Saving Seafood

NOAA reverses course on winter Florida groundfish ban

June 10, 2025 — In a victory for sport fishermen, NOAA has scrapped a proposed rule that would have banned fishing for 55 fish species off Florida’s Atlantic coast during the winter to aid the recovery of overfished red snapper, one of the region’s most prized sport species.

In a bulletin announcing a suite of changes to federal management of South Atlantic red snapper, NOAA said it had axed the three-month ban — called a “discard reduction season” — on dozens of species that share the same near-bottom habitat with snapper, citing heavy opposition from fishing interests.

Those species include black sea bass, red grouper, vermillion snapper, gag, scamp, greater amberjack and gray triggerfish.

Read the full article at E&E News

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

Mass. pushes feds for May 1 groundfish season start

April 17, 2025 — Massachusetts is calling on federal regulators to act swiftly to ensure the 2025 commercial groundfish season opens on time. On April 15, Tom O’Shea, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick urging immediate regulatory action to authorize the May 1 start date.

“Without fishing measures, federal fishing vessels from ports of Gloucester south to New Bedford will be tied up with no opportunity to sustain their businesses,” O’Shea wrote in the letter.

The Northeast multispecies (groundfish) fishery is jointly managed by NOAA Fisheries and the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. The plan governs thirteen species, including iconic New England stocks like Atlantic cod, haddock, halibut, and winter flounder. However, to legally land and possess these fish, federal regulations must be in place to start the fishing year on May 1.

If the Department of Commerce does not act in time, federal groundfish vessels in Massachusetts will be effectively shut out of the fishery, causing serious economic disruptions across the state’s fishing ports. “The impacts will be particularly acute in Gloucester, New Bedford, and Boston, where our federal groundfish permit holders are concentrated,” the Department of Fish and Game warned in a separate briefing.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Groundfish: NEFMC Takes Final Action on Framework 69 With Catch Limits for Four New Atlantic Cod Stock Units

December 10, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council took final action on Framework Adjustment 69 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan when it met in Newport, Rhode Island December 3-5, 2024. The framework contains catch limits and management measures for the 2025 fishing year and beyond.

The Council received three reports before beginning its decision-making on Framework 69:

  • The Northeast Fisheries Science Center presented the peer-reviewed results of 2024 Management Track Stock Assessments for American plaice, pollock, witch flounder, Atlantic halibut, Georges Bank haddock, and Gulf of Maine haddock;
  • The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) presented overfishing limit (OFL) and acceptable biological catch (ABC) recommendations for each of those newly assessed stocks; and
  • The Transboundary Management Guidance Committee (TMGC) presented recommendations for U.S./Canada shared groundfish resources on Georges Bank.

Read the full release from the New England Fishery Management Council

Groundfish: Council Signs off on Amendment 25; Prepares for December Final Action on Framework 69 Under Cod Phase 1

October 23, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council took final action on Amendment 25 to the Northeast Multispecies (Groundfish) Fishery Management Plan (FMP) when it met September 24-26, 2024 in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

The Council is now focused on Framework Adjustment 69 to the FMP. The framework is being developed to establish measures for the 2025 groundfish fishing year and, for certain stocks, 2026 and 2027 as well. The Council is scheduled to take final action on the framework at its December 3-5, 2024 meeting in Newport, Rhode Island. The 2025 groundfish fishing year begins on May 1.

AMENDMENT 25: The 2023 Atlantic Cod Research Track Assessment determined that Atlantic cod would be better assessed as four stock units as shown in the map below. The groundfish plan, however, continues to refer to only two stocks – Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. Amendment 25 takes the necessary first step of incorporating the four newly defined stocks into the plan as follows:

  • Eastern Gulf of Maine as a new stock unit;
  • Western Gulf of Maine as a new stock unit;
  • Georges Bank as a revised stock unit; and
  • Southern New England as a new stock unit.

Read the full release from the NEFMC here

Tribal groups, seeking restrictions on Alaska’s Bering Sea trawlers, get day in court

September 27, 2024 — U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason heard oral arguments Thursday in a lawsuit filed by two of Alaska’s largest tribal groups against federal managers of the state’s groundfish trawl fisheries.

The Association of Village Council Presidents and the Tanana Chiefs Conference claim the federal government has failed to adjust trawling rules in the Bering Sea and off the Aleutian Islands to compensate for the ongoing salmon crisis on Alaska’s Interior rivers.

Victory by the plaintiffs could lead to new restrictions on the world’s largest trawl fishery. If plaintiffs lose, the status quo is likely to continue.

On Thursday, Gleason asked plaintiffs whether they’re seeking a halt to trawl fishing in the Bering Sea.

No, the plaintiffs said.

Read the full article at Alaska Beacon

CALIFORNIA: Southern California Conservationists and Fishermen Reach Compromise over Cowcod and Corals

January 22, 2024 — After a 20-year rockfish recovery effort, marine scientists and fishermen reached an unlikely compromise to protect fragile areas of the seafloor off Southern California’s coast while reopening others to fishing.

According to Oceana, an ocean conservation organization, the eight new Groundfish Exclusion Areas cover more than 425 square miles — in and around the Santa Barbara Channel — which are now closed to all groundfish fishing to protect the living seafloor.

Simultaneously, more than 4,800 miles of ocean waters in the region are re-opened for non-trawl groundfish fishing.

Dr. Geoff Shester, Oceana’s senior scientist, called it a “win-win.” The compromise protects brittle, potentially millennia-old colonies of deep-sea corals that are easily damaged by fishing, while also allowing fishermen to access valuable fishing spots that have been essentially untouched for decades.

“It’ll probably be some of the best fishing anyone’s seen in their lives,” Shester said.

Read the full article at The Independent

Arctic Report Card looks at changing food, predator-prey relationships in Gulf of Alaska

December 31, 2023 — A new federal report on Alaska ecosystems warns that the current El Nino status and associated warming surface waters predicted for the winter and spring of 2024 may result in reduced availability of Gulf of Alaska needed by many groundfish and reduced quality of that zooplankton itself.

According to NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, the overriding message from this year’s report card is that now in the time for action.

“NOAA and our federal partners have ramped up our support and collaboration with state, tribal and local communities to help build climate resilience,” Spinrad said. “At the same time, we as a nation and global community must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are driving these changes.”

The 2023 Gulf of Alaska Ecosystem Status Report is part of NOAA’s 2023 Arctic Report Card, a cooperative effort of federal and state agencies and numerous other collaborators.

Read the full article at the Cordova Times

Blue Harvest Fisheries’ Newest Vessel, Nobska, Successfully Completes First Series of Fishing Trips

May 30, 2023 — The following was released by Blue Harvest Fisheries:

The newest, most modern vessel in the New England groundfish fishery, the F/V Nobska, has returned to port after its successful inaugural deployment. The vessel was acquired earlier this year by Blue Harvest Fisheries, as part of the company’s investment in the future of its groundfish operations.

The Nobska embarked on four back-to-back trips between April 7 and May 10, and landed 335,000 pounds of fish in its home port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, with additional landings in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The catch included several groundfish species, including monkfish, flounder, haddock, Acadian redfish, hake, and pollock. A series of three to four back-to-back trips, followed by a short break for maintenance and crew rest, is a typical operational plan for this vessel.

The Nobska sailed under the leadership of Captain Aldie Leeman, and with the same crew as before the Blue Harvest Fisheries acquisition.

“We’re very pleased with the performance of the Nobska on its maiden voyage, and are excited to see its future potential,” said Chip Wilson, CEO of Blue Harvest Fisheries. “We are confident in the future of the groundfish fishery, and vessels like the Nobska are an important part of that future.”

Blue Harvest Fisheries acquired the Nobska in February from Maine, where it previously operated as the Francis Dawn. Built in 2019, it is a state-of-the-art vessel that replaces an older Blue Harvest Fisheries vessel, also named the Nobska. It includes features like a modern electronics system, and a slurry ice/vat system for the fish hold that allows it to keep groundfish fresher for longer.

“This is the first step in implementing our long-term investment strategy for groundfish,” said Wilson. “With these investments Blue Harvest Fisheries will be able to consistently offer high-quality groundfish, like those just landed by the Nobska.”

Blue Harvest is also making plans to launch a sixth groundfish vessel, the Schelvis (named after the Dutch word for haddock). With a registered length of 85′, and gross tonnage of 175 tons, Schelvis was purchased as part of the company’s 2020 acquisition of 12 vessels and 27 fishing permits from the Carlos Rafael family. The vessel, which never fished under the Rafael family ownership, will make its first Blue Harvest Fisheries voyage upon completion of a $1.9 million upgrade. The Schelvis will be run by Captain Luke deWildt, who has 25 years of industry experience. He was previously captain of the F/V Teresa Marie III for 18 years, the last four under Blue Harvest Fisheries ownership.

Captain deWildt stated that he is “looking forward to the utilizing the upgrades on this newly renovated vessel,” which represents the newest class of vessels in the fishery. It will be safer for his crew, and with state-of-the-art equipment and electronics, he expects the Schelvis to be among the top performing vessels in the fishery.

Read the release here