NOAA Category Archives — Maritime Injury Law Blog Published by Alaska & Washington Maritime Injury Lawyers

Published on: September 1, 2026

Grounded Fishing Vessel at Point Reyes Highlights Hidden Risks Commercial Fishermen Face

On the morning of August 21, 2026, the F/V LAKE BAY, a 58-foot fishing vessel operating out of Smith River, California, ran aground on a sand bar at North Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. All four crew members aboard were transported to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Station Bodega Bay after the boat entered the surf zone.

A unified command made up of the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Park Service, with support from Marin County Fire, NOAA, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, moved quickly to secure the vessel and its fuel. The F/V LAKE BAY had a maximum capacity of 2,800 gallons of diesel, and crews ultimately removed roughly 1,400 gallons of diesel fuel along with 175 gallons of hydraulic and lubricating oil. No active fuel leaks or wildlife impacts have been reported at any point in the response. North Beach was temporarily closed to keep the public safe while crews worked.

The response has since shifted from emergency pollution control to salvage and recovery. Salvage crews spent days working to pull the vessel farther onto the beach, which was complicated by the vessel’s fiberglass hull and bow digging into the sand. According to the U.S. Coast Guard’s incident commander, once a vessel of this size runs aground, questions about its structural integrity and stability make towing it back out to sea too risky. The vessel’s catch, an estimated 30 to 50 tons of squid trapped in the hold, has added another variable to an already challenging recovery.

Published on: May 19, 2026

NOAA Determines Gulf of Alaska Chinook Salmon Do Not Warrant ESA Listing

by Nigel Stacey

For commercial fishermen in Alaska’s Gulf waters, a recent federal decision provides clearer regulatory guidance as the season begins. In May 2026, NOAA Fisheries completed a 12-month review of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon and concluded that listing any of the three identified population groups under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is not warranted at this time.

The review was triggered by a January 2024 petition from the Wild Fish Conservancy, which asked NOAA to evaluate whether one or more distinct groups of Gulf of Alaska Chinook should be listed as threatened or endangered. After a preliminary finding in May 2024 indicated the question deserved a closer look, NOAA assembled a review team, worked with Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists, and consulted with Alaska Native Tribes and corporations throughout the Gulf region.

NOAA’s review identified three distinct Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs), the scientific term for essentially distinct, self-sustaining salmon populations within the Gulf of Alaska:

Published on: April 14, 2026

NOAA Budget Cuts and Fishing Safety: Your Legal Rights When Training Programs Vanish

by Nigel Stacey

Earlier this year, we reported about how proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service were putting commercial fishermen in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon at greater risk by degrading marine weather forecasts. That threat has not gone away, and now a new federal budget proposal makes clear that it is deepening. This time, the target is not just forecasting. It is the safety training programs that have quietly kept Pacific Northwest and Alaska fishermen alive for decades.

The proposed federal fiscal year 2027 budget calls for a $1.6 billion cut to NOAA’s overall budget, a 32 percent reduction that would eliminate entire programs. Congress rejected an identical proposal for FY2026, but the proposed cuts keep coming. The agency has experienced significant staffing reductions due to recent layoffs and attrition. Alaska fishermen reported greater uncertainty about storm forecasts during the 2025 season, and the conditions driving that uncertainty have not improved.

What is different this year is that the scope of that threat has expanded. The proposed cuts are not limited to weather forecasting offices and buoy networks. They also target the federal programs that fund commercial fishing safety training, specifically the Commercial Fishing Safety Research and Training program and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) fishing industry programs.

Published on: February 24, 2026

When Weather Forecasting Fails Fishermen Suffer

by Nigel Stacey

Before any commercial fishing vessel leaves the dock in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, or California, captains perform an essential task; they check the weather forecast. Marine forecasts, buoy data, and storm advisories determine whether a crew goes out. That information comes from a federal infrastructure system most fishermen take for granted, until it breaks down.

Federal budget conflicts in Washington, D.C. have consequences that reach beyond the capital. For commercial fishermen, cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) create real safety hazards on the water.

Since early 2025, hundreds of NWS and NOAA employees have left due to layoffs and attrition. About 40% of the nation’s 122 weather forecast offices now carry significant staffing vacancies, and at least eight are unable to maintain 24-hour coverage. As Tom Fahy of the National Weather Service Employees Organization noted, “This has never happened before. We’ve always been an agency that has provided 24/7 service to the American public.” Five former NWS directors issued a joint warning to Congress: “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.”

Published on: February 10, 2026

Coast Guard Launches Formal Investigation into Fatal F/V Lily Jean Sinking

by Nigel Stacey

The U.S. Coast Guard has officially launched a district-level investigation into the sinking of the fishing vessel LILY JEAN, which occurred approximately 25 miles off Cape Ann, Massachusetts, and resulted in the loss of seven lives.

Commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Northeast District, Rear Adm. Michael Platt, authorized the inquiry after the 72-foot commercial fishing vessel’s entire crew was lost in the incident. Emergency responders were alerted when the vessel’s emergency beacon (EPIRB) activated around 6:50 a.m. that morning.

Multiple U.S. Coast Guard units responded to the distress call, including an Air Station Cape Cod helicopter crew, a Gloucester small boat team, and the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter THUNDER BAY. Rescuers discovered a debris field at the beacon’s location and retrieved one deceased individual from the water. The vessel’s life raft was found deployed but empty.

Published on: December 16, 2025

Snow Crab Population Collapse Linked to Energy Depletion During Marine Heatwave

by Nigel Stacey

A recent study has revealed key insights into the dramatic drop in eastern Bering Sea snow crab populations during 2018–2019, marking one of the largest ever recorded marine mortality events. Led by NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center biologist Erin Fedewa, the groundbreaking study examined energy reserves in snow crabs before, during, and after this catastrophic decline, offering both explanations for the collapse and hope for recovery.

The research team developed an innovative approach to monitor crab health by measuring energy reserves stored in the hepatopancreas, a specialized organ combining liver and pancreas functions in crabs. This method proved crucial in identifying why billions of snow crabs disappeared from Bering Sea waters. Researchers found that young crabs suffered from starvation due to unusually warm seas and crowded populations competing for scarce food.

The research offers fresh perspectives on what snow crabs need from their habitat. Findings reveal that snow crabs, which typically live in the cold pool of the Bering Sea at temperatures below 2°C, actually require water colder than 0°C to preserve the energy they need to survive. Scientists noted that a marine heatwave added extra stress, since higher temperatures raised the crabs’ metabolic rates while reducing their available food and habitat. These combined factors left many crabs without enough energy to live. The drop in numbers was especially severe among juvenile crabs, threatening the long-term health of the fishery.

Published on: October 21, 2025

Fishing Bill Stalls Amid Government Shutdown

by Nigel Stacey

As the federal government shutdown extends into its third week, legislation unrelated to funding disputes, such as H.R. 3756, a bipartisan bill designed to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide, remains stalled. Introduced in June 2025, this bill has been referred to multiple House committees and has yet to progress, as lawmakers continue to prioritize resolving the ongoing budget impasse.

IUU fishing is a major global problem, accounting for an estimated 20% of all seafood harvested annually. It costs legitimate fisheries between $10 billion and $23 billion each year and includes small-scale violations as well as organized criminal operations that falsify catch reports, bypass permits, and use fishing vessels for illicit activities.

The government shutdown, which began on October 1st, 2025, has furloughed roughly 900,000 federal employees, with another 700,000 working without pay. The U.S. Coast Guard continues operations under the Department of Homeland Security, but other agencies that support fisheries enforcement, such as NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, are operating with limited capacity. Essential inspections and enforcement continue, but some investigative and international cooperation efforts may be delayed.

Published on: April 15, 2025

Three Rescued after Scallop Boat Capsizes

by Nigel Stacey

On April 11, 2025, a commercial scallop boat capsized near Green Island in Boston Harbor. A swift rescue and a coordinated environmental response began after the vessel started leaking fuel into area waters.

At 7:46 a.m., watchstanders at U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston received a broken radio transmission from the F/V EILEEN RITA, a 90-foot vessel homeported in New Bedford, Massachusetts. They soon established communication with the captain, who confirmed the vessel had run aground on rocks near Green Island and was taking on water. The vessel began listing onto its side, prompting the three crew members to don survival suits and climb onto the gunwale, approximately 15 feet above the waterline while awaiting rescue.

Body camera footage released by police shows the crewmembers sliding down the side of the listing vessel and boarding a Boston Police boat. They were later evaluated by Boston EMS.

Published on: February 25, 2025

Genetic Testing Uncovers High Infection Rates in Commercially Vital Bering Sea Crabs

by Nigel Stacey

A recent study using advanced genetic testing has revealed alarmingly high infection rates of bitter crab disease in Tanner and snow crabs, two commercially important species in the Bering Sea. Scientists estimate that up to 42 percent of Tanner crabs and 36 percent of snow crabs were infected during the study period, considerably higher than previous estimates.

Bitter crab disease, caused by microscopic parasites, has been shown to be lethal in a lab setting. Traditional detection methods which relied on visual observations and blood sample analysis, suggested infection rates of less than 10 percent. However, the more sensitive genetic methods used in this study show a drastically different situation.

“That is a nearly four-fold increase in the annual prevalence levels previously detected,” said Erin Fedewa, a fisheries biologist at NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

Published on: November 19, 2024

NOAA Unveils Plan to Strengthen Seafood Import Monitoring

by Nigel Stacey

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing harms both consumers and fishermen by undermining the seafood industry’s integrity. For fishermen, IUU fishing causes economic losses by flooding markets with illegal seafood, depletes fish stocks through overfishing, and creates unfair competition as illicit operators bypass regulations and compliance costs. Tackling IUU fishing is vital to ensure safe, sustainable seafood and protect fishermen’s livelihoods. For consumers, IUU fishing increases the risk of unsafe or mislabeled products, exposing them to potential health risks.

NOAA has just unveiled an action plan to enhance the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), working to strengthen the integrity of U.S. seafood imports and fight IUU fishing. This plan follows a comprehensive review initiated in November 2023, during which NOAA worked with over 7,000 stakeholders, including industry professionals, foreign governments, researchers, and non-governmental organizations. The feedback gathered has been instrumental in developing a plan designed to strengthen SIMP’s impact and effectiveness. The plan outlines four primary goals.

Enhance NOAA Fisheries’ Ability to Combat IUU Fishing