Saving Seafood

Sharks, Fishing Rules and Disaster Recovery: Hawaiʻi Fishermen Invited to Bring Their Concerns to Nine Island Forums

November 9, 2026 —  The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

Sharks taking fish off the line. Confusing fishing regulations. Damage to boats and harbors from natural disasters. Concerns about the future of local fishing.

These are real challenges facing Hawaiʻi’s fishing communities, and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and its partners want to hear directly from those experiencing them. Nine public meetings across the Hawaiian Islands from Nov. 13 through Dec. 3, 2026, will bring fishermen, community members and fisheries agencies together to tackle local challenges and identify solutions.

The Hawaiʻi Small Boat Fishers’ Forum builds on community conversations held since early 2025, with a focus on turning fishermen’s concerns into priorities and potential actions. The Council and Pacific Islands Fisheries Group are working together to connect local fishing communities with the agencies and organizations involved in managing and supporting Hawaiʻi’s fisheries.

What’s on the table?

  • Sharks taking the catch: Addressing shark depredation and improving state and federal shark regulations.
  • Disaster relief and recovery: Helping fishing communities prepare for and recover from damage to boats, harbors and fishing infrastructure.
  • Fishing rules and research: Improving fisheries management through fishermen’s firsthand observations, better data and community input.
  • The future of local fishing: Strengthening fishing infrastructure, supporting local seafood and food security, and sustaining fishing traditions, including discussions on the cultural harvest of green sea turtles.

Each island faces its own challenges, and participants are encouraged to bring forward the issues that matter most to their communities.

Most meetings begin at 5 p.m. with a Fisheries Open House, where attendees can meet agency representatives and local organizations, learn about ongoing projects and resources, and ask questions one-on-one. Fisheries updates and open discussions will follow, giving fishermen an opportunity to share concerns, recommend solutions and help identify next steps.

Whether you fish commercially, non-commercially or to feed your family — or simply care about the future of Hawaiʻi’s fishing communities — your perspective matters.

Meeting Schedule

All meetings are from 5 to 8 p.m., except Honolulu, which is from 6 to 8 p.m. Food and refreshments will be provided.

  • Friday, November 13 – Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island: Itsuko’s Kitchen
  • Saturday, November 14 – Kona, Hawaiʻi Island: West Hawaiʻi Civic Center
  • Monday, November 16 – Waiʻanae, Oʻahu: Waiʻanae Intermediate School
  • Tuesday, November 17 – Honolulu, Oʻahu: Ala Moana Hotel (6–8 p.m.)
  • Wednesday, November 18 – North Shore, Oʻahu: Waialua Elementary School
  • Monday, November 30 – Kaunakakai, Molokaʻi: DHHL Conference Room
  • Tuesday, December 1 – Lānaʻi City, Lānaʻi: Lānaʻi High & Elementary School
  • Wednesday, December 2 – Maui: Location TBD (check the Council calendar for updates)
  • Thursday, December 3 – Līhuʻe, Kauaʻi: Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School

Your fishery. Your voice. Our future. Come share what’s happening on the water and help shape the conversation.

For more information, visit the Council Inflation Reduction Act Project webpage or contact Zach Yamada at zach.yamada@wpcouncil.org or Alex Min at PacificFisheries@gmail.com.

About the Council

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional councils established under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to manage fisheries in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Council is responsible for developing and implementing fishery management plans for waters surrounding Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the CNMI and U.S. Pacific Remote Island Areas. The Council works to promote sustainable fisheries, protect marine ecosystems and support the livelihoods of fishing communities through science-based decision-making and stakeholder engagement.

CALIFORNIA: Marine Protected Area Proposals Advance as California Commission Takes Up Fishing Rules

November 6, 2026 — Proposed changes to California’s network of marine protected areas are moving into the next stage of consideration following an October vote by the California Fish and Game Commission, with several of the actions carrying potential implications for Southern California boaters and anglers.

The Commission granted seven marine protected area petition actions for consideration through future rulemaking. Among them are two tribally led proposals that would create new MPAs at Point Sal and Carpinteria Reef, both along the Santa Barbara County coast.

The Carpinteria Reef proposal places part of the continuing statewide MPA review directly along the Southern California coast and could eventually affect how portions of those waters are managed. For local sportfishing operators, however, the potential effects extend beyond the boundaries of another protected area.

Jaime Diamond, owner of Stardust Sportfishing in Santa Barbara, said the Point Sal proposal is outside the geographic range of the company’s operations, but the Carpinteria proposal is a different matter.

“The closure off of Carpinteria will virtually eliminate our most affordable and accessible trip, the 1/2 day,” Diamond told The Log. “This will also eliminate our ability to offer introductory fishing trips for first timers, families, the elderly, or safe trips close to harbor for special needs children and severely disabled veterans.”

Diamond said the area also provides access to longstanding fishing grounds for species including calico bass, sand bass, white seabass, barracuda and halibut. In her view, losing access to those grounds would be particularly significant because other areas traditionally used for those fisheries are already within MPAs.

Her concerns extend beyond the sportfishing fleet. Diamond described the Carpinteria area as an important entry point for people learning to fish, dive and participate in other forms of ocean recreation.

“The addition of an MPA off of Carpinteria will be the end of the local learning fishing grounds,” Diamond said. “Carp Reef, Horseshoe Rock, Horseshoe Kelp and the surrounding sandy bottom are located just off of Santa Claus Beach, where Carpinteria and Goleta-Ventura kids learn to fish, dive and hunt on or in the water.”

Read the full article at the Log

ASMFC 84th Annual Meeting Final Supplemental Materials Now Available

November 6, 2026 — The following was released Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Final supplemental materials for ASMFC’s 84TH Annual Meeting are now available athttps://asmfc.org/events/2026-annual-meeting/ for the following Management Boards.  Links can be found under Supplemental Materials for the Sciaenids and Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Boards, and Supplemental 2 Materials for the Atlantic Menhaden Board (following the respective Board’s agenda).

Sciaenids Management Board – Public Comment
Atlantic Menhaden Management Board – Public Comment
Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Management Board – Tables Illustrating Differing For-hire Requirements Between States & Estimated Number of For-hire Participants by State for 2024 Fishing Year  
Webinar Information
The Law Enforcement Committee, Habitat Committee and Atlantic Coast Fish Habitat Partnership Steering Committee have unique webinar links that are available as part of the individual committee materials. 
 
Meeting proceedings for all other boards/committees will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, November 9 at 9:30 AM and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:15 PM) on Thursday, November 12. To register for the webinar, please go to:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4458443143765348954 (Webinar ID: 199-853-067)
 
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), you may also call in at +1 (213) 929-4212, access code 157-264-158. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN.
 
Each day, the webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter. If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

 

Meeting Process
Board chairs will ask both in-person and virtual board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The chair will work with staff to compile the list of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees. The same process will be used for public comment. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
 
Public Comment Guidelines
To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings: 
 
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunities to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
 
For topics that are on the agenda that have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comments will not provide additional insight to the board.
 
For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment, if any, to allow in these circumstances.

Tropical fish off the Massachusetts coast? Warming ocean temperatures changing the catch.

November 5, 2026 — When you think of tropical fish, Massachusetts probably isn’t the first place that comes to mind. But fishermen are finding some unexpected species in New England waters, and warming ocean temperatures may be playing a role.

Max Harvey has spent decades on the water, and he’s noticed some unusual catches.

“There was a cubera snapper caught on Nantucket like last week. And it’s happened before, but it’s very uncommon,” Harvey said.

The cubera snapper is typically associated with warmer waters farther south. But it’s not the only surprising fish to turn up off the Massachusetts coast.

“Four or five years ago there was a rush of king mackerel in Vineyard Sound. And you could go out and actually realistically catch one,” Harvey said.

Warm water species have occasionally made their way into New England waters for decades. Harvey says the Gulf Stream, which carries warm water north along the East Coast, has been getting closer to shore, allowing pockets of warmer water to break off and bring different species into the region.

Read the full article at CBS News

Conservation group to sue over Kodiak, Gulf salmon management

November 4, 2026 — The Wild Fish Conservancy has sent notice to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and NOAA Fisheries it intends to sue over management of sport and commercial salmon fisheries in Kodiak, Chignik and Alaska Peninsula waters, alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act.

“Nearly nine out of ten Chinook salmon caught in commercial fisheries along the South Alaska Peninsula in 2024 and 2025 originated outside Alaska, according to research from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

“Yet these fisheries operate without federal Endangered Species Act oversight of their impacts on threatened and endangered Pacific Northwest Chinook, even as communities where these fish return face strict fishing limits and invest heavily in their recovery,” WFC wrote in an Oct. 28 letter to ADF&G Commissioner Douglas Vincent-Lang.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

US commercial fisheries landed 7.7 billion pounds in 2024

November 3, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries released three of its flagship reports on U.S. fisheries, showing commercial fishermen landed 7.7 billion pounds of seafood worth $4.9 billion in 2024, while the number of stocks subject to overfishing fell to an all-time low in 2025.

The agency released its 2025 Status of Stocks report alongside the 2024 Fisheries of the United States and 2024 Fisheries Economics of the United States reports, providing a broad look at the biological and economic health of U.S. fisheries.

According to NOAA Fisheries, U.S. commercial fisheries supported 1 million jobs in 2024 and generated $175 billion in sales, $44 billion in income and $70 billion in value-added impacts nationwide. Combined, the commercial fishing, seafood and recreational fishing industries generated $321 billion in sales and supported 1.7 million jobs.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

Gulf Coast states could get more flexibility to manage red snapper limits

November 3, 2026 — The way Gulf Coast states manage their limits for red snapper, a popular catch among recreational anglers, is poised to change next year as fisheries management officials recommend adding more flexibility for states into federal rules.

The Gulf Fishery Management Council took action last week to alter how red snapper catch limit “paybacks” are done at their meeting in Galveston, Texas. The council advises the federal government on managing species in its Gulf of Mexico waters. Its members include sportfishers, commercial harvesters and scientists.

Gulf states are each allotted a specific amount of fish per species that recreational anglers may pull from the water every season. It’s done to ensure anglers don’t take too many, which can destabilize the population or even lead to a species’ extinction.

Previously, if a state went over its seasonal catch limit for red snapper, it had the overage amount taken away from its limit the following season, known as a payback.

Read the full article at Louisiana Illuminator

ALASKA: Fishing proposals would reshape access around Homer Spit waters

November 3, 2026 — Commercial fishing could be prohibited as far as a mile from the Homer Spit under a series of proposals headed to the Alaska Board of Fisheries in December, while charter boats could be barred from fishing derbies.

The proposed changes are among 50 regulatory measures scheduled for consideration during the board’s Lower Cook Inlet meeting Dec. 1-4 in Seward. They address longstanding disputes over fishing access near Homer Small Boat Harbor and raise new questions about how charter businesses should participate in fishing competitions and report their activities.

Three proposals target commercial fishing near the Spit, with supporters citing concerns about nets interfering with recreational boats and other harbor traffic, while two others would impose restrictions on charter vessels, potentially affecting local tournaments and requiring monitoring equipment or onboard observers.

Read the full article at Homer News

Workers union calls for support of menhaden fishery

November 2, 2026 — A coalition of recreational fishing organizations is petitioning the government to ban Atlantic menhaden fishing in parts of the U.S., while union workers in the menhaden processing industry warn cuts would cost jobs.

“Working families should not be forced to bear the economic consequences of decisions made without a full understanding of their impact,” UCFW Local 400 said. “Environmental stewardship must go hand in hand with economic justice and meaningful consideration of the communities whose livelihoods are at stake.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA seeks public input on Gulf of Mexico fish spawning research permit

November 2, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is seeking public input on a proposed cooperative research project that would study fish spawning aggregations throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including identifying key spawning locations and monitoring when and where commercially and recreationally important species gather to reproduce.

The agency is accepting comments through Nov. 12 on an application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) that would allow participating commercial fishermen and recreational charter captains to conduct targeted sampling trips as part of the four-year research effort.

The project aims to verify, characterize, monitor and model multi-species fish spawning aggregations. Researchers hope the findings will help improve scientific understanding of spawning activity and provide information to support fisheries management decisions.

The proposed study would involve up to 120 sampling trips over four years, or approximately 30 trips annually. Trained professional captains would conduct the trips without scientists aboard, working as part of a designated study fleet.

The project also would establish advisory groups and work with fishermen to identify priority spawning locations for research. An initial group of potential sites was identified during a workshop funded through the Restore Science Program. Additional locations would be identified through meetings with small groups of fishermen in 2026 and 2027, as well as throughout the project using information from monitoring databases, bathymetric data, published and unpublished research, seasonal patterns and fishermen’s knowledge.

Read the full story at Gulf Coast Media