Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries moves to extend moratorium on new Gulf shrimp permits

August 27, 2026 — With the current moratorium set to expire later this year, NOAA Fisheries has moved to extend a ban on new federal shrimp permits for the Gulf of Mexico by another 10 years.

While the Gulf of Mexico federal shrimp fishery supported more than 4,000 commercial shrimping vessels, rising fuel prices and competition from cheaper imported shrimp drove many of those vessel owners to call it quits. Still, regulators believed that there were too many shrimp vessels operating to be profitable, so in 2006, NOAA Fisheries issued a 10-year moratorium on new commercial shrimp vessel permits. In 2008, the government issued just 1,933 vessel permits.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Navigating the Red Tide Labyrinth: Science to Guide Future Fisheries Management

August 27, 2026 — A Maze of Multi-Faceted Effects

Red tide occurs when the algae Karenia brevis blooms, releasing neurotoxins into Florida’s Gulf Coast waters and air. These harmful algal blooms disrupt marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. While managing these events is challenging, scientists are developing new strategies to navigate these complex impacts.

Red tides kill marine animals, including gag and red grouper, by exposing them to toxins and reducing oxygen in the water. Toxins also bioaccumulate in the food web, forcing mobile species to evacuate affected areas.

Beyond ecological damage, severe blooms inflict heavy economic tolls. A 2017–2019 bloom cost Florida an estimated $2.7 billion in tourism revenue. Anglers face increased operational costs and profit losses as they avoid affected areas. These financial pressures also negatively impact mental health, community identity, and industry retention.

A new review paper, led by the University of Miami Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies and NOAA Fisheries, synthesized the existing literature on this topic. It explored avenues for incorporating red tide impacts into the fishery management process. It supports the implementation of the Gulf Council’s Fishery Ecosystem Plan, which formalizes ecosystem-based fishery management in the region. The synthesis made significant progress in the realm of red tides by:

  • Assessing ecological, economic, and sociocultural impacts of red tides on federal fisheries
  • Suggesting a shift to more proactive management
  • Providing advice to the Council to help fisheries be more resilient in the face of these shocks
  • Highlighting knowledge gaps and research opportunities regarding red tide

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Less than a year into the ban, is NOAA’s MMPA comparability finding having the intended impact?

August 25, 2026 — On January 1st, 2026, NOAA Fisheries implemented new import prohibitions under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), banning seafood imports that failed a comparability finding. According to the findings, 240 fisheries from 46 countries failed to adequately protect marine mammals and were subsequently blocked from exporting their products to the U.S. Eight months later, this policy is noticeably affecting companies that produce the now-banned products. But the impact on the water is more difficult to measure and may not be going as NOAA intended.

I purchase seafood for a U.S.-based importing company that specializes in sushi ingredients. We recently visited a yellowfin tuna first receiver and processor near Tuy Hòa, Vietnam, and asked how operations have changed since the import ban on January 1st. This company processes yellowfin tuna for raw consumption, exporting “sashimi-grade” products to Europe, Japan, China, and its largest market, the U.S. Some of the raw material is handline-caught from a nearby fishery improvement project. This fishing method met the comparability study standards and has not been banned. But when handline fishing is slow, as it has been in recent years, fishers deploy gillnets to boost their catch. NOAA’s comparability findings determined that yellowfin tuna caught using gillnets do not meet MMPA standards and therefore can no longer be imported when caught in Vietnamese fisheries.

Read the full article at Sustainable Fisheries UW

Mackerel on the Move: Cooperative Research Investigates Atlantic Mackerel Abundance Under Changing Ocean Conditions

August 25, 2026 — Atlantic mackerel have long followed a predictable seasonal migration across the Northwest Atlantic. Each spring, mackerel move north from southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic—through Georges Bank and along the Scotian Shelf—toward the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland. Then, they return south as ocean temperatures start to cool in the fall.

In recent years, that familiar pattern has become less predictable. Throughout a period of persistent warming across the Northeast U.S. shelf, several marine species were observed shifting northeast and into deeper waters. But beginning in 2024, an unusual period of cooler ocean conditions across the region drew attention from both scientists and fishermen. As scientists and fishermen documented widespread cooling, delayed migrations, and species redistributions, fishermen began reporting an apparent uptick in Atlantic mackerel—sometimes in unexpected locations.

The Atlantic Mackerel Cooperative Research Initiative is looking at which ecosystem drivers are influencing the increased mackerel population and shifting migration patterns.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries Funding Opportunity to Support Bycatch Reduction Projects

August 25, 2026 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is pleased to announce the 2026/2027 Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program federal funding opportunity, which includes upto $4.6 million available to bycatch reduction projects. Non-federal researchers working on the development of improved fishing practices and innovative gear technologies are eligible to apply for funding. The deadline for pre-proposals is October 5, 2026. Full proposals are due January 22, 2027.

Bycatch reduction is a priority for NOAA Fisheries. Bycatch can contribute to overfishing, threaten endangered and threatened species and protected marine mammals, and can close fisheries, significantly impacting U.S. economic growth. Visit the BREP Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) and our website for additional information.

Questions?
Industry: Justin Pearce, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 301-427-8521

Media: Contact GARFO Public Affairs

Beyond Ocean Mapping: Using Uncrewed Vehicles to Advance Ocean Research

August 21, 2026 —  It’s January off of Nantucket Shoals. An uncrewed surface vehicle begins a series of carefully planned transects through Southern New England, collecting data day and night. There are no scientists onboard, but the 30-foot vessel is constantly measuring ocean currents, water temperature, salinity, weather and other ocean conditions. It’s also helping identify areas with high fish and plankton abundance. Every nautical mile traveled adds to a more complete picture of how marine ecosystems function.

These missions reflect NOAA’s growing use of uncrewed systems technology. Traditionally, these autonomous platforms have supported hydrographic surveys, nautical charting, and ocean mapping. But the benefits extend beyond creating better maps. Today, the same technologies are helping scientists answer complex ecological and oceanographic questions. They’re collecting critical, high-accuracy, and time-sensitive data across nearly every mission area.

“Over the last several years, we have been able to expand the applications for how uncrewed surface vehicles can help with various research related to stock, ecosystem, and protected species evaluations and assessments,” explains Dr. Conor McManus, marine development and advanced technology program lead for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. “With each mission we conduct, we are learning more about the Northeast U.S. Shelf ecosystem, but also how we can better operationalize these technologies to meet our scientific or data needs.”

These technological advances are expanding where, when, and how our scientists collect ocean data. The results allow researchers to observe the ocean more continuously and in places that are difficult to sample with ships alone. These vehicles complement ship-based surveys—filling gaps in data that can arise from challenges like winter weather and limited ship availability.

This year, there were three uncrewed surface vehicle missions in the Northeast—two operated by Chance Maritime Technologies and one using DriX. They demonstrated how the benefits of uncrewed survey technology can answer many different scientific questions.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

A Winter at Sea Reveals Seasonal Habits of Whales, Dolphins, and Seabirds in Hawaiʻi

August 21, 2026 — The Hawaiian archipelago is teeming with marine life, and winter brings some of the most exciting activity of the year. It’s a season when many whale and seabird species travel to the islands. Migratory baleen whales such as humpback and minke whales are only found in Hawai‘i in the winter, when they seek warmer waters to breed. Others—including various types of dolphins—rely on this marine ecosystem year-round, but scientists have yet to uncover the details of their wintertime habits.

To close that gap, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center launched a survey in late January 2026. Scientists spent 2 months monitoring these species around the main Hawaiian islands aboard the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette. The mission, called the Winter Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey, is only the second of its kind.

Six years after the first winter survey, researchers returned to better understand where, when, and how many whales and dolphins use this habitat. The data from these surveys feed into stock assessments, helping us track the status of these species and make informed conservation decisions. This work is especially important for high-priority species like false killer whales, including an endangered population that lives around the main Hawaiian islands.

Winter conditions at sea can be rough, with higher swells and lots of white caps. This makes animals harder to see. But NOAA scientists are experienced with scientific methods that rise to the challenge. During the survey, eagle-eyed visual observers spied more than 200 groups of whales and dolphins, even in difficult conditions. They documented humpback mothers with their calves, bottlenose dolphins riding the ship’s bow, and pantropical spotted dolphins leaping high into the air. Cutting-edge passive acoustic technology helped detect other whales and dolphins that could be heard but not seen.

In these photos, take a look behind the scenes of the survey and find out which species spend their winters in Hawaiʻi.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries Announces Closure of 2026 Illex Squid Directed Fishery

August 20, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has projected that 96 percent of the Illex squid domestic annual harvest (DAH) will be harvested by August 23, 2026. Therefore, effective 0001 hr local time on August 23, 2026, through 24:00 hr local time on December 31, 2026, permitted vessels may not fish for, possess, or land more than 10,000 lb of Illex squid at any time per trip, and may only land Illex squid once per calendar day. Vessels issued an Illex squid moratorium permit that enter port before 0001 hr local time on August 23, 2026, may land and sell more than 10,000 lb of Illex squid from that trip, consistent with the possession limits applicable to the vessel’s Illex squid permit.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

 

Giving North Atlantic Right Whales a Check-Up Using Advanced Technology August 17, 2026

August 18, 2026 — This story is part three of a three-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.

Passive acoustic monitoring and aerial surveys can provide critical information about endangered North Atlantic right whales. But to assess their health, you need to get closer. That’s why we use these techniques in tandem with vessel surveys. From the water, scientists conduct drone photogrammetry, take biopsies and photographs, and even collect breath samples. Our team flies drones and takes samples from the R/V Selkie, a 23-foot boat, in Cape Cod Bay in the spring and in the Southeast over the winter.

Assessing Right Whale Health Using Drones and Biopsies

Taking and analyzing specialized photos using a drone is called photogrammetry. It allows scientists to measure calf growth rates and check on mother right whales’ health. Mothers nurse their calves but do not eat while they are in the Southeast, so they lose blubber until they start feeding again in the Northeast. Our team gets a longer time series by sampling both in the Southeast calving grounds and Northeast feeding grounds. They also use drone imagery to examine scarring and entanglements. Our team processes the photos using an open source software called MorphoMetriX .

Our vessel survey teams also collect right whale biopsy samples. Along with state partners, they biopsied all but one of the 23 newborn calves this season. Samples provide critical information about the genetics of the calves. Genetics allow us to identify individuals and trace family relationships. These samples can also inform scientists about the health of the calf. That information is added to the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog.

To biopsy a whale, scientists slowly approach within 30 feet on a small boat and use a specialized hollow biopsy dart discharged by a crossbow. They collect a small sample of skin and blubber—about 1 inch long and the diameter of a pencil. The dart floats, allowing scientists to easily retrieve it for genetic and health analysis. The samples are quickly flash frozen aboard the boat. Ultimately, the samples are stored at the National Institute of Standards and Technology lab in Charleston, South Carolina. They are available for many types of ‘omics research studies. The team hopes that long-term preservation will enable researchers to do the most good for right whales.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

American Tuna Gets a Boost: Increased Bluefin Tuna Quotas Mean More Opportunities for U.S. Fishermen

August 18, 2026 — In a major win for America’s fishing industry, NOAA Fisheries is implementing increased bluefin tuna quotas after historic negotiations by the United States at the 2025 annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Today’s action—alongside additional quota increases for bluefin tuna, North and South Atlantic swordfish, and North Atlantic albacore—will dramatically expand access, create new fishing opportunities, and provide greater flexibility for U.S. fishermen.

U.S. pelagic longline fishermen who incidentally catch Atlantic bluefin tuna will also benefit from significantly greater operational flexibility. Through successful negotiations, the U.S. ICCAT delegation also secured a substantial increase in the bluefin tuna bycatch set-aside quota. It  accounts for the catch of eastern Atlantic-origin bluefin tuna by U.S. vessels operating in the vicinity of the ICCAT bluefin tuna management area boundary and adjacent areas (i.e., western Atlantic exclusive of the Gulf of America). NOAA Fisheries has incorporated this increased allocation into its Individual Bluefin Tuna Quota program, providing additional opportunities for the fleet. 

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries