vessel traffic and fishing efforts.

And we also looked at activities occurring along the U.S. East Coast associated with offshore wind development. And what we found was that mortalities and serious injuries due to vessel strikes increased threefold during this time period post-2016. We did not find any evidence that offshore wind development, or site assessment surveys for offshore wind development, played a role in the increase in whale strandings. In short, our analysis suggested that vessel strikes were an important driver, and that vessel strikes were exacerbated by increases in traffic in key regions. As well as key changes in humpback whale habitat use and distribution.

Read the full article at WSHU

Alewife runs restored in East Coast rivers

April 9, 2024 — Anadromous fisheries require healthy watersheds, and while the Pebble Mine controversy in Alaska has driven home that point, on the other side of the country, Canadian and US entities are seeing positive results from the largest river restoration project on the East Coast. The International St. Croix River Watershed Board (ISCRWB) has been removing dams and building fishways along the border waters of the St. Croix River to restore alewife runs.

In 1987 more than 2.6 million alewives ascended the St. Croix River and dispersed into its various feeder streams. But that same year, at the urging of recreational fishermen concerned about the alewives eating bass eggs, the state of Maine ordered the closure of fish passages at the Vanceboro Dam, followed by closure of the Grand Falls Dam in 1991, and the Woodland Dam in 1995. By 2001 only 900 alewives entered the river.

The blocking of the alewife runs coincided with the decline of the cod and blackback (winter flounder) fisheries in the estuary of the St. Croix. Ted Ames, a fisherman and academic, won a MacArthur fellowship in 2005 for his analysis of years of survey data that showed alewives and cod present in inshore cod spawning grounds at the same time of year. “The cod would come inshore in the fall to spawn at the same time these young of the year alewives and herring were coming down,” said Ames. “It’s believed that the three-year-old cod were feeding on those small alewives. And there’s a correlation between the collapse of the alewives and inshore herring and the collapse of these cod spawning grounds. Spencer Baird was saying this back in the 1800s. If you dam these rivers you will kill the inshore fish stocks. The cod aren’t going to come in if there’s nothing in the dinner pail.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman