Saving Seafood

OREGON: Delayed fisheries disaster funding released, Oregon to receive $2.4M

June 18, 2026 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the allocation of $123.6 million in fishery disaster relief funding after more than 18 months of delay.

The announcement follows Oregon Congresswoman Val Hoyle’s June 3 questioning of NOAA’s Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing, according to a release from Hoyle’s office.

“This is a win for our fisheries, our communities and the families of the workers who depend on fishing for their livelihoods,” Hoyle said. “Make no mistake: the delay in releasing these funds was devastating to our communities. Relief in these situations must be delivered quickly and comprehensively. Whatever administrative loophole, bureaucratic red tape or staffing reduction caused this delay in the first place must be examined to ensure it never happens again.”

Read the full article at Lincoln County Leader 

The ‘Super’ El Niño Has Arrived. Here’s How It Might Affect the World’s Weather and Economy

June 17, 2026 —  The forecasted El Niño—a mysterious but well-documented climate phenomenon—has officially begun, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on June 11. Meteorologists expect it to evolve into one of the most powerful ones on record, and the event will likely bring about extreme weather worldwide and consequently affect the economy.

“We need to prepare for a potentially strong El Niño event, which will exacerbate drought and heavy rainfall and increase the risk of heatwaves both on land and in the ocean,” says Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, in a statement.

Here’s what you need to know about the El Niño and what it might do in the coming months.

What is El Niño?

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern characterized by warmer-than-average surface water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean’s tropical region, near the equator. In the United States, the events are usually declared when the temperature rises by more than 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit for at least five consecutive seasons, each lasting three months.

The balmier water leads to changes in the air pressure. That, in turn, causes trade winds that blow westward to weaken, allowing warmer water to spread farther east than normal and pool near northwestern South America.

Read the full article the Smithsonian Magazine

ALABAMA: Dauphin Island Sea Lab pilot in Alabama harvests first red drum

June 16, 2026 — An Alabama, U.S.A.-based aquaculture project led by Dauphin Island Sea Lab has harvested its first fish, according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR).

Though funded by Congress years ago, the project has effectively been dead in the water awaiting permitting and other agreements, Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture Project Manager Ashley McDonald said in a department announcement. The project finally lifted off last year after receiving a protected species agreement from NOAA and permits from ADCNR, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Coast Guard, and a platform and fish pen were installed about 2 miles off the coast of Fort Morgan.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

New Pacific fishing zones boost coastal communities’ economy

June 12, 2026 — President Trump signed an executive proclamation on Thursday, opening additional Pacific fishing grounds to American commercial fishermen and U.S.-flagged vessels.

The proclamation, titled “Executive Proclamation Restoring American Commercial Fishing in the Pacific,” aims to create economic opportunities for commercial fishermen and strengthen coastal communities. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the action came as a direct result of feedback from the U.S. fishing industry.

“By restoring commercial fishing in the remote Pacific, we are creating new economic opportunity for coastal communities and restoring U.S. seafood competitiveness,” said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Read the full article at KITV

National Fisheries Institute Applauds the Opening of Expanded Fishing Grounds in the Pacific

June 12, 2026 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

We applaud today’s announcement by President Trump to restore commercial fishing access to nearly half a million square miles in the Pacific Ocean.  Seafood is the healthiest protein on the planet and Americans do not eat enough of it. Removing unnecessary restrictions on American seafood production will lower seafood prices and support American jobs.

NFI has long supported NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service in their effort to balance the responsible management of marine national monuments ecosystems with the engagement of commercial fisheries, including coordination with the regional fishery management councils.

We thank Secretary Lutnick and the Trump Administration for this critical step to improve the health of both Americans and the seafood industry.

Lisa Wallenda Picard
President & CEO

US bill would direct NOAA to create portable shrimp origin test

June 10, 2026 — U.S. Representative Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) has introduced legislation that would require NOAA to establish a portable chemical test that can reveal the origins of shrimp.

“South Carolina shrimpers have been undercut for years by foreign imports with no accountability and no transparency,” Mace said in a social media post. “Our SHRIMP Act puts an end to this. They have earned a level playing field. We are delivering it.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA launches aquaculture research institute

June 9, 2026 –NOAA has launched a new initiative to improve the United States’ seafood competitiveness, the Cooperative Institute Fostering Aquaculture Research and Markets (CIFARM)

“By investing in aquaculture research and markets, NOAA Fisheries continues its commitment to improving sustainable American fisheries through science-based management,” NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, said in a release. “We are proud to empower the industry to produce more seafood for American plates.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Proteins shine a light on Dungeness crab resilience

June 9, 2026 — Professor Brooke Love was already studying the effects of ocean acidification on sea life, but wanted to look into some new tools to aid her studies. After Love received the National Science Foundation’s Mid-Career Advancement Grant in 2020, she decided to learn molecular tools such as mass spectrometry to explore a microscopic angle.

Soon after, she found a study by Paul McElhany, who was researching Dungeness crabs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

McElhany had found a difference in survivability between the offspring, or zoea, of multiple Dungeness crab mothers collected in different regions when living in water with a high concentration of CO2.

“There was this really interesting story where some crab moms produced zoea that survived well, and others produced zoea that didn’t survive well. But we didn’t know anything about why,” said Love, an environmental science professor who works both in Bellingham and at WWU’s Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes. “So it struck me as a really good opportunity to use some molecular tools to try to dig a little deeper and understand the mechanisms that led to the response that we found in that experiment.”

The NOAA group initially hypothesized that water conditions, such as oxygen and CO2 levels, at the sites where the crab mothers were collected could influence the zoeae’s survivability and resistance to ocean acidification (OA), but ultimately they found that location had less of an impact than matrilineal lineage.

Read the full article at WWU News

Proposed NOAA cuts could hit Pacific weather forecasts, fisheries and coral programs

June 8, 2026 — The Trump administration’s proposed 2027 budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would slash more than $1 billion from the agency and eliminate dozens of programs, raising concerns across the Pacific islands where communities rely heavily on weather forecasting, fisheries management and coastal conservation.

NOAA’s fiscal year 2027 budget request seeks $4.54 billion, a decrease of about $1.09 billion from the 2026 enacted level. The proposal includes more than $1.3 billion in program terminations and another $523 million in reductions, partially offset by investments in weather radar modernization, satellite systems and selected fisheries initiatives.

For Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the proposed cuts touch areas closely tied to daily life, from typhoon forecasting and marine observations to coral reef protection and coastal resilience.

The budget documents call for terminating the Coral Reef Conservation Program, ending Integrated Ocean Acidification efforts, eliminating regional Integrated Ocean Observing System programs and terminating Coastal Zone Management Grants. The proposal would also eliminate NOAA’s National Coastal Resilience Fund and reduce funding for ocean observations and monitoring.

Read the full article at the Marianas Variety

Fishermen prepared for the longest red snapper season in recent memory. A court order stopped it

June 5, 2026 — Miles from shore, Chris Kemp pumps and reels as he battles a fish 150 feet below. Eventually, it gives up, and the 10-pound red snapper is hauled aboard the Jodie Lynn II.

There’s barely time to rejoice. As Kemp raises his trophy for a picture, the charter boat’s captain rushes over and then drives a knifelike tool into the fish’s gas-filled bladder. The procedure, required by federal law, is intended to improve the fish’s chances of survival after release.

“Send it overboard,” orders the captain. And with that, Kemp’s hopes of bringing the fish home to eat was lost.

Recreational fishermen like Kemp are pitched against commercial fishermen and environmentalists in a legal dispute that has halted what was expected to be the longest snapper season in years, reflecting broader tensions over the Trump administration’s efforts to loosen fishing rules and deregulate the seas.

As part of those efforts, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in May exempted states from some restrictions under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the landmark law that guides fisheries management. But the decision was halted at the last minute by a federal judge in Washington who blocked the plan.

Read the full article at the Associated Press