NOAA Outlines Reforms to Boost U.S. Seafood Competitiveness and Releases New Fishing Data

NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler announced a set of prioritized actions to support the Executive Order on Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness. The agency is investing in advanced technologies such as thermal cameras, radar and artificial intelligence to lower the risk of vessel strikes on marine mammals, sea turtles and other wildlife.

In addition, NOAA released updated recreational fishing effort and catch estimates for hundreds of species back to 1981, reflecting a redesigned Fishing Effort Survey. The new data will be incorporated into stock assessments and could shape future management advice through standard public processes.