Saving Seafood

September 5, 2026 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council: Where can large fishing vessels operate around American Samoa? How much bottomfish can be sustainably caught there in the coming years? What science will guide the future of fishing in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands? These are some of the questions the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will discuss Sept. 8–10, 2026, in Honolulu.

September 5, 2026 — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has rejected a challenge to turtle excluder device (TED) requirements in Louisiana, upholding a lower court ruling.

September 5, 2026 — University of Alaska Fairbanks-based Alaska Sea Grant launched the Alaska Oyster Voyage this summer, encouraging patrons to both taste and log different oysters across the state from varying vendors. The program is in partnership with the Alaska Shellfish Growers Association.

September 5, 2026 — McLean, Virginia, U.S.A.-based seafood nonprofit Seafood Task Force (STF) recently launched a first-of-its-kind risk-based assurance and remediation program on hundreds of tuna vessels to improve traceability and labor conditions. According to a release by STF, the program was developed to improve social responsibility challenges facing tuna vessels, especially in high-sea fishing fleets.

September 5, 2026 — Commercial fishermen hoping to overturn massive catch cuts in the Gulf of America just hit a wall in federal court. Longtime Gulf fishermen Dominick and James Russo took the federal government to court after fishery managers slashed gag grouper harvest limits by roughly 86 percent.

September 3, 2026 — Just past sunrise on a warm August morning, Northeastern University marine science professor David Kimbro stood ankle-deep in the waters of Plum Island Sound. He carried what resembled a stack of white pizza boxes — only they were made of PVC and had black mesh on top. Once the tide dropped, Kimbro and his team rushed to swap the boxes for others that had been sitting in the mud for a month.

September 3, 2026 — From Gulf Coast shrimpers’ lips to the Trump administration’s ear, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced an extensive set of priorities for reforming the nation’s fisheries on Wednesday, a so-called “operational roadmap” to unshackle what the administration views as a lucrative and essential but unnecessarily burdened industry.

September 3, 2026 — The U.S. House has passed a bill that would delay the start of new federal regulations intended to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. The bill, known as the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act, would extend an existing moratorium on new federal rules for fishermen until 2035. The current moratorium, which was championed by Maine’s congressional delegation and inserted into a 2023 budget measure, is set to lift at the end of 2028.

September 3, 2026 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will use $64 million in federal disaster funding to rebuild its historic Beaufort Laboratory after hurricane-related structural damage forced the facility to close permanently for safety reasons. The project will be funded through the 2025 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, with design and preconstruction work expected to begin in early 2027.

September 3, 2026 — A new tool to measure environmental conditions in the Gulf of Maine off New Hampshire’s shoreline is now up and running. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire and partners deployed acoustic and oceanographic sensors near the Isles of Shoals. The system is the first of its kind on the East Coast. Located 10 miles offshore and 3 miles east of Appledore Island, the system will transmit oceanographic and acoustic data in real time.