Saving Seafood

Shark Depredation Tripled in 20 Years of Longline Survey

October 20, 2026 — Depredation, the removal of or damage to hooked fish or gear by sharks or other marine predators, is a growing concern among fishing communities. Depredation results in increased mortality for managed fish stocks, economic loss, and degraded fishing experiences.

NOAA Fisheries biologists Dr. William “Trey” Driggers and Dr. Walter Ingram recently analyzed data from the Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s Bottom Longline Survey. Their goal: to determine trends in depredation rates over the past two decades. This is one of the first fishery-independent analyses of shark depredation—most research has been conducted in the fishery. The data confirm what anglers are seeing on the water: increasing trends in depredation by species like sandbar, blacktip, bull, and tiger sharks. 

History of the Bottom Longline Survey

The annual Bottom Longline Survey, which started in 1995, samples U.S. waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of America, from Brownsville, Texas, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Scientists use these data to monitor trends in abundance of federally managed sharks and other fish species like red snapper. It provides fishery-independent indices of abundance for numerous federal stock assessments in the Southeast region. When the survey protocol was standardized in 2001, Dr. Driggers recognized the importance of collecting data on depredation events. He added it as a standard data collection metric for the survey.

Since 2005, the survey has collected data on:

  • Whether depredation occurred
  • Predator species preying on the hooked catch, when possible
  • Species of the depredated catch
  • Variables like location, depth, temperature, and salinity

This has resulted in a standardized record of depredation events for all survey longline sets for more than two decades.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Groundfish rule brings gear marking changes for 335 vessels

October 16, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has finalized new gear marking and entanglement-reduction requirements for portions of the Pacific Coast groundfish fleet, including new color-coded lines and buoy markings for vessels fishing with pot and bottom longline gear.

The final rule, published in the Federal Register on Oct. 13, applies to limited entry and directed open access groundfish fisheries in federal waters off Washington, Oregon, and California. Most provisions take effect Jan. 11, 2027, while fishermen will have until Jan. 11, 2030, to transition to manufactured line meeting the new color requirements.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Georgia anglers embark on controversial red snapper season | Exclusive

October 16, 2026 — A controversial red snapper season currently underway off the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina is the latest battle in the long-running conflict between commercial and recreational fishers over limited fish populations.

But this time, the 14-day season promises to yield something both sides want: data.

Red snapper in the Gulf and the South Atlantic were overfished in the 1990s, leading to tight federal limits on commercial and recreational harvests. Since 2008, Georgia anglers have been allowed to fish for red snapper for only a few days each year, if at all.

Now, NOAA Fisheries says red snapper populations have recovered enough to support an “experimental” season that will test a new Georgia system for reporting how many red snapper are caught—and thrown back—by recreational fishers.

Read the full article at Savannah Morning News

2026 Spring Habitat Camera Survey Completed in Northeast

October 15, 2026 — Our Habitat Camera (HabCam) Survey uses a towed camera sled system to collect images of the seafloor. We analyze the images to estimate the abundance and size composition of Atlantic sea scallops. The sea scallop abundance, size composition, and distribution data are used annually as part of the sea scallop stock assessment and management processes. The survey is one of the primary fishery-independent surveys used in the sea scallop stock assessment model.

We also annotate the images for other seafloor features and animals such as crabs and finfish. We conduct the survey in the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Georges Bank. Because the camera sled is towed behind the vessel, the survey can sample more seafloor than traditional sea scallop survey methods.

Dates and Legs

The 2026 HabCam Survey began on May 11, 2026 and completed operations on May 29, 2026. We conducted the Spring survey aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow and it occurred in two legs:

  • Leg 1: May 11–19 in Mid-Atlantic Bight
  • Leg 2: May 20–29 in Georges Bank

Survey Location

This survey monitored the Mid-Atlantic and Georges Bank Atlantic Sea Scallop management areas:

In the Mid-Atlantic, the survey monitored:

  • Delmarva
  • Elephant Trunk
  • Hudson Canyon South
  • A mid-line through New York Bight and Long Island
  • Mid-Atlantic Bight Nearshore areas

In Georges Bank, the survey monitored:

  • Nantucket Lightship-West
  • CL1 (Groundfish Closed Area 1)
  • Northern Flank
  • CL2-North (Groundfish Closed Area 2)
  • Great South Channel

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Scallop program puts $25 million toward research

October 14, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has awarded 14 new projects through its 2026 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program, supporting research ranging from expanded Georges Bank surveys to artificial intelligence, scallop recruitment, and mortality.

Rather than providing federal funding directly, the Research Set-Aside Program allocates a portion of the scallop harvest to researchers, who work with commercial fishermen to harvest the scallops and generate funding for their projects.

This year, researchers were awarded more than 1.5 million pounds of Atlantic sea scallops. At an estimated value of $16 per pound, NOAA Fisheries expects the allocation to generate more than $25 million, with approximately $6 million supporting research and the remaining $19 million going to participating harvesters.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Trump Administration Asks Court to Let It Re-Evaluate Revolution Wind’s COP

October 14, 2026 — The Trump administration is renewing its challenges to Ørsted’s offshore wind farm, Revolution Wind, located off the coast of Rhode Island. The Department of Justice is asking a District Court in the District of Columbia to remand its prior approval of the construction and operations plan (“COP”) for further review on a project that has completed construction and is in the final stages of commissioning.

It marks the third time the Trump administration has challenged the 704 MW wind farm project, which is contracted to supply power to Connecticut and Rhode Island. In August 2025, it sought to stop construction while the project was approximately 80 percent complete, but it was rejected by the courts. In December 2025, the administration included Revolution Wind in its stop-work orders, this time contending the operations posed a risk to national security due to the potential for radar interference. The courts again rejected the stop-work order and let the project resume construction in January 2026.

The Department of Justice made its new filing in a case being pursued by an environmental group that has been challenging the project in the courts for years. Green Ocean has been suing the Department of the Interior and Revolution Wind, contending the project would cause harm to the environment.

The new filing made on October 9 asked the court to grant Green Ocean a summary judgment on its claims against the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, related to the approval of the project. Further, it says the Department of the Interior agrees that remand of its prior approval of the construction and operations plan (COP) for the Revolution Wind Project is warranted so that the agency can reevaluate its compliance with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

NOAA Fisheries introduces new West Coast gear rules to reduce entanglements

October 13, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has rolled out new requirements and voluntary measures to reduce whale entanglements in commercial fishing gear on the U.S. West Coast.

“This rulemaking is, in part, in response to increased rates of entanglement of humpback whales with Pacific Coast fishing gear since 2014,” NOAA Fisheries said in its release. “Marine animals, like whales and turtles, can get caught in fishing gear, which can prevent them from eating or cause serious injury or death. The animal most often entangled in gear associated with the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery is the humpback whale.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Highly Migratory Species Management: Managing Shared Resources at Home and Around the World

October 12, 2026 — Through leadership in domestic and international organizations, NOAA Fisheries helps advance science-based highly migratory species fishery management to bolster healthy international fish stocks and advocate for U.S. fishermen and fishing communities.

Highly migratory species—like Atlantic yellowfin tuna, Pacific albacore, and Atlantic swordfish—travel thousands of miles across state, national, and international boundaries throughout their lives. These important commercial and recreational fisheries support seafood businesses and coastal communities across the United States. But highly migratory fish don’t recognize state or national borders, so managing them sustainably requires collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries. Strong domestic management and international cooperation sustain these fisheries and the communities that depend on these shared ocean resources.

In the United States, highly migratory species are managed under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Their management is consistent with requirements adopted by regional fisheries management organizations established by international treaties. Each of these RFMOs provide a forum for countries to work together to conserve these shared resources that spend their lives moving across jurisdictions.

Fisheries managers in the Atlantic and Pacific share the same goal: providing sustainable fishing opportunities while maintaining healthy fish stocks. Fisheries, geography, and management structures vary by region, so NOAA Fisheries uses different management tools and authorities to achieve that shared goal across fisheries.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries Awards 14 Projects in 2026 Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program

October 9, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has made 14 new grant awards through the Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. These projects support research that informs management decisions for one of the most valuable wild-caught fisheries in the nation.

Instead of awarding federal funds, this unique program sets aside a portion of scallops that would otherwise be available for commercial harvest. Those pounds are awarded to researchers who then work with the fishing industry to both conduct their research and harvest the scallops to fund the work.

This year’s projects were awarded more than 1.5 million pounds of Atlantic sea scallops. At an estimated $16 per pound, the awards are expected to generate more than $25 million. Of that amount, $6 million will directly support research. The remaining $19 million will go to harvesters in support of small business owners and local fishing families.

The U.S. sea scallop fishery is a major contributor to the national seafood economy. In 2025, commercial scallop landings totaled 23.1 million pounds, valued at $417 million—making it the largest wild scallop fishery in the world.

The awarded projects are investigating research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council. This year’s projects include enhancements to existing scallop surveys, such as:

  • Expanded coverage on Georges Bank
  • AI-enhanced processing of survey imagery
  • Continued support of industry-driven data collection and co-management

Also new this year are two projects exploring opportunities for enhancement of scallop resources.

The research set-aside program is a model of innovation. It funds essential research without using federal dollars and builds strong partnerships between scientists and the fishing industry. NOAA Fisheries currently supports research set-aside programs for Atlantic sea scallops and monkfish.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries