Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Why Trump Reopening Georges Bank Is a Game-Changer for New Bedford Scallops

July 6, 2026 — President Donald Trump‘s declaration of July 2 as National Scallops Day is a pretty big deal for New Bedford and its legendary fishing industry.

Reopening the Northern Edge After a 30-Year Ban

The declaration was accompanied by an announcement that Trump plans to reopen the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to scallop fishing, an area that has been off limits since 1994.

Addressing the Decline in New Bedford Scallop Landings

New Bedford lands anywhere between 20 and 50 million pounds of scallops annually. However, Senator Mark Montigny told New Bedford Light, “Total scallop landings in 2024 were only a third of the scallops harvested in 2019.”

Montigny and New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell have long advocated for reopening the Northern Edge. Mitchell told the Light he “strongly” supports the decision, saying it is “encouraging to see the federal government prioritize this effort as well.”

Read the full article at WBSM

NOAA unveils plan to cut seafood regulations under Trump directive

July 6, 2026 — NOAA announced a set of regional priorities on July 2 aimed at cutting regulatory burdens on domestic fishing fleets and boosting seafood production, part of the agency’s response to a presidential executive order.

The announcement follows an August 2025 request for public comment in which NOAA Fisheries sought input from stakeholders, including the eight regional fishery management councils, on ways to stabilize markets, improve access and prevent closures. The agency said it received more than 700 comments from individuals and organizations, along with detailed action plans submitted by each council.

“These regional priorities are a critical step in our efforts to fulfill the President’s vision of making the United States the world’s dominant seafood leader,” said NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs said in a statement. “We look forward to partnering with the councils to advance seafood competitiveness and support our American fishermen.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Trump administration aims to cut regulations on US commercial fishing

July 2, 2026 — The Trump administration moved to slash commercial fishing regulations from coast to coast on Thursday, including reopening New ‌England waters to scallop fishing that was banned after overfishing.

“We’re opening the Atlantic and the Pacific, and the American consumers are going to benefit from what we’re doing now,” White House adviser Peter Navarro said in a briefing with reporters.

The Commerce Department and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced regional ​priorities that the government said were designed to revitalize the seafood sector.

It was not clear how NOAA planned to ​implement these priorities or how long it would take, given their scope.

Read the full article at Reuters

Tech helps boaters slow down for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, though new federal protections unlikely

July 2, 2026 — Last year, the Museum of Coastal Carolina agreed to take part in the ship speed monitoring system during the endangered right whale calving season. The technology was installed through a partnership between the federal agency, NOAA, and Maritime Information Systems, Incorporated.

The museum, located in Ocean Isle Beach, joined about 60 other entities along the East Coast to send signals to ships 65 feet and longer to slow down to 10 knots in certain management areas from the beginning of November until the end of April.

Jamie Justice is the director of programs and exhibits for the Ocean Island Museum Foundation, which runs the Museum of Coastal Carolina and Ingram Planetarium.

“We’ve got an antenna that sends the signals out in about a 50-mile radius,” she said.

Read the full article at WHQR

Trump celebrates expanded scallop fishing with ‘National Scallops Day’ declaration

July 2, 2026 — President Donald Trump on Thursday declared a “National Scallops Day” in celebration of a federal decision to expand commercial scallop fishing on the Georges Bank, saying it will boost seafood production, create jobs, and reverse restrictions imposed under previous administrations.

Trump announced the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will open the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to scallop fishing, a move he said would result in “millions more pounds” of wild scallops for American consumers each year. He also said it will benefit fishing communities along the East Coast.

Read the full article at KMPH

Trump administration sends deregulatory wish lists to regional fishery management councils

July 2, 2026 — More than a year after U.S. President Donald Trump issued his executive order “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,” the administration is sending wish lists of deregulatory actions to the nation’s eight regional fishery management councils.

“We just announced that President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are taking one more big step towards unlocking the fertile fisheries of America,” White House Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro in a 2 July call with reporters

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

CALIFORNIA: Many California fishermen are nearing retirement. Can the industry save its graying fleet?

July 1, 2026 — In choppy surf off of La Jolla, fisherman Shane Volberding fought to land a yellowtail, a silver and gold fish prized in the sushi seafood trade.

Gulls wheeled above the water as the fish dove and darted against him, dragging the line. One crank at a time, Volberding reeled it in, jabbed it with a gaffe and then hoisted it on deck. As he grappled with the thrashing fish, his deckhand Destiny Louise Silva hauled in another yellowtail and dunked it in a bucket, tail up.

The swift, back-to-back catch was the highlight of an unusually productive day on the water that yielded seven yellowtail and other fish, not counting the ones snatched by thieving sea lions.

“That’s a really good day for yellowtails,” Volberding said. “They’re usually very hard to catch.”

That lucky happenstance belies the unpredictability of California’s commercial fishing sector, where the speculative nature of the catch collides with complex regulations, economic hurdles and a graying fleet.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

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.