Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Gloucester honors Lily Jean crew at Fisherman’s Memorial

August 13, 2026 — Six months after the F/V Lily Jean sank off Cape Ann, Mass., the Gloucester fishing community gathered Saturday, Aug. 8, to remember the seven people lost aboard the vessel and other mariners who died over the past year.

The annual remembrance at Gloucester’s Fisherman’s Memorial carried particular weight this year following the Jan. 30 sinking of the 72-foot Gloucester-based groundfish trawler Lily Jean about 25 miles off Cape Ann.

All seven people aboard were lost: Capt. Accursio “Gus” Sanfilippo, Paul Beal Sr., Paul Beal Jr., John Rousanidis, Freeman Short, Sean Therrien and NOAA fisheries observer Jada Samitt.

Family members, state officials and members of the community gathered Saturday at the memorial, where generations of Gloucester fishermen lost at sea are remembered.

“It feels like every time they do something like this, you relive it, that day in January,” Tiffany Leigh, girlfriend of Short, told WCVB.

State Sen. Bruce Tarr also spoke about how deeply the loss has affected a community accustomed to the dangers of working at sea.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

ALASKA: Feds take back management of Kuskokwim River salmon with emergency coho closure

August 13, 2026 — Federal fisheries managers have announced an emergency closure for the harvest of silver salmon on the Kuskokwim River and its tributaries within federal refuge boundaries.

The closure goes into effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12 and is a continuation of a state closure already in place.

Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge Manager Spencer Rearden said that this year’s run of silver salmon, also called coho, is tracking similar to 2022, when estimated returns were the lowest in more than two decades.

“Fifty percent of the run has already passed Bethel now, and could the numbers improve with some late runs? Absolutely. We want to open the river, but until the fish say we can, we’re closed at this moment,” Rearden said.

As of Aug. 10, an estimated 96,000 silvers had passed the Kuskokwim River sonar, just downriver from Kwethluk, Rearden said. On the same day in 2022, that number was around 86,000.

Read the full article at KYUK

NOAA Fisheries wants nationwide recommendations for aquaculture opportunity areas

August 13, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is soliciting public recommendations on where it should establish aquaculture opportunity areas (AOA) in the country as it begins considering a wider swath of regions.

AOAs are a carry over priority from U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term, when he directed NOAA Fisheries to identify areas that would be a good fit for developing commercial aquaculture operations.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Scientists Discover Repeat Spawning in Pacific Capelin

August 12, 2026 — For certain fish species, like Pacific salmon, reproduction is a once-in-a-lifetime event, known as semelparity. Many other fish are iteroparous—meaning they can spawn repeatedly throughout their lives. New research by NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center reveals the first evidence that Pacific capelin can be repeat spawners.

Over the past decade, the North Pacific Ocean has faced extreme climate variability, including marine heatwaves that severely impacted capelin populations. Understanding capelin’s reproductive flexibility under these fluctuating conditions is crucial for predicting their annual reproductive potential and long-term resilience. Capelin abundance is also an important indicator of the marine ecosystem health.

Examining Reproductive Flexibility in Fluctuating Environments

Historically, the life history, ecology, behavior, and population dynamics of Pacific capelin have not been studied as well as their commercially important counterparts in the Atlantic. In North Pacific and Arctic ecosystems, Pacific capelin serve as a major forage fish and primary food source for Steller sea lions, humpback whales, and other marine mammals. They also are a key subsistence resource and an important food source for commercially important groundfish.

Capelin are short-lived—typically surviving only 1 to 4 years. Their abundance fluctuates wildly in changing environments, leading to multiyear population crashes during marine heatwaves. Recent research highlights that these heatwaves shrink capelin distribution and deplete their energy reserves. Ultimately, these combined stressors leave capelin highly vulnerable to mortality and put the predator populations that rely on them at risk of decline.

In this new experimental study of captive fish, NOAA scientists looked more closely at the spawning potential of Pacific capelin. They researched their life history and how they respond to shifting environments.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

State-managed recreational red snapper harvest proposals come in 10 times bigger than current limit

August 12, 2026 — Proposals for state management of the South Atlantic red snapper fishery in federal waters set a collective harvest limit of 215,391 fish, roughly 10 times higher than the previous recreational harvest limit of 22,797 fish.

The proposals were submitted by the state governments of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina and would set month-long recreational seasons in the fall.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

From Sound to Satellites: Reducing Risks to North Atlantic Right Whales with Advanced Technology

August 11, 2026 — This story is part 1 of a 3-part series. Read about how we are listening for North Atlantic right whales with passive acoustics, monitoring them with aerial surveys, and using boats, drones, uncrewed surface vehicles and satellites to learn as much as we can about them and their habitat. In the Northeast, we work with many partners to track right whales, including mothers and calves, using advanced technology to help inform actions that reduce risks to the species.

Endangered North Atlantic right whales had a busy winter! NOAA Fisheries and our partners saw 23 right whale mom and calf pairs during the right whale calving season in the Southeast. This is hopeful news for the species. With only 380 North Atlantic right whales remaining, including about 70 reproductively active females, each mother and calf is vital to the species’ recovery. Human impacts continue to threaten the survival of the species.

Reducing risk to these whales is a top priority as they spend the summer in their northern feeding grounds, and technology is helping us do it. With our partners, NOAA Fisheries is monitoring right whales using cutting-edge techniques like real-time passive acoustic monitoring and measuring calf growth rates with drones.

The data we collect inform management and conservation measures that reduce the risks whales face from human impacts, including vessel strikes and entanglements. Our continuous monitoring supports coexistence between marine industries and right whales.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Alaskan fishing management on the hook in Ninth Circuit

August 11, 2026 — An ocean conservation group asked a Ninth Circuit panel on Monday to make the National Fisheries Management Service take another look at the impact of fishing on essential fish habitat offshore of Alaska.

“All the court needs to decide is a straightforward legal question: Can the Fisheries Service meet its obligation to minimize all adverse effects on all designated essential fish habitat by using only two tests to identify those adverse effects?” posited Katherine Glover, Earthjustice attorney representing Oceana.

Oceana, an advocacy organization focused on ocean conservation, sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2024. It accused the service of using the wrong criteria when looking at the effects of fishing on essential fish habitat offshore of Alaska.

Under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the service is required to identify and protect “essential fish habitat” necessary to sustain healthy fish populations.  As part of that, the service is obligated to minimize adverse impacts on essential fish habitats caused by fishing.

The service approved five amendments to management plans for federally managed groundfish, crab and salmon fisheries in the waters near Alaska, and Oceana accused the service of relying on only two flawed tests to make its decision. One is the core essential fish habitat test and the other is the minimum stock size threshold test.

Read the full article at Courthouse News Service

Survey Crashers: Encountering Unexpected New Faces in the Gulf of Maine

August 11, 2026 — The sun was out and the sea conditions were ideal. Fish were being hauled onboard at a consistent rate. I was sampling spiny dogfish on the back deck of the F/V Tenacious II when the captain stopped the hauler and said, “Hey, we caught something different.” I looked up at the hauling station and saw the captain unhooking a chain dogfish, a new species to the Gulf of Maine Bottom Longline Survey . The survey focuses on the rocky bottom habitat in the Gulf of Maine. Every year in the spring and the fall, we partner with two commercial fishing vessels to haul up 45,000 individual hooks from the rocky bottom of the Gulf of Maine from 45 randomly selected locations. We conduct the survey in parallel with the Northeast Bottom Trawl Survey , which samples in the Gulf of Maine during the same time each spring and fall.

Typically we see spiny dogfish, white hake, and haddock along with a variety of other commercially important species. Over the more than 10-year history of this survey, the species caught are typically similar each season. But, occasionally we encounter new species. This spring, during the first trip of the 2026 season, we were excited to encounter a new species.

New species added to our list: the Chain Dogfish

We were fishing in the southeastern corner of the Gulf of Maine on our first leg of the 2026 spring season, when we added the chain dogfish to our list of encountered species. This was the first chain dogfish ever seen in 12 years of the survey. Chain dogfish have a very charismatic pattern on their body, with intricate black lines that stand out sharply against the gray body resembling a tiger.

  • Species: Chain Dogfish (S cyliorhinus retifer )
  • Habitat: Demersal (near the sea floor)
  • Range: Western Atlantic (Massachusetts to Nicaragua)
    • Most abundant off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina in depths between 120 and 2,500 feet.
  • Size: 4 to 24 inches

Another Uncommon Species to the Gulf of Maine: Golden Tilefish

This survey encountered golden tilefish as well, which are also not typically found in the Gulf of Maine. This season, we were fortunate enough to encounter three individuals during the first leg of the spring survey. Like the chain dogfish, our survey typically encounters this species in the southeastern Gulf of Maine. Golden tilefish have a very distinctive coloration and pattern. Golden tilefish are vibrant deep-sea fish sometimes called “clowns of the sea”. They have bright iridescent blue-green backs, scattered spots of yellow and gold, and crisp white bellies. Their heads are rosy-pink and they feature a large, fleshy crest or flap on top. In addition to the vivid coloration, Golden tilefish are considered a delicacy by seafood lovers.

  • Species: Golden tilefish ( Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps )
  • Habitat: Demersel along the ocean floor along the outer continental shelf and upper slopes
  • Range: Throughout the western Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia, Canada, south to northern South America, including the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. In U.S. waters, they are most abundant from Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, down to Cape May, New Jersey, at depths between 250 and 1,500 feet.
  • Size: 10 to 45 inches

Days at sea can be long and the unfavorable weather conditions can make the work difficult, but getting the opportunity to work on a boat in the Gulf of Maine is one of my favorite aspects of this job. At the end of the last haul of this particular trip, after being on deck all day, the sun was beginning to set. The seas were calm and the sky was clear. The sunset over the horizon, turning the sea surface orange while I was finishing data collection and cleaning up the gear was a scene I will never forget.

Being an avid recreational fisherman myself, the ability to collect data that helps contribute information to improve stock assessments and understand fish stocks is very meaningful to me. I also enjoy seeing new and unusual species come aboard during the survey. As ocean conditions change, seeing new species reinforces how essential long-term data collection is to tracking and adapting to the changing Gulf of Maine.

ALASKA: Bill introduced by Alaska’s Murkowski aims to promote use of eDNA analysis in fishery management

August 10, 2026 — Federal fishery managers would start analyzing the DNA collected in ocean waters to help inform their decisions, under a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate, Alaska’s Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said on Thursday.

Called the Fisheries Science Modernization Act, the bill would set up a system for the use of environmental DNA, known as eDNA, in fishery management. The bill would establish a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pilot program using eDNA to assess fishery stocks, require NOAA to develop an agency-wide eDNA implementation plan and direct the agency to routinely collect eDNA samples and integrate that form of surveillance into its fisheries research and ecosystem monitoring.

Along with Murkowski, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, is a prime sponsor of the measure. Cosponsors are Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska; Jeff Merkley. D-Oregon; Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland; Patty Murray, D-Washington; Angus King, I-Maine; and Adam Schiff, D-California.

Read the full article at KTOO

 

CALIFORNIA: As commercial salmon fishing resumes in California, the industry faces a murky outlook

August 10, 2026 — When he stares out from the docks on the Feather River, James Stone—a 46-year-old lifelong fisherman—feels a pang of concern.

Fishing for chinook salmon, also called king salmon, had been called off completely for California’s commercial fishermen since 2023 and nearly as long for recreational anglers. While the fishery is open again this year, and the federal government recently announced emergency funding for those hit hardest by the closure, the consequences of multiple canceled fishing seasons continues to have ripple effects that are hard to fully account for.

“We’re losing marinas. We’re losing tackle stores. We’re losing bait shops. We’re also losing infrastructure out on the ocean at the ports for gas pumps … everything’s going away because salmon is the driver,” Stone, who is based in Yuba City and serves as the board president of the NorCal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association, told Inside Climate News.

Without plentiful chinook salmon to support local fisheries, “people won’t always spend the money for other species or for other recreational activities,” Stone said. “Salmon is what drives the fishing industry.”

Fishing guides and anglers with the association, which has 4,000 members and represents more than 500 businesses, are among many who have been hurting for years as the fish dwindles in California.

Cameron Smith, a commercial fisherman for over 20 years, said people who make their living fishing in California have tried to turn to other species—like Dungeness crab and cod—to make ends meet. But it hasn’t been enough amid skyrocketing fuel costs and high inflation, said the 70-year-old captain based in Benicia.

“They can’t pivot. There’s nothing to pivot to,” Smith said.

Fishers with commercial licenses to catch other species are managing better than others, he said, but just barely.

California’s salmon industry spurs $1.4 billion in economic activity and provides 23,000 jobs in a normal season, according to the Golden State Salmon Association, a nonprofit. The industry also contributes about $700 million to the Oregon economy and supports more than 10,000 jobs there.

On June 17, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced $123.6 million in disaster funding for several fishing industries in need of resources. That includes $21.3 million for Sacramento River fall chinook and Klamath River fall chinook ocean and inland salmon fisheries, Michael Milstein, a spokesman for NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region, said in an email.

Salmon fisheries in California were allocated close to the same amount, roughly $20 million, in 2024 as part of previous disaster funding.

Most importantly, salmon is once again central to California’s fishing economy after federal managers voted in April to allow the commercial and recreational salmon fishery to resume this year. In 2025, they granted a limited return for recreational fishermen, but Stone said about 95 percent of the recreational inland fishery remained closed in 2025 based on the areas where it was allowed. The first-ever salmon fishing pause in California took place in 2008, with a limited fishing season opening again two years later.

Still, people who rely on California’s salmon for their living continue to face economic stress.

While this year’s revived salmon fishing season in the state has already begun, commercial and recreational fishers are subject to strict limits on the size and number of fish they can catch.