Saving Seafood

NORTH CAROLINA: N.C. fisheries coalition seeing success just five months in

January 16, 2026 — In August 2025, the North Carolina Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition became a reality. It was formed after a bill that would have banned shrimp trawling in the state ultimately failed in the General Assembly, after large push back from coastal communities like the Outer Banks. Five months since the organization has been up and running, it’s already seeing success in its efforts.

“We have had overwhelming support from the community. Those that sell seafood, citizens who purchase local catch, that correspondence has just been overwhelming and totally respectful and really encouraging for us that we have their back and we’re looking after the industry,” said Bob Woodard, chairman of the coalition and the Dare County Board of Commissioners.

Read the full article at WTKR

NORTH CAROLINA: NOAA-backed grants help expand knowledge on farmed seafood

January 14, 2026 — A series of community-driven education projects supported by NOAA Fisheries is helping bridge the gap between seafood producers and the public, highlighting how domestic aquaculture supports working waterfronts, food security, and healthy coastal ecosystems.

Nine projects funded through the eeBLUE Aquaculture Literacy Mini-Grants Program wrapped up in July 2025. The program is a collaboration between NOAA and the North American Association for Environmental Education, designed to strengthen public understanding of sustainable seafood and aquaculture through hands-on learning and local partnerships.

Across the country, the projects paired informal learning institutions with aquaculture businesses and NOAA experts to reach diverse audiences- from students and teachers to chefs and coastal residents. Through farm tours, classroom programming, podcasts, and culinary events, participants learned how seafood is grown, why ocean health matters, and how domestic aquaculture contributes to the U.S. seafood supply.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NORTH CAROLINA: 12th lost fishing gear recovery effort begins this week

January 9, 2026 –The North Carolina Coastal Federation has launched its 12th annual Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project, an initiative to locate and remove displaced and potentially dangerous fishing gear from the northeast and central regions of the coast.

The project takes place each year during the annual closure prohibiting the use of crab, eel, fish and shrimp pots in internal coastal waters north of the N.C. 58 bridge to Emerald Isle.

During this year’s closure, which is Jan. 8-31, the 21 commercial fishermen and women hired for the project are to remove from designated areas any lost crab pots and other hazards from specific areas within Marine Patrol Districts 1 and 2.

Read the full article at CoastalReview.org

NORTH CAROLINA: Imported shrimp served at OBX restaurants touting local catch

December 29, 2025 — Genetic testing of purportedly wild-caught shrimp served earlier this month at dozens of Outer Banks restaurants found that 64% of the shrimp was actually imported.

On behalf of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, SeaD Consulting collected and analyzed shrimp samples from randomly selected seafood restaurants in Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Manteo, Rodanthe, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, Nags Head and Hatteras, according to a Dec. 17 press release from SeaD. Of the 44 restaurants tested, 43 had verbally claimed to serve local American wild-caught shrimp, but only 16 — 36% — were found to be serving local shrimp in the tested dishes.

The remaining 28 restaurants had served imported farm-raised shrimp, but only one of them admitted it. All 44 of the eateries had used imagery to imply that they served local shrimp.

“The findings raise concerns about seafood transparency in an iconic coastal region known for its local fishing heritage,” the release said.

Despite the Outer Banks’ poor showing, it was noted that Wilmington did even worse, with an “inauthenticity rate” of 77% in previous testing.

SeaD (Seafood Development) Consulting, in partnership with Florida State University, holds the patent for the Rapid ID Genetic High-Accuracy Test, or RIGHTTest, that was used in the survey conducted Dec. 2-6. The Southern Shrimp Alliance, an advocacy trade group, has funded the genetic testing of shrimp throughout the region.

Shrimp, the most popular seafood in the U.S., was an $8 billion market in 2025, with Americans consuming 5 pounds per capita of shrimp a year. But it’s not local shrimpers who are raking in big profits.

According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, 93% of the shrimp consumed in the United States comes from overseas, with 1.7 billion pounds of shrimp products imported in 2024, valued at $6 billion. Meanwhile, commercial shrimp harvests in the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic declined from $522 million in 2021 to $269 million in 2023; $25 million to $14 million, respectively, in North Carolina.

Read the full article at CarolinaCoastOnline.com

North Atlantic right whale news from winter calving grounds

December 16, 2025 — There’s good news and bad news coming out of the North Atlantic right whale calving grounds off the Southeastern U.S.

Two new North Atlantic right whale calves have been spotted in the past week, bringing the tally for the season up to five. They were seen off the coasts of Georgia and North Carolina by an aerial survey team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute.

The whale known as Bocce and her new calf were sighted on Wednesday, Dec. 10, off Doboy Sound, Georgia. Bocce is 18 years old and this is her third known calf, according to CMA spokesperson Marsha Strickhouser. Bocce is also the sister of Millipede, another mom this season.

Read the full article at CAI

NORTH CAROLINA: Claws are out over proposed changes to NC blue crab fishery

December 1, 2025 — North Carolina’s blue crabs could soon be the latest species in the state to face harvest cutbacks and other limiting restrictions over concerns about the declining health of the state’s most valuable commercial fishery.

But crabbers are going to make sure the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission noisily hears their concerns before any additional steps to limit seasons and daily catch hauls are implemented.

Still, officials with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries have said sampling programs and landing data continue to show worrisome declining trends. Agency biologist Robert Corbett Jr., who also is the department’s co-lead on blue crabs, told the commission at its Aug. 20 meeting that neighboring states are showing similar negative long-term directions with their blue crab fisheries.

Read the full article at Star News Online

NORTH CAROLINA: NC fishermen challenge proposed blue crab cuts

November 19, 2025 — North Carolina’s commercial fishing advocates are raising alarms over proposed blue crab harvest restriction, just as the Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) removed the expected vote from this week’s meeting agenda.

According to an updated agenda posted on Nov. 19, the action item to consider new management strategies under the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3 has been taken off the table. The shift comes days after the North Carolina Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition submitted a resolution opposing additional restrictions on the state’s most valuable commercial fishery.

During its Nov. 5 meeting in Morehead City, the coalition- which was formed earlier this year by coastal county lawmakers- voted to oppose any new harvest measures until the next blue crab stock assessment is completed in 2026. Members argued that without a reliable assessment, major changes would be premature.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

NORTH CAROLINA: North Carolina begins recruiting fishers for 2026 edition of crab gear recovery project

November 14, 2025 — Each winter, the blue crab fishery in the U.S. state of North Carolina closes for the season, but rather than simply heading home to wait until the next season opens, local fishermen turn their attention to what has been left behind.

Since 2014, the state’s Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project, led by the North Carolina Coastal Federation in partnership with the North Carolina Marine Patrol and the state’s Division of Marine Fisheries, has hired commercial fishermen to remove derelict gear from the state’s waters.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NORTH CAROLINA: Fisheries to vote on proposed blue crab harvest rules

November 14, 2025 —  The coastal county lawmakers that formed a new group to support commercial fishing have submitted a resolution opposing more restrictions on the commercial harvest of blue crabs ahead of the Marine Fisheries Commission Nov. 19-20 meeting in Wrightsville Beach.

The Marine Fisheries Commission is expected to consider adopting management strategies developed as part of the adaptative management framework for the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3.

Those proposed strategies were discussed extensively during the third meeting of the North Carolina Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition held Nov. 5 in Morehead City, when the members approved the resolution opposing any further restrictions until the 2026 blue crab stock assessment is completed.

Amendment 3 was adopted in 2020 “to end overfishing and achieve sustainable harvest in the blue crab fishery,” Division of Marine Fisheries documents state. The original plan was adopted in December 1998 with the intention to manage the species, and amended in 2004 and again in 2013. The division acts as staff to the commission.

Amendment 3 is nearly halfway through the legislatively mandated 10-year stock rebuilding period “with little evidence suggesting management measures have been successful in ending overfishing or achieving sustainable harvest,” documents continue. The adaptive management framework in the amendment 3 is being “used to implement management measures projected to reduce fishing mortality (F) closer to the F target and rebuild the spawning stock closer to the spawner abundance target with greater than 50% probability of success.”

Current rules include closures Jan. 1-31 north of the Highway 58 bridge in Carteret County and March 1-15 in waters south of the bridge, and a 5-inch minimum size for mature females.

Staff propose starting Jan. 1, in addition to existing closures, prohibiting crab trawling statewide year-round. For waters north of the Emerald Isle bridge, a 30-bushel trip limit would be put in place from September to December, and for south of the bridge, a 15-bushel hard crab trip limit from September to December.

Read the full article at CostalReview.org

New red drum satellite tracking platform officially launches

November 13, 2025 — A new satellite tracking program is giving the public an unprecedented look into the lives of North Carolina’s state saltwater fish — the red drum.

The North Carolina Marine & Estuary Foundation has officially launched an interactive online platform that allows users to follow the migration routes of tagged red drum along the state’s coast in near real time. The initiative combines science and technology to better understand the species’ movement patterns and habitat use, while encouraging public engagement in marine conservation.

“Red drum are an iconic symbol of North Carolina’s coastal communities and a key driver of our state’s $4 billion saltwater fishing economy,” said Foundation Executive Director Chad Thomas. “This exciting new tool invites the public to engage directly with real-time science from the field—to see where these fish travel and to understand why protecting their habitat matters.”

Read the full article at the Island Free Press