fishing

From Dock To Dish: A New Model Connects Chefs To Local Fishermen

7:15pm September 02, 2015

by Clare Leschin-Hoar

Prominent chefs are signing up for restaurant-supported fisheries: They commit to buying fresh-caught seafood, whatever the species, from local small fishermen. A pilot program launched in California.

Sea bass, pollock, striped bass and other fish species are seen for sale at the Harbor Fish Market in Portland, Maine.

Do Fish Names Encourage Fishy Business?

9:41pm July 30, 2015

by Clare Leschin-Hoar

Legally, a single fish species can go by many names from sea to plate, and different fish can go by the same name. An environmental group says that hampers efforts to combat illegal fishing and fraud.

World News

Oceans Called A 'Wild West' Where Lawlessness And Impunity Rule

2:00pm July 29, 2015

by NPR Staff

NPR's Audie Cornish spoke with Ian Urbina, investigative reporter for The New York Times, about his four-part series, The Outlaw Ocean. He says the lack of rules contributes to the ocean's dire state.

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Barracuda are one kind of fish that has been implicated in poisoning with ciguatera toxin.

Health & Safety

When The Fish You Eat Have Eaten Something Toxic

10:12am July 06, 2015

by Jessie Rack

Toxins produced by algae that live in warm ocean waters can pass up the fish food chain. The toxins can sicken humans who eat large fish. A Florida study finds cases are underreported.

Chris Tremblay, a member of the Passive Acoustics group at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, deploys an underwater recording device along the Eastern Seaboard to listen for the mating sounds of Atlantic cod.

Scientists, Fishing Fleet Team Up To Save Cod — By Listening

7:50pm June 15, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Atlantic cod have become scarce along the coast, though catch limits have been reduced by 80 percent. Researchers are now tracking the sound of mating cod, hoping to help fishing boats avoid them.

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Pacific bluefin tuna for sale for $2.99 per pound at the fish market in San Diego. That shockingly low price does not reflect the deeply threatened state of the bluefin population.

Why Is This Fisherman Selling Threatened Bluefin Tuna For $2.99 A Pound?

4:07pm June 15, 2015

by Clare Leschin-Hoar

That low price doesn't reflect the true state of Pacific bluefin: Scientists say it's in deep trouble. But fishermen who catch it say they're just trying to make a living — and obeying the law.

Pacific Halibut caughtÂ in Cook's Inlet, Alaska.

Environment

Halibut Dumping Stirs Fight Among Fishing Fleets In Alaska

9:59pm June 14, 2015

by Rachel Waldholz

Last year, big fleets in the Bering Sea caught more halibut, by accident, than local fishermen caught on purpose. The big ships throw out that halibut; the local fishermen make their living from it.

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Fish on ice in Palau Misa Island, Indonesia. Thanks to satellite data, John Amos of SkyTruth can track fishing activity near the Pacific island nation from his office in West Virginia.

Gotcha: Satellites Help Strip Seafood Pirates Of Their Booty

5:08pm February 10, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Most of the seafood Americans eat is imported; a lot of that is illegally caught. Now, environmentalists are using satellites to track pirate vessels on the high seas and help crack down on the trade.

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A school of vermilion rockfish. After being depleted decades ago by overfishing, rockfish — a genus of more than 100 tasty species — have made a remarkable comeback.

For Rockfish, A Tale Of Recovery, Hidden On Menus

7:59pm February 06, 2015

by Alastair Bland

Once depleted by decades of overfishing, rockfish have rebounded. But it's hard to tell this conservation and fishery management success story if purveyors continue to misidentify the tasty fish.

The IUCN says the Atlantic bluefin tuna is endangered. Its stocks have declined globally between 29 percent and 51 percent over the past 21 to 39 years, according to the conservation group.

Why Some Chefs Just Can't Quit Serving Bluefin Tuna

2:28pm January 07, 2015

by Eliza Barclay

Japanese sushi chefs often can't resist bluefin tuna on offer. Some American chefs can't either, even though conservation groups and marine biologists have been badgering them about bluefin for years.