Saving Seafood

September 5, 2026 — Has El Niño reached the West Coast? You might think it has. After all, the ocean off Southern and Central California is unusually warm. But that is from a recent marine heatwave predates the current El Niño. Much of the Pacific Coast is experiencing relatively normal conditions while still awaiting the impacts of what could be a very strong El Niño. In June, NOAA’s National Weather Service declared that El Niño had developed.

September 5, 2026 — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is backing legislation that would expand the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) in federal fish stock assessments, potentially giving fisheries managers another tool to collect more frequent and comprehensive data. According to Cornell University, the Fisheries Science Modernization Act would direct NOAA to test and validate eDNA technologies for use alongside existing fishery assessment methods.

September 6, 2026 — Massive bluefin tuna are being reeled in off Northern California in numbers local fishermen say they rarely see. Dustin Barbane, who runs D&D Fishing Company out of Richmond, said crews are seeing bluefin feeding aggressively near the surface. “We’re seeing them foaming, or busting up on anchovies,” Barbane said. “They’re eating bait on the surface.” Bluefin tuna generally favor warmer water, and fishermen say this year’s catches have been unusually strong.

September 5, 2026 — A federal appeals court ⁠said ⁠a council created by Congress ⁠to help the U.S. commerce secretary manage the nation’s fisheries exercised ​unconstitutional powers, but refused to strike down a rule limiting the catch of a Gulf of ‌Mexico fish.

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.