Fisheries

The population of extremely endangered North Atlantic right whales has fallen even further in the last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Monday.

How the DFO implementation of the Marshall decision dealt a blow to both Indigenous self-governance and community-based fishing.

Research shows that typical seafood distribution in the United States dropped steeply at the start of the global pandemic

Grant funds continue to flow into the Maine commercial lobster fishery on the heels of $2 million research grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative announced in September.

Spring-run Chinook salmon, critical to Indigenous fishers along the Klamath River, are in steep decline. But two recent developments may offer a path to their recovery.

A new generation of autonomous vessels is looking to catch illegal fishers in the act.

Federal Government Policies and Investments to Rebuild the Blue Economy are Failing Due to Lack of Implementation

Marine Protected Areas will drastically increase production from fisheries in a more sustainable way

Dozens of North Carolina residents and a recreational fishing advocacy group have filed a lawsuit against state regulators over what they call “abject failure” to “properly manage” the state’s coastal resources.

Low prices, an oddly timed sockeye run and another year of very poor Kenai king returns combined to result in one of the worst Upper Cook Inlet commercial fishing seasons on record.

The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is fielding attacks from two recreational fishing groups, alleging the agency exhibits “abject failure in properly managing the state’s coastal fisheries resources.”

The threat of criminal activity in the fisheries sector has concerned the international community for a number of years.

If violence is not to become an annual event, the legal issues surrounding lobster fishing need to be resolved

A new study suggests the marine mammal can recover naturally if illegal fishing is eliminated

Maine's fishermen are concerned about potential closure of fishing grounds under new federal rules being considered for right whale protections.

Shellfish such as scallops, mussels and oysters – bivalve molluscs – readily take up tiny specs of metals into their tissues and shells.

A growing conflict over Louisiana’s but largest but perhaps least-known commercial fishery came to a head this week when state leaders rejected a plan to restrict large-scale menhaden fishing near the state’s coastline.

The economic and human shocks of the coronavirus pandemic could be a crucial window of opportunity for the global seafood sector.

Market pressure and an Australian proposal could shift policy at upcoming IOTC meeting

MONTEREY — With catch limit regulations staying at the status quo, the commercial fishing industry has apparently landed a victory in the fight over Pacific sardine management.

Newly published research has unveiled remarkable insight into the survival rates of Chinook salmon populations along the North American West Coast, highlighting a dramatic omission in the way such data has been interpreted for over two decades.

Scientists at federal fisheries laboratories are investigating how sound generated by the construction and operation of offshore wind turbines may affect black sea bass – a valuable species in the Northeast that is attracted to underwater structures like turbine foundations.

SeaWorld Research Institute and Dick Laub Fisheries Replenishment program are working to get the California halibut back into the wild.

The Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife has argued that a group run by a fishing guide has no legal standing after the group challenged the agency's management of salmon in the region.

Peconic Bay scallops, which endured a historic die-off last year, appear to have suffered an even worse fate this year as baymen say early trips show none are to be found, and researchers continue to study multiple potential causes.

The situation unfolding in the Nova Scotia lobster fishery raises larger questions around who holds decision-making power over this natural resource.

Small-scale fisheries are much bigger than you may have thought.

Contrary to most terrestrial organisms, which release their carbon into the atmosphere after death, carcasses of large marine fish sink and sequester carbon in the deep ocean.

Many Alaska fishermen are likely to be involved in regulatory meetings next spring instead of being out on the water.

The goal is to support recreational fishing and fisherman in Connecticut which bring about half a billion dollars to our economy every year.

Nicki Holmyard, Advocate contributor and co-founder of Offshore Shellfish Ltd. in the UK, details mussel producers’ conundrum

A new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that protecting an additional 5% of the ocean can increase future fish catch by 20% or more.

With the National Oceanic Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under a fast approaching, court-imposed deadline to develop new whale protection rules, the Zone C Lobster Management Council held a special meeting on the internet in late September to get an update on the situation from Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher and consider a zone-specific plan for gear modifications that will likely be required by NMFS.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Damage from Hurricanes Laura and Delta has prompted Louisiana to extend the deadline for fisheries' workers and businesses to apply for help under a coronavirus pandemic program.

Understanding changes in plankton in water helps scientists understand North Atlantic right whales

More investment and collaboration needed to expand use and reduce entanglements

Critics say a 116-year-old dam on the Puyallup River is a threat to already vulnerable fish populations.

ELLSWORTH — A deadline to present a state plan designed to minimize potential harm to right whales is fast approaching, but members of the Zone B Lobster Management Council have asked Department of Marine Resources officials to check some numbers before the zone council agrees to a plan.

Approximately 3 million people go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico every year. The Gulf is one of the most ecologically diverse bodies of water, offering first-time fishers and expert anglers alike the chance to see sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, and more.

Two decades of data from a study of Maine’s Swan’s Island document a slow and steady dwindling of mussels, barnacles, and snails.

'Soon we will be fishing for our own livelihood on our own terms,' says Membertou chief

A new study of an endangered fish along the lower Missouri River paints a sobering picture of its future.

Eons after the whale and the snail, humans have noticed the charms of krill.

ELWHA RIVER, Olympic Peninsula — They were the king of kings in Puget Sound, the biggest chinook of them all, strong enough to muscle up the falls at the Goblin Gates and power on all the way through nearly 4 miles of chutes and falls in the Grand Canyon of the Elwha.

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS, Ecuador — Just south of the Galapagos’ Marchena Island, there’s a dive spot known by locals as the “fish arena.”

The global pot fishing industry could be having a greater impact on corals, sponges and other species found on the seabed than previously thought, according to new research.

Nineteen U.S. senators, led by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, are asking NOAA Fisheries to resume research surveys in 2021.

What had been relative calm in recent weeks was broken Tuesday evening following incidents at lobster pounds in the region, which the RCMP say they are investigating.

A new program will foot part of the cost Louisiana shrimp fishermen will have to pay for mandated devices that prevent sea turtles from getting trapped in their nets.

One of the most comprehensive studies of wild Atlantic salmon genetics has begun in Scotland to gauge the impact of any interbreeding between wild and farm-raised salmon.

Learn how oysters, which are woven in the culture and history of the state, help the environment and boost the economy during North Carolina Oyster Week.

The state of Alaska released a plan to divide $50 million in federal coronavirus relief funding payments among fishing industry workers affected by the pandemic.

Gov. Charlie Baker re-launched the state’s Seaport Economic council in 2015, investing over $40 million to date in coastal communities.

PART 3: WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR THE ATLANTIC LOBSTER FISHERY?

The award supports salmon habitat restoration projects on the Oregon Coast.

Aquatic invasive species are like the COVID-19 of streams and lakes. It takes only one watercraft to become a super spreader, introducing an invader like Eurasian watermilfoil or zebra mussels to a waterway.

Coastal News Today and the American Shoreline Podcast Network have teamed up with Ocean Blue Happy Hour and ENTANGLED filmmaker David Abel to bring you a special film screening and panel discussion.

Part 2: Tensions over a moderate livelihood fishery are hiding a much bigger threat to the inshore

Sport-fishing groups and federal officials say mandating that offshore anglers carry a simple $12 tool could help sustain red snapper and other fish stocks in the Gulf of Mexico.

Juneau, Alaska (KINY) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game today released the Section 12005 CARES Act fisheries assistance draft spending plan for public comment at adfg.alaska.gov.

When weather permits, Capt. Rich Osburn sails a few days each week from the Fort Pierce Inlet to ply the waters of the Gulf Stream for his targeted catch.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Nick Muto has fished up and down the New England coast and there is nothing that gets his blood boiling more than the sight of a seal.

Pieces coming together for sustainable production along the Gulf Coast

If present trends continue, by the end of the century, the cost of global warming could be as high as $1 billion annually for Providence County alone, according to data from a 2017 research paper.

In the dune forest clearings between Zinkwazi and Nonoti, massive piles of mussel shells, several metres wide, and as much as half a metre deep in some places, can be found.

New research from Southern Cross University has highlighted the importance of managing the potential impacts of pesticide run-off in areas of intensive coastal agriculture.

While many single-species fisheries are becoming more sustainable thanks to science-based management strategies, multispecies fisheries often face greater sustainability challenges, and these challenges will grow in the face of climate change.

As the world’s population continues to grow, researchers have examined the sea’s primary food producing sectors to determine “sustainable supply curves” for the future of seafood.

Alaska salmon have gotten smaller in recent decades, a downsizing that appears to be largely driven by climate change and increased competition for food as hatcheries release some 5 billion young fish into the North Pacific each year, according to a study published this month by U.S. and Canadian researchers in the science journal Nature Communications.

Disbursement of over $11.3 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act was discussed at the Aug. 17 meeting of the Atlantic Coast section of the N.J. Shellfisheries Council.

Northwest summers mean salmon on the grill. While Alaskans fill freezers with their own catch – our freezers are filled with enough salmon to last until next summer – those grilling elsewhere must buy either farm-raised salmon or wild sockeye salmon caught in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

When it comes to balancing food security with protecting ecosystems, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. An ambitious project off Florida’s coast could bring down the price.

Alaska seafood processors are paying tens of millions of dollars extra to cover costs from the COVID-19 pandemic, and most of it is coming out of pocket.

Miniature fitness trackers for lobsters and devices to monitor the quality of their shipping conditions are being prototyped as part of an initiative to reduce stress points and improve survival in the lobster supply chain for the Maine lobster industry.

NOAA Fisheries has announced revised reporting requirements for federal seafood dealers in portions of both Texas and Louisiana through 5 October in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Laura.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a $778 million reconfiguration of the Brandon Road Lock & Dam to install a fish-deterrence system that includes an electric barrier, bubble barrier, acoustic deterrents and flushing lock.

Individual fishermen, fishing charters and seafood dealers must demonstrate revenue losses before receiving checks, probably in November.

Halibut are one of the largest fish in the Gulf of Maine, second only to bluefin tuna, swordfish and large sharks. Historically they were a mainstay of the fishing industry along with cod.

Fishing communities on the Texas and Louisiana coasts are reeling from the effects of Hurricane Laura and are still assessing the damage.

On a late summer's day, leisure boats sail in and out of Lymington's harbor and a large car ferry slowly docks at the port, as it completes the crossing over the short stretch of water from the nearby Isle of Wight.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — For New England’s vanishing commercial clam harvesters, the coronavirus pandemic represents only the most recent in a string of setbacks that have held down the centuries-old industry.

The closure of net fisheries would increase the chances of a steelhead population recovery in the Thompson and Chilcotin Rivers, but it’ll take more than that to rebuild a fish population that may soon be extinct, according to a UBC researcher.

Scientists like to say that climate change is creating winners and losers in Alaska: Some species will struggle, while others could benefit from warmer habitats.

Last year, warnings were issued of the slow economic death of Alaskan fishing communities as their access to nearby fisheries that they depend on becomes squeezed by off-shore interests, lawsuits and slow or nonexistent political and regulatory responses.

Orono, Maine — Maine Sea Grant College Program staff and University of Maine scientists will advance a multimillion-dollar NOAA Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative (ALI), which has announced a second round of research funding.

Maine lobster harvesters and other commercial fishermen affected by foreign trade tariffs on their catch will receive a total of $530 million in federal relief, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday.

A fisheries management tool designed for endangered and threatened species in data-limited places has produced a win-win opportunity for fishers and marine mammals in Southeast Asia, providing a valuable framework for other coastal nations around the world where food insecurity, overfishing, and habitat destruction are increasingly serious problems.

Facing the loss of a resource that has supported generations of fishing families, this community set out to protect the pristine waters of southeast Alaska — and it’s working.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced actions underway to mitigate the impacts of low water flows along the Salmon River during the upcoming salmon run that draws thousands of anglers each year.

While fresh seafood hasn't traditionally been included in hunger relief programs, advocates say the lean protein is a smart choice that supports local economies.

Fishing has a strong impact on coastal marine food webs, but it’s a hard effect to measure.

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority will be holding four meetings in the coming months to get the opinions of oyster farmers who lease state lands on the Oyster Lease Acquisition and Compensation Program.

When you take the “science” out of fisheries science, things can go downhill very, very quickly.

A 30-year effort to clean up the Lower Fox River by a coalition of local officials, business owners, educators, environmentalists, and outdoor enthusiasts is bearing fruit.

Baby oysters and many coastal species will soon have a new home in the Pamlico Sound.

SAULNIERVILLE, N.S. — Tensions and frustrations relating to lobster fishing continued to climb in southwestern Nova Scotia on Sept. 18.

A recent update to the state’s Columbia River salmon management policy to change harvest allocations and allow commercial gillnetting on the main stem has anglers reeling.

A new study has found a 45% decline in the biomass of important fish species in West Hawai‘i’s reefs across a 10-year period.

Lobster War is an award-winning film about a climate-fueled conflict between the US and Canada over waters both countries have claimed since the end of the Revolutionary War. “Lobster War” is finally available online and on TV! The film is about how climate change has affected a centuries-old conflict between the US and Canada over some of the world’s richest fishing grounds. Stream it now at links provided here

The American shad’s Atlantic population remains at a historic low, despite longstanding commercial fishing bans in several states and millions of dollars invested in restoring the fish’s habitat.