NOAA Fisheries and Sea Quester Farms partnered up to evaluate if kelp farms provide habitat for marine life in Alaska. Pictured here is one of Sea Quester’s farms in southeast Alaska near Juneau. Credit: Hatch Blue, Alaska Mariculture Cluster

Kelp Farms and Marine Life Co-Exist in Southeast Alaska

10/3/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Marine aquaculture, or mariculture, provides economic opportunities for coastal communities in Alaska through farming shellfish and seaweed. NOAA Fisheries continues to support Alaska’s growing aquaculture industry through policy and permitting—providing access to resources and research. A recent study highlights one of our newest aquaculture research collaborations. Through this… SEE MORE
A group of women aboard a boat hold large red snappers caught during a recreational fishing trip. Credit: Grayson Shepard

NOAA Announces 2026 Federal Recreational Red Snapper Season, Exempted Fishing Permits in South Atlantic

10/2/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. NOAA Fisheries announced today the 2026 federal recreational red snapper fishing season in the South Atlantic and the issuance of three exempted fishing permits (EFPs) to Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. The federal recreational red snapper season will open for three days this year from October 9… SEE MORE
Endangered insular false killer whale HIPc0280 with her new calf. Credit: Captain Zodiac/Andrea McCormick (NOAA Fisheries Permit #26596)

Seeing Double: Good News for Rare False Killer Whales in Hawaiʻi

9/24/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Research partners spotted two endangered main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale calves this year, and they’re starting to grow up! This is a rare and exciting discovery for this small, resident population of only about 140 individuals [caption id="" align="alignright" width="437"] Range of the endangered main… SEE MORE
Sablefish farmed in net pens at NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Credit: Megan Ewald for NOAA Fisheries.

Managing Genetic Risk in Offshore Aquaculture

9/19/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Aquaculture can sustainably produce seafood to complement wild-caught fisheries. However, like all food systems, aquaculture requires sound science to ensure farmed species don’t harm wild species. Scientists at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center are working to understand the genetic risks in offshore aquaculture. NOAA has identified 21,000… SEE MORE
Deep-sea sponges and other invertebrates in a collection basket during a bottom trawl survey. Credit: NOAA Fisheries

Nine Species of Deep-Sea Sponges Discovered in Alaska

9/18/2026 - By fisheries.noaa.gov, fisheries.noaa.gov. Scientists have discovered nine new species of sponges in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands. The specimens were collected during the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s long-standing annual bottom trawl surveys, which monitor the condition of groundfish and shellfish stocks in Alaskan waters. For these sponge studies, researchers… SEE MORE