Saving Seafood

California tops U.S. in whale entanglements, NOAA report finds

October 2, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has released a report documenting 76 confirmed whale entanglements across the United States in 2025, a decrease from 95 cases the previous year, with California reporting the highest number of incidents.

Scientists expressed concern over the ongoing issue. “It is, I think, disheartening to see the numbers are still remaining high and we’re not seeing that decrease that we were hoping to see,” said Geoff Shester, Senior Scientist and Director of Fishery Innovation for Oceana.

The report revealed that about 46% of confirmed entanglements in 2025 involved commercial or recreational fishing gear.

“When these are confirmed, most of the entanglements are caused by fishing gear. In California, the Dungeness crab fishery is the one that does seem to be the biggest culprit. It’s obviously because that’s the biggest fishery that we have that uses traps,” said Shester.

Read the full article at KSBW

Applicants Sought to Conduct Phase II of the Pilot Regional Industry-Based Bottom Trawl Survey Proposals Due December 4, 2026

October 1, 2026 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel (NTAP), NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) seek applicants to execute Phase II of the pilot Regional Industry-Based Bottom Trawl Survey (RIBTS). ASMFC will issue a funding contract to support conduct of the survey. The anticipated timeframe to conduct the Phase II Survey is fall 2027.

 
Standardized surveys of marine fisheries species are crucial for conducting stock assessments that inform fishery management and for tracking ecosystem changes over time. Motivated by the critical need to find viable contingency options for the NEFSC bottom trawl survey (BTS), NEFSC is collaborating with NTAP to develop RIBTS. The long-term goal of the RIBTS program is to reduce uncertainty and increase accuracy in resource assessments with an annual collaborative fishing industry-based regional trawl survey. RIBTS is being developed with a phased approach.
 
Phase I, conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and the F/V Darana R, successfully evaluated day/night operational feasibility inside and outside of an offshore wind energy development area, established minimum vessel and scientific staff requirements, evaluated trawl performance across depth range, defined sampling limitations within offshore wind development infrastructure, and documented time-on-station requirements for catch, biological, and oceanographic sampling. 
 
The goal of Phase II is to inform development of a full-scale survey, with focus on operational feasibility on multiple vessels and across a wider geographic area, including offshore wind areas, and the creation of reproducible methods and tools for a long-term RIBTS.
 
Proposals must be submitted as an electronic proposal by email no later than 11:59 PM on December 4, 2026, to Jainita Patel. Please download the RFP for more details, qualifying requirements, and submission
 
For more information, please contact Anna Mercer.

Pacific Fishery Management Council moves to redefine sardine stock, eliminating rebuilding plan

October 1, 2026 — The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) has proposed merging two Pacific sardine subpopulations into a single stock, eliminating a rebuilding plan adopted and set in motion last year.

Currently, the federal government considers there to be two Pacific sardine stocks along the U.S. West Coast – a northern subpopulation and a southern subpopulation. NOAA Fisheries first listed the northern subpopulation as overfished in 2019.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Advancing Bottomfish Research Through Community Partnerships in American Samoa

September 30, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries, American Samoa’s Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, and local fishermen recently completed a groundbreaking bottomfish survey in American Samoa! As the management of these important species evolves, we are building strong partnerships with local communities to build up our understanding of bottomfish life history.

The waters of American Samoa are home to a diverse array of marine wildlife, but few species are as commercially and culturally significant as the region’s bottomfish complex. Bottomfish are deep-water species that live at or near the ocean floor. They’re one of the primary sources of protein for residents of American Samoa, where grocery stores can be few and far between.

Historically, scientists have assessed American Samoa’s bottomfish species together as a multi-species complex to determine population health and fishing limits. Following an independent peer review in 2023, the assessment shifted toward assessing the following six key species individually:

  • Etelis coruscans (Palu-loa, also known as onaga or longtail red snapper)
  • Etelis carbunculus (Palu-malau, also known as ehu or ruby snapper)
  • Etelis boweni (Palu-malau, also known as giant ehu or giant ruby snapper, and often not differentiated from Etelis carbunculus)
  • Aphareus rutilans (Palu-gutusiliva, also known as lehi or silverjaw snapper)
  • Pristipomoides flavipinnis (Palu-sina, also known as goldeneye snapper)
  • Pristipomoides zonatus (Palu-ula, also known as gindai or oblique-banded snapper)

The 2023 independent review also highlighted the need for more species-specific biological information to support future assessments of key species in the bottomfish complex. Developing species-specific assessments requires information on reproduction, age, growth, and other life-history components. Collecting these data improves our scientific understanding of these important fish and provides better information to support sustainable fisheries management.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

The Secrets of Salish Sea’s Sixgill Sharks

September 29, 2026 — Bluntnose sixgill sharks are something of an enigma, even to scientists who study them. Using data collected over more than 20 years, scientists have learned that the Salish Sea, including Puget Sound, comprises one of the world’s few known pupping grounds for the species. Typically researchers see and catch only younger animals in relatively shallow, nearshore habitats. Only through unusual events, such as the stranding of female sixgills in 2007 and 2019, have researchers accessed adults for study.

Northwest Fisheries Science Center research fisheries biologist Kelly Andrews works with other scientists from the Seattle Aquarium and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife studying sixgills in the Salish Sea. The team recently reported on the genetic analysis of 274 sixgill tissue samples collected over 16 years. It revealed that litters of pups such as those collected from the stranded females had multiple fathers. That shows that females mate with multiple males during breeding seasons, a strategy that increases genetic diversity.

They also found that sixgills collected over more than a decade were closely related. This indicates that relatives such as half-siblings, grandparents and grandchildren, and aunts and uncles return to the Salish Sea over successive years and decades. These repetitive movement patterns increase the connectivity between offshore and estuarine habitats and food webs. As top predators and their offspring migrate across ecosystems, they potentially prey on species we manage and species we are responsible for conserving. They also bring with them and transfer nutrients and contaminants across the systems. Understanding the interconnectedness of ecosystems is a key tenet of NOAA’s Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management policy that helps maintain resilient and productive ecosystems across the U.S. West Coast.

We asked Kelly Andrews what the new findings tell us about this mysterious species.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

2.5 Million Perfect Little Time Capsules of Ocean Chemistry

September 29, 2026 — Much like counting tree rings, scientists study fish ear stones—known as otoliths—to measure age and growth rates. These small, hard calcium carbonate structures sit in a fluid-filled pocket behind the fish’s brain, helping it balance and hear.

Beyond revealing age, otoliths act as natural recording devices. As a fish grows, its ear stones absorb trace elements from its diet and the surrounding water. By analyzing these elements scientists can:

  • Determine what fish have eaten
  • Trace their origins back to specific estuaries from which they hatched
  • Track lifelong migrations
  • Reconstruct decades of changing ocean chemistry

Every year at sea, fisheries observers and scientists aboard research surveys collect about 45,000 of these specimens. Back in Seattle, Alaska Fisheries Science Center researchers analyze more than 30,000 under microscopes to count annual growth rings. This steady stream of data feeds directly into stock assessment models, guiding efforts to sustainably manage U.S. fisheries. Over four decades, these routine surveys built an extraordinary legacy: an enormous archive of 2.5 million otolith pairs dating back to the 1960s. Today, they are housed at the University of Washington’s Fish Collection, a shared facility between the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Kelp Farms and Marine Life Co-Exist in Southeast Alaska

September 25, 2026 — Marine aquaculture, or mariculture, provides economic opportunities for coastal communities in Alaska through farming shellfish and seaweed. NOAA Fisheries continues to support Alaska’s growing aquaculture industry through policy and permitting—providing access to resources and research.

A recent study highlights one of our newest aquaculture research collaborations. Through this partnership between the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Sea Quester Farms, we investigated whether seaweed farms provide novel habitat for Alaskan marine species. We compared the fish and invertebrate species present within Sea Quester farm sites to similar locations with no farms, and found no major difference. The research provided a better understanding of how kelp farms interact with the environment, which could help inform sustainable management.

“This study responded to a direct need from resource managers and interest from farmers to understand specifically how the presence of kelp farms in Alaska influenced culturally and economically important fish and invertebrate species,” said Jordan Hollarsmith, Ph.D., lead author and macroalgae and mariculture research biologist at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Read the full article at the full article at NOAA Fisheries

21 states challenge ESA changes that could affect US fisheries

September 24, 2026 — A coalition of 21 state attorneys general is challenging the Trump administration’s changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), setting up a legal fight over rules that could affect commercial fisheries, species protection, and marine habitat.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta co-led two lawsuits filed against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries. The states are challenging revisions involving the definition of “harm,” critical habitat designations, and protections for species listed as threatened.

The lawsuits ask the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to vacate the rules, arguing they violate the Endangered Species Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.

The changes could be particularly relevant to commercial fishermen because NOAA Fisheries administers the ESA for many marine and anadromous species. ESA protections can influence fishing regulations, federal permitting, habitat protections, and measures intended to reduce interactions with protected species.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

NOAA Fisheries moves to allow rock shrimp trawling in Oculina Bank, despite concerns over rare coral

September 23, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is seeking feedback on a plan to allow shrimp trawling in the Oculina Bank off the eastern coast of Florida, despite concerns that it could damage rare coral.

“Reopening the Oculina Bank to trawling places one of the crown jewels of U.S. oceans at potential risk and could destroy some of the last remaining ivory tree coral structures on the planet,” Oceana Marine Scientist Alex Aines said in a release. “This fragile and critically important area has been rightfully protected for more than 40 years, and there’s simply no good reason to reopen portions of it now or ever.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource