September 2, 2025 — There have been more illnesses and deaths from Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria, this year than in previous years in the Southern U.S. state of Louisiana.
The Louisiana Department of Health is urging residents to take precautions to prevent infection from the bacteria, which can cause illness when an open wound is exposed to coastal waters or when a person eats raw or undercooked seafood, particularly oysters.
August 29. 2025 — Dear Editor:
The Florida Keys are known for their turquoise waters, coral reefs and laid-back charm — but beneath the surface lies a deeper story. It’s the story of the men and women who built this place with salt on their skin and generations of knowledge in their bones: our commercial fishing families.
For over a century, these families have been the heartbeat of our islands. The historic commercial fishing families didn’t just fish — they shaped our economy, our culture and our identity. They taught us how to live with the sea, not just beside it. From the spongers of Key West to the crawfishers of Marathon, their legacy is woven into the fabric of our communities.
But today, that legacy is slipping away.
The truth is hard to ignore: commercial fishing in the Keys is disappearing. Not because we lack demand or dedication, but because the very conditions that allow us to exist are vanishing. Working waterfronts are being replaced by luxury developments. Affordable housing is out of reach for the next generation of fishermen. Gentrification is pushing out the families who’ve sustained this region for decades.
We’re not asking to expand our industry. We’re not seeking to increase our environmental footprint. What we want is simple: to preserve the generational families who continue this tradition with care, skill and respect for the ocean.
We understand the need for balance. We support conservation. We believe in responsible harvesting and gear innovation. But we also believe that the cultural heritage of the Keys must include those who’ve lived by the sea — not just those who vacation beside it.
If we lose our fishing families, we lose more than jobs. We lose the stories, the stewardship and the soul of the Florida Keys.
So we ask our neighbors, our policymakers and our visitors:
Support working waterfront protections.
Demand and choose local seafood.
Teach your children about the people behind the catch.
The future of the Keys should include the voices of those who’ve weathered its storms, hauled its traps and kept its traditions alive.
The tide is changing — but our story isn’t over yet.
Sincerely,
Jerome Young
commercial fisherman & executive director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association
August 26, 2025 — An official in the U.S. state of Louisiana has renewed his calls for there to be a national inspection fee on imported seafood in the wake of recalls of frozen shrimp contaminated by radiation.
On 14 August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that U.S. Customs and Border Protection had detected a radioactive isotope called Caesium-137 (Cs-137) in shipping containers at the ports of Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami.
August 25, 2025 — Fishers and seafood providers in Louisiana can now access several commercial licenses through the LA Wallet app, making it easier for them to ensure they have the proper documentation while operating along the state’s coast.
“The advantage of adding a license to LA Wallet is really ease for the user,” LDFW Biologisy Program Manager Nicole Smith told local news outlet KTBS. “They don’t have to worry about having a card or a paper copy in their possession. If they have their phone with them, it’s easily accessible.”
August 26, 205 — A Mississippi judge has blocked a recently passed state law that would allow the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) to lease out oyster reefs to private companies, preserving public access to those reefs for the time being.
Local oystermen hailed the injunction, arguing that the state law would deprive them of access to reefs they have been able to harvest oysters from for generations.
August 22, 2025 — In the Florida Keys, immigration enforcement and changing international markets are draining the lifeblood of the island chain’s lobster industry. And locals are sounding the alarm.
For more than four decades, commercial fisherman Bruce Irwin has made his living on Keys waters. Working more than 100 hours per week to provide for his family, at the age of 63, today he said should be enjoying retirement. Instead, these days he’s back on his boats, filling the space of legal, documented immigrants at risk of being detained by immigration enforcement operations.
In early August, a social media post by Customs and Border Protection boasted of an arrest of “4 illegal aliens from Nicaragua” aboard a commercial fishing vessel in Marathon.
“Don’t try it … We are watching!” the post said. “Another win for #BorderSecurity.”
While the post generated a fair show of support, other comments from Keys locals weren’t so inviting.
August 20, 2025 — Coastal restoration might bring to mind images of wetlands, sand dunes, and tidal marshes—but there’s another impact of this work: jobs and economic growth.
A new economic analysis shows that community-led restoration contributes broadly to local, state, and national economies. It finds that $72.5 million invested across 12 habitat restoration projects in Florida is estimated to support jobs and wages and increase both spending and economic activity. In total, more than $100 million will be added to the economy.
August 19, 2025 — A study by Mississippi-based researchers found that menhaden are not a primary food source for Gulf of Mexico predator species like red drum, summer flounder, and spotted sea trout.
“The study provides a comprehensive understanding of the Gulf food web and charts the trophic interactions that structure it,” according to a summary from the University of Southern Mississippi. “The findings have fishery management implications for several of the species evaluated in the study. Most notably, Gulf menhaden was not found to be a primary food source for any of the predator species studied.”
The question of menhaden’s role in the Gulf ecosystem is a perennial, hot-button issue in fisheries management. The impact of the region’s commercial menhaden fleet is routinely challenged by recreational and other user groups.
The project, funded by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) combined the latest in stable isotope analysis “and an extensive meta-analysis of hundreds of published stomach content studies dating back to the 1950s” from Gulf fisheries research.
August 18, 2025 — A surge of sediment has flooded into No Name Bayou due to an ongoing dredging project in the area, disrupting multiple shellfish fisheries and threatening the success of the state’s shrimping season, which started this month.
Natural gas provider Venture Global had been conducting dredging in the area as it builds out a new a liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction and export facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, U.S.A. However, on 4 August, the sediment escaped from its designated area, flooding into the waterway and burying crab traps and oyster beds.
August 4, 2025 — About 20 years ago, the Apalachicola Bay had 10,000 acres of healthy oyster habitats. Now, that is no longer the case.
The industry collapsed in 2013, which eventually led to the closure of the bay in 2020.
Research showed that there are only about 500 acres of suitable oyster habitats in the bay, representing a historical 95% decline.
Of those 500, fewer than 100 acres are producing enough oysters that can be harvested commercially.