Saving Seafood

July 15, 2026 — The U.S. government has redefined the meaning of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), no longer considering damage to a species’ habitat as harming its chance of survival. The change could have a massive impact on U.S. commercial fishers, who often are tasked with avoiding habitats listed under the ESA to harvest fish and shellfish. Read the full article at SeafoodSource

July 14, 2026 — Commercial and recreational salmon fishing has resumed off the North Coast after a three-year statewide closure, marking a long-awaited milestone for a troubled industry that has endured historic losses in revenue and resources. Charter captains are reporting abundant catches out of Bodega Bay, and commercial boats up and down the coast are again unloading hauls of the prized West Coast staple for the first time since 2022.

July 14, 2026 — The longfin squid that ends up on your plate as calamari may have been caught in Rhode Island, but it’s likely traveled to China and back again for processing before being served. That example is illustrative of what’s known as the “seafood deficit,” a roughly $20 billion trade deficit due to the U.S. importing 80% to 90% of the seafood it consumes.

July 14, 2026 — On Friday morning, the 10th day of the summer king salmon troll opening, the catch was less than half of the harvest target of 83,700, fishery officials said. The opening, which was initially projected to last seven to ten days, will continue until further notice. Department of Fish and Game troll fishery management biologist Grant Hagerman said that since July 1 fish abundance, fleet effort and catch rate have been low.

July 14, 2026 — The Fulton Fish Market has received USD 25 million (EUR 21.9 million) in funding from the New York City Council, which it plans to use to modernize its operations. In early July, District 17 New York City Council Member Justin Sanchez, who oversees areas of the Southern Bronx including Hunts Point where the market is located, led the charge in securing the funding as part of the council’s USD 125.8 billion (EUR 110.1 billion) budget it recently passed for its 2027 fiscal year.

July 14, 2026 — A working group of nations that commercially harvest Pacific bluefin tuna concluded its July meeting without agreeing on new management measures to be implemented in 2027. “For much of the last decade, Pacific bluefin management showed that when governments work together, they can bring a severely overfished species back from the brink of collapse.

July 14, 2026 — The New England Aquarium has opened a new exhibit to educate the public on local marine life. The recently opened New England Harbor exhibit explores harbor life, highlighting how eco-friendly science and design can help cities like Boston “stay resilient,” while allowing animals to thrive, the nonprofit said in a July 13 press release. The 1,000-gallon exhibit on the aquarium’s third floor presents hermit crabs, deep-sea scallops, sea cucumbers and other local marine life.

July 13, 2026 — The cameras are rolling again on Georges Bank, where NOAA Fisheries scientists are collecting millions of images of the seafloor to help shape future management of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. The agency’s annual Habitat Camera, or HabCam, survey completed its second leg in late May after spending nine days photographing the seafloor across Nantucket Lightship, the Great South Channel and Georges Bank, roughly 60 to 100 miles offshore.

July 13, 2026 – – The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is touting its designation of National Scallops Day, the opening of the Northern Edge of Georges Bank to scallop fishing, and permit stacking as a means of boosting the fishery.

July 13, 2026 — The intense marine heat wave conditions that began roiling the Bering Sea in about 2016 resulted in the lowest winter sea ice extent measured in 150 years, widespread bird and marine mammal die-offs, a drastic shift in fish populations and a crash of snow crab stocks. Now new research is tying the marine heat wave to the recent collapse of Yukon River Chinook salmon.