September 4 - We can restore river herring, but the Mid Atlantic Council and NOAA Fisheries need to step up - This post was written by John McMurray, a charter fishing captain and MAFMC member. We should acknowledge and stress that we can rebuild this culturally and economically important fish that has historically been a critical part of the marine food chain. And that we can, at least to some extent, control mortality both inshore and offshore. A stocks-in-the-fishery designation would give us the tools to do that. It won’t be easy for NOAA Fisheries, or Council staff, to make it happen, but it’s their/our obligation.

September 6 - Fish Talk in the News – Friday, September 6 - In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, an NAS report evaluates the success of the Magnuson-Stevens Act; EDF’s Sarah Smith argues that closed areas can help fisheries build resilience to climate change; species distribution in New England is changing, with bonito, black sea bass, and squid moving north; Maine’s record seafood revenues in 2012 were mostly from lobster; UMass scientists prepare to tag juvenile bluefin tuna; USFWS will no longer stock the Merrimack with salmon; the NEFMC releases the agenda for its next meeting; Massachusetts closes 40 oyster beds; PCB resistant killifish in New Bedford Harbor stump scientists.

June 24 - At-Sea Catch of River Herring Gets Long Overdue Attention - Severely depleted river herring and shad have been the focus of extensive restoration efforts in rivers for years—dams have come down, fish ladders and passages have gone up, and millions of dollars have been spent to improve habitat and water quality. Yet the loss of hundreds of thousands of these fish in the nets of trawlers has gone largely unaddressed—until now.

June 27 - Worst times, or just very, very bad? Industry splits hairs over the awful condition of cod - There remain some marginal voices in the fishing industry who continue to claim that cod populations are not in bad shape. Taking issue with a recent conclusion of mine that Atlantic cod were in their worst condition in history, these apologists for overfishing suggest that cod are just “in the middle of a rebuilding period.” Nonsense.

June 28 - Fish Talk in the News – Friday, June 28 - In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, another Boston Globe opinion piece says Martha Coakley’s lawsuit will have negative consequences; NOAA’s John Bullard hosts a conference call to discuss industry recovery; a new yellowtail assessment will involve industry participation; Penny Pritzker is confirmed as Commerce Secretary; the Hook changes its name; members of Congress ask for a higher bluefin tuna catch limit; letters to the editor point out the poor state of groundfish stocks; Scott Lang and Brian Rothschild start a NOAA watchdog group; Maine allocates $2 million to lobster marketing.

April 3 – For Cod’s Sake - In this video, CLF’s Peter Shelley explains the dramatic decline of cod stocks in New England and the action that must be taken to prevent the loss of this region’s most iconic fishery. Atlantic cod populations are at an all-time historic low. The cod fishery, which for generations has supported a way of life in New England’s coastal communities, may be in complete collapse. Click through to see the video.

April 5 - Help Count River Herring (Because They Count, Too) - Somewhere out there on our coast, out where rivers hit salt water, thousands of small fish are gathering, getting ready for an epic voyage inland. The annual run of river herring is about to start. Hundreds of people are getting ready, too. They’re the volunteers who will gather at bridges, fish ladders and riverbanks to count the passing herring—an important exercise in citizen science that can help to conserve these imperiled fish.

April 5 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, April 5 - In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, two Senators push for fisheries disaster aid; NEFMC will discuss raising the catch limit for white hake; a bill to open the St. Croix to alewives gains traction; Gov. LePage threatens reprisals against Passamaquoddy Tribe over elver fishery; acoustic monitoring may help locate spawning cod aggregations; Senator Jack Reed pushes for Rhode Island membership on Mid-Atlantic Council.

October 23 – All About Aquaculture: Current Status in New England - In the fourth and final post in the All About Aquaculture series, we take a look at current aquaculture research and production in New England and the government agencies involved in the regulation of aquaculture operations.

October 26 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, October 26 - In this week’s Fish Talk in the News, scientists and environmental groups speak out against a proposed fisheries data confidentiality rule; Carl Safina and Andrew Read argue against a delay for a gillnetting closure; The New York Times discusses the damaging effects of trawling; fishing communities prepare for Hurricane Sandy, a coalition celebrates the removal of a dam in Taunton; a new bill would allow spearfishing for stripers in MA; NMFS proposes more relaxed regulations for dogfish; Ellen Pikitch argues for precautionary, ecosystem-based fisheries management.

August 24 – Court Order Sets Clock Ticking for Action on River Herring – In a few weeks the New England Fishery Management Council will get a letter, probably a long one, explaining why the coming year will bring big changes to the way the council handles severely depleted river herring and shad.

August 24 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, August 24 – In this week’s Fish Talk in the News: NOAA asks Congress to keep NERO in Gloucester; the Boston Globe supports John Bullard; New England fishing is the deadliest profession in the country; the South Shore Seafood Exchange grows; rising seal numbers cause concern; a gold rush for New England conch; river herring return to Upper Mystic Lake; and a cooking competition raises awareness of local, sustainable seafood.

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  TalkingFish.org interviewed Mike Palmer, Northeast Fisheries Science Center fisheries biologist, about stock assessments.

  June 12 – Taking Stock of New England Fish: Part 4 – TalkingFish.org interviews Mike Palmer, Research Fisheries Biologist in the Population Dynamics Branch of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. In this post, Mike Palmer answers our questions about best available science and the challenges of conducting fish stock assessments.

• June 15 – Fish Talk in the News – Friday, June 15 – Stories of interest this week: Discussion of a new marketing campaign for Maine lobster; NEFMC looking for a new executive director; GMRI raises awareness of underutilized local species; work begins to remove the Great Works Dam on the Penobscot River in Maine; record numbers of river herring and shad are returning to spawn in the Connecticut River; and a new study shows the Gulf of Maine’s productivity is decreasing due to climate change.

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  The NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Office in Gloucester (photo credit: NERO website).

  Monday, April 30: “Penny wise and politically foolish” – Two weeks ago, a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee determined that federal dollars would be better spent by closing down the Northeast Regional Office of NOAA Fisheries in Gloucester, MA and moving almost all operations to the NMFS headquarters in Silver Spring, MD. This move was proposed as a cost-saving measure, but we believe it is a short-sighted proposal.

• Friday, May 4: “Fish Talk in the News – Friday, May 4” – Interesting stories this week: a New York chef takes a trip to the Boston fish market; the Boston Globe supports NERO staying in MA; more confusion over which sustainable seafood guides to trust; a new stock assessment confirms that river herring populations are depleted; and upcoming trips to take a look at herring runs.

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  TalkingFish.org interviews Chef Jeremy Sewall, shown here plating a delicious dish (Photo credit: Jeremy Sewall).

  Wednesday, March 28 – “Chef Jeremy Sewall seeks high-quality local seafood for his daily menus” – TalkingFish.org interviews well-known Boston chef Jeremy Sewall, the Chef/Owner of Lineage and Island Creek Oyster Bar and the Executive Chef at Eastern Standard.

• Thursday, March 29 – “Little Fish, Big Fishery” – The latest post in the “Bottom Line” series by Lee Crockett of the Pew Environment Group. Within the next few weeks, alewife and blueback herring, collectively known as river herring, will begin their annual migration from coastal waters to their native rivers.
• Friday, March 30 – “Fish Talk in the News – Friday, March 30″ – A roundup of fish stories in the news: the commercial striped bass fishery in Massachusetts will be allowed to continue; some rivers are reporting higher-than-average herring runs this year, and consumers are becoming more interested in eating the fish; warming Gulf of Maine waters may be bad news for ocean ecosystems; Whole Foods commits to keeping overfished seafood out of stores; and a lucrative elver season is underway in Maine.

• Monday, March 19 – “Eating with the Ecosystem” – A new venture in Rhode Island takes a holistic view of local seafood and aims to encourage us to eat a diverse array of species, rather than depleting our marine resources by consuming the same few fish. Read this blog post to learn more about Eating with the Ecosystem and how you can enjoy it at a participating restaurant.
• Wednesday, March 21 – “Recap and Roundup of News on Today’s Fishermen Rally” – This week, fishing groups held a rally in Washington, D.C. to voice to lawmakers their support for bills that would eliminate significant conservation measures from the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the 36-year old law that governs the management of our nation’s fisheries and has helped bring severely depleted fish populations back from the brink of collapse. TalkingFish.org compiled a list of interesting opinion-based coverage of the rally and the forces behind it.
• Friday, March 23 – “Fish Talk in the News – Friday, March 23″ – Interesting stories from around the web this week: what river herring are and why they’re important; what to expect from the show “Wicked Tuna”; and a video and recipes to help you make sushi at home.