Saving Seafood

Facing dwindling resources, scallopers revisit controversial permit stacking proposal

November 25, 2025 — To walk down New Bedford’s Pier 3 is to view a time capsule of the historic fishing town, memorialized not just by plaques and monuments but by the decades-old, rusted trawlers parked stern to stern on the cramped commercial harbor.

By design, these boats spend more time tied up at the docks than they do on the open ocean. Some scallopers are trying to put them back on the water.

In October, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell penned a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expressing early support for the new proposal to allow permit-stacking in scallop fisheries.

“Even the casual observer can’t help but notice that we have lots of boats in the dock,” Mitchell told The Light in an interview. “It’s pretty crowded, and so people wonder, ‘Well, why are they all there?’ Part of the answer is, ‘Well, they don’t fish all that much.’”

Mitchell’s endorsement of scallop permit-stacking contrasts with his position on a similar question three years ago.

In 2022, the New England Fisheries Management Council overwhelmingly struck down a similar proposal that would have allowed scallop permit holders to lease their scalloping permits to other vessel owners, essentially “stacking” multiple permits on a temporary basis.

Read the full article at The New Bedford Light

NOAA Fisheries report shows large whale entanglements nationwide up in 2024; 3 occurred in Maine

November 24, 2025 — According to a new annual report from NOAA Fisheries, there were 95 total confirmed large whale entanglements nationwide last year. In the Northeast Atlantic, the majority of entanglements were reported in Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay. Three occurred off the coast of Maine.

NOAA spokesperson Andrea Gomez says that two of those three whales were humpbacks, and one was a minke. One of the humpbacks was found dead outside of Portland, entangled in a fishing net. The other humpback and the minke were found alive off Jonesport and Stonington, entangled in Maine lobster gear. The minke was able to shed the gear on its own, and Maine Marine Patrol was able to disentangle the humpback.

Read the full article at Maine Public

Directed Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery Closure Effective 6 PM, November 24, 2025

November 24, 2025 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

NOAA Fisheries and the states of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts project the Atlantic herring fishery will catch 92% of the Area 1A sub-annual catch limit by November 24, 2025. The Area 1A directed fishery will close effective 6:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025 and remain closed until further notice. Vessels that have entered port before 6:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025 may land and sell, from that trip, greater than 2,000 pounds of herring from Area 1A.

 
During a closure, vessels participating in other fisheries may retain and land an incidental catch of herring that does not exceed 2,000 pounds per trip or calendar day. In addition, directed herring vessels traveling through Area 1A must have all fishing gear stowed.
 
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0716 or efranke@asmfc.org.
 

Lobster boats must keep using tracking devices for government observation, court rules

November 21, 2025 — The U.S. government can continue requiring America’s lobster fishing boats to use electronic tracking devices to collect data, a federal appeals court has ruled, denying claims by some in the industry that the monitoring amounts to unreasonable search and seizure.

Fishing regulators began requiring federally permitted lobstermen to install electronic tracking devices that transmit location data in late 2023. The data improves understanding of the lobster population and can inform future rules, authorities said.

The tracking devices transmit lobster boat locations using an onboard global positioning system and must be used whenever a vessel is in the water, including when it’s docked or being operated for personal use, court records state.

A group of lobster fishermen sued, claiming the tracking requirements are unconstitutional, but a federal district court rejected that claim and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston upheld the ruling Tuesday.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

MASSACHUSETTS: Companies adapt to State Pier closure

November 21, 2025 — Businesses are moving to adapt after a report forced the closure of most of New Bedford State Pier.

MassDevelopment, the state agency that manages the pier, closed most of the property after receiving an engineering review by Bellingham-based Childs Engineering dated Nov. 14. The review found that many of the timber piles holding up the pier have deteriorated.

The necessary repairs are at the south wharf and most of the east wharf. Most of the north wharf is already closed for repairs. Only the northeastern portion of the pier remains suitable for service.

“Based on the current condition of the piles and bracing, the pier is structurally incapable of supporting pedestrian loading or any equipment or storage on either the South or East Face,” the review says.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

Seafood Tips from the People Bringing You America’s Seafood (Part 1)

November 21, 2025 — Across the country, fishermen, farmers, chefs, and educators are working to keep fishing heritage alive while inspiring new generations to value the bounties of our coastal waters. Here, experts from the Atlantic coast share their stories and tips for making seafood a bigger part of your life—no matter where you live. And stay tuned: we’ll be sharing Part Two featuring insights from Pacific coast experts.

Captain Brady Lybarger, Scallop Shack Farms

New Jersey

Scallop Shack Farms began as South Jersey’s original seafood pop-up. Captain Brady Lybarger, an experienced second-generation commercial fisherman, and his wife Amanda started selling scallops from the back of their truck during the pandemic.

Today, the thriving family-run market in Cape May, New Jersey offers scallops, seasonal catches, and gourmet goods, all sourced directly from American fishermen. Brady runs the shop with his wife, her father and sister-in-law, and even nieces, welcoming seafood lovers in to buy and connect. At Scallop Shack Farms, seafood goes from boat—often Brady’s own F/V Salted—to home chefs within hours of landing. Customers don’t just buy seafood there—they learn the story behind it, meet the people who caught it, and become part of a growing family of supporters.

Brady knows firsthand the challenges facing the fishing industry, with declining fisheries, rising costs, and fewer young workers entering the trade. That’s why he carves out time to serve on New England Fishery Management Council advisory panels on tilefish and scallops, ensuring fishermen’s knowledge informs management decisions.

Captain Brady’s Seafood Tips

  • Start fresh: A fresh, well-handled product makes all the difference. Scallop Shack Farms takes pride in bleeding and brining fish and delivering them within 24 hours when possible.
  • Keep it simple: For scallops, the secret is to pat them completely dry, then sear in a hot pan for 1.5-2 minutes per side. Add just salt, pepper, oil, and butter—no need to over-season a good product.
  • Ask questions: Don’t hesitate to talk with your fishmonger or fisherman—they’re happy to share how the seafood was caught and the best ways to prepare it.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

MASSACHUSETTS: Herring Population Is Booming In Massachusetts

November 19, 2025 — It’s a plentiful year for River Herring in Massachusetts.

Daria Santollani is the senior engagement manager at the Mystic Watershed Association, the organization that tracks herring population and migration every year since 2012.

She told WBZ NewsRadio that this year, volunteers reported the highest number of herring passing through the Boston Harbor into the Mystic River, at nearly 815,000.

“It’s just amazing that the largest migration of herring in Massachusetts happens in the most urban watershed,” she said.

In the past, overfishing depleted the herring population. In 2012, the association reported the herring population was only around 21,052.

Read the full article at WBZ

Unusual Juvenile Haddock Aggregation Observed During the November 2025 Scallop Research Set-Aside Survey of Eastern Georges Bank

November 14, 2025 – Researchers from the Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF)
recently made an unexpected discovery during their November 2025 scallop survey on
Georges Bank: 76 juvenile haddock caught at several stations aboard the F/V Vigilance.
Haddock are rarely found in such numbers in scallop dredge surveys, making this
observation particularly noteworthy.

The finding, part of CFF’s long-term Seasonal Scallop Survey, underscores the
importance of consistent monitoring efforts that not only support scallop management
but also reveal broader ecosystem patterns across Georges Bank. The CFF seasonal
survey is unique in the region because it operates six times per year, collecting data
during months when other surveys used for fisheries management are not active.

Read the full story at Coonamessett Farm Foundation

UMass Dartmouth, New Bedford Port Authority to study effects of wind industry on commercial fishing

November 13, 2025 — Researchers from UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology plan to study how the commercial fishing and wind energy industries coexist off the coast of Massachusetts. The goal is to address one of the major uncertainties in trying to manage offshore fisheries and offshore wind – how to safely fish near a windfarm.

The project will track the behavior and position of fishing vessels and their gear in areas near offshore wind farms. The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) is funding the research with a $419,000 grant.

Read the full article at Ocean State Media

Lobster stock assessment shows decline, lobstermen say different factors at play

November 12, 2025 — The American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment and Peer Review Report, which assesses the stability of the lobster stock and informs how to manage it, was released Oct. 30, finding that the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank stocks have declined 34% since peak levels in 2018. The report found that the stock is not depleted but attributed the decrease to overfishing, a finding that some local lobstermen have differing perspectives on.

In contrast, the report, which is commissioned by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, found that in waters farther south, the Southern New England stock has been significantly depleted but not overfished, “with record low abundances for all life stages in recent years.”

For the Gulf of Maine/Georges Bank stocks, “the average abundance from 2021-2023 was 202 million lobsters, which remains above the abundance limit reference point but below the fishery/industry target, indicating the stock’s ability to replenish itself is not jeopardized, but economic conditions for the lobster fishery may be degrading,” reads an Oct. 30 press release from ASMFC. “The average exploitation from 2021-2023 was just above the exploitation threshold, indicating overfishing is occurring.”

For context, 82% of lobster landings in the U.S. come from the Gulf of Maine fishery, where small vessels making day trips in nearshore waters make up the bulk of those catches. At just 5% of U.S. landings are larger vessels making multi-day trips offshore with the Georges Bank fishery.

Read the full article at The Ellsworth American