Saving Seafood

Celebrating Earth Day with NOAA Fisheries

Apri 20, 2026 — Earth Day is a time to celebrate our incredible planet. It gives us so much—the air we breathe, the water we drink, the marine life we love, and the fish and habitats that sustain us. At NOAA Fisheries, we work every day to conserve and recover our planet’s marine life and ecosystems. From restoring habitats, to protecting marine animals, to supporting sustainable U.S. fisheries, learn how we’re using science to protect and improve our environment.

Earth Week Features

A System-Wide Effort to Restore Florida’s Indian River Lagoon

With $9.4 million in NOAA funding, the Indian River Lagoon Council and its partners are carrying out 15 projects across the estuary to restore seagrass, wetlands, shellfish populations, and shorelines.

This story is part 1 of a series of 4. Read about the economic benefits of Indian River Lagoon restoration, and projects restoring fish reefs, clams, seagrass, and wetlands.

NOAA Fisheries Launches Underwater Glider Challenge in Hawai‘i

NOAA Fisheries is leading a major effort to evaluate how next-generation ocean gliders can transform ocean monitoring and marine mammal conservation, while also benefitting U.S. fishermen and ocean industries.

NOAA Fisheries scientists explore how underwater gliders transform the way we study the ocean

Celebrating our Top Taggers for Citizen Science Month

April is Citizen Science Month! To celebrate, we’re highlighting the anglers who make our cooperative tagging research possible, and recent accomplishments. Could you be the next top tagger?

Check out our top taggers

Find other ways to be a citizen scientist

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Bill would require US government to only purchase domestic seafood for school lunches

April 20, 2026 — A U.S. lawmaker has introduced legislation requiring the federal government to only purchase domestically produced seafood for school lunches and other federal programs.

“In Louisiana, seafood is a cornerstone of our economy and a way of life. My Buy American Seafood Act would ensure that taxpayer-funded seafood is sourced from American fishermen and processors, protecting taxpayers from subsidizing foreign countries or adversaries like China,” U.S. Representative Julia Letlow (R-Louisiana) said in a release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Celebrates 50 Years of the Law of Fisheries Management — the Magnuson-Stevens Act

April 17, 2026 –This week, fisheries managers, conservation activists, harvesters, processors and those who love seafood have cause to thank the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act (MSA), keystone legislation to sustainably manage the nation’s fishery resources, which turned 50 on Monday.

Led by the late US Senators Warren Magnuson (D-WA) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) in the Senate and Representatives Gerry Studds (D-MA) and Don Young (R-AK) in the House, Congress outlined a road map to expel foreign fleets from our waters and rebuild the fish stocks that were collapsing around the country. The Act also extended US jurisdiction from 12 nautical miles to 200 nautical miles and established eight regional councils to protect the nation’s federal waters.

In 1976, Alaska’s Ted Stevens was a relative newcomer to the Senate, and Washington’s Warren Magnuson was nearing the end of his career.

“I had the distinct pleasure of serving as a member, chair, and vice chair of the Caribbean Council for many years,” remembered NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler on Monday. “In fact, it is the job title that I most cherish. I also had the good fortune of meeting Senator Stevens on a number of occasions, and something he told me has always stuck with me: ‘We don’t only manage fish. We manage people.’ This is why the councils and the commitment of its members are so important.”

Read the full article at SeafoodNews.com

Groundfish Gut Check: Partnering with the Fishing Industry to Update Groundfish Data

April 17, 2026 — Blood, guts, and gore! Those words sound like a review for a horror movie, but it’s actually the basis of my field work. I’ve been looking at and evaluating a lot of fish guts for the Cooperative Research Branch Conversion Factor Project.

Giving Groundfish Conversion Factors a Refresh

Many fish are gutted at sea, which means the internal organs are removed to prevent spoiling. Once these fish are offloaded from a commercial trip, scientists apply a conversion factor to the gutted weight to convert it to a whole weight which they use to evaluate the abundance of a fish stock. As the ocean changes, fluctuations in temperature and shifting prey availability impact fish metabolism and physiology. That can cause changes in average fish size and weight.

The conversion factors used for cod, haddock, and pollock haven’t been updated since the 1960s, so they’re in need of a little refresh. That’s where I come in. I’ve been sailing on commercial groundfish vessels all over the region. The goal? Collect data that represents the landings of the commercial groundfish fleet from different ports, gear types, and gutting methods.

My mobile office changes from vessel to vessel as I bring everything I need to do my job back and forth each time. Sailing aboard commercial fishing vessels is not a 9–5 job. Sometimes we leave in the middle of the day, sometimes we leave in the middle of the night. In fact, the only consistency is that when the lines get thrown, everyone is quite literally in the same boat. I work with the captain and crew on each trip to find a space and establish a work flow that fits their deck space and fishing operations.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Scientists and the Fishing Industry Join Forces for Better Data and Management (Part 2)

April 15, 2026 — Our cooperative research team works with industry partners across New England and the Mid-Atlantic to collect fish and invertebrate samples to better understand age, growth, reproduction, and bioenergetics. These samples fill data gaps during times of year and areas without surveys or other ways of collecting fish samples.

For example, we have collected herring samples to evaluate skipped spawning events. We have also collected haddock samples to study reproductive dynamics in the Gulf of Maine, where extreme fluctuations occur. We recently collected critical data from weekly samples of longfin squid to advance the understanding of longfin squid life history. This will provide data to support the 2026 longfin research track stock assessment. Since the program began in 2009, we have collected samples from more than 35 species from over 70 fishing vessels.

“I’ve been a fisherman for a long time, but doing cooperative research has been great for learning even more about the biology of squid,” shared commercial fisherman and industry partner Mark Philips. “It’s a breath of fresh air to work with the staff. Their excitement for science motivates me to continue to collaborate and it’s clear they have our back.”

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

MAFMC Warns of Consequences for 2026 Recreational Black Sea Bass and Summer Flounder Fisheries Due to Federal Rulemaking Delay

April 15, 2026 — The following was released by The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council has expressed serious concern to the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA Fisheries regarding significant delays in the rulemaking process for the Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework. Despite the final framework being submitted over eight months ago, a proposed rule has yet to be published.

In a letter to Secretary Howard Lutnick and Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, the Council expressed serious concern that the delay threatens the implementation of the 2026 recreational management measures (bag, size, and season limits) for black sea bass and summer flounder.

Impacts on the 2026 Season

Without the framework in place, NOAA Fisheries has indicated it intends to enforce “non-preferred coastwide measures” instead of the state-tailored measures developed by the Council, Commission, and individual states. This would have several immediate consequences for the fishing community:

  • The highly anticipated 20% liberalization for black sea bass will not be realized. The black sea bass stock has been increasing for many years and is currently more than double the target level. In December, the Council and Commission agreed to allow states to liberalize measures to achieve a 20% increase in expected harvest—the first such increase since 2012. This change would have expanded angler access, reduced regulatory discards, and supported for-hire businesses. However, these benefits will not be realized if the non-preferred coastwide measures are implemented.

  • Measures in some states will be severely restricted. The non-preferred coastwide measures for both summer flounder and black sea bass are not tailored to individual state needs or regional differences. As such, the non-preferred measures for both species are much more restrictive than the recommended 2026 measures for multiple states.

  • There will be widespread confusion among the recreational fishing public and increased non-compliance. Non-preferred coastwide measures have never been implemented for these species and are therefore largely unknown to the recreational fishing public. With the fishing season opening in less than three weeks in some states, imposing these measures will generate confusion, frustration, and non-compliance.

Proposed Solutions

The Council’s letter urges the Department of Commerce and NOAA Fisheries to approve the Recreational Measures Setting Process Framework and the 2026 recreational measures adopted through the Council, Commission, and state process as soon as possible. To avoid disrupting the upcoming season, the Council also requests that the agency consider expedited implementation methods, such as an interim final rule or emergency rulemaking.

The Council remains committed to working with its partners to resolve this delay and provide stability for the recreational fishing public.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

Trump administration holds up NOAA grant funding

April 14, 2026 — The Trump administration is holding up some National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant funding.

Earlier this month, the University of Colorado released a statement saying that a federal pause on grant funding has put scientists who collect data about the atmosphere “at risk for elimination.”

It specifically pointed to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), saying it “has not released these funds.”

Waleed Abdalati, director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), told The Hill that about 30 days before the institute was slated to run out of funds to pay the scientists in question, “we were informed that NOAA has put a pause on all grant actions.”

“We are all told to assume no funding is moving through the grants management division until a spend plan has been approved,” he said.

Read the full article at The Hill

New Jersey Captain and Seafood Buyer Found Guilty of a Multiyear Scallop Harvest Conspiracy

April 13, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement uncovered a lucrative scheme devised by a New Jersey captain and seafood dealer to illegally harvest and sell excess scallops. The captain and dealer pleaded guilty; they were sentenced in federal court for conspiracy to commit offense or defraud the United States.

On August 4, 2025, the captain was sentenced to a $10,000 fine, 6-month home confinement, and 2-year term of probation. He has been prohibited from holding a NOAA Fisheries Operator Permit or commercial fishing permit and from completing any Fishing Vessel Trip Reports. On April 22, 2025, the dealer was sentenced to a $4,000 fine and a 2-year term of probation.

This case began in April 2021, when our officers boarded the defendant’s vessel and located scallops concealed in a hidden compartment. Two NOAA Fisheries special agents and our enforcement officers conducted an investigation that lasted more than four years. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection officers assisted us in the investigation.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Conservation group sues over Alaska pollock trawling claiming practice harms fur seal population

April 10, 2026 — Conservation NGO the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) has filed a lawsuit challenging NOAA Fisheries’ regulations for pollock trawling in Alaska, arguing that the government has not done enough to protect northern fur seals.

The lawsuit centers on the seal population around St. Paul Island, Alaska, U.S.A., where many mothers raise their pups. According to CBD, those seals rely on the same pollock that are harvested by the commercial trawling sector, depriving them of a key source of prey and putting that population under unnecessary stress. The seal population on the island has shrunk 70 percent over the last 50 plus years, and CBD claims that the pollock trawl fishery is one of the primary culprits.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NFWF Announces $3.4 Million in Grants to Modernize Data Collection in U.S. Fisheries

April 9, 2026 — The following was released by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation:

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and NOAA Fisheries today announced $3.4 million in grants to support data modernization and electronic data collection in U.S. fisheries. The grants will leverage $4.2 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $7.6 million.

The grants were awarded through the Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Grant Program (EMR Grant Program), a partnership between NFWF and NOAA Fisheries.

“Innovative technologies have always helped advance the science and practice of wildlife conservation,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “The grants announced today will support the continued development of advancements in the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies to modernize how vital fisheries data are collected, shared and analyzed. These conservation investments will benefit vital marine wildlife populations while also supporting more effective and efficient fishery management that will benefit the people and communities that rely upon them for their way of life.”

The 13 projects announced today will expand proven electronic monitoring and reporting to new fisheries, deploy artificial intelligence onboard vessels to make electronic data collection more efficient, and improve the timeliness of data collection in some of the nation’s largest fisheries. Projects will support sustainable management efforts in federal and state fisheries in Alaska, Alabama, California, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington, along with the territory of Puerto Rico.

“By investing in emerging technologies, NOAA is continuing to provide fishermen with the high-tech tools necessary to ensure the long-term sustainability of our nation’s seafood sources,” said Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “These emerging technologies will improve data and increase the speed and transparency of information, allowing both managers and the fishing community to respond more effectively to the evolving challenges of our marine ecosystems.”

This year’s grants include multiple projects to transfer proven concepts and technology to new fisheries, spreading the economic and conservation benefits of electronic technologies further. One example is a project working to bring electronic monitoring to the scallop fishery in the U.S. Atlantic coast. Additional projects will continue the growth of electronic monitoring and electronic reporting in fisheries around the United States.

The EMR Grant Program was established in 2015 and advances NOAA Fisheries’ goals for productive and sustainable fisheries and safe sources of seafood by working to partner with fishermen and other stakeholders, state agencies, and Fishery Information Networks to incorporate technologies that modernize fisheries data collection and management. To date, the program has awarded more than $40.6 million to 139 projects in U.S. fisheries and has generated an additional conservation impact of $58.6 million through matching contributions. In 2025, Congress appropriated $3.5 million to NOAA Fisheries for this program’s 2025–2026 slate of awards.

A list of the 2026 grants made through the Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Grant Program is available here.

About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) works with partners to foster sustainable and impactful conservation solutions so that people and nature thrive together. Chartered by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation’s largest conservation foundation. Since its founding, NFWF has funded more than 23,900 projects that have generated a total conservation impact of more than $12 billion. Learn more at nfwf.org.

About the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Weather, water, and climate affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources. See how NOAA science, services, and stewardship benefit your community: Visit noaa.gov for our latest news and features, and join us on social media.