Saving Seafood

High fuel prices could hurt Kodiak’s salmon fishermen

June 5, 2026 — The high cost of diesel, fueled by the war in Iran, coincides with a projected weak salmon harvest for this summer.

Down at the dock in Kodiak’s St Paul harbor on a windy Tuesday in May, Darren Platt organized his boat, a 42-foot seiner called the Agnes Sabine, ahead of the upcoming salmon season.

“Before a season, you just tear everything apart, and then just desperately try to put it back together,” he said. “I’m still in the tearing everything apart phase.”

This time of year, Platt would normally be excited to hit the water. This summer though, he said he’s feeling apprehensive, mostly about the price of diesel.

“It’s probably going to be close to double what it was last year,” he said.

Platt is one of many who work on the water who are concerned about the price at the pump. Gas prices are still high as a result of the war with Iran, and even a small increase could make or break an already short season.

Last summer, Dave Kubiak, owner and operator of the fishing vessel Lara Lee, said he paid around $3.75 a gallon for fuel. But when he filled his tank on May 20, diesel was $6.70 a gallon, an increase of more than 80%. He calculated that filling the vessel’s tank from empty would have cost him nearly $10,000.

Read the full article at KMXT

NORTH CAROLINA: As production costs climb, local farmers meet with U.S. cabinet members to discuss the future of N.C.’s ag economy

June 3, 2026 — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling met with local farmers Monday to hear their concerns as rising fuel and production costs take their toll.

During a stop at David Parker Farms in New Bern, farmers from Carteret, Craven and other N.C. counties joined in a roundtable discussion with Rollins and Brooks and spoke about issues facing eastern North Carolina’s agriculture and fishing industries.

Glenn Skinner, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, said he viewed the visit as a positive step. Skinner said he was pleased that the Department of Agriculture has created a new Office of Seafood dedicated specifically to the fishing industry.

“We generally haven’t been recognized as food producers and treated the same as farmers,” Skinner said. “So we’re really excited to have them here, and that’s a big deal for our industry to finally have a place to turn when you have an issue, somebody that you can call and hopefully get some resolution in the future.”

Read the full article at NEWS TIMES

MAINE: One solution for Maine’s struggling fishing industry? Give fillets away for free

May 26, 2026 —  Surging food costs and fuel prices are pummeling Maine’s struggling groundfishing industry. But a pandemic-era program is helping to keep it afloat as inflation worsens, while also aiming to create a new generation of seafood lovers.

Fishermen Feeding Mainers began in late 2020 and raises money to buy locally caught fish, process it and donate the frozen fillets to schools and food banks in Maine. So far, it has spent more than $4 million on the purchasing and processing of about 1.3 million pounds of locally caught fish.

“Before this [program], chances were you could get down to some really scary-low prices,” said Boothbay fisherman Devyn Campbell of the amount he could earn for his catch.

That’s in part because the market for local fish dried up early in the COVID-19 pandemic when restaurants closed to in-person dining. “COVID destroyed all fish prices,” Campbell said.

Read the full article at KUOW

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford fishing industry sees impact of rising fuel costs

May 18, 2026 –At Sea Fuels Marine, located at 101 Co Op Wharf in New Bedford, General Manager Paul Anthony said he hasn’t witnessed such a rise in the cost of diesel fuel in a long time.

It seems like every time it’s brought up in the news, the fuel price jumps, he said.

“Who knows how long it will take to level out. I honestly don’t know. I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I’ve never seen it like this, and there have been times there were spikes including during the Gulf War, the pandemic and the Ukraine war with Russia,” he said.

According to AAA, as of May 17 the price of diesel fuel is at $5.79 per gallon. A year ago, it was $3.76 per gallon.

Read the full article at The Standard-Times

Rising fuel costs ripple through Northwest’s fishing industry

May 15, 2026 — On a sunny morning in Garibaldi, Oregon, Jesse Coon offloads his catch. Men in waterproof fishing bibs pack salmon into ice and hose out the boat, named Steel Fin.

Standing next to stacked coolers of freshly caught fish, Coon pulls out one of the Chinook salmon his crew just caught and explains how it senses bait in the water.

“If you look at it really close, there’s actually pores — holes right there — and that’s their nervous system. And they can sense electricity that’s put off by bait fish, and every living creature,” he said.

But to find salmon, Coon has to travel miles offshore, searching for dense shoals and burning lots of fuel. Oregon’s commercial troll salmon season opened April 14, but the biggest catches typically arrive later in the summer. It’s still early in the season, and it’s hard to know how good the fishing will be.

Since the war in Iran began in late February, another factor is compounding that risk. Diesel costs have surged, cutting thousands of dollars from already thin margins.

“ It just makes your decision-making harder on when to go and when not to go, and whether to go a little early in the season when the fishing might not be quite as good. It just really feels like a gamble,” he said.

Read the full article at OPB

 

Fishermen weigh fuel costs against the catch

May 1, 2026 — While marine diesel is often dyed red, many fishermen are singing the diesel blues as prices have topped $5.00 per gallon in many states. “Last week we were in the mid $4.00 range,” says Dan Eilertsen, who owns a fleet of scallop draggers fishing out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. “But our high was $5.30 a month ago. I heard the price was going down this week.”

For now, Eilertsen is letting the skippers of his vessels decide how to manage the rising cost of fishing. “Fortunately, catches are up, and scallop prices are ok, so the bottom line works even with higher fuel costs,” he says. “My captains are doing the math. Is it better to tow less and save fuel by loading up on smaller scallops that are lower price, which allows them to lay and cut? Or do they tow continuously for larger, more expensive scallops but pay more for fuel?”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NEW YORK: Looking to Ease Fuel Tax Burden on Fishing Industry

April 9, 2026 — With the soaring cost of diesel fuel amid the American-Israeli war against Iran affecting multiple industries, including commercial fishing, Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni has introduced legislation that would provide fuel tax exemptions for operators of commercial fishing vessels.

In the days prior to the war that began on Feb. 28, the average retail price for diesel in the East Coast region was around $3.81 per gallon. The price has steadily risen since then: As of Tuesday, the average price was around $6 per gallon, higher than the national average.

Unlike farmers, under current state law commercial fishermen must pay sales tax upfront when buying fuel and supplies. To get that money back, they must file a refund claim with the Department of Taxation and Finances, which can take months to process, while farmers and commercial horse-boarding operators can seek immediate and additional relief by applying for a state tax exemption certificate. Mr. Schiavoni’s proposed legislation would bestow the same benefit on the commercial fishing industry by allowing fishermen to use a tax exemption certificate at the point of purchase.

Read the full article at The East Hampton Star

New York lawmaker pushes upfront fuel tax break for fishing fleet

April 8, 2026 — A New York lawmaker is pushing to ease the burden of rising fuel costs on commercial fishermen, introducing legislation that would allow fishing vessel operators to access fuel tax exemptions upfront rather than waiting months for reimbursement.

According to Spectrum Local News, New York State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni introduced the bill on April 6, citing increasing diesel prices tied to the war in Iran and the growing financial strain on the state’s commercial fleet. The proposal aims to bring commercial fishermen in line with the agricultural sector, which already benefits from more immediate fuel tax relief.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

‘Really challenging’: Fuel surge hits Hawaii drivers, fishing industry

April 3, 2026 — Oil prices have surged above $100 a barrel since the U.S. and Israel began the war with Iran, with tankers stuck in the Strait of Hormuz.

Those disruptions mean Hawaii drivers are paying a lot more to fill up their tanks. AAA says a regular unleaded gallon of gas averages about $5.50, up more than a dollar from last month — a 20% jump.

Some drivers say they’re riding out the price surge as they’ve done in past years.

“We continue to do what we do, shop, shop, shop,” said Honolulu resident Michael MacDonald. “I’m sure we’re going to see it come down. Eventually, quickly, I hope.”

Liza Blum of Waipio hopes to save money by not driving as much. It now costs $10 more to fill up her SUV, which lasts about 10 days.

“It’s very hard on our pocket,” she said. “I don’t go out anymore. I just go home and work and groceries and like that.”

Read the full article at Hawaii News Now

Rhode Island’s fishing industry is feeling the pinch of high fuel prices

April 2, 2026 — A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: The cost of fuel oil is rising because of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Now, we’re seeing it on the ground at gas stations and in the air as airlines raise prices. Today, we look at the water. David Wright reports from Ocean State Media in Rhode Island, where the price of diesel fuel is about $5.75 a gallon.

(SOUNDBITE OF ICE SCRAPING)

DAVID WRIGHT, BYLINE: Mike Pugliese, known locally as Fishmonger Mike, starts his day scooping plenty of ice.

(SOUNDBITE OF ICE SCRAPING)

WRIGHT: The shelf life of his product depends on it.

What’s this?

MIKE PUGLIESE: That’s fluke. It’s a type of flounder. That was caught two days ago.

WRIGHT: Right now, fresh seafood is under pressure, in part because rough weather has made this a tough year for New England fishermen. Now they’re facing higher fuel prices, too.

PUGLIESE: I’m praying that the diesel prices don’t go any higher because right now, I think they’re at the pinnacle for particularly the local boats here that are doing the fluke offshore.

WRIGHT: Over the past month since the war in Iran kicked off, the cost of diesel here in Rhode Island has jumped nearly 50% at local gas stations and here at the dock.

Read the full transcript at NPR