Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries: Gulf shrimp fleet cannot sustainably compete with imports

March 12, 2026 — A NOAA Fisheries snapshot report concluded that the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fleet “cannot sustainably compete” with imported shrimp, though the authors suggest domestic harvesters can find success by presenting Gulf shrimp as a differentiated or premium product.

“This report puts numbers to the economic challenges facing the U.S. shrimp industry. Achieving a truly resilient Gulf shrimp industry hinges on its ability to sustain profitability,” NOAA National Seafood Advisor Sarah Shoffler said in a release. “The path forward will likely involve a strategic combination of technological investment, market differentiation, and robust public-private partnerships. We are committed to exploring solutions that could support this industry into the future.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USFWS moves to reclassify squids as shellfish, reduce regulation

March 11, 2026 — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed reclassifying squids and other cephalopods as shellfish, removing its responsibility for regulating those fishery products and ensuring they are regulated by NOAA Fisheries like other mollusks.

Current U.S. law describes shellfish narrowly as “an aquatic invertebrate having a shell.” Despite being mollusks and being considered shellfish by NOAA, squids and octopi do not have external shells, precluding them from falling into the shellfish category under U.S. law

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Fisheries considers changing right whale protections

March 11, 2026 — In a matter of weeks, more than 20 North Atlantic right whale mothers and their babies will begin swimming hundreds of miles up the East Coast to their feeding grounds.

Their offshore route from the northern Florida and Georgia coasts north to New England slices through waters heavily traveled by seagoing vessels, making the journey for these critically endangered whales particularly dangerous.

Ship and boat strikes, along with fishing gear entanglement, are the leading killers of North Atlantic right whales, of which there are roughly 384 on the planet.

To reduce the strike threat, vessels 65 feet or longer are supposed to heed speed limits of no faster than 10 knots when traveling through federally-designated seasonal management areas, or those where right whales and heavy vessel traffic overlap. Though not required, vessels shorter than 65 feet in length are encouraged to slow to speeds of 10 knots or slower within those areas.

Read the full article at CoastalReview.org

Upwelling Fueled Productive West Coast Ocean, Holding Warm Waters Offshore in 2025

March 10, 2026 — A massive marine heatwave warmed the eastern Pacific Ocean through much of 2025, but the wind-driven upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water that drives the rich marine productivity of the West Coast kept the ecosystem healthy.

That is the conclusion of the California Current Ecosystem Status Report, an annual assessment of the West Coast marine ecosystem by NOAA’s California Current Integrated Ecosystem Assessment team. The report provides ecological insight for the Pacific Fishery Management Council and others on the ecological, social, and economic factors likely to influence fisheries and other ocean uses in the coming year.

The report assesses conditions and trends over the last year for insight on coming seasons. The leading takeaways from the annual report include:

  • Strong upwelling fostered productive waters and held heatwave warmth offshore
  • Deep-water nutrients likely fostered toxic algae as it mixed with warm surface water
  • Juvenile salmon, young rockfish and anchovy flourished in productive conditions
  • Shrimp-like krill, which often reflect the health of the ecosystem, proved abundant coastwide
  • Precipitation on land reduced drought conditions but sparse snowpack reduced water storage
  • Four coastal fish processors closed as total coastwide landings remain low

This year’s report also highlights new technology, ocean forecasts, and collaborations with vessel operators that provide fishing fleets and managers with timely ecosystem insight that helps support sustainable fisheries. It includes projections that many marine species will move farther offshore and into deeper waters as the ocean warms, which could affect fishing fleets and their communities on the West Coast.

Researchers from the NOAA Fisheries Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers presented the findings to the Council this week. They said abundant forage such as krill, juvenile rockfish, and anchovy helped boost species including salmon, squid, seabirds, and more.

“Warming continues to be an inescapable reality off the West Coast, but upwelling saved the day,” said Andrew Leising, a research oceanographer at the NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center and an editor of the annual ecosystem reports. “The cold water influx helped hold off the marine heatwave and sustained many of the fisheries and species the California Current is known for.”

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

5 ways aquaculture is boosting coastal economies

March 10, 2026 — On land and in the water, aquaculture offers new opportunities to meet the rising demand for seafood and boost local economies.

From training new workers and navigating regulations to connecting seafood producers with buyers, here are 5 ways Sea Grant’s aquaculture initiatives are helping to bring farm-fresh U.S. seafood to consumers’ plates and ensure a healthy future for our waters.

1. Supporting disaster recovery for Louisiana’s crawfish industry

In 2023, record-setting drought and extreme heat devastated Louisiana’s crawfish industry, a critical aquaculture sector that supports thousands of jobs and significantly contributes to the state’s economy. Louisiana Sea Grant worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to document the harm to crawfish from the excessively dry and hot conditions. The resulting scientific report was instrumental in securing more than $100 million in disaster relief for the state’s crawfish farmers. In addition to providing economic relief to growers, the disaster funds prevented long-term declines in production and preserved the economic vitality of an industry that holds great cultural and economic value in Louisiana.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Framework finally implemented as Gulf of Maine haddock quota increase takes effect

March 9, 2026 — After weeks of frustration from New England groundfish sector managers and stop-fishing notices for some vessels, Framework 69 has finally been approved and implemented by federal regulators.

According to a March 5 notice from NOAA Fisheries, the agency approved Framework Adjustment 69 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan and announced final catch limits for fishing year 2025. The action officially went into effect March 9.

Framework 69 establishes annual catch limits and management measures for multiple groundfish stocks, including a significant increase to the Gulf of Maine haddock quota– an increase fishermen have been waiting on for months.

The approval comes after mounting pressure from industry leaders who argued the delay was forcing boats to tie up during one of the most productive fishing periods of the year. Just days before NOAA issues its final notice, six New England groundfish sector managers formally petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service for relief, calling the delay in approving the framework “frankly ridiculous.”

At the time, several sectors had already begun issuing stop-fishing notices after vessels exhausted their Gulf of Maine haddock allocations under the interim limits.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA Fisheries Sets Management Measures for Northeast Multispecies Fishery

March 5, 2026 — The following was released by the NOAA Fisheries:

Today, NOAA Fisheries is approving updated management measures for the Northeast multispecies fishery (Framework 69). These measures, developed by the New England Fishery Management Council, establish catch limits for several multispecies stocks for fishing years 2025–2027, modify the accountability measure implementation catch threshold for the scallop fishery and several flatfish stocks, and remove certain reporting requirements for sectors. Allocations for two stocks of Atlantic cod were established in an emergency rule that went into effect on May 1, 2025, and are not changed by this action. Framework 69 also approves sector provisions and catch allocations for 2025 and 2026 fishing years, sets recreational measures for haddock, updates common pool possession limits, and clarifies and corrects regulations.

Read the final rule and the permit holder bulletin available at our website.

Dutch Harbor top port for seafood landings; New Bedford #1 for value

March 5, 2026 — The reports that give annual snapshots of the US fishing industry were belatedly released by a diminished NOAA Fisheries staff last month and attracted little fan fare.

Titled “2023 Fisheries of the United States” and “2023 Fisheries Economics of the United States” —they present easy to read data and trends from across the US for both commercial and recreational fishing.  

Here are some key takeaways —  

For the 26th consecutive year, Dutch Harbor led the nation as the port with the highest volume of seafood landed (780.1 million pounds valued at $224.5 million). Landings in Dutch Harbor increased in 2023 from 613.5 million pounds from the previous year 

For the 23rd consecutive year, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was the port with the highest valued catch in the nation (76.9 million pounds valued at $363.3 million).

In all, nine Alaska ports ranked among the top 20 for volume of seafood landings and seven were on the list for value. Sea scallops have historically made up the majority of the value landed in New Bedford. 

Read the full article at Alaskafish.news

Trump administration moves to loosen rules around North Atlantic right whale speed limits

March 5, 2026 — Following the U.S. government’s promise to take “deregulatory-focused action” on a vessel speed limit rule designed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, NOAA Fisheries has issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to gather feedback.

“This reckless decision threatens the future of North Atlantic right whales,” Conservation Law Foundation Senior Counsel Erica Fuller said in a statement. “The species can’t afford to lose a single whale. Eliminating one of their strongest protections would imperil right whales’ already challenging recovery. At a time when we need stronger, not weaker, protections, this would be another shortsighted move by this administration to help special interest groups.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

West Coast Waters Experiencing Another Large Marine Heatwave

March 4, 2026 — A massive marine heatwave has dominated waters off the West Coast since last summer. This marks only the third time on record that such a large section of the coastal ocean has remained so warm for so long—particularly into winter months—without it being an El Niño, NOAA scientists report. NOAA Fisheries and our partners are tracking possible heatwave impacts, which can include harmful algal blooms that can sicken marine mammals and close shellfish fisheries.

Third Time as Warm

At one point last September, the current marine heatwave rivaled the enormous 2013–2016 marine heatwave known as “The Blob” in terms of size and surface temperatures. The current heatwave has raised the temperature of waters along the West Coast roughly 3 to 4 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. On September 9, 2025, the northeast Pacific reached its highest ever average temperature of 20.6 degrees Celsius, or about 69 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s almost a half-degree warmer than ever before. Past marine heatwaves shook up marine ecosystems that drove shifts of species, die-offs, and other disruptions of ecosystems in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.

“We have forecast tools that provide some insight, but we are also watching carefully for implications on the marine ecosystem,” said Andrew Leising, a research oceanographer at NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center. He runs the California Current Marine Heatwave Tracker. The tracker has been documenting marine heatwaves off the West Coast through NOAA data from satellites, ships, and buoys since 2019.

The North Pacific has repeatedly hit record or near-record temperatures since The Blob. Like others before it, the current marine heatwave weakened and receded from the coast in October and November 2025. Unlike others, it has since strengthened and returned. “We’re in La Niña, but water temperatures along our coast look much different,” Leising said. “The conditions are hard to reconcile. We want to be cautious in our interpretation, but at the same time this is not a situation that we have seen before.”

Heatwaves Shift Species

The current heatwave has brought news of species in unusual areas, such as tunas caught in large numbers in Alaska last fall. The Blob and other marine heatwaves have been shown to reduce the survival of salmon in the ocean, leaving fewer fish to catch and to return to rivers to spawn. “We know these marine heatwaves alter ecosystem conditions, which affects fish and other marine life,” Leising said. “We’re very interested in what the fishing fleet and others who are out on the water are seeing and are looking into new ways to collect this information. Are there species in unusual places, or what might be changing?”

In addition, the unusual warmth could begin to set the stage for a repeat of last year’s harmful algal bloom off Southern California. It hit unusually early in 2025 and killed hundreds of California sea lions, dolphins, and seabirds. Harmful algal blooms can also close fisheries, especially recreational fisheries involving shellfish that concentrate the toxins, affecting the coastal economy.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries