Top photo: Black sea bass (seen here on Gray’s Reef off Georgia) are one of the many species that depend on the Oculina Reef Pop quiz: What is the name of Jimmy Buffett’s band? If you guessed the Coral Reefer Band, you were right. Notwithstanding the not so subtle reference to non-marine substances, the coral […]
Top photo by John McMurray On April 13, 2026 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a press release announcing its newest version of the National Saltwater Recreational Fisheries Policy (Policy), which stated that “The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance for NOAA Fisheries’ consideration in its deliberations pertaining to development and maintenance […]
The letter, addressed to the executive secretary of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), was short. Dated January 27, 2026, it read: This letter is to acknowledge that the Western Bluefin Recommendation 22-10 does not require Western harvesters to count their recreational catch of Bluefin toward their quota. As such, beginning […]
Read Part I of this series PART II: Virginia Looks at the Future Although the Board set the 2026 TAC at its October 2025 meeting, future TACs, and the future of the Bay cap, were not yet established. To help resolve that uncertainty, Virginia legislators have introduced four bills addressing the menhaden resource, which range […]
Top photo: NOAA stock assessment At first glance, the FY26 appropriations minibus looks like another chapter in Washington’s slow erosion of federal investment in science, climate, and environmental protection. NOAA research gets cut. EPA funding slips. The Department of Energy loses ground. For anyone who cares about oceans, climate resilience, or renewable energy, it is […]
This article was originally published in the Wild Oceans Horizon Summer 2025 newsletter and is reprinted with permission. In 1973, Congress passed the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (MSA), and Wild Oceans met the moment with a voice for conserving and protecting marine fish, fishing and our oceans for future generations. Fifty years […]
Top photo by John McMurray Thirteen months ago, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in Loper-Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, a decision that abolished the so-called “Chevron Doctrine,” created by court in 1984, which had given agencies the ability to make reasonable interpretations of law related to such agencies’ core expertise, and required […]
Top photo via Linda Behnken In a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) leadership, the Marine Fish Conservation Network outlined recommendations for promoting economic and food security through policies, endorsed by the Network’s members, supporting science-based fisheries management and thriving working waterfronts. The Network has sent similar […]
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