Saving Seafood

National Marine Fisheries study determines four genetically different cod populations in Gulf of Maine, southern New England, adjusts management

July 1, 2026 — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has approved an update to the Multispecies Fishery Management Plan developed by the New England Fishery Management Council. The plan is to improve management of the chronically overfished Atlantic cod population and rebuild the historic New England fishery by incorporating new genetic information and requiring 100% observer coverage, according to a June 30 news release.

For more than 40 years, Atlantic cod has been managed as two distinct populations: Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. Recent studies, however, show there are four genetically distinct populations: Eastern Gulf of Maine, Western Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Southern New England. Using new genetic data to count and manage each population individually is a more effective way to reduce overfishing, prevent collapse, and help rebuild fish populations, the NMFS said.

“Sound science is the foundation of good management. We commend the National Marine Fisheries Service for integrating new genetic data to create forward-looking policies for one of New England’s most iconic and economically vital fisheries,” said Gib Brogan, Fishery Campaign Director for Oceana, in the release. “Using this new genetic information will lead to better management within each population of Atlantic cod to prevent overfishing, reduce the risk of collapse, and rebuild fish populations for future generations.” 

Read the full article at Penobscot Bay Pilot

Environmentalists sue feds to protect dwindling sunflower sea star

June 24, 2026 — An environmental nonprofit sued the National Marine Fisheries Service on Monday in a bid to push the federal agency to issue protection guidelines for the sunflower sea star, one of the largest sea star species in the world.

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a complaint in the Northern District of California, where the coastal regions around the San Francisco Bay are a historic spot for the multi-armed predator.

The nonprofit says the National Marine Fisheries Service needs to issue a final rule protecting the sea star as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, as its numbers have rapidly declined in the last 13 years.

“Nearly 6 billion sunflower sea stars have died along the West Coast of the United States since 2013,” the center says. “These mass mortalities are due to a wasting disease that starts with gruesome lesions, rapidly progresses to twisting and melting arms, then causes death within just a few days.”

Read the full article at Courthouse News Service

Advocacy Supports NMFS Effort to Modernize Vessel Speed Rule

June 4, 2026 — The following was released by the US Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy:

On March 4, 2026, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on modernizing the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Speed Rule (Vessel Speed Rule).

The Vessel Speed Rule was first implemented by NMFS in 2008. It imposes a seasonal, mandatory vessel speed limit of 10 knots on boats 65 feet or larger in designated areas along the east coast to help mitigate boat collisions with right whales.

The NFMS is now “considering possible deregulatory action to modify and modernize” the Vessel Speed Rule. Specifically, the agency seeks to “reduce unnecessary regulatory and economic burdens on the regulated community by replacing current seasonal speed restrictions with alternative management areas and advanced, technology-based, strike-avoidance measures that maintain or enhance conservation efficacy.”

Advocacy held a roundtable on the ANPRM and used the input from attendees to make recommendations on how the current Vessel Speed Rule could be improved to reduce regulatory burdens on small entities while minimizing the risk of vessel collisions with right whales. Additionally, Advocacy notes that reviewing the Vessel Speed Rule aligns with both the Regulatory Flexibility Act and recent Supreme Court precedent.

New England Aquarium pens letter opposing changes to vessel speed limit

June 4, 2026 — In a letter sent to the assistant administrator for NOAA fisheries last week, the New England Aquarium says it opposes efforts by the National Marine Fisheries Service to deregulate vessel speed limits designed to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales.

The speed limits were established in 2008 in management areas where right whales were observed during their migration. But earlier this year, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service’s posted an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking of a “possible deregulatory action” to its website.

In its letter, the aquarium cited studies that say vessel strikes remain a threat to the small population of right whales left on the East Coast.

Between 2020 and 2025, 22 right whale vessel strikes were detected in U.S. waters, of which six were fatal and two resulted in serious injuries.

Read the full article at Maine Public 

Proposed electronic reporting requirement for commercial fishing logbooks

June 2, 2026 — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has proposed a rule that would require commercial fishermen holding certain federal permits to submit fishing logbooks electronically instead of using the current paper reporting system.

According to the proposal, commercial fishing logbooks are used to collect catch and effort data, including landed species and weights, fishing locations, water depths and gear types. Under the current system, NMFS mails approximately 100-page carbon-copy logbooks and postage-paid return envelopes each December to owners of federally permitted vessels.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

The Longest Atlantic Red Snapper Season in Years Is on Hold

May 26 2026 — When the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) in early May to states from North Carolina south, Atlantic red snapper anglers couldn’t hold in their excitement. That’s because offshore anglers in the South Atlantic have been completely handcuffed from targeting and keeping red snapper for years. Since 2020, the red snapper season in Atlantic federal waters has been just one to four days in July. Even before 2020, the red snapper season has been in overhaul mode since 2010 — there hasn’t been an Atlantic federal recreational season that’s exceeded 8 days since then.

The EFPs are a way for the states to finally have longer recreational red snapper seasons in 2026. Officially, NMFS said:

“The EFPs allow the states to pilot test state data collection and management strategies for the recreational harvest of red snapper in 2026. The EFPs are intended to improve data on recreational fishing effort and catch of red snapper in the South Atlantic and to inform the development of a long-term state-led management strategy for the recreational harvest of red snapper.”

What that means for anglers is a 2026 season that spans months, not a weekend. Off Florida, anglers in federal waters receive 39 days (May 22 – June 20, October 2-4, October 9-11, and October 16-18), while Georgia and the Carolinas enjoy 62 days (July 1 – August 31). Bag limit is just one red snapper a day, but that couldn’t stop the overall buzz and excitement around the docks.

First up was the Sunshine State. In Florida, anglers readied their boats for a Memorial weekend fishing trip, while charters from Jacksonville south were booked with expectant bottom fishermen. As part of the EFPs, anglers are required to declare their fishing trip and report back their red snapper catches.

Read the full article at Wired2fish.com

Federal fisheries agency decides against listing Alaska king salmon as endangered

May 21, 2026 — Federal fisheries managers have determined that Gulf of Alaska king salmon are at low risk of extinction and don’t need to be listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

The decision, announced May 13, results from a more than two-year study of Alaska chinook — including Southeast stocks — by a team of National Marine Fisheries Service scientists, with input from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as well as leaders of Alaska tribal governments and the public.

NMFS launched the review after the Wild Fish Conservancy, a Washington-based nonprofit, in January 2024 filed an Endangered Species Act petition, asking the fisheries service to list all Gulf of Alaska chinook stocks as endangered.

The conservation group pointed to long-term declines in king salmon numbers in Alaska.

A U.S. District Court judge in Washington, D.C., approved a settlement which ordered federal fisheries managers to issue a decision on the endangered petition by May 13.

Read the full article at Wrangell Sentinell

A federal probe could change the status of Rice’s whales

May 6, 2026 — The National Marine Fisheries Service has started a review that could remove the endangered status from Rice’s whales as the federal government has increased efforts to promote oil drilling of U.S. shores.

A Federal Register notice published Monday states a status review has been initiated to determine if Rice’s whales are accurately listed or part of a broader species, which could result in them being delisted or downlisted to a threatened species.

The action follows a March 31 federal order that exempted all oil and gas activities from following rules regarding the protection of endangered species in Gulf waters.

Read the full article at WLRN

MAINE: Collins, King raise ropeless gear concerns to federal policymakers

April 10, 2026 — U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) are calling for continued engagement with Maine’s seafood industry stakeholders. In a letter to Eugenio Piñero Soler, assistant administrator for fisheries at the National Marine Fisheries Service, the senators urge NMFS to heed the well-founded concerns expressed by Maine’s lobstermen and fishermen regarding ropeless gear and to include them in any further regulatory discussions.

“Maine lobstermen’s concerns about ropeless gear are well-documented and deserve serious consideration. It is important to give full and meaningful weight to concerns raised by fishermen regarding ropeless/on-demand fishing gear as NMFS’s core strategy for North Atlantic right whale (NARW) conservation. We urge you to continue to explore other options, such as Dynamic Area Management with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, and strongly encourage you to continue engaging fishermen directly as your agency approaches new rulemaking on this issue,” the senators wrote.

Read the full article at the Mount Dessert Islander