Sixteen new projects across the country will ensure fish have access to the high-quality habitat they need to sustain their populations. Projects include planting corals to rebuild reefs in the Caribbean, reconnecting rivers for salmon, and restoring salt marsh for shrimp and oysters in the Gulf of America.

NOAA has identified 21,000 acres in federal waters of the Gulf of America and offshore Southern California as Aquaculture Opportunity Areas. To support this effort, experts developed three science advice publications outlining considerations for genetic risk for offshore aquaculture in these areas. These resources can help growers adopt best practices for farming healthy seafood while protecting wild populations.

One sponge species is so unique that scientists created an entirely new genus to classify it. Another represents a group never seen before outside of the tropics.

Fisheries-independent surveys are the foundation of sustainable fisheries management. A team of NOAA Fisheries biologists and international collaborators built a roadmap to evolve fisheries monitoring for a changing ocean. The approach blends advanced technology and new statistical methods with traditional field sampling data.

NOAA offers a variety of student internship and fellowship opportunities. This summer, the Northeast Fisheries Science Center hosted 22 students from 10 states and 11 different colleges and universities. 

Our 2026 NOAA-Supported Education Program Students Share Insights

In these profiles, students share a little about internship experience and research projects. Project topic areas ranged from ocean acidification, feeding and food web dynamics, and microplastics, to fish and fisheries, aquaculture, and protected species.

Exploring the Colors of the Ocean: My NOAA Hollings Internship

Summer intern Grace Davis, an oceanography major at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, blogs about her time at the center. Her project used satellite oceanography to investigate the phytoplankton of the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf, from Maine to North Carolina.

NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the death of a federally protected Hawaiian monk seal recently found dead on the island of Molokaʻi, apparently from human causes. We are asking for any information about individuals who may have been involved. We are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a civil penalty or criminal conviction.

Scientists surveyed coral reef conditions in American Samoa and the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. Regular surveys of these reefs enable us to track reef health and impacts over time. The information they collected will be used to sustainably manage ocean resources for the human and marine communities who rely on them.

It is not every day a patient knocks directly on the doctor's door, but for one clever seabird, desperate times called for an unusually precise house call. When this pelican was entangled in fishing line, it knew right where to go for help—our Panama City, Florida, lab.

Teacher at Sea Krista Fleming embarks on the NOAA Ship Oregon II for the Shark/Red Snapper Bottom Longline Survey, which collects information about populations of shark, snapper, grouper and tilefish species in the Gulf of America.

The West Coast is awaiting the impacts of what could be a very strong El Niño. In this feature, find out which ocean conditions and species changes typically signal the arrival of El Niño’s influence.

As droughts grow more frequent and severe, restoring slow-water habitat like beaver ponds may be one of the most powerful tools we have for bringing coho salmon back. We worked with partners to restore Sugar Creek in Northern California by installing structures that mimic natural beaver dams. Juvenile coho survival rose almost immediately, and adult returns climbed for years afterward. Beavers have started taking over the work themselves, reinforcing dams we built and building their own.