Saving Seafood

NSF awards $15M to launch New England Seafood Engine

July 15, 2026 — A new federally backed initiative aimed at strengthening the U.S. seafood industry is bringing $15 million to New England, with commercial fishermen expected to play a central role in developing new technologies for the sector.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced July 14 that the NSF Seafood Engine in New England has been selected for funding through the agency’s Regional Innovation Engines program. Led by the Portsmouth, N.H.-based Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS), the initiative brings together seafood industry leaders, researchers, government agencies and technology partners across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, including the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance.

According to the announcement, the project will receive $15 million over its first two years, with the potential to grow into a $160 million investment over the next decade as it builds a regional innovation hub focused on fisheries and aquaculture.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Northeastern researchers want to help keep New England seafood from going to China and back

July 14, 2026 — The longfin squid that ends up on your plate as calamari may have been caught in Rhode Island, but it’s likely traveled to China and back again for processing before being served.

That example is illustrative of what’s known as the “seafood deficit,” a roughly $20 billion trade deficit due to the U.S. importing 80% to 90% of the seafood it consumes. For instance, more than 80% of squid caught in Rhode Island is frozen and shipped to China for processing, then refrozen and imported back to the United States, according to the Westerly Sun.

“It’s not because we don’t have seafood, it’s because we don’t have the capacity to process it,” said Taskin Padir, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern.

Read the full article at Northeastern Global News

New England oysters are dying over the winter. N.H. scientists are trying to figure out why.

April 15, 2026 — Around New England, oysters are dying at alarming rates during the winter months.

Now, scientists in New Hampshire are trying to figure out why, as the future of the region’s youngest and smallest oyster industry hangs in the balance.

The oyster industry has grown tremendously in New Hampshire in recent years.

But as oyster farmer Joe Rankin discovered, there can be a devastating downside: mass die-offs during the cold winter that can derail the business.

That’s what he experienced in 2022, when he returned to his New Hampshire farm on the western side of Little Bay in the spring and found that about 80 percent of his oysters had died over the winter.

If he hadn’t known other oyster farmers who had overcome similar losses, he said, “I would have probably been discouraged enough to leave.”

He wants to see the industry keep growing, but even in better years, he’s seen anywhere from 25 percent to 50 percent of his oysters die during the winter.

Read the full article at the Boston Globe

Greenhorn program trains next-gen small-boat fishermen

January 20, 2026 — The New England Young Fishermen’s Alliance (NEYFA) has announced the launch of its inaugural 2026 Commercial Fishing Greenhorn Apprenticeship Training, a new program aimed at providing hands-on experience and professional training for aspiring small-boat commercial fishermen in New England.

Based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the program is designed to support young people entering New England’s commercial fishing industry at a time when the region has seen a rapid decline in waterfront workers. The apprenticeship combines classroom instruction, safety and survival training, and on-the-water learning, allowing participants to gain practical experience directly from experienced fishermen and women.

Apprentices will complete the comprehensive training program through March 2026, with Safety & Survival Training scheduled for April 2-3.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MAINE: Northern shrimp fishery closed for at least 3 more years, following unsuccessful pilot

December 15, 2025 — The New England shrimp fishery will remain closed for at least another three years.

Federal regulators said Thursday they found no improvement in northern shrimp stock status and new lows in abundance. The fishery has been closed for about a decade.

But last winter, Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts launched an industry-funded sampling pilot to learn more about the fishery in a warming of Gulf of Maine.

Seven of the nine participating fishermen were from Maine.

Fishermen were allowed to harvest up to 58,400 pounds of northern shrimp during the pilot. But they caught just 70 individual shrimp, totaling less than three pounds, according to regulators with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Read the full article at Maine Public

December Update on 2025 Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery Season 2 Days Out Measures

December 15, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts met December 15 via webinar to set effort control measures for the 2025 Area 1A fishery for Season 2 (October 1 – December 31) following an increase in available quota for Area 1A. The 2025 Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL) is now 2,317 metric tons due to implementation of the new 2025-2027 specifications package.

After accounting for the fixed gear set-aside, 2025 landings so far from Area 1A, and the 8% buffer (Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL), there are an estimated 289 metric tons available for harvest.

Currently, the Area 1A fishery is at zero landing days. The Area 1A days out measures moving forward for Season 2 are as follows:

  • Landing days will continue to be set at zero (0) through Monday, December 22.
  • The fishery will move to one (1) landing day starting at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, December 23.
  • The fishery will move to zero (0) landing days when 92% of the Area 1A sub-ACL has been caught or at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, December 24, whichever comes first. The fishery will remain at zero (0) landing days through the end of 2025.

While landing days are set at zero (0), harvesters are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A. Fishing for and possession of Atlantic herring may begin prior to landing days during Season 2.

Please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at efranke@asmfc.org for more information.

Atlantic Herring Days Out Meeting Motions (December 15, 2025)

Main Motion

Move to set the following schedule for Area 1A Season 2:

  • Set zero landing days through Sunday, December 21
  • Starting 12:01AM on Monday, December 22, move to one landing day
  • Move to zero landing days when 92% of the Area 1A sub-ACL has been caught or at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, December 23, whichever comes first, through the end of 2025.

Motion made by Ms. Ware and seconded by Ms. Griffin. Motion amended.

Motion to Amend

Move to amend to set the landing day to Tuesday, December 23.

Motion made by Mr. Abbott and seconded by Ms. Ware. Motion passes by unanimous consent.

Main Motion as Amended

Move to set the following schedule for Area 1A Season 2:

  • Set zero landing days through Monday, December 22
  • Starting 12:01AM on Tuesday, December 23, move to one landing day
  • Move to zero landing days when 92% of the Area 1A sub-ACL has been caught or at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, December 24, whichever comes first, through the end of 2025.

Motion passes by unanimous consent.

The announcement can also be found at https://asmfc.org/news/press-releases/update-on-2025-atlantic-herring-area-1a-fishery-season-2-days-out-measures-december-2025/

MAINE: Maine shrimp fishery closed for three more years

December 15, 2025 — On Thursday, December 11, 2025, the Northern Shrimp Section of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission meeting in Portland, Maine, voted to extend the moratorium on New England’s northern shrimp fishery for another three years. The Northern Shrimp Section, comprised of members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, made the decision to keep the fishery closed after hearing from the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee (NSTC).

The NSTC had set triggers for sea surface and bottom temperatures and recruitment, which could have started a discussion about reopening the fishery, and while sea surface temperatures reached the triggers, bottom temperature and recruitment did not.

But not everyone trusts those numbers. “You need data to manage the fishery,” says Glen Libby of Port Clyde, Maine. “And the NSTC doesn’t have any that’s reliable.”

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Atlantic Herring Area 1A Days Out Call Scheduled for December 15, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

December 10, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Atlantic Herring Management Board members from the states of Maine, New Hampshire and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will meet via webinar on December 15, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., to discuss days out measures for the remainder of Season 2 (October 1 – December 31) for the 2025 Area 1A fishery (inshore Gulf of Maine). Days out measures include consecutive landings days for Season 2. The webinar and call information is included below:

 
Atlantic Herring Days Out Meeting
Monday, December 15, 2025
1– 2 p.m.
 
This webinar will use the RingCentral meeting platform. You can join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone at the following link: https://v.ringcentral.com/join/989793987.   If you are new to RingCentral, you can download the app ahead of time (click here) or you can join from a web browser. For audio, the meeting will be using the computer voice over internet (VoIP), but if you are joining the webinar from your phone only, you can dial in at 650.419.1505 and enter access code 989-793-987 when prompted. The webinar will start at 12:45 p.m., 15 minutes early, to troubleshoot audio as necessary.
 
Atlantic herring specifications for 2025-2027 are being implemented this week by NOAA Fisheries. The new specifications for 2025 increase the Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (sub-ACL) to 1,317 metric tons and after accounting for the reallocation of 1,000 metric tons that already occurred last month, the Area 1A sub-ACL is 2,317 metric tons.
 
Currently, Area 1A 2025 landings are 1,860 metric tons. After accounting for those landings, the fixed gear set-aside, and the 8% buffer (Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL), there will be an estimated 244 metric tons available for harvest. 
 
The Area 1A fishery is at zero landing days. While landing days are set at zero (0), harvesters are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A. A subsequent press release will announce days out measures for the remainder of Season 2.
 
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atefranke@asmfc.org.
 

Directed Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery Closure Effective 6 PM, November 24, 2025

November 24, 2025 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

NOAA Fisheries and the states of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts project the Atlantic herring fishery will catch 92% of the Area 1A sub-annual catch limit by November 24, 2025. The Area 1A directed fishery will close effective 6:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025 and remain closed until further notice. Vessels that have entered port before 6:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025 may land and sell, from that trip, greater than 2,000 pounds of herring from Area 1A.

 
During a closure, vessels participating in other fisheries may retain and land an incidental catch of herring that does not exceed 2,000 pounds per trip or calendar day. In addition, directed herring vessels traveling through Area 1A must have all fishing gear stowed.
 
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0716 or efranke@asmfc.org.
 

A voice for New England’s working waterfronts: Dustin Delano

November 21, 2025 — For as long as he can remember, Dustin Delano’s life has been measured by the tides. He was just a small child when he first climbed aboard his father’s lobster boat on Maine’s Midcoast- a kid curled up on the fish tote full of rope while his dad hauled traps.

“He was a young, single father in his early twenties- working hard as a lobsterman while raising a son,” Delano recalled. “I’d help his sternum fill bait bags and band lobsters.”

That early introduction to the scent of salty air, a diesel hum, and determination set the course for Delano’s life. His father showed him what it meant to work for every dollar, and his mother’s foster father, Stephen Lash, taught him the importance of giving back. With their help, Delano pieced together his first set of traps- some used gear from his dad, and a few used traps fronted by Lash until he could afford to pay for them on his own. At just 11 years old, he was hauling by hand from a 17-foot wooden skiff powered by a 25-horse Yamaha.

“I wasn’t allowed to go out alone,” he remembered. “So, I’d wait for my father to get back from a long day of lobstering, and together we’d head back out to haul my traps in the afternoon. I can still hear him saying, ‘Hurry up and pull that trap up- I don’t want to be out here all night!’”

Those early days and long afternoons on the water, with laughter mixed with lessons, shaped Delano’s work ethic. He saved every cent he could and, with the help of family and friends, restored a 34-foot wooden lobster boat called Provider during his senior year of high school. “Every bit of my savings went into getting that boat ready,” he said. “It marked the beginning of my deep and lasting love for the lobster fishery.”

Rooted in the rhythm of Maine’s coast

Today, Delano speaks about the fishery with the same sense of purpose that has driven generations of Maine lobstermen. “The fishery isn’t just a job for me- It’s a foundation of who I am,” he said. “Every sunrise over the bay, every haul of the trap, every conversation at the wharf- it’s part of the rhythm of life that has shaped generations before me and continues to define who we are today.”

That deep sense of place — and of responsibility to it — has always guided Delano’s decisions. He’s quick to note that Maine’s fishing communities are built on more than boats and traps; they’re sustained by neighbors who lend a hand, families who mend gear together, and a shared commitment to stewardship. “Our fishery isn’t just about the catch. It’s about protecting a way of life that connects us to the ocean, to each other, and to something larger than ourselves,” he said. “Preserving it isn’t optional, it’s a responsibility.”

Read the full article at National Fisherman