Saving Seafood

Putting the Fishing Industry First at the Cooperative Research Summit

April 27, 2026 — On April 1 and 2, we held our fourth annual Northeast Cooperative Research Summit in Riverhead, Long Island, New York. We had more than 150 participants, including more than 30 commercial and recreational fishermen—the largest gathering to date.

The Summit is an annual event focused on building partnerships between the fishing and science communities to address science and management needs. It prioritizes active participation of commercial and recreational fishing industry members and includes:

  • Learning about ongoing cooperative research initiatives
  • Small group activities to practice active collaboration
  • Large group discussions of shared research priorities

This year, the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program joined the effort, organizing the Shinnecock port tours, opening and closing receptions, and lending other support. “Cornell Cooperative Extension was very happy to jointly organize the 2026 Summit. Our staff has attended each Summit since it started in 2023. It’s informative, engaging, and fun,” said Scott Curatolo-Wagemann, senior educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension. “We‘re extremely honored and proud to be a bigger part of the Summit this year. Each year, the extension staff and I come away from the Summit with a feeling of optimism and renewed dedication to cooperative research.”

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Western Atlantic acts as refuge for recovering bluefin tuna

April 27, 2026 — A sweeping three-decade study has confirmed that conservation measures in the western Atlantic have turned U.S. and Canadian waters into a critical refuge for Atlantic bluefin tuna — including fish that originate in the heavily fished eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are based on electronic tagging data from 1,720 bluefin tuna tagged between 1996 and 2025, combined with catch records going back to 1950. The international research team was led by Dr. Barbara Block of Stanford University and included scientists from NOAA Fisheries, Acadia University, the University of Hawaiʻi, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, the Marine Institute in Ireland, and the Barcelona Zoo Foundation in Spain.

A TALE OF TWO FISHERIES

The catch data paint a stark picture of unequal fishing pressure across the Atlantic. Of total bluefin landings since 1950, the Mediterranean Sea alone accounted for 55 percent, while the entire western Atlantic—all waters west of the 45°W management line—accounted for just 11 percent. That disparity has widened in recent decades: the Mediterranean now represents 72 percent of Atlantic-wide bluefin catches.

Fishing pressure in the Mediterranean intensified sharply through the 1990s and 2000s, driven in part by the rise of capture-based aquaculture targeting more mature fish. Catches peaked at 60,000 metric tons in 2007—nearly double the scientific recommendations at the time. Historically, Mediterranean purse seine fisheries targeted juvenile fish aged one and two, removing them before they could grow large enough to migrate into the open Atlantic. In 2010, following widespread concern about the stock’s status, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) implemented significant quota cuts and binding conservation measures.

The western Atlantic has operated under a very different management regime. For more than 45 years, western catches have adhered to binding total allowable catch limits — typically a tenth of the eastern quota — and have included strong conservation measures such as prohibitions on targeted fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, renamed by the Trump administration as the Gulf of America.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA Fisheries determines some tope sharks should be listed under the ESA

April 24, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has determined that some tope shark populations should be protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) but others are at no risk of extinction.

“After reviewing the best scientific and commercial data available, we have determined that this species is comprised of six distinct population segments (DPSs) and that two, the Southern Africa and Southwest Atlantic DPSs, are likely to become in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges in the foreseeable future,” the agency said in announcing the decision on the federal register. “We have also determined that the remaining four DPSs – the Northeast Atlantic, [Northeast] Pacific, [Southwest] Pacific, and Southeast Pacific DPSs – do not meet the definition of a threatened or endangered species under Section 4(a) of the ESA and therefore do not warrant listing under the ESA.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US secretary of commerce testifies before Senate on Maine lobster, fishery disaster requests, surveys

April 24, 2026 — U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick commented on a handful of fisheries issues under questioning by lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations Committee during an 22 April hearing.

Senators demanded answers from the Trump administration official on regulations surrounding Maine lobster, the backlog of fishery disaster determination requests, and NOAA Fisheries’ capacity to conduct surveys in the face of budget and staffing cuts during a hearing ostensibly about the Department of Commerce’s fiscal year 2027 budget.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

 

Study links low profits, high costs to fishermen’s distrust of fisheries managers

April 23, 2026 — A new peer-reviewed study has found that financial strain in commercial fishing is a significant driver of distrust toward fisheries managers, and NOAA Fisheries says it’s actively working to reverse that trend through expanded industry partnerships.

Scientists at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center analyzed open-ended survey comments collected from commercial fishing vessel owners between 2006 and 2022 and published their findings in Fisheries Management and Ecology. The data came from NOAA’s commercial fishing business cost survey, an instrument the agency uses to gather this type of economic information from federally permitted vessel owners fishing waters from Maine to North Carolina.

Researchers found that harvesters consistently reported feeling squeezed by high operating costs and insufficient quota or days-at-sea allocations, and that those financial frustrations translated into broader dissatisfaction with NOAA and its management of fish stocks.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Western Atlantic Provides Refuge for Bluefin Tuna

April 22, 2026 — An international team of scientists deployed electronic tags on bluefin tunas across three decades to investigate stock movement between the eastern and western Atlantic. They also examined catch data dating back to 1950 to better understand the proportion of removals among regions.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Dr. Barbara Block, lead author from Stanford University summarized, “Our research demonstrates that lower fishing mortality in the West and North Atlantic has provided a refuge for eastern-origin Atlantic bluefin tuna, and highlights the importance of Atlantic waters to bolster the bluefin tuna population as a whole.” 

Atlantic bluefin tuna is a highly coveted species, managed as two stocks by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The western stock is harvested by the United States, Mexico, Japan, and Canada. The eastern stock is targeted by many countries across the Mediterranean basin and eastern Atlantic. ICCAT divides management of these two stocks at the 45oW meridian, setting separate catch limits and management measures for each stock.

Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, NOAA’s Assistant Administrator of Fisheries stated, “Management of this internationally shared resource requires high quality scientific information—and this work provides one example of that. This research addresses one of the primary sources of uncertainty surrounding the amount of mixing and movement occurring between these two stocks. This is a critical piece of information needed to inform sustainable yield advice.”

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Righting the Course of Distrust Through Collaboration

April 21, 2026 — A team of scientists have been conducting a novel study to understand trends and patterns in commercial fishing business costs and harvester perceptions. They qualitatively analyzed survey comments from 2006 through 2022 and recently published their findings in Fisheries Management and Ecology. They found that harvesters were frustrated by perceived high operating costs and low profits.

The commercial fishing business cost survey is the only way NOAA Fisheries collects this kind of information in New England and Mid-Atlantic. This voluntary survey goes to active, federally permitted commercial fishing vessel owners from Maine to North Carolina.

“Our cost survey is the primary source of economic data collected from commercial fishing vessel owners in our region. These data are essential for assessing how fishing fleets are doing economically,” said Elizabeth Conley, lead author of the study. “It’s critical that we connect with industry so we can learn about their business practices and better understand the socioeconomic landscape of fisheries in our region.”

Although the Magnuson-Stevens Act mandates using socioeconomic data—along with environmental factors—they are often less available compared with biological data.

Survey Says: High Costs, Low Profit

Survey comments showed that harvesters don’t feel like they’re making enough profit to sustain their livelihoods. That feeling was prominent throughout the history of the survey. Harvesters expressed that high operating costs and low quota and/or days-at-sea allocations contributed to lower than desired profits. Further analyses found that their perceptions of low profits were linked to growing feelings of dissatisfaction with NOAA, industry uncertainty, and mismanagement of fisheries stocks. In many cases, perceptions of making little or no profit aligned with quantitative data from the survey showing decreased profitability.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

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