Saving Seafood

Experts Euthanize Oregon Humpback Whale After Unsuccessful Attempt to Free it from Beach

November 19, 2025 — On November 17, veterinarians from the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network euthanized a young humpback whale stranded north of Yachats, Oregon, after an unsuccessful attempt to free it. The whale was entangled in gear when it first stranded on November 15. NOAA Fisheries attributed the gear to the 2023–2024 Oregon commercial Dungeness crab fishery.

Teams of trained responders from Portland and Seattle arrived November 16 and assessed the overall condition of the whale. They set up a rope and pulley system to try to free it from the beach at high tide the following morning. However, the attempt was unsuccessful.

While the whale remained alive, experts determined that euthanasia was the most humane option for this case. The prolonged period of time onshore had left the whale weak and unlikely to survive. Veterinarians euthanized the whale late afternoon on November 17. Responders will conduct a necropsy to assess the animal’s overall health and help determine why it stranded.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Aquaculture Opportunity Areas bolster America-First seafood production

September 19, 2025 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

As part of NOAA’s commitment to prioritizing American seafood competitiveness, the agency has identified 13 Aquaculture Opportunity Areas totaling more than 21,000 acres in U.S. federal waters of the Gulf of America and off the coast of Southern California. These areas will strengthen the nation’s seafood industry, reduce reliance on foreign imports, and create high-quality American jobs.

Today’s release of two final programmatic environmental impact statements for the Gulf of America and Southern California identifies prime locations that may be suitable for developing multiple commercial aquaculture projects, fulfilling President Trump’s 2020 Executive Order “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth” and supporting the 2025 Executive Order “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness”. These orders champion a robust, America-first seafood industry that puts U.S. workers and consumers first.

Each year, Americans eat roughly $15 billion in seafood farmed and imported from foreign countries, where labor and environmental standards often fall short of America’s rigorous standards. By expanding domestic aquaculture to complement wild-harvest fisheries, NOAA is driving an America-first approach that creates jobs, supports coastal communities, and ensures  high-quality, homegrown seafood for American families.

“The U.S. leads the world in aquaculture science and technology, yet we rank 20th globally in marine aquaculture production,” said Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator. “By growing our domestic aquaculture industry, we will strengthen American health, create good-paying jobs, and drive sustainable, long-term economic growth for our nation.”

The final documents released today are grounded in 19 scientific support products and incorporate robust public input, building on draft documents released last year. These efforts reflect NOAA’s commitment to transparency and American-driven decision-making.

In Southern California, NOAA experts identified 10 prime locations for potential aquaculture development –  eight in the Santa Barbara Channel and two in Santa Monica Bay – ranging from 500 to 2,000 acres, totaling 16,500 acres. NOAA found these areas may be suitable for seaweed, shellfish, and finfish aquaculture.

In the Gulf of America, three locations off the coast of Texas were identified, each ranging in size from 500 to 2,000 acres, totaling 4,500 acres. NOAA found these areas may be suitable for seaweed, shellfish, and finfish aquaculture. NOAA is also investing in baseline environmental surveys in the Gulf to provide valuable data to prospective farm applicants.

The Aquaculture Opportunity Areas will be finalized with two decision documents following this announcement. The selected areas are just the beginning of unlocking the vast potential for aquaculture in U.S. waters, paving the way for more jobs, thriving coastal economies, and an increased abundance of high-quality American-raised seafood on Americans’ plates.

More information on the final PEISs for Southern California and the Gulf of America is available on the NOAA Fisheries website. 

Conservation groups plan lawsuit over hatcheries

September 18, 2025 — Two Seattle area conservation groups say they intend to sue the federal government for failure to protect salmon, steelhead and orcas from hatchery programs.

The announcement from Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) and The Conservation Angler (TCA) contends that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is funding and authorizing hatcheries in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam under the Mitchell Act, relying on a flawed 2024 Biological Opinion that contains scientifically indefensible conclusions and violates the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The Mitchell Act, passed by Congress in 1938, is intended to advance the conservation of salmon and steelhead fisheries in the Columbia River Basin. Mitchell Act funding has supported the establishment, operation and maintenance of hatchery facilities in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, as well as monitoring and evaluation of hatchery programs, screening irrigation intakes, and improving fish passage.  NOAA Fisheries has administered the Mitchell Act since 1970, distributing funds to tribes and Oregon, Washington and Idaho to produce hatchery salmon and steelhead to support fisheries.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Exploring the Upsides and Obstacles of Growing Pacific Oysters in Alaska’s Cold Waters

September 3, 2025 — Alaska may be known for its wild salmon, but another coastal delicacy is making waves: Pacific oysters. These shellfish make up the bulk of Alaska’s mariculture production. New research is shining a light on what makes them unique—and how they could play a growing role in the region’s seafood industry.

A team of NOAA Fisheries scientists and partners conducted a 3-year study at an oyster farm near Juneau, Alaska. They explored how the cold, nutrient-rich waters of Southeast Alaska influence oyster growth and quality. The findings suggest that Alaska’s subarctic environment offers both surprising benefits and potential challenges for oyster farmers.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

NOAA Fisheries Bolsters American Seafood Industry with New Import Provisions

August 29, 2025 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

On August 28, 2025, NOAA Fisheries announced robust comparability findings under Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) import provisions, reinforcing America’s leadership in sustainable seafood production. The agency issued full comparability findings for 89 nations and partial comparability findings for 34 nations’ fisheries, and denied comparability for 12 nations’ fisheries. In total, fisheries from 46 nations now face stringent import restrictions, ensuring that seafood entering U.S. markets adhere to the same high standards as American-caught seafood.

The United States is a global leader in marine mammal conservation and sustainable fisheries, with American fishermen adhering to world-class conservation practices that minimize marine mammal bycatch. These import provisions align with President Trump’s executive order to restore American seafood competitiveness, protect American jobs, and ensure fair trade practices that prioritize the domestic market. By holding foreign fisheries to the same rigorous standards, NOAA Fisheries is safeguarding the integrity of American seafood while creating a level playing field for U.S. fishermen.

Importing Foreign Seafood

Starting January 1, 2026, fish and fish products from foreign fisheries on NOAA’s List of Foreign Fisheries without a comparability finding will be barred from U.S. markets. The list categorizes all foreign commercial fisheries that export to the United States as either:

  • Exempt: Minimal or no marine mammal bycatch
  • Export: Higher risk of marine mammal bycatch or insufficient data

“The import provisions guarantee that foreign fisheries meet the gold standard that is set by American fishermen,” said Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator. “This is a major win for American workers, consumers, and our marine ecosystems. By enforcing these standards, we’re protecting our domestic seafood industry and ensuring only safe, sustainable seafood reaches American tables.”

Prioritizing American Standards

Bycatch, the incidental capture of non-target species like marine mammals, remains a global challenge. American fishermen lead the world in bycatch mitigation, employing advanced technologies and practices. The MMPA import provisions extend these high standards to foreign fisheries, requiring them to demonstrate effective bycatch management in line with U.S. standards to access American markets. This ensures that American consumers enjoy seafood that is sustainably sourced, while supporting the livelihoods of U.S. fishermen.

What is a comparability finding?

A comparability finding is a determination by NOAA Fisheries that a foreign export or exempt fishery has met applicable conditions to ensure the safety of marine mammals during commercial fishing. To receive a comparability finding, a harvesting nation must demonstrate that it:

  1. Prohibits the intentional mortality or serious injury of marine mammals in the course of commercial fishing operations in the fishery; or
  2. Demonstrates that it has procedures to reliably certify that exports of fish and fish products to the United States are not the product of an intentional killing or serious injury of a marine mammal.

For export fisheries, foreign nations must also maintain a regulatory program for incidental mortality and serious injury of marine mammals that matches the effectiveness of U.S. regulations. Countries must reapply for a comparability finding every four years to maintain their eligibility to export to the United States. Fisheries that were initially denied a comparability finding may bring new or updated information and reapply for a comparability finding after January 1, 2026.

Boosting American Fisheries and Global Standards

NOAA Fisheries is committed to advancing global sustainability by collaborating with regional fishery management organizations and promoting safe fishing technologies worldwide. These actions promote the excellence of American commercial fisheries and standards across the globe. By enforcing these import restrictions, NOAA Fisheries is championing U.S. fishermen, ensuring fair competition, and delivering safe, high-quality seafood to American consumers.

Learn more about marine mammal bycatch criteria for U.S. imports.

NOAA Fisheries tests seafood fraud detection tool in field for a second time

August 28, 2025 — NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement has completed a second deployment of a new rapid genetic analysis tool that can detect seafood fraud.

“The new device is proving to be a valuable tool that helps officers examine more shipments in less time, with rapid results that also help clear the way for legal seafood to reach the market counter,” said Bryan Landry, assistant special agent in charge within NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Scientists and Fishermen Team Up for Groundbreaking Fish Survey in the Mariana Islands

July 11, 2025 — A mission to understand how fish age, grow, and reproduce in the Mariana Islands is underway.

NOAA Fisheries and commercial fishermen from the Mariana Islands are combining forces. Their goal: to improve our understanding of the region’s valuable fish stocks.

The research expedition will focus on gathering fish life history and population data, along with larval fish research, to guide sustainable fishing and promote strong fish populations.

Mission Kickoff

NOAA Fisheries scientists and partners departed Apra Harbor, Guam, July 7, 2025, aboard the NOAA ship Oscar Elton Sette. The team will survey waters from Anatahan to Uracas (Farallon de Pajaros), focusing on bottomfish species such as snappers, groupers, and jacks. These species are key to commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishing in the region.

Researchers will collect data to better understand:

  • How fast these fish grow
  • How long they live
  • When they’re able to reproduce

Discover how NOAA Fisheries’ life history program gathers clues about fish growth and reproduction

Scientists will also conduct annual plankton surveys to study early life stages of fish, a critical part of their life cycle. Researchers will use fine-mesh nets, lowered to 100 meters below the ocean’s surface, to collect plankton samples that include fish larvae. Examining these young fish specimens helps the team uncover where young fish are located and how abundant they are. This information is key to understanding how fish populations grow, move around, and respond to environmental changes over time.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

New England For-Hire Groundfish Fleet Partners with NOAA Fisheries to Improve Cod Data

June 3, 2025 — Atlantic cod is a classic New England fish, found everywhere from roadside fish-and-chip stands to the Massachusetts State House. Under the Magnuson–Stevens Act, NOAA Fisheries fosters the long-term biological and economic sustainability of marine fisheries, including rebuilding overfished stocks. Currently Atlantic cod is considered overfished and rebuilding plans are in place to promote population growth. We recently teamed up with recreational fishermen and other partners to learn more about this iconic species.

Advancements in Understanding Cod Populations

The latest model of cod stock structure based on scientific advances in genetics, tagging, and biological characterization shows there are five biologically distinct cod populations from New Jersey to Canada, and four stock units. This new model allows managers to better tailor management to the specific needs of each stock to help populations recover.

Recreational Biological Sampling Fills Data Gaps

In light of these advancements, stock assessment scientists needed more biological data from the recreational fishing fleet. NOAA Fisheries teamed up with members of New England’s recreational for-hire fleet, the New England Aquarium, Pelagic Strategies, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to fill those data gaps. The pilot study is called the Recreational Biological Sampling Program, or RecBio.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

How Does Citizen Science Support Fisheries Stock Assessments?

June 2, 2025 — A new publication authored by NOAA Fisheries scientists is taking a closer look at the role of citizen science in informing fisheries stock assessments. The research reveals that while citizen science does sometimes inform NOAA Fisheries stock assessments, there is a great deal of potential to expand this use. The authors also outline data gaps that could benefit from citizen data and provide recommendations to increase the likelihood of citizen scientists’ data being incorporated into assessments.

Citizen Science Plays an Important Role

A citizen scientist is a volunteer who participates in one or more aspects of the scientific process, such as data collection. Citizen scientists have a long history of important contributions to marine science. For decades, they have collected information on water quality, marine mammal sightings, and fish size and health, all of which contributes to effective marine resource management.

Stock assessments are the scientific processes that we use to estimate the population sizes of fish and other marine organisms. They help us to evaluate the impacts of fishing on these populations and develop management strategies that support sustainable fisheries. The authors of this new publication were interested in examining the role of citizen science in NOAA’s mission to produce stock assessments for management.

“A common question we receive, often from members of the fishing community, is ‘How can NOAA Fisheries use our information, in particular to inform assessments?’” says co-author and scientist Laura Oremland. “To best answer that question, we needed to understand the big picture. We started by investigating whether citizen science had been used in assessments and, if so, what the common elements of successful projects were.”

Current Uses of Citizen Science in Stock Assessments

The paper’s authors used multiple methods to better understand how NOAA Fisheries and similar agencies are currently incorporating citizen science into stock assessments. One method was a survey of NOAA Fisheries stock assessment scientists about the current and potential uses of citizen science. Of the 35 stock assessment scientists that the authors surveyed:

  • 28.6 percent directly incorporated citizen science data directly into an assessment or intended to do so in the next assessment
  • 14.3 percent used citizen science data to inform assessment or management decisions, but did not directly incorporate data into assessments
  • 11.4 percent considered using citizen science data, but ultimately did not incorporate
  • 45.7 percent had not considered using citizen science data

All methodologies demonstrated that there is minimal direct incorporation of citizen science data into U.S. stock assessments. The authors also found that data collected through fish tagging programs had the broadest utility for stock assessments. These data help to define stock boundaries, estimate growth, and document fish habitat preferences.

“The primary mechanism through which we’re seeing citizen science contribute to stock assessments is through the support of fish tagging efforts,” notes Jeffrey Vieser, co-author and data product manager for ECS in support of NOAA Fisheries. “But that’s challenging, because citizens’ contributions require that they land a tagged fish. It’s almost like asking them to win the lottery in order to contribute.”

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

NOAA Fisheries Investigates Illegally Imported Tuna in Virginia

May 28, 2025 — A NOAA Fisheries investigation resulted in a grocery store chain paying a $12,516 civil penalty this February. They surrendered more than 1,100 pounds of yellowfin tuna, with a declared value of $4,889. In June 2023, NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement, Virginia Conservation Police, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted a joint inspection of a container shipment at CBP’s Centralized Examination Station (CES) in Chesapeake, VA. Officers discovered jarred yellowfin tuna. Experts from NOAA Fisheries Tuna Tracking and Verification Program determined that two shipments of jarred tuna contained tuna from a Nicaraguan purse seiner. Nicaragua is one of seven “primary nations” that may not import certain non-fresh tuna products into the United States as they do not meet the dolphin-safe requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. We do not permit import of those shipments into the United States.

NOAA’s Office of General Counsel Enforcement Section issued the civil penalty, known as a Notification of Violation and Assessment, to the grocery store chain. NOAA Fisheries’ trade monitoring and enforcement efforts protect U.S. consumers and law abiding U.S. seafood companies by stopping illegally traded seafood products from entering the U.S. market.

Trade Enforcement Efforts

We conduct trade enforcement efforts nationwide. Agents and officers routinely inspect container shipments at major U.S. seaports, airports, and border crossings into the United States. Additionally, we investigate cases referred to us by state and federal enforcement partners for suspected violations discovered during their independent trade enforcement work.

Our agents and officers in the Northeast initiated 55 new trade enforcement cases to protect U.S. consumers and businesses from January 1–March 31, 2025. “I couldn’t be more proud of the tremendous effort our agents and officers dedicate to preventing illegal seafood products from entering our markets,”  said James Cassin, acting assistant director, NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, Northeast Division. “Leveling the playing field for U.S. fishermen and businesses is and has always been at the core of our mission.”

Trade Enforcement Prevents Illegal Imports

Seafood importers must pass through multiple layers of federal oversight to comply with U.S. and international seafood trade regulations. These include the seafood trade monitoring programs NOAA Fisheries administers. We established the national tuna program to ensure compliance with federal regulations regarding dolphin-safe certification. These regulations protect dolphin stocks vulnerable to purse seine fisheries in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Ensuring compliance with seafood import requirements is an important part of our efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

You can reach the Northeast Office of Law Enforcement  at (978) 281-9213 and select “option 2” for regulatory compliance.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries