Saving Seafood

Gulf of Maine scallop fishery likely to close for first time in over 15 years

April 10, 2025 — Fishermen are likely to be restricted from hauling scallops from federal waters in the Gulf of Maine for several weeks because regulators have delayed finalizing annual catch limits.

The temporary closure, expected in the next five days, would mark the first time the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has shut down the regional fishery midseason since the regulations were put into place 16 years ago. Those who dive for scallops near Maine’s coast are unaffected; federal waters begin 3 miles offshore.

NOAA typically passes annual rules by April 1, when the federal scalloping season kicks off. But without them, there is a stopgap measure in place that permits a limited amount of fishing. That limit has almost been reached.

Members of Maine’s fishing community say regulators at NOAA Fisheries have been challenged by the transition to a new presidential administration, a typical problem, and the federal staffing cutbacks that are part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to slash government spending.

Read the full article at the Portland Press Herald 

US ports to use Covid-like tests to identify illegally trafficked seafood species

April 7, 2025 — Last year, a colleague of Diego Cardeñosa sent the international shark trade researcher a few pieces of shark fin taken from a bowl of soup in New York City. Using a PCR test similar to those used during the Covid-19 pandemic to test for the virus, Cardeñosa was able to identify the species behind the fin as sandbar shark, an endangered species found in tropical and warm-temperate waters.

Now, Cardeñosa and other scientists from Florida International University, alongside law enforcement officials from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), plan to deploy the tests at ports across the country in order to crack down on seafood fraud and fish trafficking.

Illegal fishing adversely affects legitimate commercial fishers as well as fish populations. Almost a third of shark species are threatened or near threatened with extinction and the value of world trade in shark parts is almost $1bn a year, according to the UN.

At the same time, US consumption of seafood is increasing, rising by more than 30% in the decade from 2002. About 80% of this comes from foreign exports – mostly from Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, according to the US department of agriculture.

Read the full article at The Guardian 

Court case against New England offshore wind approvals can proceed

April 4, 2025 — A sweeping legal challenge to federal agency approvals for an offshore wind project under construction in New England has cleared an initial legal hurdle.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled this week that a number of legal claims could move forward against the Interior Department, NOAA Fisheries and the Army Corps of Engineers for approving the Revolution Wind Farm and the Revolution Wind export cable project in Rhode Island.

The case led by the Green Oceans nonprofit group alleges that the agencies violated a slew of environmental laws — from the Endangered Species Act to the National Historic Preservation Act — when they approved the 65-turbine Revolution Wind project 15 miles off the coast of Block Island. Construction began on the wind farm in 2023 and is projected to be completed next year, when it would provide 304 megawatts to Connecticut and 400 MW to Rhode Island.

Read the full article at E&E News

ALASKA: Internal memo outlines stark impacts of federal downsizing on Alaska regional fishery agency

April 4, 2025 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has long struggled to compete with corporate America to recruit tech workers to maintain the complicated computer systems that track the federal seafood harvests off Alaska.

These chronic staffing shortages at NOAA Fisheries’ Alaska Region have been greatly exacerbated by the Trump administration’s efforts to cut the federal workforce.

As of mid-March, the Alaska Region had 29% of its staffing positions vacant, and the Information Services Division, staffed largely by tech workers, had a vacancy rate of 45%, according to an internal agency memorandum obtained by the Alaska Beacon.

Read the full article at the Anchorage Daily News

NOAA chief of staff elevated to acting administrator

April 3, 2025 — The Commerce Department has elevated NOAA Chief of Staff Laura Grimm to lead the agency, replacing acting Administrator Nancy Hann, who will remain with NOAA as deputy undersecretary for operations.

The leadership change, first reported by Axios, was confirmed Wednesday by two NOAA employees who had knowledge of the move but were granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about it. One other agency staffer said news of the move was circulating among staff but no official announcement of the changes had come as of Wednesday morning.

Grimm, who formerly worked for the nonprofit World Wildlife Fund as director of ocean markets and the Pew Charitable Trusts as an international fisheries specialist, has been at NOAA since January, according to her LinkedIn page.

Read the full article at E&E News

ALASKA: Alaskan Communities Use Flexibility in Snow Crab Fishery Regulations for Economic Relief

April 1, 2025 — The Alaska Bering Sea snow crab fishery is open for the first time in 2 years after a sharp decline in the crab population caused fishery closures. Participants have banded together with NOAA Fisheries to use regulatory flexibilities to help the fishery operate smoothly. While the species shows signs of recovery, it is still in low abundance. There are continued challenges for harvesters, processors, and small coastal communities who depend on the fishery for their income and way of life.

We estimate that more than 10 billion snow crabs disappeared from the Bering Sea from 2018 to 2021 due to a marine heatwave and ecological shifts in the region.

The snow crab fishery is an important economic driver in Alaska, generating an average of $150 million annually from 2012 to 2021. Disaster relief funding from the Department of Commerce in 2022–2023 provided some assistance to fishing communities. With lower available stock and decreased processing capabilities after years of closures, the industry and hard-hit communities looked to existing federal regulations for new solutions to economic recovery.

Managing the Bering Sea Snow Crab Fishery

The State of Alaska and NOAA Fisheries jointly manage the commercial Bering Sea snow crab fishery with recommendations from the North Pacific Fishery Management Council under the Federal Fishery Management Plan for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crab Fisheries.

In 2004, the Council recommended the Crab Rationalization Program to allocate resources among harvesters, processors, and coastal communities for nine Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands crab fisheries.

NOAA Fisheries implemented the program in 2005 and developed regulations to support the process consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Act and associated laws. We issue quota shares to harvesters and processors for Crab Rationalization fisheries, including the Bering Sea snow crab fishery.

The Crab Rationalization Program also sets regional delivery requirements for Bering Sea snow crab. Portions of the harvester quota must be delivered for processing in two regions—North and South—to support communities who have historically processed crab. But those delivery requirements can pose a challenge during periods of low abundance.

Through the Council, NOAA Fisheries establishes an annual catch limit for each Crab Rationalization stock and develops rebuilding plans for overfished crab stocks. We conduct an annual trawl survey to estimate the total number of mature snow crab in the Bering Sea. We use data collected from the survey to establish annual harvest specifications including an annual overfishing limit and an acceptable biological catch limit.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game determines whether fisheries can open based on the annual harvest specifications and state harvest strategies. It also sets the total allowable catch. This is the maximum amount of crab that can be harvested for the season so that all crab removals remain below the amount needed to sustain the species. Using the TAC for each crab fishery, we annually issue individual fishing quotas and individual processing quotas to fishery participants.

The State of Alaska, through the Alaska Board of Fisheries process, also implements other regulations such as observer coverage and gear requirements.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries

Western Pacific Council Flags Economic Burdens of Electronic Monitoring, Backs Relief Efforts

April 1, 2025 — While more fleets across the country move to electronic monitoring, the costs continue to be a concern. The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is the latest Council to document the burden on fishermen and seek help.  

Last week’s Council meeting discussions focused on electronic monitoring in longline fisheries in Hawaii and American Samoa regarding cost allocation, funding strategies and economic viability. 

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) confirmed it will cover $4 million in upfront EM program costs, separate from the estimated $2.4 million in annual expenses and in contrast to the $7 million spent annually on the human observer program. While NMFS said it will fund server replacements and data storage, the fishing industry could be responsible for replacing EM systems at $10,000 per vessel every three years. 

Council members and staff were not satisfied. 

American Samoa Vice Chair Archie Soliai questioned whether NMFS would commit to cost-sharing beyond three years, while Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds urged NMFS to seek funding from NOAA Headquarters, arguing that federally mandated monitoring costs should not fall on the industry.  

“If the federal government requires monitoring under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, it needs to pay for it, regardless of whether the Council initiates its implementation,” Simonds said in a statement. “We have been suggesting EM since 2002.” 

Read the full article at Seafoodnews.com

Tracking Dungeness crabs amid changing waters

March 31, 2025 — In the Pacific Northwest, Dungeness crab is a crucial fishery that supports so many fishermen. As ocean conditions shift, researchers in Washington are working to understand how these changes impact one of the region’s most valuable catches.

According to a recent report by King 5 News, a team of scientists from NOAA and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is closely monitoring Dungeness crab populations in Puget Sound. Using a combination of tracking technology and environmental analysis, the researchers aim to gather critical data on how factors like ocean acidification and warming waters affect the species.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

HAWAII: Hawaiʻi longline fishers experience ‘all-time low’ in profits

March 28, 2025 — Hawaiʻi’s longline fishers are facing record lows in profits, according to a recent report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

For years, NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center has collected data on fishing trip costs and earnings for Hawaiʻi’s commercial longline fishery, and surveyed 60 fishers to get data for 2022.

PIFSC found that the average fishing vessel made around $808,000 in gross revenue that year. Of that, 54% went to trip costs like fuel, ice and bait, and 22% went to labor. After other costs, boat owners took home an average of 5%.

Adjusted for inflation, that’s an average of about $44,000 in profit.

“If we look at profitability over time for the Hawaiʻi longline fishery using our past efforts, we find that, adjusted for inflation, average profit per vessel in 2022 was unfortunately at an all-time low,” said Justin Hospital, supervisory economist at PIFSC.

Read the full article at Hawaii Public Radio

NOAA Issues Ropeless Gear Advisory to Mariners as Testing Begins

March 29, 2025 — NOAA Fisheries is testing ropeless fishing gear for lobster and crab around the Gulf of Maine and around Cape Cod.

The testing is being carried out in areas that are otherwise restricted to fishing for certain portions of the year.

The gear does not have a marking buoy on the surface to avoid entanglements with sea life, instead only utilizing ropes when it’s time to be collected.

Read the full article at CapeCod.com