National Fisherman

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Gulf & South Atlantic

Photo by Chris Hannant Photography / North Carolina Coastal Federation

NC fishermen launch 2026 lost gear cleanup

NF Staff

2025 apprentices lifting a tray of freshly harvested clams to be tumbled and graded. Photo credit: Hailey Murphy/S.C. Sea Grant Consortium

Applications open for SC Sea Grant seafood apprenticeship

Guest Author

Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources photo.

Kentucky boosts incentive for commercial fishers to catch invasive carp

NF Staff

Acy Cooper, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, and other members of the organization at an informal 2023 meet-up in Delacroix, La., when shrimp prices were so low they could not cover fuel costs to fish. Paul Molyneaux photo.

Lawmakers seek to protect US fishermen from low-priced imports

Paul Molyneaux

Pile of Gulf Shrimp. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

All vendors at Louisiana Shrimp Festival served Gulf shrimp

Carli Clancy

After a 5-year moratorium, the state of Florida plans to reopen the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery on Jan. 1, 2026. Harvesters will be allowed to harvest one bag a day (60 pounds) from reefs in the bay that meet the ecological threshold of 400 legal-size

Return of the Apalachicola Oyster

Paul Molyneaux

A commercial fisherman was rescued after he abandoned his burning vessel off the coast of Florida. Screengrab from U.S. Coast Guard video by Kendal Hunter

Fishing vessel catches fire off the coast of Florida

NF Staff

The deceased shortfin mako shark washed ashore on Panama City Beach on November 21, 2025. Photo courtesy of NOAA

Scientists investigate shark stranding in Florida

NF Staff

Menhaden Fisheries Coalition analysis finds widely repeated claims “simply not supported by the record”. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Scientists did not recommend a 54 percent cut to the menhaden TAC

Carli Clancy

The action item to consider new management strategies under the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3 has been taken off the table. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

NC fishermen challenge proposed blue crab cuts

Carli Clancy

Crab pots collected from North Carolina’s inland waters. Photo courtesy of N.C. Coastal Federation

NC lost gear recovery effort pulls more than 2000 pots

NF Staff