Saving Seafood

News for the New England Region

ASMFC Habitat Hotline Atlantic 2025 Issue Now Available

February 25, 2026 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commissions’ (ASMFC) Habitat Committee is pleased to present the 2025 Issue of Habitat Hotline Atlantic, which is now available at https://heyzine.com/flip-book/99ee5642fb.html. You will notice that this issue is in a new digitally-interactive flipbook format, though it can also be found in PDF format athttps://asmfc.org/news/newsletters/habitat-hotline-atlantic/2025-annual-issue/. We welcome your feedback on the flipbook format!
 
The focal point of this issue is habitat restoration updates from the East Coast states. From Maine to Florida, state agencies and partners have shared their restoration successes, and ongoing conservation efforts. The 2025 issue also details Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) updates, including: updates on restoration projects, science tools, and collaborations advancing fish habitat conservation across the region. Additionally, the issue highlights the comings and goings of ACFHP Steering Committee members over the past year.
 
Past issues of Habitat Hotline Atlantic can be found at https://asmfc.org/search/-/-/Habitat-Hotline

Scary Problem: Ghost Gear Haunts New England’s Salt Waters

February 23, 2026 — Commercial fishing for shellfish, lobster, and finfish is an economic driver for many coastal communities along the Atlantic Coast, including ports in southern New England. Much of the gear now used in these fisheries is made of plastic, and lots of it is lost at sea every year.

It has been estimated, for example, that between 5% and 15% of lobster gear is lost annually to storms, propellers, and accidents. Since commercial fishing gear is used in harsh conditions it requires frequent replacement and is expensive to dispose of, some of it is deliberately dumped. Either way, all the fisheries are represented in the world’s stock of derelict fishing gear, more commonly called ghost gear.

Some 500,000 to a million tons of fishing gear is estimated to be lost at sea every year, and this ghost gear makes up 10% of all marine debris. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program has collected 2,000 tons (4 million pounds) of gear from 56 locations in U.S. waters.

This lost gear ranges from monofilament and braided fishing lines to ropes and nets to pots and traps. This jumble of commercial fishing equipment can be catastrophic for ocean life, ensnaring fish and marine mammals and endangering sea turtles.

Read the full article at ecoRI

Gulf of Maine haddock quota stalled as boats near tying up

February 23, 2026 — For commercial fishermen in the Gulf of Maine, spring typically means fresh haddock.

It’s the time of year when the fish show up thick, boats can finally make steady trips, and crews start to see paychecks that carry them through the lean months. But this year, instead of chasing the fish, Gulf of Maine (GOM) groundfishermen are waiting and watching their quota meters hit zero.

Framework 69, the regulatory vehicle that would increase the GOM haddock quota by 50 percent due to assessments of the stock, is stuck in federal review at NOAA’s level, despite being approved by the New England Fishery Management Council and signed on Dec. 4, 2024.

In the meantime, boats are nearing the limit of haddock they’re legally allowed to land.

“We were, for instance, four weeks ago, on track at the current quota level to be out of Gulf of Maine haddock quota right around the end of this year,” said Hank Soule, manager of the Sustainable Harvest Sector. New England sectors are self-managed groups of commercial fishing vessels holding limited access permits for Northeast multispecies (groundfish), including haddock.

“Right now, we’re on track to run out of Gulf of Maine haddock quota by late March,” said Soule. For groundfishing, that means a year reset on May 1, which is beyond devastating to fishermen.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Roger Williams University Heads Reseeding Initiative to Strengthen Rhode Island’s Quahog Fisheries

February 23, 2026 — Roger Williams University’s Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) is guiding a research-driven initiative to strengthen Rhode Island’s quahog fisheries in Narragansett Bay. The project integrates aquaculture, disease testing, and hands-on student training to support wild shellfish populations and the state’s seafood economy.

Funded through a Partnership for Research Excellence in Sustainable Seafood (PRESS) grant at the University of Rhode Island’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences and supported by NOAA, the initiative supports research that advances sustainable seafood. Through the program, CEED is studying wild quahog populations in partnership with the Rhode Island Shellfisherman’s Association (RISA).

“The aim of this work is to address commercial and recreational harvester concerns about the declining clam population in Narragansett Bay,” said Robert J. Holmberg, a Shellfish Aquaculture and Hatchery Specialist, and RWU Assistant Professor of Marine Biology and CEED’s Shellfish Aquaculture and Hatchery Specialist. “They’ve declined over decades due to several factors, but this project specifically focuses on understanding how disease and reproductive health impact quahog populations.”

Read the full article at Roger Williams University 

Peter Navarro: Trump lifts Biden’s fish ban to lower your grocery bill

February 23, 2026 — Inflation isn’t an abstraction. It’s the monthly bills piling up — and whether a family can pay the mortgage, fuel the car, and put food on the table. That is why President Donald Trump is attacking Joe Biden’s legacy inflation sector by sector, product by product — and, as his latest executive action shows, fish by fish.

With this action, President Trump is reopening 5,000 square miles of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing. These productive waters were first fenced off by Barack Obama in 2016 and, after Trump reopened them in 2020, Biden shut them right back down in 2021.

Obama’s 2016 commercial fishing ban came wrapped in lofty rhetoric about preservation. But for working waterfronts, it was a gut punch and a shutdown.

When President Trump lifted that ban, I was at the signing ceremony in Bangor, Maine. That Trump signature meant boats would once again sail, crews could fish and earn, processors could buy American catch, and — yes — American consumers could eat some of the freshest fish on the market.

Then came the Biden reversal in October 2021. My heart broke when I read the news — because policy whiplash is not an academic exercise. Fishermen live by the tides, not a think-tank memo. And it’s not just the fishermen that get hurt. It’s welders, dockhands, icehouses, bait dealers, truckers and an entire waterfront ecosystem.

When federal policy strangles opportunity, there is no backup plan, no second labor market to absorb the shock. The boats stop sailing, the paychecks stop coming, the damage is immediate.

Read the full article at Peter Navarro

ASMFC Releases New Habitat Management Series Report on Atlantic States Shell Recycling

February 23, 2026 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has released the latest installment in its Habitat Management Series, Atlantic States Shell Recycling. The report highlights the growing role of shell recycling programs in supporting oyster reef restoration, coastal resilience, and sustainable fisheries management along the US Atlantic coast.

 
Oyster reefs are among the most valuable habitats in coastal ecosystems, improving water quality, stabilizing shorelines, and providing critical habitat for commercially and recreationally important species. However, the availability of suitable shell for restoration has become a limiting factor in many regions. Shell recycling programs address this need by collecting used shell from restaurants and community partners, curing it to meet public health and biosecurity standards, and returning it to the water to create or enhance oyster reefs and living shorelines.
 
The report outlines common program models, curing standards, equipment and logistics considerations, permitting frameworks, and performance metrics. Developed in collaboration with state and regional partners, the report provides practical guidance for states seeking to expand or establish shell recycling initiatives. It highlights how collaboration among state agencies, nonprofit organizations, industry partners, and volunteers has strengthened restoration capacity and community engagement.
 
“This report showcases how shell recycling programs transform a waste product into a critical restoration resource,” said Russ Babb, New Jersey Bureau of Marine Habitat & Shellfisheries. “By sharing lessons learned and common standards, we aim to support states in building efficient, scalable programs that advance oyster reef restoration and habitat resilience across the coast.”
 
The Atlantic States Shell Recycling report is available for download at https://asmfc.org/resources/habitat-special-report/atlantic-states-shell-recycling-february-2026/ or via the Commission’s website athttps://asmfc.org/programs/habitat/. For more information, please contact Simen Kaalstad, Habitat Program Coordinator, at skaalstad@asmfc.org or 703.842.0743.

MAINE: Maine’s aquaculture industry highlighted in new campaign for public education

February 20, 2026 — The Maine Farmed Seafood Coalition (MFSC), a Maine-based community program for sustainability, recently launched a campaign called “Maine Farmers Are Why,” intended to educate the public about Maine aquaculture in light of recent sea farming disputes across the state’s coastal regions.

“The campaign puts sea farmers at the front of the conversation and tells the stories of innovators who make a diversified living on the coast of Maine,” MFSC said in a release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

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