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.
August 12, 2025 — Florida anglers say sharks are snatching their catches at unprecedented rates, calling it an “overwhelming problem” and blaming a boom in Gulf shark numbers.
But scientific research paints a more complicated picture.
Scientists who study sharks acknowledge that depredation — the act of fish being eaten by an underwater predator while on a fisherman’s line — is a growing concern in some areas, especially Florida. They cite several potential drivers of increased shark-human conflict, including climate change-related shifts in shark behavior and rebounding populations of some species.
But they note that changes in human behavior — such as more people fishing and heightened awareness of shark encounters through social media — may also play a role.
Now, researchers are working to learn when and why these encounters happen and how to prevent them.
Matt Ajemian, an associate research professor studying the issue at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, cautions against calling shark depredation a crisis, noting that historical accounts show similar encounters have long occurred.
“I don’t call it a problem,” he said. “I try to call it a challenge.”
August 11, 2025 — NOAA Fisheries has taken emergency action to increase the amount of red grouper fishers can harvest in the Gulf of Mexico, currently referred to as the Gulf of America by the U.S. government.
The move increases both the commercial and recreational annual catch limits (ACL) by roughly 50 percent.
August 11, 2025 — One of the most important questions in the Gulf is also, surprisingly, one that hasn’t had a detailed answer: what exactly do predator fish eat? Species like red drum, southern flounder, and spotted seatrout are important to both the Gulf ecosystem and the recreational fishing economy, and knowing what they eat is key to managing them successfully.
A new study from the University of Southern Mississippi is helping answer that question with one of the most comprehensive investigations of predator diets to date.
Rethinking the Role of Gulf Menhaden
One of the headline findings concerns another important species: Gulf menhaden. Often viewed as the key food source for many of these predators, the study finds they may not be as central to these predator diets as previously thought.
While menhaden are part of the mix, the study found no predator species examined relied on them as a primary food source. Instead, predator diets were found to be incredibly varied and opportunistic, depending on what prey is available at different times and in different places.
August 8, 2025 — Hotels in the U.S. state of Florida are sourcing more seafood – particularly local species – for their restaurants and group events.
“When guests come to Florida, they expect to enjoy an abundance of fresh, local seafood. With the state surrounded by water, we’re fortunate to have access to an incredible variety of regional seafood, which we source through local purveyors,” Conrad Orlando Culinary Director Stephen Ullrich told SeafoodSource. “Guests are increasingly seeking out lighter, more sustainable options, and seafood fits that need perfectly.”