Saving Seafood

WASHINGTON: Commercial and recreational Dungeness crabbers tussle over finite resource

August 10, 2026 — As long as crabbers and state officials can remember, Puget Sound’s Dungeness crab season is nothing short of an ordeal. As tribal commercial, state commercial and recreational crabbers divvy up a finite resource, no one is 100% satisfied with harvest shares, enforcement or scheduling.

Hank Vanderhage, the president of Bellingham Puget Sound Anglers, an organization of recreational fishers and crabbers, said recreational crabbers are at the center of the discontent due to timing, harvest habits and their reporting — or lack of — to the state.

“There is a real tension between recreational and everybody else,” he said.

Tribes have long scrutinized recreational crabbers’ record of low catch-reporting rates; in 2024, only 43% of recreational crabbers reported their catch, leaving their impact on the population uncertain. By law, tribes and nontribal communities in the states split the available harvest 50/50, a ratio established in long-held treaties and upheld in state and federal court cases after the “fish wars” of the 1960s and 1970s.

The number of Dungeness crabs available for harvest is agreed on each year between tribes and the state.

The agreed-upon harvest right is then split equally between tribes and others. The state portion is further divided between recreational and commercial fishers. All three groups are required to report their harvest on a catch reporting card (CRC), tracking what each caught, where and when.

Read the full article at Cascadia Daily News

Public will get to weigh in on proposed changes to Chesapeake Bay menhaden harvest

August 7, 2026 — Officials who regulate the Atlantic menhaden industry have debated in recent years how to balance the historic fishery in the Chesapeake Bay with growing concerns about the ecosystem.

On Wednesday, they took their latest step. The Menhaden Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission advanced a document for public comment with potential changes to harvesting menhaden in the bay.

The commission helps manage fisheries along the East Coast, including 15 states from Florida to Maine.

The proposal outlines options for cutting the amount of menhaden the industry can catch by up to 50% and spreading the harvest more evenly throughout the season.

Ocean Harvesters, the company that harvests menhaden in the bay, said in a statement that the proposal is “a solution in search of a problem.”

“The addendum assembles observations, uncertainties and hypotheticals but never demonstrates that Chesapeake Bay menhaden availability has declined because of the reduction fishery or that the proposed measures would produce any biological benefit,” the company stated.

Ocean Harvesters, which operates a fishing fleet to supply Omega Protein, harvests up to 51,000 metric tons of menhaden in the bay each year using large walls of netting called purse seines. Omega processes, or “reduces,” them into fishmeal and fish oil at a plant in Reedville.

Environmentalists and sportfishers believe purse seines are removing too many menhaden, affecting species that rely on them, such as striped bass and osprey. They want the reduction industry to be banned from the bay or more heavily restricted.

The public comment period will run through September and October, with the board meeting again in November to consider final approval, according to the commission’s website.

Read the full article at WHRO

ASMFC Coastal Pelagics Board Sets Atlantic Cobia Total Harvest Quota and Recreational Measures for 2027 Fishing Season

August 5, 2026 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:
The Commission’s Coastal Pelagics Management Board approved a total harvest quota of 80,112 fish and status quo recreational management measures for the Atlantic migratory group of cobia for the 2027 fishing season. This total quota results in a coastwide recreational quota of 76,908 fish and commercial quota of 73,116 pounds for 2027.  
 
The total quota level of 80,112 fish per year has been the same since 2020 and is based on the results of the 2020 benchmark stock assessment. The Board has maintained this quota given the absence of updated stock projections and considering the recent underutilization of recreational quota .
 
A new Atlantic cobia stock assessment is currently underway and scheduled to be completed in mid-2027. The Board intends to use the new assessment to inform total harvest quotas and management measures for 2028 and beyond. 
 
For more information, please contact Emilie Franke, FMP Coordinator, at efranke@asmfc.org.

NOAA Fisheries Sets Management Measures for Northeast Multispecies

August 4, 2026 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is approving Framework 72 developed by the New England Fishery Management Council that sets or adjusts catch limits for Northeast multispecies (groundfish) stocks for the 2026 fishing year (May 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027), including the three stocks managed jointly with Canada. Framework 72 revises catch limits of 12 groundfish stocks based upon the results of stock assessments conducted in 2025 and are intended to help prevent overfishing and rebuild overfished stocks. It revises status determination criteria for Georges Bank yellowtail and modifies the process for the Regional Administrator to set recreational management measures for Atlantic cod and haddock stocks that do not have a recreational allocation.

We are accepting public comment on this interim final rule as published in the Federal Register and submit your comments through the online portal. The comment period is open through September 3, 2026.

Questions?
Industry: Contact Liz Sullivan, Regional Office, 978-282-8493

Media: Contact GARFO Public Affairs

WASHINGTON: Rise of the Black Cod, Once seldom sought, sablefish becomes a best seller in Ilwaco

August 3, 2026 — A once seldom-sought deepwater fish is rapidly rising to the top of local seafood demand.

Sablefish — also known as black cod, butterfish, skil, beshow or coalfish — are a deepwater species native to the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. They are a tasty source of protein, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fetch a high price in local markets.

“Black cod is the thing we’re really bringing in right now,” said Eryn Domeyer, director of operations of Tre-Fin Seafood Market, now in their fourth year of operation at 213 First Ave. in Ilwaco. “It’s kind of unlike anything else — it’s incredible.”

Going deep

Sablefish are commonly caught off the Washington coast by commercial harvesters using otter-trawls, jig handline and longline gear, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

They are a robust fish with an elongate body and two dorsal fins, capable of growing to over 30 inches in length and living to more than 90 years.

They are often referred to as black cod, even though they are not actually part of the cod family, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Adults are blackish or greenish gray above, usually with slightly paler blotches or a chainlike pattern on the upper back and more pale below. The Washington state record black cod is 30 pounds, caught off the coast of Grays Harbor County in 1994 by Jeff Rudolph.

The fish range from Japan north into the Bering Sea and south through Alaska and British Columbia to Mexico, with highest concentrations in Alaska. Adults can be found on mud bottoms in depths of 300 to 1,500 meters (984 to 4,900 feet).

Sablefish have been identified as a potential species for commercial farming in the Pacific Northwest, according to NOAA Fisheries, where they are the target of a sustainably managed commercial and recreational fishery. The United States currently does not produce farmed sablefish, but researchers are experimenting with raising them in hopes of creating a viable commercial aquaculture industry.

Read the full article at Chinook Observer

Search for old female rockfish sends Oregon scientists to inactive underwater volcano

August 3, 2026 — Oregon scientists have headed to an inactive underwater volcano in search of rare fish.

The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Marine Fisheries Research Team left Newport on Saturday to begin their journey 322 miles left of the state’s north coast, the agency recently announced. Officials said Cobb Seamount is their destination, where they hope to locate old female rockfish.

ODFW reported the team is specifically looking for black, canary and yellowtail fish.

Those particular species are mostly comprised of male fish as they age, according to the department. Researchers also noted older fish have only been found in commercial or recreational fisheries on few occasions.

Read the full article at KOIN

Gulf partnerships shape the future of commercial fisheries

July 31, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries is highlighting decades of collaboration between commercial fishermen, state agencies and federal fishery managers as a driving force behind sustainable fisheries and stronger coastal economies in the Gulf of America, part of an eight-part series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. According to NOAA, the Gulf supports the nation’s second-largest commercial fishing revenue and a $20 billion annual fishing economy, with partnerships across the region helping balance commercial and recreational fisheries management.

The feature points to several examples of collaborative management, including improvements to fisheries data collection, joint fishery-independent surveys and coordinated efforts between NOAA Fisheries, the Gulf Fishery Management Council and Gulf states.

One example is the Gulf Fishery Independent Survey of Habitat and Ecosystem Resources (G-FISHER), launched through a partnership between NOAA Fisheries and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. Since standardizing survey methods in 2019, annual sampling has expanded from roughly 600 to 700 sites to approximately 2,000 sites each year. NOAA says the data have supported 37 stock assessments covering 20 species.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

New bill would block commercial red snapper sales whenever federal waters are closed to the public

July 30, 2026 — Anglers along the Crystal Coast and Outer Banks could soon see a major shift in federal fishing rules.

A new federal bill, the South Atlantic Red Snapper Fair Access Act, would fix what local fishermen call a broken system. Right now, North Carolina recreational anglers are locked into tiny, one- or two-day seasons, while commercial harvesting continues for months.

Read the full article at PRE

Can killing seals save salmon? Conservationists and Washington lawmakers disagree

July 23, 2026 — A marine wildlife hospital based in the Pacific Northwest is worried about an alarming trend: seals coming to them alive, but gravely injured.

Earlier this month, the organization treated its third seal in less than a year with a gunshot wound. That seal pup, named Waffles, was found over Fourth of July weekend. It had to be euthanized once it was determined its injuries were too severe.

“It’s not uncommon for us to see animals that have been shot,” said Casey Mclean, executive director and veterinary nurse at SR3 SeaLife Response + Rehab + Research. “Historically, we often found those animals dead. Now we’re starting to see more of them alive and suffering from gunshot injuries.”This trend, Mclean believes, is being fueled by misinformation about the role marine mammals play in Washington’s continually struggling salmon populations.

Her concern is amplified by a congressional bipartisan bill from two Washington lawmakers, U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, a Republican, and U.S. Rep. Emily Randall, a Democrat. The Northwest Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act (H.R. 9621) would expand the ability of federal, state, and tribal authorities to remove seals and sea lions, known collectively as pinnipeds, from Washington waters in an effort to boost salmon recovery.

In statements to KING 5, both sponsors of the bill lambasted the shooting of the seal pup as illegal, but insisted it should not be confused with what they’re proposing.

“Joe Schmo or any person off the streets shouldn’t be shooting seals or sea lions,” Randall said. “What we have proposed is a robust process to figure out how we can have responsible management of a population that’s decimating our salmon.”

“No one should be illegally poaching sea lions,” Baumgartner said. “I hope the perpetrator is identified and brought to justice. This does not have anything to do with my bipartisan bill to try to save and restore our endangered salmon populations.”

Supporters of the proposal, like the representatives, argue reducing pinnipeds could help struggling salmon populations. However, critics like Mclean say the bill ignores more significant threats to salmon and risks repeating decades-old mistakes in wildlife management.

Read the full article at KUOW

US Senate bill would provide more funding for restoring salmon along the San Joaquin River

July 20, 2026 — The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced legislation providing additional funding for restoring salmon in the San Joaquin River, clearing the bill for a vote from the full Senate.

If passed into law, the bill would triple the cap on funding available under the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act from USD 250 million (EUR 219 million) to USD 750 million (EUR 656 million). The original legislation was passed in 2009 as part of a settlement ending an 18-year-long lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, which blamed government policy and dam operators for causing local extinction of spring-run Chinook salmon in the San Joaquin River.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource