Saving Seafood

MAINE: Several whales got entangled along the Maine coast in 2025, federal report finds

October 2, 2026 — A new report finds there were 76 confirmed entangled large whales documented along the coasts of the United States in 2025.

The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries says five of those entanglements were off the coast of Maine, with another unidentified whale in the Gulf of Maine. There were also two entanglements within the Gulf of Maine off the coast of Massachusetts.

The identified entangled whales off the Maine coast include three humpback whales, a fin whale and a minke whale. Both of the entangled whales off the northern coast of Massachusetts were humpback whales.

There was only one documented entanglement involving a North Atlantic right whale in 2025. That case was off the coast of Georgia.

Read the full article at WMTW

Feds to weigh possible new fishing rules and restrictions to protect Mid-Atlantic whales

August 17, 2026 — Federal fisheries officials are beginning a process that could eventually lead to new fishing restrictions along the East Coast designed to protect native whale species.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, announced Aug 14 that it intends to conduct an environmental review of potential changes to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan. The plan is intended to reduce deaths and serious injuries of North Atlantic right whales, humpback whales, and fin whales caused by entanglements in commercial trap/pot and gillnet fishing gear along the East Coast.

NMFS stresses that Friday’s publication merely begins a public comment process and is not a proposed federal rule.

Read the full article at WBOC

Equinor to support New York Bight whales monitoring

April 10, 2019 — Offshore wind power developer Equinor Wind US is entering a joint project with conservationists and scientists to deploy two new acoustic buoys to expand detection and monitoring of whales in the New York Bight.

To be operated with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts, the buoys will provide near real-time monitoring of species including sei, fin and humpback whales, and the extremely endangered North Atlantic right whale.

The buoys will become a broader network with a previously deployed acoustic buoy, funded by the G. Unger Vetlesen Foundation and the Flora Family Foundation, now on station about 22 miles off New York.

Read the full story at WorkBoat