Saving Seafood

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

Lobstermen push back on ASMFC overfishing claim

November 10, 2025 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) announced last week that while the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank (GOM/ GBK) lobster stock remains above its abundance threshold, overfishing is occurring, a finding that has sparked concern and disagreement from industry groups who say the assessment overstates fishing’s role in the stock’s recent decline.

The 2025 American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment was released on Oct. 20 and stated that the GOM and GBK stock has declined by 34 percent since its peak in 2018, though it is “not depleted” and continues to support a robust fishery. In contrast, the Southern New England stock remains “significantly depleted” but is not experiencing overfishing, with abundance at record lows across all life stages.

“The Benchmark Stock Assessment is a considerable advancement in our understanding U.S. American lobster resource. It was fully endorsed by an external panel of fishery scientists as the best scientific information available to manage the lobster resource,” stated Board Chair Renee Zobel from New Hampshire. “On behalf of the American Lobster Board, I commend the members of the Technical Committee and Stock Assessment Subcommittee for their outstanding work on the 2025 Benchmark Stock Assessment Report. This assessment reflects the commitment of the Committee and Peer Review Panel to providing the Board with the highest-caliber science to inform management decisions and improve our understanding of the complex and changing relationship between the environment and lobster resource.”

Read the full article at National Fisherman

MASSACHUSETTS: Scallopalooza brings New Bedford’s heritage to life

November 7, 2025 — As a crowd of fishermen, their families, and curious onlookers formed, there was something unmistakable in the air: pride. It was the kind that comes from generations of families who have braved the ever-changing weather on the North Atlantic, built a city on the back of hard work, and brought home some of the best scallops in the world.

For one day this past summer, the nation’s top-earning fishing port reminded everyone exactly what New Bedford was built on.

“When we started talking about Scallopalooza, my intention was simple: to celebrate our fishermen,” said Stacy Alexander-Nevells, a board member of the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center (FHC) and manager of Atlantic Shellfish, her family’s business. “It is a hard, thankless life that only those who live it can truly understand. You’d be surprised how many people right here in our local community don’t really know what it takes to bring those scallops to the dock.”

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Judge rules Trump administration can review finalized permit for offshore wind project near Mass.

November 6, 2025 — A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration can reconsider a major environmental permit for SouthCoast Wind, a proposed project near Massachusetts.

The decision marks yet another blow to the offshore wind industry, and reinforces a sense of uncertainty for all energy developers, who in the past, have been able to rely on a final federal permit being, in fact, final.

In a five page order, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, an Obama appointee to the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., said the Trump administration could take a second look at the project’s Construction and Operations Plan. The COP, as it’s typically called, is the last big permit an offshore wind projects needs before it can begin construction. SouthCoast Wind’s permit was issued in January, just days before Trump resumed office.

Read the full article at wbur

Judge allows Interior to rethink New England wind permit

November 6, 2025 — A federal judge has dealt a further blow to the beleaguered U.S. offshore wind industry, allowing the Trump administration to reconsider approval of a massive wind energy development planned off the Massachusetts coast.

Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday sided with the White House, allowing the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to reopen a Biden-era decision approving construction and operations plans for the industrial-scale SouthCoast Wind project.

The decision comes as the administration has sought to dismantle wind energy, and it came over the vociferous objections of the project developer.

Read the full article E&E News