This article first appeared as a special edition of the Fishing Communities Coalition Dockside newsletter. Our thanks to the Coalition for permission to reprint it on the Network’s blog. Young Fishermen’s Development Act: Today’s Investment In Tomorrow’s Fishermen To secure the future of America’s fishing industry, the Fishing Communities Coalition began advocating for a Young […]
Category Archives: Working Waterfronts
“Low Rates” Aren’t Enough: How We Are Misrepresenting Bycatch Numbers
This article was originally posted on September 18, 2025 on the Alaska Marine Conservation Council’s blog and is reprinted with permission. Top photo via the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.</p> Each year, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) sets the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for groundfish and other fisheries in the Bering Sea […]
Looking Back to Look Forward on Fishing Executive Actions
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 […]
USDA Should Invest in Seafood
New report shows the USDA’s grant offerings don’t sufficiently cover marine and aquatic food initiatives A recent report by the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) provides an assessment of ways to make U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant funding more accessible to the seafood sector. “Alaska’s fishermen harvest some of the healthiest and highest quality […]
MFCN Sends Policy Priorities to the Trump Administration
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 […]
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 […]
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
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 […]
