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Sustainable Fisheries

  • Fisheries Economics Report Released - Mar 7: U.S. commercial and recreational fishing supported 1.7 million full and part-time jobs in fishing across the broader economy in 2011, and generated $199 billion in sales impacts and contributed $88 billion to Gross Domestic Product.
  • Catching Up With Catch Shares - Mar 4: A new fishery management program on the west coast gives fishermen greater flexibility and gives overfished species a break.
  • Managing Our Nation's Fisheries 3 - Jan 31: This May, Managing Our Nation’s Fisheries 3 brings together members of fishing, conservation, and science and management communities to discuss challenges facing our nation's fisheries.
  • New Marine Fishery Allocation Report Posted - Jan 29: A new report commissioned by NOAA Fisheries, Marine Fishery Allocation Issues, has been posted online. A national stakeholder call is planned.
  • Mark Twinam Fishes for Sharks Off Florida Coast - Jan 15: Mark Twinam fishes for large coastal sharks like hammerhead, lemon, and bull sharks in the Gulf of Mexico. Twinam is one of several fishermen helping NOAA research sharks in exchange for landing and selling a small quota of sandbar sharks.  
  • Managing Our Nation's Fisheries 3 - Jan 14: This May, Managing Our Nation’s Fisheries 3 brings together members of fishing, conservation, and science and management communities to discuss challenges facing our nation's fisheries.
  • Draft Climate Assessment Report for Public Review - Jan 14: For more on potential climate change impacts on U.S. oceans and ocean resources, including fisheries, marine protected species, and habitats, read the U.S. National Climate Assessment report, now available for public comment.
  • Bob Dooley Fishes for Whiting off the West Coast - Dec 3: Bob Dooley fishes for Bering Sea pollock, Pacific cod, West Coast whiting, and dungeness crabs. In this photo, a fisherman hauls pollock onto the Pacific Prince, one of Dooley's vessels.
  • Fishery Data, On the Double - Nov 26: Collaboration between NOAA and the fishing industry allows for more efficient and accurate data collection in two valuable Pacific fisheries—hake and sardine.
  • Advancing Designs for Innovative Fish Passage - Nov 27: To facilitate fish passage in Washington's Baker River, NOAA Fisheries engineers worked closely with Puget Sound Energy to design an innovative fish passage system.
  • Moving Forward, Protecting Our Marine Resources - Nov 8: NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement confronts crimes against marine mammals, smuggling operations, international conspiracies and local fraud every day to protect our nation's living marine resources.
  • Meet a Fourth Generation Fisherman from Maine - Nov 7: Meet Terry Alexander, a fourth generation fisherman from Harpswell, Maine, who is collaborating with other fishermen, scientists, and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to help revive redfish fishing.
  • Taking a Closer Look at Redfish - Nov 7: Check out our new redfish seafood profile on FishWatch.
  • Putting Local Fish Back On Our Plates - Nov 7: The Gulf Maine Research Institute has a new project called "Out of the Blue" which helps introduce lesser-known seafood to stagnant palates, while getting the market to demand this seafood.
  • Teacher At Sea Dishes on Pollock Acoustic Survey - Oct 17: Like fish sticks? Teacher at Sea Johanna Mendillo saw a lot of the fish stick fish helping NOAA scientists study Alaska pollock on the NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson.
  • Making Sense of Fish Stock Assessment Models - Oct 10: How do we make sure our nation's fisheries are sustainable and productive? It starts with fish stock assessment modeling—combining data to evaluate fish stock health necessary to inform fisheries management decisions.
  • New Proposal to Protect Oceanic Whitetip Sharks - Oct 9: The United States co-sponsors a proposal to add oceanic whitetip sharks to Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
  • New Research: Climate Impacts on Marine Predators - Sept 24: What happens when marine animals at the top of the food chain start to feel the impacts of climate change? This week Nature Climate Change features the results of research led by NOAA Fisheries scientist Elliott Hazen.
  • New Video—Exploring U.S. Aquaculture - Sept 20: What's aquaculture like in the United States? Watch this video to find out.
  • Scientists Develop Alternative Aquaculture Feeds - Sept 20: Researchers from NOAA and the US Department of Agriculture have been working on sustainable ingredients for fish feed. A report released this month, The Future of Aquafeeds, details their progress.
  • Statistical Report Card for U.S. Fisheries Posted - Sept 19: Wondering about the state of U.S. fisheries? NOAA Fisheries' annual report gives you the breakdown.
  • Leadership Highlights U.S. Fisheries Statistics - Sept 19: NOAA Fisheries posts a statistical yearbook, Fisheries of the U.S., 2011, filled with facts and figures about our domestic fisheries from 2011.
  • NOAA Finds Record Highs in Sea Surface Temperature - Sept 18: NOAA reports sea surface temperatures along the Northeast Continental Shelf were the highest ever recorded during the first six months of 2012.
  • The Science Behind What Sharks Eat - Sept 14: Scientists examine the stomach contents of shortfin mako, blue, and common thresher sharks to identify differences in foraging preferences across species and better understand impacts of environmental conditions based on these differences.
  • Disaster Determinations for Commercial Fisheries - Sept 13: Today, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank issued disaster determinations for commercial fishery failures in the Northeast, Alaska, and in Mississippi.
  • Teacher at Sea Studies the Science Behind Sharks - Sept 11: Teacher at Sea Steven Frantz shares highlights of his scientific cruise studying sharks and snappers on the 300th research mission of NOAA Ship Oregon II.
  • Funding Innovative Research to Reduce Bycatch - Aug 29: Through the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program, NOAA Fisheries provides funds critical to key researchers and fishermen for the research and development of innovative approaches and strategies for reducing bycatch.
  • Restoration Turns Landfill into Productive Wetland - Aug 29: The Lincoln Park restoration project in Jersey City, New Jersey turned a once-barren landfill into a functioning wetland, teeming with fish, birds, and other wildlife.
  • Bering Sea Skates Are Key To Alaska's Ecosystems - Aug 28: NOAA scientists propose six areas in the eastern Bering Sea as habitat areas of particular concern (HAPCs) for skates. Skates are important indicators of the health of Alaska's ecosystems.
  • New Survey Tool Shows Juvenile Scallop Abundance - Aug 24: NOAA researchers have seen high numbers of young sea scallops in Mid-Atlantic using the newest version of the HabCam, dubbed "the Seahorse" for its spiny profile. The tool gives a comprehensive view of the ocean floor.
  • Marine Aquaculture Critical to Seafood Supply - Aug 21: Fostering the development of marine aquaculture helps to supply safe seafood for people, support domestic wild fisheries, preserve and rebuild threatened and endangered species, and restore marine habitat.
  • Understanding the Elusive Giant Pacific Octopus - Aug 17: Just when you thought it was going to be another shark, we'll throw you an octopus. At NOAA Fisheries, every week isn't just Shark Week, it's also Octopus Week.
  • Twitter #SharkChat @NOAALive with Shark Scientist - Aug 16: NOAA shark scientist Trey Driggers will answer questions live on Twitter this Thursday, August 16, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Trey conducts research on all kinds of sharks.
  • Circle Hooks: The Preferred Thresher Catcher? - Aug 15: NOAA scientists, anglers, and other institutions observe how thresher sharks are caught and released in Southern California—the key to long term conservation of the common thresher shark.
  • Sawfish—Cousins of the Shark - Aug 15: Sawfish have skeletons made of cartilage and shark-like bodies and gills. But during the past decade, these creatures have faced dramatic decline due to habitat loss and capture in fisheries.
  • Shark Conservation in Our Global Oceans - Aug 14: Through international cooperation and state-of-the art technology, NOAA Fisheries is conducting joint research with Uruguay’s fisheries agency that is critical to inform international conservation and management decisions for pelagic sharks.
  • Shark Mythbusters - Aug 13: Can you tell shark myth from fact? Better check this list out.
  • Dive into the Deep End of Shark Conservation - Aug 13: A closer look at how NOAA Fisheries works to conserve and manage shark populations domestically and internationally.
  • Shark Feature Stories - Aug 13: Can you tell shark myth from fact? Better check this list out.
  • Shark Tales—Adventures With A Shark Scientist - Aug 9: Ever wonder what it's like to study sharks for a living? NOAA Fisheries shark scientist Trey Driggers gives us details about his work.
  • Successful Tag Recovery from Huge Bluefin Tuna - Aug 8: NOAA scientists tagged an 8-foot, 400-pound bluefin tuna off the coast of Florida and retrieved the drifting tag at sea south of New York three months later. The data on this tag will provide rich details from the high seas adventures of one big tuna.
  • New Technology Helps Predict Harmful Algal Blooms - Aug 8: NOAA scientists use advanced technology to predict harmful algal blooms and provide warnings to aquaculture and other businesses.
  • Gloucester Mussel Farming Project Underway - Aug 6: NOAA Fisheries provided a grant earlier this year to support a mussel farm in federal waters off the coast of Massachusetts to engage local fishermen in aquaculture.
  • Captain Brings Fishermen to Striped Bass and More - July 31: Capt. Kalil Boghdan of Hamilton, Massachusetts, brings small groups of anglers on his shallow-draft outboard vessel to fish for striped bass and bluefish off the North Shore of Massachusetts.
  • Teacher at Sea Studies Marine Protected Areas - July 30: NOAA Fisheries' Teacher at Sea Marsha Skoczek shares highlights of her research cruise studying Marine Protected Areas off the Southeast Atlantic Coast.
  • Trawl Gear Modification—Preserving Fish Habitat - July 26: NOAA Fisheries scientists work with the Alaska Seafood Cooperative and flatfish fishing industry members to modify trawl gear, maintaining catch rates while protecting bottom habitat in the Bering Sea. Photo Credit: Diana Evans.
  • Five Fish Desperate for Healthy Habitat - July 24: Healthy habitat is the foundation for abundant fisheries and marine life. What five fish are desperate for healthy habitat? Find out which ones are on the list.
  • Economic and Conservation Benefits of Catch Shares - July 19: The results from the first year of the West Coast Catch Share Program are in. Revenues are up, bycatch is down, and fishing is extended later in the season.
  • Healthy Habitat Foundation of Abundant Fisheries - July 16: At NOAA Fisheries, we are charged with taking care of our nation’s fish and living marine resources. But healthy marine life depends on healthy habitat—the places where these animals feed, grow, reproduce, and raise their young.
  • HabCam—A New Way to Survey Scallop Habitat - July 11: The Habitat Camera Mapping System snaps up to 500,000 images of the sea floor per day, taking roughly six images per second. Learn how this tool is helping provide better estimates for Atlantic sea scallops surveys without harming habitat.
  • Last Annual Catch Limit Put in Place - July 2: On June 29, 2012, a significant milestone was achieved when NOAA Fisheries approved the last Fishery Management Plan amendment putting annual catch limits and accountability measures into place.
  • National Observer Program Annual Report Released - June 25: NOAA Fisheries releases the National Observer Program Annual Peport which shares nationwide statistics about number of sea days observed, activities, accomplishments, and goals for the observer program.
  • Regional Fishery Council Appointments Announced - June 25: U.S. Commerce Department announces the appointment of 30 new and returning members to the eight regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA's Fisheries Service to manage ocean fisheries.
  • Building a Community Supported Fisheries Network - June 4: Commercial fishermen, fishing communities, and other organizations met in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to broaden the success of community supported fishery programs.
  • Making Sense of Fish Stock Assessments - May 23: NOAA Fisheries’ scientific stock assessments are key to fisheries management. They provide high-quality information to fisheries managers on the current status of fish stocks and future trends in fisheries productivity.
  • Report to Congress on the Status of U.S. Fisheries - May 14: A record number of fish stocks are declared rebuilt in 2011, bringing us closer to our goal of turning the corner on ending overfishing.
  • NOAA Fisheries Leadership Message - May 2012 - May 14: NOAA Fisheries Acting Assistant Administrator, Sam Rauch, shares some good news on 2011 Status of the Stocks report to Congress.
  • Schwaab Addresses 6th World Fisheries Congress - May 11: Eric Schwaab delivered closing remarks at the 6th World Fisheries Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, which examined "Sustainable Fisheries in a Changing World." More than 1,300 delegates from 65 countries attended.
  • Scalloping—A Big and Growing Business - May 7: NOAA announces scallop catch will fund 13 cooperative research projects between fishermen and NOAA scientists. Bob Keese, a scallop fisherman out of Chatham, Massachusetts, discusses harvesting sea scallops and the industry.
  • Fishermen Sell Local Catch at Farmers Markets - May 7: Meet Ann and Capt. Richard Cook of Charleston, Rhode Island, who sell locally caught, fresh seafood at farmers markets, restaurants, and through their community supported fishery program.
  • Fund Supports Sharing Fisheries Innovations - April 30: Today the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announces grant awards for its Fisheries Innovation Fund to support sustainable fisheries in the U.S.
  • Ever Wonder What a Fisheries Observer Does? - April 30: NOAA Fisheries observers are a key part to smart fisheries management. Take a look at what they do and how we use data they collect on the water.
  • Fishermen and Scientists Work Toward Common Goal - April 22: NOAA Scientists and San Diego fishermen combine expertise and innovative tools to better understand depleted groundfish in the Southern California Bight.
  • Today's Fresh Catch—Invasive Snakehead - April 22: Local seafood company and restaurant are battling invasive snakehead populations in a unique way—by creating a market for these fish and eating them.
  • NOAA Fisheries Leadership Message - April 2012 - April 19: NOAA Fisheries Acting Assistant Administrator, Sam Rauch, highlights Earth Week at NOAA Fisheries.
  • FishSmart Workshops Help Solve Fishing Challenges - April 11: FishSmart Workshops—a proactive approach to developing techniques that reduce the mortality of fish stocks while enhancing the fishing experience.
  • Fisherman Rebuilds Business after Gulf Oil Spill - April 9: Ryan Lambert runs Cajun Fishing Adventures, a recreational fishing and hunting business in Louisiana. Learn how his business changed after the Gulf oil spill.
  • Meet a Megamouth Shark Specialist - April 4: Meet Dr. Jose Castro, a NOAA scientist recently invited to help dissect a rare megamouth shark currently on display at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. Megamouths are one of the most elusive shark species on the planet.
  • Making Angler Catch Count - April 2: The Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) is changing the way we count and report what saltwater recreational fishermen are catching and how many trips they’re taking. Take a look at what improvements have been made thus far.
  • Fishermen's Wives Share Life Stories - Mar 26: “One thing I’ve given them is to teach them how to run a boat,” says Shareen Davis about her daughters. This March, as we celebrate National Women’s History Month, listen to fishermen's wives recount pivotal stories from their lives.
  • Meet Phil Harris, Black Cod Fisherman - Mar 9: This month, as part of NOAA’s Voices from the Waterfront series, we feature Phil Harris in Southern California Bight. Take a look at how this commercial fisherman delivers fresh sustainable fish to the public.
  • Restaurant Owner Dishes on Sustainability - Mar 9: Meet Laura Anderson, owner of Local Ocean Seafoods—a popular seafood restaurant on the waterfront in scenic Newport, Oregon—who shares her strong commitment to fresh, local seafood with her community and beyond.
  • Catch Limits in Place for 2012 Fishing Season - Mar 9: This statement from Eric Schwaab, Deputy Administrator for Conservation and Management, highlights how NOAA Fisheries will have all Annual Catch Limits in place for federally managed fisheries for the 2012 fishing season.
  • Good News for West Coast Groundfish Catch Shares - Feb 22: West Coast commercial groundfish fishermen saw their revenues and efficiency increase substantially during the last year under a new fishery management system known as catch shares.
  • Study: Seafood Safe After Deepwater Horizon - Feb. 8: It’s been nearly two years since the Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill back in 2010. Now, a new NOAA science report released this week show that Gulf seafood is safe.
  • NOAA Honors the Fishery Management Councils - Jan. 30: NOAA's Fisheries honored the fishery management councils for their role in shaping the science-based management of U.S. fisheries.
  • New Method Improves Recreational Catch Estimates - Jan 25: NOAA today announced it has begun to use an improved method to estimate the amount of fish caught by saltwater anglers, which will allow rules that fishermen follow to be based on more accurate information.
  • Final Recovery Plan Issued for Steelhead Trout - Jan. 12: NOAA Fisheries Service issued a final Recovery Plan designed to stabilize and eventually restore steelhead trout numbers in coastal streams from the Santa Maria River in Santa Barbara County south to the United States and Mexico border.
  • Schwaab: Catch Limit Milestone Now within Reach - Jan. 9: This statement from Eric Schwaab, Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, highlights how NOAA Fisheries will have all Annual Catch Limits in place for federally managed fisheries before the start of the 2012 fishing season.
  • Year-end Interview with Eric Schwaab - Dec. 30: To end 2011, NOAA's Assistant Administrator for Fisheries pauses to reflect on his love of fishing, and to answer some of the year's most frequently asked NOAA Fisheries questions.
  • Meet Bill Dewey, Shellfish Farmer - Dec 8: This month, as part of NOAA’s Voices from the Waterfront series, we feature Bill Dewey of Taylor Shellfish Farms in Shelton, Washington.Take a look at the unique role aquaculture plays in the local culture and economy.
  • Scientists, Anglers Work to Stop Thresher Tailspin - Dec 6: The Southern California coast is hot spot for the thresher shark, a recreational fishing favorite. Now, anglers and scientists are working to save this species using better methods to reel them in.
  • Reminder: Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Regulations - Nov. 22: Recently, a New England groundfish vessel incidentally caught an 881-pound bluefin tuna in a trawl net. Find out more about how the situation was handled by NOAA and what happens when bluefin tuna is caught by accident.
  • Fishermen ‘Get Smart’ about Reducing Bycatch - Nov 17: NOAA presented the grand prize at World Wildlife Fund’s 2011 International Smart Gear Competition today in Seattle. The competition recognized three fishing devices that save lives of seabirds, fish, turtles, and other marine life.
  • Porpoise Bycatch Prevented with Proper Pinger Use - Oct. 7: The correct-use of warning systems on fishing gear in the Northeast has become increasingly important for protecting harbor porpoise, one of the region's most vulnerable marine mammals.
  • NOAA releases first national bycatch report - Sept. 22: A new NOAA report will help the agency's scientists monitor progress in reducing bycatch – the non-target fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds caught incidentally in fishing.