NOAA Fisheries releases national seafood strategy implementation plan

NOAA Fisheries recently released its National Seafood Strategy Implementation Plan. The agency's National Seafood Strategy, released in 2023, outlines the direction for supporting the US seafood economy and enhancing the resilience of the seafood sector, including wild-capture and aquaculture, in the face of many challenges.

The plan outlines actions NOAA Fisheries is currently implementing as well as those that can be adopted to support the strategy.

The plan focuses on NOAA Fisheries’ industry services, such as the Seafood Inspection Program, Fishery Finance Program and Saltonstall-Kennedy grant program. It also underscores socio-economic activities—such as seafood market and supply chain analyses—and communications efforts around the sustainability of US seafood.

The plan identifies ongoing, new, and aspirational activities, with a focus on those currently within NOAA Fisheries' capacity. Critical to achieving the goals is coordinating with other federal agencies, as well as states, tribes, harvesters and seafood farmers, nongovernmental organisations, and other groups.

The plan identifies four pilot initiatives around which NOAA Fisheries will activate and enhance partnerships to tackle cross-cutting issues. These initiatives include efforts to:

• Bolster industry resilience in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic shrimp fishery

• Support revitalisation of the Port of Port Orford in Oregon

• Increase climate resilience in highly migratory species fisheries

• Support Alaska’s seafood sector resilience