Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is trying to make flounder go viral

September 22, 2026 — The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is trying to make flounder go viral.

At the beginning of September, the department launched its “Flat is Back” campaign with 10 local chefs highlight the fish on their menus all month long. The campaign aims to put flatfish that is already caught on consumers’ plates and support the “depressed” cost of flounder, said Dan McKiernan, the director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

“Massachusetts flounder is a beautiful fish to cook with—it’s fresh, delicate, and incredibly versatile,” Jeremy Sewall, chef and owner of Row 34 and one of the participating chefs, said in a statement. “By putting it on our menus, we can create something memorable for diners while supporting the local fishermen and coastal communities that make Massachusetts seafood so special.”

Read the full article at Boston.com

MASSACHUSETTS: ‘Flat is Back’ campaign hopes to put flounder back on people’s plates

September 15, 2026 — Aperol spritzes. Dubai chocolate. Dill pickle, well, everything. Thanks to Instagram and TikTok, food trends have never been more of-the-moment, with even seemingly mundane ingredients like cottage cheese enjoying a sudden resurgence.

Why not the flounder? The first-of-its-kind “Flat is Back” campaign, spearheaded by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, aims to build buzz around the plentiful yet underutilized flatfish called flounder, better connecting what fishermen already catch to what ends up on consumers’ plates. The hoped-for result would be a more economically and environmentally sustainable fisheries model, MassDMF Director Dan McKiernan — one he plans to replicate for all kinds of underappreciated fish.

But first, customers have to bite.

In 2023, over three-fourths of all seafood Americans consumed came from just 10 species, with shrimp, salmon, and canned tuna topping the list. In general, American diners tend to consume fewer species of fish than Europeans and Asians, McKiernan said. That can drive up demand for a few key species while leaving plenty of other fish in the sea.

Cod, for example, remains one of the most popular catches, even after its numbers have drastically declined. Flounder, on the other hand, is abundant and cheap.

“We hope that this program can help people get an appreciation for some of the other species of fish, so that seafood can be, surprisingly, fun,” McKiernan said.

Read the full article at The New Bedford Light

Opinion: Seabed mining would strip mine fishermens’ future

August 24, 2026 — As a family of lifelong commercial fishers, we’ve always done our best to take care of the ocean off Virginia’s coast. But right now, an out-of-state company wants to dig out the foundation of our fishing grounds.

The federal government is considering a recent proposal by a Florida-based mining company to dredge Virginia’s seabed. If granted, our entire Eastern shore – 2,500 square miles – could be opened up to mining that would tear up the ocean bottom and crush the marine life that depends on it.

The two of us have saltwater running through our veins.

As for me – Jim – I fell in the water when I was two and have been driving a skiff since I was eight. My great uncle was a crabber, and my great aunt was picking crabs. I always knew I wanted to be a commercial fisherman here – just fell in love with fishing.

And as for me – Katie – my neighbor in Freeport, Long Island, threw me in the water and told me to swim when I was three. At about nine, I’d take the neighbors’ dog out on a paddle boat at six am to grab mussels off the pylons and stay out until dark. Neighbors would tell my parents they’d seen me.

Today, we are Virginia’s largest harvesters of black sea bass and flounder, fishing over 100 trips per season. Jim, the tech whiz with a chemistry degree, recently designed and built our own boat and fishes all day with our 24-year-old son, Matt. Katie takes care of lobsters in the tank and delivers our product every Saturday to people’s houses. Around Chincoteague, some people know us better as “Jimmy Neutron” and “The Lobsta Lady.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

$15 million federal grant will fund fishing tech projects

August 19, 2026 — A“third eye” camera for groundfishermen and autonomous robots for lobstermen. That’s, in part, what a group of New England commercial fishing advocates, oceanographic researchers and tech companies hope to build with a $15 million federal grant.

The goal of the U.S. National Science Foundation funding, awarded in late July, is to help commercial fishermen catch better, healthier fish and bolster the region’s seafood industry from harvest to processing.

Researchers will use some of the money to further develop a camera system that allows captains and crews to see what’s swimming into their nets, before it is hauled onto the deck. The innovation could mean the difference between a net full of bycatch — fish that crews don’t want, because they’re heavily regulated, or can’t keep — and a harvest that makes money.

Other parts of the federal grant will be spent to develop autonomous robots to detect environmental conditions underwater that could lead to bringing up traps filled with dead lobsters.

The awardees also plan to use the money to figure out how to strengthen the processing side of the seafood industry, said Jake Kritzer, executive director for the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems — the organization leading the group awarded the grant — in an interview with The Light.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Launches “Flat Is Back” Campaign to Promote Local Flounder

August 19, 2026 — The following was released by Mass.gov

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) today announced the launch of the Massachusetts Flounder Chef Council, a statewide campaign celebrating locally harvested flounders. Ten participating chefs will feature the versatile New England fish on restaurant menus across the state. The council brings together ten leading Massachusetts chefs, each of whom will feature a signature dish showcasing Massachusetts flounder. The dishes will be served at participating restaurant locations across Massachusetts through September 30.

“Massachusetts fishermen harvest world-class seafood from some of the most nutrient-rich fishing grounds in the world,” said DMF Director Dan McKiernan. “The Flounder Chef Council connects that fishing heritage with today’s diners while demonstrating how choosing local flounder supports fishing families, working waterfronts and coastal communities throughout the Commonwealth.”

Massachusetts flounder is wild-caught by local fishermen in the cool waters off the New England coast. With its mild, slightly sweet flavor and delicate white flesh, flounder is quick to cook and remarkably versatile. Flounder is low in saturated fat and packs a protein punch providing essential vitamins and minerals and over 20 grams of protein for 100 calories per serving.

Although local flounder is available year-round, Massachusetts fishermen caught only a portion of the amount allowed in 2025. Unpredictable prices, competition from imported seafood and limited consumer demand can make it difficult to sell more of the available catch.Through the Flat Is Back campaign, DMF and the participating chefs hope to introduce more restaurant diners and home cooks to this versatile New England fish while creating greater demand for the local catch.

“Massachusetts flounder is a beautiful fish to cook with – it’s fresh, delicate and incredibly versatile,” said Jeremy Sewall, Chef & Owner of Row 34 and Massachusetts Flounder Chef Council member. “By putting it on our menus, we can create something memorable for diners while supporting the local fishermen and coastal communities that make Massachusetts seafood so special.”

NORTH CAROLINA: State announces commercial flounder season opening dates

July 17, 2026 — The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has announced opening dates for the 2026 commercial flounder season in internal coastal and joint fishing waters.

Opening dates for pound net management areas are as follows:

Tuesday, Sept. 15 in waters north of Pamlico Sound. Wednesday, Sept. 30 in Pamlico Sound and its tributaries. Wednesday, Sept. 30 in waters from Core Sound to the South Carolina line. Trip limits will not apply to pound net management areas. The opening date for commercial fishers who use mobile gears, which are all gears other than pound nets, is Wednesday, Sept. 30.

Read the full article at the Coastal Review

Changes to Summer Flounder Commercial Minimum Mesh Size Flynet Exemption

June 23, 2026 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

NOAA Fisheries recently implemented changes to the summer flounder commercial minimum mesh size exemption for vessels fishing with flynet otter trawls, as recommended by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

BACKGROUND

Federal regulations for the summer flounder trawl fishery require a minimum mesh size of 5.5-inch diamond mesh or 6.0-inch square mesh to retain more than 100 pounds of summer flounder in the summer (May through October) or 200 pounds in winter (November through April). The regulations include an exemption to these requirements for vessels fishing with flynet otter trawls. Flynets are not designed to catch flatfish and generally catch small amounts of summer flounder. The flynet exemption allows vessels targeting other species to legally retain incidental catch of summer flounder in excess of the 100 and 200 pound seasonal possession limits, provided the vessel also holds a summer flounder moratorium permit. Vessels fishing under the exemption must continue to comply with applicable federal regulations as well as the regulations of the state in which they are permitted, including seasons and possession limits.  

WHAT IS CHANGING? 

1. Updated Definition of “Flynet”

The regulatory definition of a flynet has been revised to reflect modern net configurations used throughout the region. To qualify as a flynet, an otter trawl must have the following configuration:

  1. The net has large mesh in the wings that measures 8 inches (20.3 cm) or greater. 
  2. The first body section (belly) of the net has at least 280 inches (711.2 cm) of mesh behind the sweep where the mesh size is at least 8 inches (20.3 cm). 
  3. The mesh decreases in size throughout the body of the net toward the codend.

 Important: To utilize the flynet exemption, vessels must have no other nets or netting with mesh smaller than 5.5 inches (14.0 cm) on board.

2. New Flynet Gear Code for VTR Reporting

A new gear code has been implemented to improve monitoring of trips taken under the flynet exemption. When submitting Vessel Trip Reports (VTRs), flynet operators must now select the appropriate gear code:

Reporting Platform              Gear Code to Select

GARFO Fish Online eVTR        FLY – OTTER TRAWL, BOTTOM, FLYNET

ACCSP eTrips                               FLY NET

 

Accurate gear code reporting will support better monitoring of the flynet exemption and inform future management decisions.

The Final Rule implementing these changes also made modifications to the Summer Flounder Small Mesh Exemption Program (SMEP), a seasonal exemption applying to authorized vessels from November 1 through April 30 each year. For more information, visit https://www.mafmc.org/actions/summer-flounder-commercial-mesh-exemptions. 

NORTH CAROLINA: Fisheries ax pound net trip limits for commercial operations

September 5, 2025 — The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has removed the pound net trip limits established previously for this year’s commercial fishing season in estuarine waters.

The division announced the commercial fishing season Aug. 26, and explained at the time that “all pound net management areas will open for the harvest of flounder with initial trip limits.”

The limits were 500 pounds for the northern area, which is north of the Pamlico Sound, 1,000 pounds for the central area that includes the Pamlico Sound and its tributaries, and 500 pounds for the southern management area that is from Core Sound to the South Carolina line.

Officials revised the pound net limits and sent out the updated information Friday, explaining that “all pound net management areas will open for the harvest of flounder without initial trip limits.

” Opening dates for the three areas did not change. The northern area is to open Monday, Sept. 15, and the central and southern management areas are to open Oct. 1.

Read the full article at CoastalReview.org

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