News, articles, photos, and other information about commercial fishing in North America.
The harvest of brown shrimp in the western Gulf of Mexico is expected to be 39.2 million pounds, which is below the historical 55-year average of 56.4 million pounds, according to NOAA’s annual forecast. The prediction covers the period from … Continued
Effective August 22, 2016, a new rule will extend the existing Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp permit moratorium. Amendment 17A extends the moratorium on Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp permits for 10 years to October 26, 2026. NOAA Fisheries, with … Continued
NOAA Fisheries recently announced the availability of approximately $10 million in funding for projects focusing on sustainable fisheries and coastal fishing communities. This cycle includes a number of changes to how stakeholders apply for the grants. The new “pre-proposal” process … Continued
NOAA Fisheries recently published the 2016 Standardized Bycatch Reporting Methodology Annual Discard Report with Observer Sea Day Allocation and the resulting final 2016 sea-day schedule for the Northeast Fishery Observer Program. NOAA will use remaining funds to offset some of … Continued
On June 27, the U.S. Commerce Department announced the appointment of 19 new and returning members to the eight regional fishery management councils that partner with NOAA Fisheries to manage ocean fish stocks. One at-large seat on the Mid-Atlantic Council … Continued
Given the poor stock of Gulf of Maine (GOM) cod, low catch limits, and many fishermen’s claims that the cod status is better than currently assessed; the Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game Division of Marine Fisheries is implementing a … Continued