South Fork Wind is Creating a ‘Reef Effect’

South Fork Wind is Creating a ‘Reef Effect’

Top photo: Fishing Machine Charters, Pt. Judith, RI hooked up with cod, pollock and cunner in the Cox Ledge area wind farm this winter. A visual survey conducted at South Fork Wind (SFW), an offshore wind farm located 16.5 nautical miles southeast of Block Island, Rhode Island in the Cox Ledge area, shows that the […]

Administration’s Proposed Budget Slashes Funding Needed for Successful Coastal Economies

Administration’s Proposed Budget Slashes Funding Needed for Successful Coastal Economies

President Trump’s recommendations on discretionary funding levels for fiscal year (FY) 2026, also known as the “skinny budget,” reduced NOAA’s total budget by at least $1.52 billion, with $1.31 billion of that reduction coming from “climate-dominated research, data, and grant programs.” The budget also called for moving parts of the National Marine Fisheries Service into […]

Personnel Cuts Threaten Science-Based Fisheries Management

Personnel Cuts Threaten Science-Based Fisheries Management

Top photo: NOAA monkfish assessment The message from Jon Hare, the director of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) was as distressing as it was clear: I have raised at both [the New England Fishery Management and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management] Council meetings the issue that the NEFSC is not going […]

Alaska’s Fishing Industry Faces Uncertain Waters as NOAA Cuts Threaten Science, Safety, and Sustainability

Alaska’s Fishing Industry Faces Uncertain Waters as NOAA Cuts Threaten Science, Safety, and Sustainability

The following article was originally posted on April 18, 2025 on the Alaska Marine Conservation Council’s website and has been reposted with permission. Last month, we shared an alert about proposed federal cuts to NOAA’s budget — cuts that would eliminate climate research and undermine the science our fishing communities rely on. Since then, we’ve […]

Defending NOAA

Defending NOAA

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plays an integral part in the daily operations of fishing and seafood businesses around our country. This agency sets science-based research and regulations to keep fisheries healthy and productive, so that they in turn can support millions of commercial and recreational fishing jobs and provide a steady and reliable […]

Legislation to Expand Fishing Businesses Loans Reintroduced

Legislation to Expand Fishing Businesses Loans Reintroduced

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), along with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA), introduced The Fishing Industry Credit Enhancement Act, S. 1217 and H.R. 2818. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would provide access to loans from the Farm Credit System for businesses that supply qualifying goods and services […]

False Albacore: Practicing Precaution

False Albacore: Practicing Precaution

False albacore photo by John McMurray For a very long time, the false albacore was a sort of fishy pariah. There was no significant market for their bloody, strong-tasting meat, which was also a turnoff to anglers, who cursed when the fish crashed lures meant for one of the better-tasting tunas. A few recreational fishermen […]

Salmon, Logging, Mining & More: Watch the Waterside Chat with Tim Bristol of SalmonState

Salmon, Logging, Mining & More: Watch the Waterside Chat with Tim Bristol of SalmonState

Tim Bristol joined host Tom Sadler and the Marine Fish Conservation Network for an online Waterside Chat on March 4, 2025. Tim is SalmonState’s executive director, and he has had a long career in environment conservation, having worked for Trout Unlimited in Alaska, the Alaska Coalition, the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, and the Save Our […]