Saving Seafood

GEORGIA: NOAA says snapper permits top priority locally in ‘America-first’ seafood strategy

July 8, 2026 — A new federal push could have a big impact on fishermen in Coastal Georgia and the Lowcountry.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association announced a new “America First” seafood strategy aimed at boosting the U.S. seafood industry July 2. The plan focuses on supporting commercial fishermen, cutting regulations and expanding access to domestic seafood.

For the South Atlantic region, which includes Georgia and South Carolina, NOAA officials said its priorities are to revise the Snapper Grouper permit policies and support state agency led exempted permits for red snapper.

Read the full article at WSAV

NOAA identifies six foreign governments engaging in IUU fishing, including Russia and China

July 7, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has identified six nations engaged in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing based on the activities of those foreign governments from 2022 through 2024.

Every two years, the agency sends a report to Congress identifying which countries are engaged in IUU fishing, which countries have adequate shark protections, and which countries have forced labor present in their seafood supply chains. NOAA Fisheries also issues certifications based on what actions countries identified in past reports have done to address the problems raised by the agency.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

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

NOAA Fisheries Administrator Issues Statement on Reducing Burdens on Domestic Fishing and Increasing Production

July 2, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler today issued a statement outlining the agency’s priorities for reducing regulatory burdens on domestic fishermen and increasing U.S. seafood production. The statement was released in response to President Trump’s Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness and followed input from 787 individuals and organizations, along with action plans submitted by regional fishery management councils. Piñeiro Soler said NOAA Fisheries is prioritizing actions intended to reduce burdens on domestic fishing, increase production, stabilize markets, improve access, and enhance the profitability of U.S. fishing businesses.

The statement includes highlights by region, with priority actions identified for New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the South Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Gulf of America, the Pacific, the North Pacific, the Western Pacific, and Highly Migratory Species. In New England, priorities include implementing rotational access for the Northern Edge scallop fishery, implementing scallop permit stacking, rescinding industry-funded monitoring requirements, deprioritizing ropeless-gear requirements, evaluating vessel baseline restrictions with the Mid-Atlantic Council, and considering reopening the Great South Channel habitat management area to surf clam operations.

In the Mid-Atlantic, NOAA Fisheries said it will evaluate vessel baseline restrictions with the New England Council, consider joint council management for squid, mackerel, and butterfish, and deprioritize ropeless-gear requirements. South Atlantic priorities include revising Snapper Grouper permit policies, supporting state agency-led exempted fishing permits for red snapper, and addressing shark and dolphin depredation. For the Caribbean, NOAA identified actions involving territorial management of spiny lobster and queen conch, accountability measures for pelagic stocks and spiny lobster, review of certain marine protected areas, and state-federal regulatory compatibility.

In the Gulf of America, the agency identified refinements to Individual Fishing Quota participation requirements and rulemaking to extend provisions of the DESCEND Act. Pacific priorities include reconsidering redundant shoreside catch monitors and revising Pacific sardine stock definitions. In the North Pacific, NOAA identified review of Steller sea lion closure boundaries, elimination of the 2 percent IFQ deduction for bled sablefish, and rulemaking related to small sablefish voluntary release and maximum retainable amount calculations. Western Pacific priorities include changes to longline turtle measures and swordfish retention limits. For Highly Migratory Species, NOAA said it will review weak hook requirements in the Gulf and retention rules for dead bluefin tuna under 73 inches, and reconsider upgrading restrictions for swordfish handgear limited access permits.

The full statement is reproduced below:

I have served in my role as assistant administrator of NOAA Fisheries for just over a year. In that time, I have prioritized meeting with members and leadership of each regional fishery management council and participating in as many council meetings as possible. I have done so because I truly believe in our democratic council process and have tremendous respect for the work they do and the expertise they bring to it. I learn something from each meeting I join and each constituent I speak with, but there is a common thread: Fishermen just want to fish, and they are asking for our support in overcoming the barriers preventing them from doing so.

The United States is a global leader in sustainable fisheries management. Our participatory, science-based system under 50 years of the Magnuson-Stevens Act has shown that we know how to rebuild stocks and keep them healthy. But despite this foundation, our seafood sector has faced growing pressure from global competition and evolving market demands. Americans want American seafood, but our landings have decreased since 2019. We need to put U.S. seafood first.

In fisheries, as in life, results are what matter. That is why I am eager to share the regulatory actions we have prioritized in response to the President’s Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness. We received input from 787 individuals and organizations, as well as detailed action plans from each of the regional fishery management councils. I believe this volume of input underscores the urgency of our shared mission and I am grateful to everyone who contributed.

After considering all input from councils, fishing industry, and the public, we have prioritized actions—many of which align with Council identified priorities—we believe will reduce burdens on domestic fishing, increase production, stabilize markets, improve access, and enhance economic profitability. 


Highlights by Region


New England

  • Implement rotational access for the Northern Edge scallop fishery
  • Implement Scallop Permit Stacking
  • Rescind Industry Funded Monitoring requirements
  • Deprioritize advancing requirements for ropeless gear
  • Evaluate vessel baseline restrictions (in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Council)
  • Consider reopening the Great South Channel habitat management area to surfclam operations

Mid-Atlantic

  • Evaluate vessel baseline restrictions (in conjunction with the New England Council)
  • Consider joint council management for squid, mackerel, and butterfish
  • Deprioritize advancing requirements for ropeless gear

South Atlantic

  • Revise Snapper Grouper (SG1) permit policies (Amendment 60) 
  • Support state agency-led exempted fishing permits for red snapper
  • Address shark and dolphin depredation

Caribbean

  • Shift spiny lobster and queen conch to territorial management
  • Revise accountability measures for pelagic stocks and spiny lobster
  • Review effectiveness of marine protected areas (e.g., Tourmaline Bank, Abrir La Sierra)
  • State-federal regulatory compatibility review

Gulf of America

  • Refine Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) participation requirements (Amendments 59A/59B)
  • Prioritize rulemaking to extend provisions of the DESCEND Act

Pacific

  • Reconsider redundant shoreside catch monitors
  • Revise Pacific sardine stock definitions

North Pacific

  • Review Steller sea lion closure boundaries
  • Eliminate 2 percent IFQ deduction for bled sablefish 
  • Prioritize rulemaking for small sablefish voluntary release and maximum retainable amount calculations

Western Pacific

  • Remove shallow-set longline leatherback hard cap and strike two turtle trip limit
  • Remove swordfish retention limit in deep-set longline fishery
  • Remove American Samoa longline turtle mitigation measure 

Highly Migratory Species

  • Review weak hook requirements in the Gulf and retention of dead bluefin tuna less than 73 inches
  • Reconsider upgrading restrictions for swordfish handgear limited access permit

Identifying and implementing these actions are critical steps in our efforts to fulfill the President’s vision of making the United States the world’s dominant seafood leader. I am grateful for our partnership with the councils and for the thorough analysis provided by their members, advisors, and extensive stakeholder engagement. I urge them to further maximize our regulatory efficiency by systematically assessing current Fishery Management Plans, and considering the removal of species that no longer require conservation and management. As stated in the Seafood Executive Order, I strongly encourage the council to collaborate with NOAA Fisheries on the expanded and continued use of Exempted Fishing Permits as an agile management tool to test gear innovations, enhance value-added quality, explore additional fishing opportunities, and safely increase domestic production. In some instances, these priorities may implicate other statutory requirements. Where that applies, NOAA Fisheries will work with the councils to determine how best to advance an action.

Complementing these efforts, NOAA Fisheries is actively evaluating internal actions to support these reforms. As I have said at many of the council meetings I have attended, “I will be back, and I want to come back with good news.” These are the types of actions that will keep the industry moving, and that’s why I do this job: to make sure we do things better. I look forward to advancing these vital reforms together with our councils and all who want to propel our industry.

Eugenio Piñeiro Soler
Assistant Administrator, NOAA Fisheries

A new job for sharks: Oceanographers improving climate forecasts

June 9, 2026 — A mighty predator of the sea, capable of traveling vast distances and diving thousands of feet deep, may become a valuable tool in helping forecast climate change.

In a new study, University of Miami Rosenstiel School researchers found that sensors usually attached to sharks to investigate their behavior can also allow scientists to track temperature changes in parts of the oceans often inaccessible to satellites and drifters pulled by currents. Using mako and blue sharks, among the most nomadic of sharks, scientists were able to fill in data gaps and improve some forecasts by as much as 40%.

”What we ended up seeing is what we’re calling model improvements in shallow areas, in the Slope Sea [in the Northwest Atlantic] and along the continental shelf,” said Laura McDonnell, lead author and now a researcher at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Read the full article at WLRN

At world’s largest shark conference, scientists warn of a grim outlook across the board

May 14, 2026 — More than 800 researchers and conservationists gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, from May 4-8 for Sharks International, the world’s largest shark conference.

Presenters shared research and insights on the global trade in sharks, the plight of rays, and a range of conservation measures, including rewilding initiatives, improving marine protected area effectiveness, and the bolstering of monitoring and enforcement systems to protect threatened species.

Overfishing has halved shark and ray populations since 1970. Today, more than a third of species are threatened with extinction.

Meat trade comes into focus

Scientists from around the world debuted new research on the trade in shark and ray meat, a major driver of fishing pressure.

For years, the meat trade flew under the radar as attention centered on fins, pound for pound the most valuable part of the shark. But overall, the meat trade is actually worth more, valued at $2.6 billion from 2012-2019, versus $1.5 billion for the fin trade, according to a 2021 WWF report.

Researchers from Dalhousie University in Canada shared preliminary findings from a big-data project aimed at understanding which species of sharks and rays, collectively known as elasmobranchs, are being landed and where they are traded.

These dynamics have largely eluded researchers, as the commodity codes governing the trade allow shipments to be labeled merely as “shark” or “ray.” Moreover, only 29% of shark and ray landing data that countries share with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is reported to species level, according to the researchers.

The Dalhousie project, “Uncovering the Global Shark Meat Trade,” plans to publish species-level estimates for landings and trade flows by country in an upcoming paper for Science, now under peer review.

Among the more surprising findings: the U.S. is a major ray exporter; South Korea is the largest elasmobranch importer on the strength of its appetite for skates, a type of ray; and India, Indonesia and Mexico are the largest apparent consumers of elasmobranch meat.

The paper will also indicate which countries are underreporting landings, according to project leader Aaron MacNeil.

“More than 50% of the underreporting of species that happens to FAO happens just with five countries … Nigeria, Japan, Indonesia, China and Argentina,” MacNeil said during a talk at the conference.

Read the full article at Mongabay

NOAA Fisheries determines some tope sharks should be listed under the ESA

April 24, 2026 — NOAA Fisheries has determined that some tope shark populations should be protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) but others are at no risk of extinction.

“After reviewing the best scientific and commercial data available, we have determined that this species is comprised of six distinct population segments (DPSs) and that two, the Southern Africa and Southwest Atlantic DPSs, are likely to become in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of their ranges in the foreseeable future,” the agency said in announcing the decision on the federal register. “We have also determined that the remaining four DPSs – the Northeast Atlantic, [Northeast] Pacific, [Southwest] Pacific, and Southeast Pacific DPSs – do not meet the definition of a threatened or endangered species under Section 4(a) of the ESA and therefore do not warrant listing under the ESA.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

HAWAII: Stop! Thief! Sharks Are Taking A Larger Bite Of Hawaiʻi Fishermen’s Catch

March 10, 2026 — In recent years, local small-boat fishers who pursue prized bottomfish such as ehu, onaga and the red opakapaka that’s popular on table spreads across Hawaiʻi each New Year’s have seen a troubling spike in sharks that swoop in and tear their catch off the hook.

“They’re basically losing money because they can’t bring in the fish,” said Phil Fernandez, president of the advocacy group Hawaiʻi Fishermen’s Alliance for Conservation and Tradition. “The fish markets won’t buy a fish that has a bite on it.”

The growing incidents, known as shark depredation, have grown so common in Hawaiʻi’s coastal waters and other parts of the Pacific, he said, that many of those bottomfishers, trollers and others who rely on the catch for their livelihood are on the verge of giving up the trade.

Some fishers call such depredation “paying the tax man,” and the tax is growing. Reports indicate sharks now bite off catch in at least 1 of every 4 licensed fishing trips out on Hawaiian waters. The rates are currently at their highest on record in the 20 or so years the state has been collecting that data, aquatic biologist Bryan Ishida said.

Various shark repellents that exploit the animals’ aversion to certain chemicals, electric charges and magnetic fields are already for sale and used by ocean swimmers and fishers in other regions, such as Florida, where recreational fishing is a big draw.

However, researchers and fishers in the Pacific have only just started testing those repellents to see which types and designs might work best locally. So far, the results have been mixed.

“Personally, I didn’t really know anything about the Western Pacific, and so I would love to get out there and test,” said Eric Stroud, a managing partner with the research and development company SharkDefense, which makes chemical repellents.

Read the full article at Civil Beats

Fishermen and Scientists Unite to Tackle Shark Depredation in the Pacific Islands

February 20, 2026 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, in partnership with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group, hosted the region’s first shark depredation workshop Feb. 10–11, 2026, to address the issue and develop mitigation strategies for U.S. Pacific Island fisheries. Fifty-two participants from four countries and all three U.S. Pacific Island territories attended.

Shark depredation was repeatedly raised during the Council’s community consultation meetings held region-wide in 2025. Fishers described lost catch, damaged gear and safety concerns during bottomfishing and trolling—what many called a growing “tax” on their livelihoods. The issue was highlighted in Moloka‘i, Kaua‘i, Wai‘anae, Kona, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Manu‘a Islands, where fishers reported more frequent interactions both nearshore and offshore. Fishermen from American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Hawai‘i shared firsthand accounts and the need for practical solutions.

Plenary presentations reviewed trends in shark interactions across the Pacific Islands, the effectiveness and limitations of commercially available deterrent technologies, and the complex regulatory landscape governing shark interactions. Breakout sessions and an evening forum brought fishermen, scientists, managers and technology developers together to identify cost-effective fishing adaptations, priority research gaps and governance challenges linked to environmental change.

Participants described depredation as an increasingly significant economic and operational burden, including longer trips to replace fish. In some fisheries, fishers reported losing up to 50% of their catch in certain instances, along with growing “operational fatigue” from repeated shark encounters.

Fishers also discussed on-the-water strategies to reduce depredation—moving spots frequently to avoid shark aggregation, avoiding chumming or cleaning fish on the grounds, and using high-speed electric reels to bring fish to the surface quickly. Technology discussions included magnetic and electrical devices, as well as chemical repellents, with participants weighing cost, durability and species-specific performance.

“We need to catch the fish; if it works, it works regardless of scientific backing,” said Hawai‘i fisherman Eddie Ebisui III, who volunteered to test deterrent options in real-world conditions.

American Samoa participant Vincent Tofilau said the workshop “provided a ground-breaking platform for scientists and fishermen” and laid the foundation for future regional collaboration.

Recommendations emphasized fishermen must be active partners in solutions and that improved data are needed to better understand the scale of depredation and its impacts on commercial, noncommercial and subsistence fisheries.

Key recommendations included:

  • Improve regionwide reporting and data collection on depredation events, including fish lost to sharks, number of hooked sharks and socio-economic costs, using simple and non-burdensome tools and building on existing surveys and programs.
  • Coordinate near-term, cooperative field testing of deterrent technologies with fishermen and share results across islands; evaluate cost, durability and species-specific performance and consider combinations of deterrents and adaptive fishing practices.
  • Expand localized research to better understand shark abundance and behavior by island areas and U.S. exclusive economic zones, and ensure assessments and management decisions reflect local conditions. This could expand capabilities for managing sharks in fisheries.
  • Improve clarity and consistency among federal, state and territorial regulations to allow harvest of shark species with healthy populations, and explore funding mechanisms (e.g., grants or subsidies) that can help fishermen adopt mitigation measures where regulations limit responses to depredation.

The Council will hear a report on workshop outcomes at its 206th meeting on March 24-26, 2026. Participants urged the agencies, universities and community organizations to identify a lead entity to champion this issue and to convene a follow-up workshop within 6–12 months to review progress and share results from on-the-water deterrent trials. Participants also recommended expanding future discussions to include additional stakeholders, such as shark tourism operators, alongside fishers, scientists and managers.

Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds pointed out the lack of funding through industry cooperative research and development programs such as the Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) grant program. “S-K funding comes from 30% of customs receipts on imported fish products, which generates hundreds of millions of dollars each year, but only about $10 million is available to fishermen through grants. That’s a drop in the bucket of the support the program was intended to provide.”

The S-K Act requires at least 60% of funds be used for direct industry assistance grants benefiting the fishing community.

CITES adds broad protections for sharks, nixes proposals on eels and sea cucumbers

December 2, 2025 — The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has enacted sweeping new trade protections for sharks and rays while nixing proposals to do the same for sea cucumbers and eels at the 20th conference of parties (COP20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

CITES is meeting from 24 November through 5 December and discussing over 100 proposals that could shift trade rules for species. Seven of those proposals concerned aquatic species, with three – eels, sharks, and sea cucumbers – drawing concern from the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA).

Read the full article at SeafoodSource