Saving Seafood

Court blocks South Atlantic red snapper permits; Georgia pilot season delayed

June 22, 2026 — A proposed 62‑day recreational red snapper season in federal waters off Georgia that was to begin July 1 has been delayed after a federal judge blocked a set of Exempted Fishing Permits for South Atlantic states, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said.

The injunction, issued by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, prevents implementation of the permits while a legal challenge proceeds. The permits affected submissions from Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.

The permit that would have allowed Georgia’s pilot season was challenged in federal court by the Southeastern Fisheries Association. Environmental groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund and Ocean Conservancy, supported the lawsuit.

Georgia DNR has withdrawn its original request and plans to file a revised EFP application, the agency said.

“While this outcome is certainly disappointing, we remain committed to expanding access to red snapper fishing opportunities for Georgia anglers,” said Walter Rabon, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. “We believe state‑led management and improved data collection can provide a better path forward, and we will continue working with our partners to pursue that goal.”

Read the full article at News 4 Jax

Northwest’s yanked observatories to return to ocean after Trump administration backs down

June 19, 2026 — The Trump administration has reversed course on its effort to shut down a network of ocean research stations in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

The National Science Foundation on Thursday announced a halt to the dismantling of floating scientific observatories off Alaska, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and Greenland.

Researchers were offloading the last of the Ocean Observatories Initiative’s six high-tech data buoys from Pacific Northwest waters onto a flatbed truck in Newport, Oregon, Thursday morning when they got the word: The science foundation was turning the dismantling ship around.

“The U.S. National Science Foundation appreciates the concerns raised by the range of stakeholders that have informed us they rely on data from the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI),” the agency’s statement reads. “Effective immediately, NSF will not proceed with further removal or descoping of equipment from the remaining arrays and will continue operations including planned maintenance.”

Read the full article at KUOW

Deep sea observation system that tracks climate change saved from disassembly

June 19, 2026 — A critical deep ocean observation network that includes a long-standing station off the coast of Alaska has been saved from getting dismantled. As first reported by the New York Times, the Trump administration dropped its plan to get rid of the ocean and climate tracking system after the U.S. Senate unanimously blocked the move this week.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley sponsored the measure, which prohibits the National Science Foundation from spending federal money to remove the equipment anchored off the coast of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, North Carolina and in an area called the Irminger Sea between Iceland and Greenland.

On the Senate floor Wednesday, Murkowski said the Ocean Observatories Initiative collects hard-to-access information that’s critical for understanding warming seas.

“This is all happening at a time when everybody’s talking about El Niño, and what that is going to bring in terms of the potential for extreme weather events,” Murkowski said. “This is not the time to be turning off one of our most valuable scientific assets.”

Read the full article at KTOO

NORTH CAROLINA: Dominion to buy land for North Carolina offshore wind project

June 12, 2026 — Dominion Energy will purchase 32 acres in a Virginia Beach business park for an onshore substation and grid connection point to serve a wind farm project planned off the coast of North Carolina.

The land sale in Corporate Landing Business Park was approved at a Development Authority meeting on Tuesday. The authority owns the property and had originally approved Dominion’s purchase option in 2019, but the agreement expired last year. The purchase price will be based on a forthcoming appraisal, but the agreement guarantees it will exceed $6 million, or at least $200,000 per acre.

Read the full article at Yahoo! News

NORTH CAROLINA: Blue crab assessment points to shifting populations, highlights need for better data

June 8, 2026 — Blue crab populations in North Carolina appear to be undergoing significant changes, particularly between the state’s two largest estuarine systems, according to preliminary findings presented by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries during a public webinar on a new benchmark stock assessment.

Stock Assessment Program Manager Dr. Matt Damiano told commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, researchers and coastal residents during the May 28 webinar that the division is pursuing a new approach after a 2023 update assessment failed peer review and was deemed unsuitable for fisheries management.

The benchmark assessment, expected to be completed later this year, will examine more than four decades of commercial harvest and scientific survey data in an effort to provide a clearer picture of the health of North Carolina’s blue crab stock.

Damiano stressed repeatedly that the assessment is not tied to any proposed regulations and that no management changes are being considered as part of the process.

“This is a purely informational session,” Damiano said. “We’re not talking about implementing anything new as it comes to blue crab tonight.”

Read the full article at Island Free Press

NORTH CAROLINA: As production costs climb, local farmers meet with U.S. cabinet members to discuss the future of N.C.’s ag economy

June 3, 2026 — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling met with local farmers Monday to hear their concerns as rising fuel and production costs take their toll.

During a stop at David Parker Farms in New Bern, farmers from Carteret, Craven and other N.C. counties joined in a roundtable discussion with Rollins and Brooks and spoke about issues facing eastern North Carolina’s agriculture and fishing industries.

Glenn Skinner, executive director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, said he viewed the visit as a positive step. Skinner said he was pleased that the Department of Agriculture has created a new Office of Seafood dedicated specifically to the fishing industry.

“We generally haven’t been recognized as food producers and treated the same as farmers,” Skinner said. “So we’re really excited to have them here, and that’s a big deal for our industry to finally have a place to turn when you have an issue, somebody that you can call and hopefully get some resolution in the future.”

Read the full article at NEWS TIMES

Invasive blue catfish turn problem into fishery

June 2, 2026 — Fishermen and chefs hope to feed people and eradicate invasive blue catfish at the same time.

Blue catfish have become a manmade disaster in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. They’re an invasive species spreading throughout the region and eating whatever they can find. On the upside, they’re good eating, and some commercial fishermen and anglers are doing well catching them.

The problem began, as many do, with good intentions. In 1974, striped bass stocks were declining, and the state sought to provide a new species for anglers to catch. Chester F. Phelps, then executive director of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, oversaw the introduction of 300,000 blue catfish into the James River. More stocking followed, and in 1985, Virginia stocked blue catfish in the York River. Blue catfish, native to the Mississippi River watershed, seemed like a good fit for Virginia rivers.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NORTH CAROLINA: U.S. agriculture secretary talks labor costs with Craven County farmers

June 2, 2026 — The U.S. secretary of agriculture and the acting secretary of labor visited Craven County today to speak with farmers about their concerns.

Officials held a roundtable at David Parker Farms, where local farmers raised concerns about labor costs.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins said multiple factors affect labor costs.

“Farm economy is struggling. The cost of inputs obviously skyrocketed under the last administration, and they were coming down. The Iranian conflict has caused a short blip in the increase, but this blip is coming during planting season, which is not ideal, so making sure we understand that, but also building for the long term,” Rollins said.

Read the full article at WITN

The Longest Atlantic Red Snapper Season in Years Is on Hold

May 26 2026 — When the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued Exempted Fishing Permits (EFPs) in early May to states from North Carolina south, Atlantic red snapper anglers couldn’t hold in their excitement. That’s because offshore anglers in the South Atlantic have been completely handcuffed from targeting and keeping red snapper for years. Since 2020, the red snapper season in Atlantic federal waters has been just one to four days in July. Even before 2020, the red snapper season has been in overhaul mode since 2010 — there hasn’t been an Atlantic federal recreational season that’s exceeded 8 days since then.

The EFPs are a way for the states to finally have longer recreational red snapper seasons in 2026. Officially, NMFS said:

“The EFPs allow the states to pilot test state data collection and management strategies for the recreational harvest of red snapper in 2026. The EFPs are intended to improve data on recreational fishing effort and catch of red snapper in the South Atlantic and to inform the development of a long-term state-led management strategy for the recreational harvest of red snapper.”

What that means for anglers is a 2026 season that spans months, not a weekend. Off Florida, anglers in federal waters receive 39 days (May 22 – June 20, October 2-4, October 9-11, and October 16-18), while Georgia and the Carolinas enjoy 62 days (July 1 – August 31). Bag limit is just one red snapper a day, but that couldn’t stop the overall buzz and excitement around the docks.

First up was the Sunshine State. In Florida, anglers readied their boats for a Memorial weekend fishing trip, while charters from Jacksonville south were booked with expectant bottom fishermen. As part of the EFPs, anglers are required to declare their fishing trip and report back their red snapper catches.

Read the full article at Wired2fish.com

FLORIDA: US court temporarily halts expansion of Southeast Atlantic recreational red snapper fishing

May 22, 2026 — The United States District Court for the District of Columbia has issued a preliminary injunction temporarily halting four states from expanding their recreational red snapper fishing seasons under exempting fishing permits (EFP) issued earlier in May.

“The South Atlantic EFPs for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina are no longer in effect until further order from the Court, and the recreational harvest of red snapper in the South Atlantic remains closed,” NOAA Fisheries said in a 21 May statement. “All recreational fishing under these South Atlantic EFPs is not authorized, including tomorrow’s start date of May 22, 2026, for Florida’s recreational red snapper season.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource