Saving Seafood

MAINE: Lobsters remain plentiful in Maine, but outside forces cast uncertainty on industry

September 1, 2026 — There was a time when lobsters were so abundant along the Maine coast that they could be plucked by hand from shallow water. Those days are long gone, but for most people — whose interactions with lobsters happen on plates and rolls — it might be hard to say how lobsters and the lobster industry are doing. Lobster rolls might cost more, like everything else, but they’re still available.

Lobstermen are at the mercy of a range of outside forces: economic, ecological, regulatory. Trends in the lobster harvest and its value suggest lobstering is in a healthy position right now. But zooming out to include factors such as global trade and climate change show there is much uncertainty.

In the long view, the number of lobsters coming across wharfs is way up. From 1950 until the end of the 1980s, Maine lobstermen were landing around 20 million pounds of lobster each year. Some years the amount deviated, as low as 16 million and as high as 24 million, but the catch looks pretty consistent through those four decades.

Read the full article at Harpswell Anchour

MAINE: What’s the biggest threat to the lobster industry?

September 1, 2026 — Lobstermen are under threat. They all agree on that much. The threats they describe vary from one to the next. But they are worried about their future, and the future of a livelihood that many learned from their fathers and grandfathers and want to pass to their children and grandchildren.

The risks are larger than any one lobsterman — or even the industry as a whole. Lobstering “is not only an economic driver of coastal and island communities, it is an identity of our communities,” said Kristin Garabedian, a community development officer with the Island Institute’s Center for the Marine Economy. In other words, losing lobstering would make a town like Harpswell less like Harpswell.

Most lobstermen see the biggest threats coming from outsiders pursuing their own aims without regard for the lobstermen who live and work here. Those might be wind-power proponents, whale protectors, big businesses or homebuyers.

Few, if any, see climate change as an immediate or catastrophic threat, although they are deeply in tune with the changes happening in the Gulf of Maine and are worried about human impacts on the environment they depend on.

Read the full article at Harpswell Anchor 

NEW HAMPSHIRE: New fish pier in Portsmouth officially opens, with space to scale up

August 25, 2026 — Gov. Kelly Ayotte and other dignitaries gathered in Portsmouth on Tuesday to formally cut the ribbon on a recently renovated commercial fishing pier. The structure, which was financed with pandemic-era stimulus money, replaces a dilapidated building from the late 1970s.

“New Hampshire’s whole fishing industry, it’s iconic,” said Ayotte. “It’s something that’s passed down through generations. It’s something that really defines New Hampshire and our Seacoast.”

The state set aside $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act money for the project, and spent another $240,000 in operation funds from the New Hampshire Division of Ports and Harbors. In recent years, the state has also reconstructed a nearby seawall and installed a new pier, overhauling the entire space on Peirce Island.

Read the full article at NHPR

Mel Allen: Telling the stories of New England

August 25, 2026 — For more than 50 years, Mel Allen has made a career out of telling stories about those in New England.

He has written about fishermen and island communities, sardine packers and chefs, scientists counting fish aboard NOAA research vessels, and people whose livelihoods disappeared as fisheries and working waterfronts changed around them.

So when the former longtime editor of Yankee Magazine stood before a room filled with ocean scientists, researchers, and industry partners at the 2026 Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS) Annual Meeting, he came with a message that was surprisingly simple.

Tell people a story.

“If you want people to care about something big, whether conflicts between nations, the dilemma of immigration, or our changing oceans, do not show the topic,” Allen said. “Show how people have been touched by the topic. That’s how we relate to each other.”

For NERACOOS, that message comes at an important moment.

NERACOOS helps coordinate sensors, models, data systems, and other technology used to track conditions across New England’s waters. Now, its work is expanding through the new National Science Foundation (NSF) Seafood Engine in New England, an initiative focused on supporting New England’s seafood industry.

The potentially 10-year initiative is designed to build an innovation network across the seafood supply chain, connecting work on the water with processing, distribution, and the consumer. Its focus includes environmental sensing and modeling, technology development, workforce training, and investment.

For commercial fishermen, that puts an industry accustomed to being on the receiving end of scientific data and management decisions closer to the center of a much broader effort to determine how New England seafood adapts to a changing ocean and economy.

But Allen’s keynote reminded everyone what all that technology and investment is ultimately intended to serve.

People.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

$15 million federal grant will fund fishing tech projects

August 19, 2026 — A“third eye” camera for groundfishermen and autonomous robots for lobstermen. That’s, in part, what a group of New England commercial fishing advocates, oceanographic researchers and tech companies hope to build with a $15 million federal grant.

The goal of the U.S. National Science Foundation funding, awarded in late July, is to help commercial fishermen catch better, healthier fish and bolster the region’s seafood industry from harvest to processing.

Researchers will use some of the money to further develop a camera system that allows captains and crews to see what’s swimming into their nets, before it is hauled onto the deck. The innovation could mean the difference between a net full of bycatch — fish that crews don’t want, because they’re heavily regulated, or can’t keep — and a harvest that makes money.

Other parts of the federal grant will be spent to develop autonomous robots to detect environmental conditions underwater that could lead to bringing up traps filled with dead lobsters.

The awardees also plan to use the money to figure out how to strengthen the processing side of the seafood industry, said Jake Kritzer, executive director for the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems — the organization leading the group awarded the grant — in an interview with The Light.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Launches “Flat Is Back” Campaign to Promote Local Flounder

August 19, 2026 — The following was released by Mass.gov

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) today announced the launch of the Massachusetts Flounder Chef Council, a statewide campaign celebrating locally harvested flounders. Ten participating chefs will feature the versatile New England fish on restaurant menus across the state. The council brings together ten leading Massachusetts chefs, each of whom will feature a signature dish showcasing Massachusetts flounder. The dishes will be served at participating restaurant locations across Massachusetts through September 30.

“Massachusetts fishermen harvest world-class seafood from some of the most nutrient-rich fishing grounds in the world,” said DMF Director Dan McKiernan. “The Flounder Chef Council connects that fishing heritage with today’s diners while demonstrating how choosing local flounder supports fishing families, working waterfronts and coastal communities throughout the Commonwealth.”

Massachusetts flounder is wild-caught by local fishermen in the cool waters off the New England coast. With its mild, slightly sweet flavor and delicate white flesh, flounder is quick to cook and remarkably versatile. Flounder is low in saturated fat and packs a protein punch providing essential vitamins and minerals and over 20 grams of protein for 100 calories per serving.

Although local flounder is available year-round, Massachusetts fishermen caught only a portion of the amount allowed in 2025. Unpredictable prices, competition from imported seafood and limited consumer demand can make it difficult to sell more of the available catch.Through the Flat Is Back campaign, DMF and the participating chefs hope to introduce more restaurant diners and home cooks to this versatile New England fish while creating greater demand for the local catch.

“Massachusetts flounder is a beautiful fish to cook with – it’s fresh, delicate and incredibly versatile,” said Jeremy Sewall, Chef & Owner of Row 34 and Massachusetts Flounder Chef Council member. “By putting it on our menus, we can create something memorable for diners while supporting the local fishermen and coastal communities that make Massachusetts seafood so special.”

Seafood Harvesters of America Releases National Policy Roadmap to Strengthen U.S. Seafood Competitiveness

July 16, 2026 — The following was released by Seafood Harvesters of America:

Seafood Harvesters of America today released the Fisheries Leadership and National Policy Forum Report, a national roadmap outlining priorities to strengthen the competitiveness of the U.S. seafood industry while building on America’s global leadership in science-based fisheries management.

The report is the result of Seafood Harvesters of America’s inaugural Fisheries Leadership and National Policy Forum, which brought together seafood industry leaders, senior officials from the White House, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, State, and Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other federal agencies, and representatives from Congress, to assess the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. seafood sector.

“This was truly a first-of-its-kind convening of government and seafood industry leaders,” said Hannah Heimbuch, a commercial fisherman and Board President of Seafood Harvesters of America. “It was a landmark gathering, built around a shared commitment to strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. seafood and growing America’s global leadership in sustainable, science-based fisheries management. It was clear throughout these discussions that maintaining a strong U.S. seafood industry will require coordinated leadership, strategic investment, and continued collaboration across government and the seafood sector. This report provides a roadmap for turning that commitment into action.”

The report is intended to serve as a resource for Congress, the Administration, federal agencies, and industry leaders as they work together to strengthen the future of U.S. seafood and America’s working waterfronts.

About Seafood Harvesters of America

Seafood Harvesters of America is the leading national organization representing seafood producers from across the United States. The organization advances science-based fisheries management and advocates for policies that strengthen the sustainability, competitiveness, and long-term resilience of the U.S. seafood industry.