Saving Seafood

New England reefs: Their world is the oyster

March 5, 2026 — Horseradish, cocktail sauce, or straight up? However you take your oyster, their near extinction may be difficult to swallow.

A little over 100 years ago, U.S. fishermen landed roughly 1.5 billion pounds of the craggy bivalve per year, compared to just 29.7 million pounds in 2022.

Oysters’ disappearance means more than just an increase in the price of your happy hour. Without them, water quality dips, sea grass beds recede, and salt marshes erode.

For these reasons and more, The Nature Conservancy is hoping to bring back critical oyster reefs in Massachusetts, beginning with restoration projects in Westport, Fairhaven, Mashpee, and Bourne. If successful, the wild oyster colonies will improve water quality in New England’s estuaries and help form the foundation for more erosion- and flood-resistant “living shorelines.”

But first, residents will have to resist eating them.

In 2025, The Nature Conservancy partnered with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Cape Cod Conservation District to develop a program to restore the region’s coastal habitat, including its historic oyster reefs.

The Nature Conservancy identified several communities on the Cape and the South Coast best primed for oyster restoration with the goal of rebuilding 10% to 20% of the shellfish’s original habitat.

Now, Nature Conservancy Coastal Project Manager Dan Goulart travels town to town hoping to convince residents that oysters are worth keeping around — and not just on the half-shell. In January, Goulart led a talk for members of the Westport River Watershed Alliance, ahead of his presentation to the Westport Select Board this spring.

In his talk, Goulart connected the healthy oyster population to historic pastimes like bay scallop fishing, which depend on a healthy eel grass system supported by oysters.

“To me, engaging in this restoration, bringing these oysters back … that is like preserving our historic heritage and who we are as New Englanders,” Goulart said.

Read the full article at the The New Bedford Light

Dutch Harbor top port for seafood landings; New Bedford #1 for value

March 5, 2026 — The reports that give annual snapshots of the US fishing industry were belatedly released by a diminished NOAA Fisheries staff last month and attracted little fan fare.

Titled “2023 Fisheries of the United States” and “2023 Fisheries Economics of the United States” —they present easy to read data and trends from across the US for both commercial and recreational fishing.  

Here are some key takeaways —  

For the 26th consecutive year, Dutch Harbor led the nation as the port with the highest volume of seafood landed (780.1 million pounds valued at $224.5 million). Landings in Dutch Harbor increased in 2023 from 613.5 million pounds from the previous year 

For the 23rd consecutive year, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was the port with the highest valued catch in the nation (76.9 million pounds valued at $363.3 million).

In all, nine Alaska ports ranked among the top 20 for volume of seafood landings and seven were on the list for value. Sea scallops have historically made up the majority of the value landed in New Bedford. 

Read the full article at Alaskafish.news

MASSACHUSETTS: Lily Jean loss sparks formal investigation as fishing community rallies

March 3, 2026 — More than a month after the 72-foot groundfish vessel Lily Jean sank 25 miles off Cape Ann, state and federal investigators are still working to determine what caused the loss of the Gloucester-based vessel and all seven people aboard.

The boat sank Jan. 30 without issuing a distress or mayday call. An EPIRB signal alerted the U.S. Coast Guard at approximately 6:50 a.m., prompting a massive air and sea search effort. Crews searched roughly 1,047 square miles in punishing winter conditions- air temperatures near 6 degrees Fahrenheit, wind chills below zero and water temperatures around 40 degrees.

Responders located one unresponsive individual from the water and located a deployed but unoccupied life raft. No additional survivors were found, and the Coast Guard suspended its search the following day.

“All reasonable search efforts for the missing crewmembers had been exhausted,” said Capt. Jamie Frederick, commander of Coast Guard Sector Boston, at the time.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: Two Local Banks Step Up to Manage Lily Jean Charitable Fund

March 2, 2026 — A fund has been established to support the families of seven crew members who died when the fishing vessel Lily Jean sank Jan. 30 about 22 miles off Cape Ann.

The Gloucester Fishing Community Preservation Fund announced the creation of the Lily Jean Fund in the days following the sinking.  According to organizers, 100% of donations will be distributed in equal amounts to the seven affected families.

Local financial institutions Cape Ann Savings Bank and BankGloucester are assisting with collection and processing of contributions.

An anonymous donor has pledged to match the first $40,000 raised, dollar for dollar. Donations of any size will qualify toward the match until the threshold is reached.

Read the full article at The Cricket

MASSACHUSETTS: Search For F/V Lily Jean Led by USCG Now Includes NOAA, NTSB, MA Environmental Police

February 26, 2026 — Thelocation of the 72-foot fishing vessel Lily Jean, which sank 22 miles off Cape Ann, MA, on the morning of January 30, 2026, is being sought by specialized vessels from NOAA Woods Hole Laboratory, US Coast Guard cutters, Massachusetts Environmental Police, and others.  

The tragic sinking, with the loss of six crew and the captain, has rocked the town of Gloucester, MA and the New England fishing community. Last week, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey held a press conference to update the public on the intense search for the vessel. 

“The reality right now is we have a situation where we essentially have a grave out at sea, and that is a very, very difficult, difficult situation for all of these family members,” she said. “I know there are frustrations. There are questions with all of that, and we understand that.” 

In addition to multiple state and federal agencies working to find answers to what happened, the Massachusetts Environmental Police is using sonar technology to scan the ocean floor. Col. John Monaghan said the Environmental Police have passed some data along to other agencies for analysis and could send down an underwater vehicle if they isolate a site that seems promising.  

Lt. Cmdr. Brett Igo is the Coast Guard’s lead investigative officer in the probe. He said determining the cause of the sinking could prevent future tragedy.  

Read the full article at seafoodnews.com

Legal tug-of-war over wind energy in Mass. continues with Trump admin challenge

February 19, 2026 — Lawyers for the Trump administration are challenging — in a Massachusetts court — a federal judge’s December ruling that struck down a freeze on all permitting for wind energy projects nationwide.

Issued in January 2025, the original presidential order temporarily halted all federal permitting while agencies reviewed wind energy leasing and permitting practices, according to court documents.

The December ruling overturning the order came after a coalition of 17 states — including Massachusetts — successfully argued that the administration’s permit pause violated federal law. U.S. District Court Judge Patti Saris ruled that the policy was “arbitrary and capricious.”

Read the full article at the Cape Cod Times

MASSACHUSSETTS: Authorities are using deep-sea tech to try to find the sunken fishing boat off Massachusetts

February 19, 2026 — A coalition of authorities is deploying technology to try to locate the wreck of a fishing boat that sank last month off Massachusetts, killing all seven aboard. But winter weather and sea conditions have thus far slowed their efforts.

The 72-foot (22-meter) vessel Lily Jean was returning to port early Jan. 30 to repair fishing gear when it sank in frigid Atlantic waters off the historic fishing port of Gloucester. Multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Massachusetts Environmental Police, are cooperating to try to find the wreck of the ship and potentially recover the bodies of the deceased, officials said Wednesday.

The Lily Jean sank in waters that were more than 300 feet deep and very inhospitable in winter. Environmental police have deployed side-scan sonar to try to gather data and detect anomalies on the ocean floor, officials said. They said they also hope to be able to send a remotely operated vehicle to the site to gather photos and video, but seas have thus far made that challenging.

Read the full article at The Associated Press

Starfish, moon snails and squid: Researchers work to give scallop boats new purpose

February 19, 2026 — On any given day, research assistant Kelly Alves’ car is full of moon snails.

The little-understood marine species is thought to prey on sea scallops, and that’s as good a reason as any for Alves and her colleagues at the Coonamessett Farm Foundation to learn more about the animal — and all the ways to catch, kill, and potentially market it as seafood. The work comes with hazards.

“One time in New Bedford, I picked them up and there were 100 pounds or so of moon snails in these boxes with holes at the bottom, so the slime just oozed all over the back,” research assistant Emily O’Toole said.

The scientists’ foray into moon snail research is part of a larger federally funded initiative to adapt New Bedford’s scallop fleet for potential new frontiers. Scallop trawlers spend over 300 days a year tied up at the dock. Coonamessett Farm Foundation’s research is working to get them back in the water — even if it means chasing some far-flung fish.

Senior research biologist Samir Patel leads the team of scientists pursuing a number of projects to repurpose or retool scallopers for new uses and markets. Some, like the moon snail project, involve exploring entirely new species these boats could fish besides scallops. Others involve developing new user-friendly research technology that can make scallop trawlers operate more like research vessels.

“We’re not trying to make scallopers more adaptable,” Patel said. “We’re trying to take advantage of how adaptable this industry already is.”

Read the full article at the The New Bedford Light

MASSACHUSETTS: Sunken Gloucester fishing boat: Will the Lily Jean and its crew ever be recovered?

February 19, 2026 — It’s been nearly three weeks since a Gloucester fishing boat sank off the coast of Cape Ann, killing all seven crew members. Federal and state investigators have searched for the 72-foot vessel known as the Lily Jean, but it has not yet been found.

Challenges such as harsh weather conditions have made finding the Lily Jean difficult. Officials are undecided about whether to try to recover the boat and the bodies of the six crew members who remain missing, they said during a Wednesday press conference.

The officials are hopeful but not confident they will be able to locate the Lily Jean, though they said ample resources are being used in the search. They hope that finding the boat will provide answers for the crew members’ families and help make fishing a safer profession.

“This was an experienced captain who was a good personal friend of mine and many of us,” Gloucester State Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-First Essex and Middlesex, said of Gus Sanfilippo, captain of the Lily Jean.

“He didn’t take risks. He didn’t spare expense on maintenance or technology. He was in a fishing family. He was in a solid steel-hulled vessel. Why did it happen? We need to find out.”