Saving Seafood

NOAA proposing new rules on commercial fishing in the expanded areas of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument

November 25, 2025 — The 205th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene by web conference on December 16-17, 2025.

Host sites for Webex include 1164 Bishop St., Ste. 1400, Honolulu, HI; Tedi of Samoa Bldg., Ste. 208B, Fagatogo Village, AS; BRI Bldg., Ste. 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, CNMI; Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatfia, Guam.

The Webex link is https://tinyurl.com/205Counci1Mtg (if prompted, enter event number: 2864 005 8179; password: CM205mtg).

Specific information on joining the meeting, instructions for connecting to the Webex and providing oral public comments during the meeting will be posted on the Council website at: www.wpcouncil.org/event/205th-council-meeting-virtual-2.

The Council will consider and may take action on the issues summarized below, including any public comments on them. Written public comments on final action items should be received by the Council’s executive director by 5 p.m. (HST), Thursday, December 11, 2025, via postal mail, fax or email as indicated at end of the end of the article.

Read the full article at Samoa News

ALASKA: Federal actions spark new optimism for Alaska’s fishing industry

November 24, 2025 — Fisheries in Alaska are responsible for about 60% of the seafood in the United States, but they have faced significant challenges in recent years, including declining revenues, prices, and margins, according to speakers on “The Future of North Pacific Fisheries” panel at the 2025 Maritime Industry Economic Forecast Breakfast, held Friday during the Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle.

“My agency produced a snapshot report last year, looking at economic impacts across Alaska fisheries and confirming declining revenue and prices and increasing costs with declining margins,” said John Kurland, Regional Administrator for NOAA’s Alaska Regional Office. “Revenues dropped by about $1.8 billion in 2022 and ’23. It hasn’t gotten a whole lot better since.”

All is not doom and gloom, however. The panelists struck a more upbeat tone when speaking about the future. For many across the sector, President Trump’s Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness executive order — issued in April — has given reason for optimism.

NOAA is working with other parts of the federal government and non-government groups to meet the goals of the executive order: “Things like considering regulatory changes to simplify and streamline regulations where we can increase flexibility where possible, looking at advanced technologies to improve data collection, to try to introduce cost efficiencies and hopefully make it more timely to get data into the management process, and updating national seafood trade strategy to try to address global trade dynamics and level of playing field,” Kurland said.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Directed Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery Closure Effective 6 PM, November 24, 2025

November 24, 2025 — The following was released by Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

NOAA Fisheries and the states of Maine and New Hampshire, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts project the Atlantic herring fishery will catch 92% of the Area 1A sub-annual catch limit by November 24, 2025. The Area 1A directed fishery will close effective 6:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025 and remain closed until further notice. Vessels that have entered port before 6:00 p.m. on November 24, 2025 may land and sell, from that trip, greater than 2,000 pounds of herring from Area 1A.

 
During a closure, vessels participating in other fisheries may retain and land an incidental catch of herring that does not exceed 2,000 pounds per trip or calendar day. In addition, directed herring vessels traveling through Area 1A must have all fishing gear stowed.
 
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0716 or efranke@asmfc.org.
 

ALASKA: Alaska crabbers steer toward a stronger future

November 20, 2025 — Just a few years ago, Alaska’s crabbers were staring down one of the darkest chapters in their fishery’s history. The Bristol Bay red king crab, snow crab, and bairdi seasons had been closed or severely restricted, vessels sat idle at the docks, and the fleet that once helped define Alaska’s working waterfront was struggling to hold on.

But this year, as the Bering Sea fleet looks out over a brighter horizon, there’s cautious optimism that the tide is finally turning. “We’ve been through an epic storm these last few years,” said Jamie Goen, executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers (ABSC). “But Alaska’s Bering Sea crabbers are coming out the other side and are optimistic for the future.”

A remarkable comeback

Between 2019 and 2021, NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s bottom trawl survey estimated that roughly 10 billion snow crab disappeared. Now, in 2025, about 7 billion have returned, a rebound that Goen calls “one heck of a comeback.”

The turnaround wasn’t just by luck. It came through hard decisions and scientific collaboration. “When crab stocks tanked, managers tightened things up, cutting exploitation rates on red king and snow crab,” Goen explained. “At the time, it hurt. But looking back, it was the right call. Stocks are rebuilding, and we’ve learned to appreciate that extra precaution.”

Bristol Bay red king crab have stabilized, and snow and bairdi harvest levels have doubled, with western bairdi now at their strongest in more than 20 years. Meanwhile, a new mariculture project and coordinated habitat surveys are exploring how to boost red king crab recruitment and identify prime areas for releasing hatchery-reared juveniles.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

National Database Launched to Log Abandoned Vessels, Enhance Navigational Safety

November 20, 2025 — An effort to address thousands of abandoned and derelict boats creating dangerous conditions for marine environments and navigational safety throughout the U.S. is expected to shine a broader light on a growing problem with a new, first of its kind national database that will log locations and track vessel removals.

“When we finally understand the scope of the problem, communities all over the country will be better able to remove abandoned and derelict vessels on their local coastlines,” said Alanna Keating, BoatUS Foundation director of outreach.

The database is a collaborative effort between BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water; and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Debris Program. It will be used to pinpoint the exact location of ditched and derelict boats across the country and U.S. territories, and track their removal.

The database will allow the public to log abandoned and derelict vessels they encounter during their excursions. At some point, the database will highlight the impact of prevention and removal of the vessels by showcasing a decrease in the number of abandoned and derelict vessels.

“With the information the database provides, they will be able to know exactly where they need to dedicate resources, whether that be towards removing vessels or preventing them from becoming abandoned in the first place,” Keating said. “This database is just one part of our critical work that could help make ADVs (abandoned and derelict vessels) a thing of the past.”

Whether the database will log and track abandoned and derelict commercial and recreational vessels or just focus on recreational vessels is unknown. The issue of abandoned boats in the U.S. dates back nearly a century, with many of the original vessels being shipwrecks.

Read the full article at The Sand Paper

Helping Alaska’s Coastal Communities Adapt with Next-Generation Ocean Forecasting

November 18, 2025 — Changing ocean conditions threaten lives, livelihoods, and invaluable marine resources across the United States. From marine heatwaves and the collapse of snow crab populations in Alaska, to last year’s historic hurricane season, the day-to-day realities of people throughout the nation are being impacted by reduced food security, increased operational costs for fisheries, and higher seafood costs for consumers.

To help fishing communities and fisheries managers anticipate and respond to these challenges, NOAA is leading a nationwide effort called the Changing Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative. This initiative is building a powerful new ocean forecasting system that delivers short and long-term predictions of future ocean and ecosystem conditions. Through a combination of high-resolution modeling and community engagement, it aims to provide the information needed to support food security, protect American fisheries, and strengthen coastal economies in the face of rapid changes.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Blueline tilefish fishery closes early as landings hit the limit

November 13, 2025 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced closing the commercial blueline tilefish fishery on Nov. 10 through the end of the fishing year, Dec. 31, from Virginia to Maine.

100 percent of the commercial blueline tilefish were projected to be harvested, and, under the regulations, NOAA is required to close the fishery. Based on the weekly landings from dealer reports and other information, they projected that 100 percent had been caught.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA cuts back on seismic data used for West Coast tsunami alerts

November 12, 2025 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ended a contract with the Alaska Earthquake Center that helped maintain some seismic stations and transmit data in real time.

Alaska state seismologist and director of the center, Michael West, warned that the termination of this contract, which is around two decades old, will lead to less timely and accurate tsunami warnings that could affect Alaska, Hawaii and the West Coast.

It’s unclear why NOAA chose to terminate the contract, worth around $300,000 annually. David Snider, a tsunami warning coordinator with NOAA’s National Tsunami Warning Center, declined to comment, deferring to NOAA public affairs, which did not respond to request for comment.

Every time an earthquake happens, NOAA’s Tsunami Warning Centers determine whether to issue a tsunami alert within five minutes. Depending on where the earthquake originated, coastal communities could have anywhere from 20 minutes to six hours to evacuate or prepare for a tsunami.

Read the full article at The Columbian

SOUTH CAROLINA: Pair of North Atlantic right whales spotted off Hilton Head

November 11, 2025 –Two North Atlantic right whales, one of the most endangered species of large whale, made an appearance off the coast.

On Nov. 5, WhaleMap reported a definite sighting of two right whales in South Carolina waters, part of the species’ calving area. This calving area is one of the two critical habitats for North Atlantic right whales, designated by NOAA Fisheries.

Right whales once boasted a population of as many as 21,000 in the North Atlantic, according to Oceana. Now, they number roughly 384 as of 2024, per an annual estimate from the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium.

“While it’s experienced a very, very slight increase over recent years, they’re still in such peril that even a single human-caused death of a North Atlantic right whale threatens the recovery of the species and its chance at avoiding extinction,” said Michelle Bivins, field representative for Oceana in the Carolinas.

Read the full article at The Post and Courier

ALASKA: Alaska’s commercial fishing workforce continues to shrink

November 10, 2025 — A report from Alaska’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development shows the state’s commercial fishing workforce is continuing to shrink, with the number of fishers working in the sector reaching a record low in 2024.

The state report found that the commercial fishing sector lost 443 jobs in 2024, a 7.6 percent drop from 2023. On average, there were 5,393 people employed in harvesting fish in Alaska per month in 2024, down from a high of 8,501 in 2015.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource