Saving Seafood

Council Focuses on Timely Implementation of Fishery Specifications; Recommends Changes to Habitat Research Area

June 30, 2026 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council met from June 23–25, 2026, in Mystic, Connecticut. The following is a summary of actions taken and issues considered affecting several Fishery Management Plans (FMPs). Meeting materials, motions, and the meeting audio recordings are available on the Council’s June 2026 meeting page.

HERRING INDUSTRY-FUNDED MONITORING TO BE REVISITED

The Council decided to consider rescinding the Atlantic herring Industry Funded Monitoring (IFM) program as a possible 2027 priority, to be further discussed at its December 2026 meeting.

The discussion was sparked by a letter from NOAA requesting the Council rescind the Herring IFM program in response to Executive Order 14276 and ongoing litigation.

Multiple Council members spoke about the importance of completing current Herring priorities as planned. The Council and NOAA partners noted that other existing IFM programs for scallops and groundfish would not be affected.

The Council plans to respond to NOAA in a letter following the June meeting.

More information can be found here.

HERRING SPECIFICATIONS PRIORITIZED; SEPARATED FROM OTHER MANAGEMENT MEASURES

The Council voted unanimously to separate Atlantic herring specifications for fishing years (FY) 2027–2031 into a standalone action distinct from ongoing work to modify river herring and shad (RHS) management measures.

The Council plans to take final action on the specifications at its September 2026 meeting.

In a separate action, the Council directed the Plan Development Team (PDT) to continue working on:

  1. Time-area closures for RHS with and without existing catch cap methodology;
  2. An updated specifications process; and
  3. Carryover provision modifications.

Final action is targeted for April 2027. The full herring report can be found here.

ALASKA: Halibut stamp required for charter boats in Alaska waters this year

June 30, 2026 — Federal fisheries managers have instituted new regulations for charter halibut fishing in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska this year. Anglers charter fishing in these regions must have a charter halibut stamp in order to keep their catch.

The stamp costs $20 per day and the money will go to a nonprofit called the Recreational Quota Entity.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, charter boat operators are the ones in charge of buying the stamps. David Ardinger, who asked to be referred to as Captain Dave, is the owner and operator of Fish ‘N Chips Charters in Kodiak. He said he wishes it was on the angler to buy the halibut stamp, which is the case for the king salmon stamp. But he’s not against the stamp in general.

“It’s a good idea, the idea of a halibut stamp, because they’re going to use the money to buy commercial IFQs,” he said.

By buying individual fishing quotas or IFQs from the commercial fishing industry, the Recreational Quota Entity will ultimately up the number of halibut that charter boats can harvest. But Captain Dave said it’s a small fix for a larger problem.

Read the full article at KMXT

VIRGINIA: Statement by Monty Deihl, Ocean Harvesters CEO, on Governor Spanberger’s amendments restoring funding for Virginia Chesapeake Bay menhaden study

June 26, 2026 — “We are extremely pleased that Gov. Abigail Spanberger has announced her intention to send budget language to the General Assembly that includes a study of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. We look forward to continuing to work with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in collaboration with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) to develop a scientific study of the Bay’s Atlantic menhaden population.

We were especially pleased to see that the ongoing work being funded by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS), a National Science Foundation-supported cooperative research center, will be available to support the study. The SCEMFIS-funded researchers from VIMS, NOAA, and the Univeristy of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have already provided a great deal of scientific guidance as part of their roadmap project to identify the research needed to support a science-based Bay harvest cap. We hope the Virginia General Assembly will adopt the Governor’s amendment, and we look forward to working with stakeholders involved in the process.

Last, we are also very grateful to the legislators who have worked to help ensure that jobs are protected and the study is based on sound scientific data.”

 About Ocean Harvesters

Ocean Harvesters owns and operates a fleet of more than 30 fishing vessels in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of America. The company’s purse-seine fishing operation is exclusively engaged in the harvest of menhaden, a small, nutrient-dense fish used to produce fish meal, fish oil, and fish solubles. Both its Atlantic and Gulf Menhaden fisheries are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. Committed to responsible fishing operations, Ocean Harvesters is proud to be heir to a fishing legacy that extends nearly 150 years.

RHODE ISLAND: Climate change challenges commercial fishing industry

June 26, 2026 — In Rhode Island, the commercial fishing industry is a pillar of the state’s economy and culture, but with global warming and dynamic environmental changes, the industry is sailing into the unknown.

While New England is outpacing much of the United States in rising temperatures, Rhode Island is warming even faster than its regional neighbors, according to a 2022 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Providence Journal.

Sea levels have also risen considerably across the ocean state, with the Newport tide gauge rising 10.1 inches over the past century, according to NOAA.

Rhode Island’s sea levels have gained momentum over the last decade, now rising by an inch every eight years, according to Sea Level Rise. This growth is evident in Providence, while the capital city took 40 years to rise six inches, it’s now projected to gain another six inches in just the next 16 years.

The Narragansett Bay water has also increased by three degrees Fahrenheit over the past century with water levels rising up to seven inches, according to Save The Bay. These unpredictable environmental changes make it increasingly difficult for commercial fishermen and fisheries to rely on consistent ecosystems while abiding by catch quotas.

Read the full article at East Bay RI

NOAA announces USD 124 million in fisheries disaster assistance

June 23, 2025 — NOAA has announced USD 124 million (EUR 109 million) in fisheries disaster aid to the states of Alaska, Oregon, and California, as well as the Squaxin Island Tribe.

“Fishery resource disasters have devastating effects on local communities and our economy,” NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs said in a release. “This disaster funding provides much needed assistance to our fishing industry, and we will work with the affected communities to help them recover. This action demonstrates our continued commitment to hardworking American fishermen and to the president’s vision to uphold the United States as the world’s dominant seafood leader.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

SOUTH CAROLINA: SC’s red snapper season on pause amid federal lawsuit

June 22, 2026 — Anglers won’t be able to reel in red snappers off South Carolina’s coast this summer after a federal judge paused the state’s extended season.

The decision, which came in response to a lawsuit filed last month in Washington, D.C., reversed a federal agency’s approval to extend the state’s recreational fishing season from two days last year to 62 days this year. The state Department of Natural Resources touted that approval as a victory following years of pushing for longer seasons to catch the large, red fish.

South Carolina’s red snapper season was set to begin July 1.

Because the legal case won’t be resolved before then, state officials withdrew the application for a longer season and are instead working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to set dates for a red snapper season this fall, DNR said in a news release Friday.

The Southeastern Fisheries Association, which represents nearly 300 southeastern businesses, sued Secretary Howard Lutnick, arguing the U.S. Department of Commerce, which oversees the permits, failed to consider the possibility of overfishing in violation of a 1976 conservation law.

Read the full article at the South Carolina Daily Gazette 

NOAA says $123 million coming for six ‘fishery resource disasters’

June 18, 2026 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said a package of fishery disaster relief for West Coast and Alaska fishermen is on the way.

 NOAA announced the allocation of $123.6 million in fishery resource disaster funding, appropriated by Congress in the American Relief Act, 2025. The money will go to address fishery resource disasters that occurred in Oregon, California, the Squaxin Island tribe in Washington State, and multiple Alaska fisheries between 2019 and 2023.

“Fishery resource disasters have devastating effects on local communities and our economy,” said Neil Jacobs, NOAA’s administrator. “This disaster funding provides much needed assistance to our fishing industry, and we will work with the affected communities to help them recover.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

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