Saving Seafood

Trump administration’s $1B deal to stop offshore wind shows an evolution in its anti-wind strategy

March 25, 2026 — The Trump administration’s $1 billion payout to a French energy company to walk away from U.S. offshore wind development is a novel tactic against the industry that supporters see as creative — but opponents see as foolish and extreme.

The Interior Department announced Monday that TotalEnergies agreed to what is essentially a refund of its leases for projects off the coasts of North Carolina and New York, and will invest the money in a liquefied natural gas export terminal in Texas and other fossil fuel projects instead. The department hailed it as an “innovative agreement” with the French energy giant so that the “American people will no longer pay for ideological subsidies that benefited only the unreliable and costly offshore wind industry.”

The tactical shift comes after federal courts have thwarted President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop offshore wind through executive action.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the payment “sets a dangerous precedent and is a shortsighted misuse of taxpayer dollars.”

Robin Shaffer, president of the anti-offshore wind group Protect Our Coast New Jersey, applauded what he called “out of the box” thinking. Shaffer said after losing in the courts, the administration needed a way to take back leases that never should have been issued because of the harm offshore wind development causes to the marine environment.

Read the full article at The Associated Press

Haskin Lab Strengthens Oyster Industry Through Research and Collaboration

March 20, 2026 — The Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory has played a central role in supporting New Jersey’s oyster industry through decades of research, collaboration, and science-based management. Since 1953, the lab has worked closely with the Delaware Bay oyster industry and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Division of Fish and Wildlife to address challenges affecting oyster populations and to help sustain this vital natural resource.

The partnership began when the industry sought assistance in identifying the causes of declining oyster stocks in 1953. In response, the Haskin Lab established annual population surveys of oysters in Delaware Bay. These surveys continue today and provide the scientific foundation for managing the fishery and supporting a sustainable harvest. Over time, and with external expert review that includes NJDEP scientists and active oyster harvesters, the lab has helped guide the development of a sustainable oyster fishery recognized as a leading model both regionally and nationally.

A key component of this success is the use of a “total allowable catch” approach, which differs from many shellfisheries that rely on license limits or shortened harvest seasons. This method allows for more precise, science-based management of the resource while balancing ecological sustainability and industry needs.

Read the full article at Rutgers University

NEW JERSEY: Shoreline Freezers expands NJ warehouse

March 19, 2026 — Shoreline Freezers, a cold storage provider serving the Mid-Atlantic region since 1996, March 13 announced a major expansion of its facility in southern New Jersey, planning to add 128,000 sq. ft. of new warehouse space, increase capacity to 27,000 pallet positions, and to “broaden the company’s integrated service offerings.”

Owned and operated by the Reichle family of Lund’s Fisheries in Cape May, N.J., Shoreline Freezers says its “ownership remains actively involved in day-to-day operations, ensuring responsive decision-making and a customer-first culture.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NEW JERSEY: Jersey Shore oyster farmers count their losses from icy NJ winter

March 19, 2026 — Few people are looking forward to spring more than Dale Parsons, a fifth-generation bayman and oyster farmer from Tuckerton.

Parsons is trying to put his oyster farm back together after what was probably the most disastrous winter he’s endured as a grower of the salty bivalves. He said it will likely take a few years for him to be whole again, barring no bad weather setbacks again.

“Every form of damage you can think of, we suffered,” the 59-year-old Tuckerton resident told the Asbury Park Press. “If you have consecutive years with winters like this, it’ll put people out of business.”

Parsons said he lost one-third of his oysters, or roughly 300,000 out of 1 million, when the Barnegat Bay froze over this winter, trapping his leases in freezing water. At a wholesale price of 50 to 70 cents per oyster, he estimates he lost $165,000 worth of oysters.

Read the full article at Asbury Park Press

Shoreline Freezer nearly quadrupling size of New Jersey cold storage facility

March 13, 2026 — Shoreline Freezers announced it is working on a major expansion of its cold storage facility in southern New Jersey, adding 128,000 square feet of new space.

Shoreline Freezers is owned and operated by the Reichle family, who are also the owners of Lund’s Fisheries. According to a release from the company, the new space will add 27,000 pallet positions to the facility’s capacity, nearly four times the size of the existing 7,000 pallet facility.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Fishing crews in the Atlantic keep accidentally dredging up chemical weapons

March 9, 2026 — Until 1970, the US dumped an estimated 17,000 tons of unspent chemical weapons from World War I and II off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean—and that disposal decision continues to haunt commercial fishing operations.

In an article published this week in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, health officials from New Jersey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there were at least three incidents of commercial fishing crews dredging up dangerous chemical warfare munitions (CWMs) off the coast of New Jersey between 2016 and 2023.

The three incidents exposed at least six crew members to mustard agent, which causes blistering chemical burns on skin and mucous membranes. (An example of these types of burns can be seen here, but be warned, the image is graphic.) One crew member required overnight treatment in an emergency department for respiratory distress and second-degree blistering burns. Another was burned so badly that they were hospitalized in a burn center and required skin grafting and physical therapy.

Read the full article at Ars Technica 

Scientists Prove Shellfish Can Be Farmed Far From Shore

February 19, 2026 — Rutgers researchers have made a discovery that could change the future of seafood farming in New Jersey.

A study led by marine scientist Daphne Munroe has shown that Atlantic surfclams can be successfully farmed in the open ocean.

Her research, published in the North American Journal of Aquaculture, proves that offshore aquaculture is not only possible but promising. This method could help meet the increasing demand for seafood while protecting wild clam populations.

“We’re among the first to show that offshore clam farming can really work,” said Munroe, an associate professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences in the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. “It’s exciting because it opens the door to a new kind of business for New Jersey’s farming and fishing industries.”

The study was funded by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and was done in partnership with commercial fishing companies.

Read the full article at Rutgers University 

NEW JERSEY: How NJ’s fishing crews beat icy, frigid conditions

February 17, 2026 — Scallops are of the sea’s succulent treasures, which would make Viking Village in Barnegat Light a treasure chest.

“This is sushi grade,” said fifth generation fisherman Kirk Larson, Jr. “These are the nicest scallops you’ll get.”

No doubt these scallops are going to be the stars of many Valentine’s dinners this weekend. It’s all made possible by these fishing crews, who have had to endure icy, dangerous conditions.

“The last couple weeks, with the cold, it’s just made it harder and harder for our boats to get away from this dock,” said Larson. “To go down the harbor, you almost got to like give it some extra throttle just to break the ice.”

Read the full article at Pix 11

NEW JERSEY: Commercial fishing boats stuck in Jersey Shore waterways clogged with ice

February 10, 2026 — This wave of brutally cold weather is cutting into catches for commercial fishing boats that are now idle along the Jersey Shore.

With boats iced in, Sea Tow Cape May is enduring the biting cold and gusty winds as they help ferry interport pilots to and from the big ships that are out at sea.

This step is vital to keep the supply chain moving along the northeast.

“A five mile wide wall of ice with two, three, four foot high, you know, icebergs sticking out of the water. And the dangerous part about that is you don’t know how much is underneath of them,” Claude Savino, of Sea Tow Cape May, explained. “It can’t stop. That’s goods coming in and out of our country and like, it cannot stop.”

Read the full article at NBC 10

A Legacy on the Docks: Remembering Viking Village’s Ernie Panacek

January 28, 2026 — The commercial fishing community of  is mourning the loss of Ernie Panacek, a transformative leader who spent more than three decades championing the local seafood industry as the general manager of Viking Village. Panacek, 75, passed away on Friday, January 23, 2026, following a battle with ALS.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 2:00 PM at the Chapel at the Harvey Cedars Bible Conference.
A Life Dedicated to the Sea
Panacek was widely recognized as a “pillar” of Viking Village, one of the East Coast’s largest commercial seafood suppliers. Under his management, the dock became a hub for innovation and sustainability, particularly in the scallop and longline fisheries. His expertise was not just operational; he was a fierce advocate for fishermen, serving as a founder of the New Jersey Seafood Harvesters’ Association and a director of the Bluewater Fishermen’s Association.