In a banner year for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, U.S. leadership led to several breakthrough outcomes, including new management measures for Atlantic tropical tunas and North Atlantic swordfish.

The global seafood trade is complex, far-reaching, and—in many cases—opaque. Unfortunately, these conditions can mask international cases of illegal, unreported, and unregulated  fishing. In our new podcast episode, we'll hear from Alexa Cole, director of the Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, about updates to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program, which is designed to help us combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud.

Passive acoustic monitoring is the process of using sound to study the ocean. It’s one of the many tools we use to track North Atlantic right whales and other marine mammals so we can learn more and better protect them. With new technology, we can track them in near-real time.

Fifteen emerging research projects were selected in 2023 and 2024 by the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program. The projects will answer questions about lobster growth and distribution dynamics, ecosystem changes, and social impacts on and management of the fishery in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and southern New England. They will address needs outlined in NOAA Sea Grant’s FY 2023 and 2024 appropriations.

With NOAA funds, the Skagit River System Cooperative will restore the Similk Pocket Estuary, which will provide refuge for juvenile Chinook originating from the Skagit River.