Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Scallopers push to open northern edge of Georges Bank

July 31, 2025 — Coastal lawmakers and scallopers railed Wednesday against a decision fishing regulators made last year to keep closed the northern edge of Georges Bank, a thriving scallop ground that has been shuttered to commercial fishing since 1994.

“It’s singularly my most frustrating experience, as someone who thinks of the environment every day, but also worries about the economy minute to minute in my own district. It’s stunning to me how long — decades — this has been closed,” said Sen. Mark Montigny of New Bedford.

Montigny chaired a Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight hearing on Wednesday which explored the state of commercial sea scallop fisheries and regulations impacting the industry.

New Bedford is the largest port in the United States for sea scallop landings and revenue. Other ports in Massachusetts are important for smaller scallop vessels, including Gloucester, Provincetown, Barnstable and Chatham.

Last year, the New England Fishery Management Council voted against reopening the fishing grounds on the northern edge of George’s Bank, a shallow underwater plateau between Cape Cod and Nova Scotia that is rich in biodiversity and a known spawning ground for Atlantic cod and habitat for scallops. The Light reported that Mayor Jon Mitchell was among those asking the council to reconsider opening it, citing headwinds for the region’s top fishery, including falling prices and fewer days at sea for fishermen.

The council voted not to continue discussions on reopening the area, as they said the high density of scallops there helps spawn other nearby scalloping grounds.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

NEFMC to repackage new cod regulations, delay other priorities

July 11, 2025 — Frustrated members of the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) have voted to delay work on three priority groundfish projects in order to repackage and resubmit new cod fishery regulations, which were rejected at the last minute by the U.S. federal government on procedural grounds.

“Obviously, this is very frustrating, especially to everyone who put so much work into this effort,” Council Member Alan Tracey said at a June meeting. “It’s another example of where we’re put in a position where we really have no choice.”

The NEFMC has been working on a major change to New England’s commercial cod fishery, transitioning from a two-stock management plan to a four-stock management plan. The new plan would set separate catch limits for each stock – the Eastern Gulf of Maine, Western Gulf of Maine, Southern New England, and Georges Bank stocks – allowing regulators to more precisely manage the sustainability of the fishery.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

June 2025 Council Meeting Recap

July 11, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

June Council Meeting Recap

The New England Fishery Management Council met in Freeport, ME, from June 24-26, 2025. Notable outcomes are summarized below.

Sea Scallop

Research Track Stock Assessment:

The Council received a presentation on the Scallop Research Track Stock Assessment, which underwent peer review in April 2025. Several Council members expressed concerns with the assessment’s findings, particularly regarding the fishing mortality reference points (FMSY). The Scallop Plan Development Team will develop methods to determine catch advice that consider a range of options. These will be reviewed by the Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) in August.

2025 Scallop Surveys:

Council staff provided an overview of the 2025 Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) survey efforts, including coverage areas and progress. The 2025 survey used towed camera, drop camera, dredge, and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) gear, covering all scallop resource areas from the Gulf of Maine to the Delmarva region of the Mid-Atlantic Bight.

The Council also received an update on the status of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) HabCam survey. On June 9, while conducting transit lines on Georges Bank aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow, the HabCam system struck an uncharted shipwreck. Recovery efforts have been hampered by strong currents and potential hazards near the wreck. A private salvage company has been contracted to attempt recovery of the HabCam unit. NEFSC HabCam operations are suspended for the remainder of the 2025 survey season. The NEFSC’s long-range AUV survey completed partial coverage of the planned area, and RSA survey partners are collaborating to provide coverage of the areas missed due to the HabCam incident.

Framework Adjustment 40 (FW 40):

The Council initiated FW 40, which will set specifications for the 2026 fishing year (FY) and default measures for FY 2027. Final action is scheduled for December 2025.

Limited Access General Category (LAGC) IFQ Program Review:

The Council received an update on the LAGC Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) program review, which covers the period from 2016 to 2023. The review includes analyses of fleet characteristics, quota and leasing activity, fishing effort, economic performance, crew income, and other metrics. The draft report is currently in progress, with additional analyses to be completed over the summer. The Council is scheduled to approve the final report in September.

New England council tries again on Northeast groundfish plan

July 8, 2025 — The New England Fishery Management Council will resubmit Amendment 25 to  its Northeast groundfish plan, after U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnik disapproved the regional council’s original December 2024 proposal.

The National Marine Fisheries said May 28 “that Amendment 25 and its supporting analyses do not adequately demonstrate how the proposed action is consistent with National Standard 1 or other required provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.”

After a lengthy deliberation at the council’s Junemeeting, its members voted to resubmit Amendment 25, “which would replace the current Atlantic cod stocks in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank with the newly identified cod stocks in Eastern Gulf of Maine, Western Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Southern New England,” council officials announced July 3.

The plan was protested by New England fishermen after the council’s initial approval last December. Despite Lutnik’s disapproval, NMFS still assessed that a new four-stock Atlantic cod structure “and the resulting management track stock assessments have been determined to be the best scientific information available.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NEFMC votes to pause work on multiple existing groundfish priorities and resubmit Amendment 25 to the Northeast Multispecies Plan

July 2, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

After extensive deliberation at the June meeting, the New England Council voted to resubmit Amendment 25 (A25), which would replace the current Atlantic cod stocks in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank with the newly identified cod stocks in Eastern Gulf of Maine, Western Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and Southern New England. The resubmission will include the Council’s previously recommended cod measures from Framework 69 (FW69).

The Council’s decision was based on NOAA’s disapproval of A25 in May due to procedural issues. NOAA’s disapproval letter detailed that A25 lacked critical management elements including reference points, accountability measures, and catch limits, but noted that the revised stock structure, with four cod stock units, is the best scientific information available. The “missing management elements” noted in the disapproval letter were included in the parallel action, Framework 69 (FW69), which is currently under NOAA review.

FW69 was intended to work in tandem with A25, but upon publication it will only replace the current Emergency Action specifications for the non-cod, groundfish stocks. The emergency measures for cod are anticipated to be extended for the entirety of Fishing Year (FY) 2025.

The Council will pause work on several 2025 groundfish priorities to complete the resubmission of A25 later this fall, including:

•Redfish sector exemption

•Evaluation of the monitoring system, per Amendment 23

•Revise ABC control rules for Northeast Multispecies stocks

Many Council members voiced frustration over NOAA’s disapproval of A25 and the recommended guidance for the Council to resubmit the action, citing unforeseen “procedural issues”. However, the Council supported continued engagement to ensure the 2026 groundfish season opens on May 1, 2026, and voted with no opposition to “finish the job”. The revised A25 is scheduled for final action at the September Council meeting.

Framework 72

The Council also initiated groundfish Framework Adjustment 72 with anticipated final action scheduled for December 2025. This action will set specifications for groundfish stocks for FY2026-2028, US/Canada Total Allowable Catch for FY2026, and other measures:

• FY2026-FY2027 specifications for Georges Band cod and haddock; FY2026-FY2028 specifications for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder, Cape Cod/Gulf of Maine yellowtail flounder, Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic yellowtail flounder, Georges Bank winter flounder, Gulf of Maine winter flounder, Southern New England/Mid-Atlantic winter flounder, white hake, Acadian redfish, ocean pout, and Atlantic wolffish

• Establish Regional Administrator authority to adjust recreational measures for haddock and cod on a permanent basis

Regulators walk back catch limits for Atlantic herring

June 25, 2025 — Federal regulators have proposed expanding catch limits for Atlantic herring, reversing course on earlier restrictions set to bring the stressed fishery back from the edge of collapse.

NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule would expand 2025 harvest limits to 4,556 metric tons, 68 percent higher than the current limit of 2,710 metric tons. The proposal, which adopted recommendations from the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), would further raise catch limits to 9,134 metric tons in 2026.

“The Council’s proposed specifications is anticipated to prevent overfishing and meet other conservation and management goals for the fishery,” Jamie Cournane, the NEFMC’s lead fishery analyst for Atlantic herring, said in a statement.

Read the full article at E&E News

LISTEN LIVE: NEFMC Meeting – June 24-26, 2025

June 23, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council’s June meeting will run from Tuesday, June 24 until Thursday, June 26, 2025. This will be an in-person meeting with a Zoom webinar option for individuals who prefer or need to attend remotely.

START TIME: 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday and 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day. View the detailed agenda here.

LOCATION: Hilton Garden Inn Freeport, 5 Park Street, Freeport, Maine, 04032
 
ZOOM WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Access the meeting remotely via Zoom, register here. The meeting is free and open to the public.
PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The Council wants to hear from you.  Here’s how you can let the Council know what you think.
  • Open Period for Public Comment: Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. Members of the public may comment on issues relevant to Council business that arenot listed on the agenda. Please limit remarks to 3-5 minutes and review theGuidelines for Providing Public Comment
    • In-person comments: Use the sign-up sheet located on the table at the entrance to the Council meeting room.
    • Remote comments: Email Alex Dunn at adunn@nefmc.org to be added to the commenter list. 
  • Comments on Motions: these are accepted at the discretion of the Council chair. (if commenting remotely, raise your hand on the webinar and unmute yourself when called upon) 
AGENDA AND MEETING MATERIALS: Are available on the Council’s website June 2025 Council Meeting
 
QUESTIONS: Contact Alex Dunn at adunn@nefmc.org

Mass. pushes feds for May 1 groundfish season start

April 17, 2025 — Massachusetts is calling on federal regulators to act swiftly to ensure the 2025 commercial groundfish season opens on time. On April 15, Tom O’Shea, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick urging immediate regulatory action to authorize the May 1 start date.

“Without fishing measures, federal fishing vessels from ports of Gloucester south to New Bedford will be tied up with no opportunity to sustain their businesses,” O’Shea wrote in the letter.

The Northeast multispecies (groundfish) fishery is jointly managed by NOAA Fisheries and the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) under the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan. The plan governs thirteen species, including iconic New England stocks like Atlantic cod, haddock, halibut, and winter flounder. However, to legally land and possess these fish, federal regulations must be in place to start the fishing year on May 1.

If the Department of Commerce does not act in time, federal groundfish vessels in Massachusetts will be effectively shut out of the fishery, causing serious economic disruptions across the state’s fishing ports. “The impacts will be particularly acute in Gloucester, New Bedford, and Boston, where our federal groundfish permit holders are concentrated,” the Department of Fish and Game warned in a separate briefing.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

MAINE: Maine scallop season closes while waiting for Trump administration to approve new quota

April 16, 2025 — U.S. regulators were forced to close the Northern Gulf of Maine scallop fishery less than two weeks into the season as fishers wait for the Trump administration to approve new quotas.

The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) approved new scallop quotas for the 2025/2026 seasons under Amendment 39 in December 2024, establishing a quota for the Northern Gulf of Maine federal fishery of 675,563 pounds for 2025 and a quota of 506,672 pounds for 2026. However, those quotas have not yet received final approval from the federal government.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

LISTEN LIVE: NEFMC April Meeting

April 9, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a four-day meeting from Monday, April 14 through Thursday, April 17, 2025. This will be an in-person meeting coupled with a webinar option for individuals who cannot or prefer not to attend in person.

 

LOCATION: Hilton Hotel Mystic, 20 Coogan Boulevard, Mystic, Connecticut, 06355

 

START TIME: 1:00 p.m. on Monday; 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.
 
PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The Council wants to hear from you.  Here’s how you can let the Council know what you think.

 

  • WRITE A LETTER: The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at this meeting is 8:00 a.m. on Friday, April 11, 2025.  Please note that written commentsmust address items listed on the agenda for this meeting.
  • TALK TO THE COUNCIL:  You’ll be able to address the Council directly through two different avenues:
  1. By commenting on motions at the discretion of the Council chair (if commenting remotely, raise your hand on the webinar and unmute yourself when called upon); and
  2. By speaking during the open period for public comment.  Here are the Guidelines for Providing Public Comment.
  • OPEN PERIOD FOR PUBLIC COMMENT:  On Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 12:15 p.m., the Council will offer the public an opportunity to provide comments on issues relevant to Council business but not listed on this agenda.  Given the Council’s busy meeting schedule, we ask that you limit remarks to 3-5 minutes.
    • SIGN UP:  Interested in speaking?  If attending in person, fill out the sign-up sheet on the table at the entrance to the Council meeting room.  To speak remotely, email Alex Dunn at adunn@nefmc.org to get on the list.
WEBINAR REGISTRATION: Online access to the meeting is available by registering HERE. There is no charge to access the meeting through this Zoom webinar.

 

  • Important: Starting at this Meeting, the Council will now use the Zoom webinar platform. Please refer to the Council’s Zoom Remote Participation Guide for instructions on logging in, providing oral comments, and navigating the platform.
  • For technical difficulties, please email the Help Desk at helpdesk@nefmc.org and we’ll get right back to you.
CALL-IN OPTION: To listen by telephone, please register HERE and a phone number, Webinar ID, and Passcode will be emailed directly to you. Please note that this is not a toll-free number.

 

AGENDA: All meeting materials and the agenda are available on the Council’s April meeting webpage.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.

 

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available HERE.

 

COUNCIL MEETING QUESTIONS:  Anyone with questions prior to or during the Council meeting should contact Alex Dunn at 978-465-0492 ext. 112, or via email adunn@nefmc.org.