NOAA Fisheries

@fisheries.noaa.gov

We conduct world-class science to support sustainable fish and seafood, protect and recover marine life, and conserve habitat.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/

@fisheries.noaa.gov

NOAA Fisheries assistant administrator Eugenio Piñeiro Soler reminds us our American seafood industry is a vital economic engine and much more. It also reflects our national heritage, community strength, and food security. Our seafood choices help support the people and communities behind it.

@fisheries.noaa.gov

American fishermen, seafood farmers, and other seafood industry members play an essential role in feeding our nation, strengthening local economies, and sustaining our working waterfronts.

A square graphic where the left half has a NOAA Fisheries logo at the top and a blue banner with white text “NOAA Fisheries.” Below is blue text on a white background that reads “Our American seafood industry is a vital economic engine, but it’s also so much more. It reflects our national heritage, community strength, and food security. I want to ensure our domestic seafood sector thrives in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. By increasing opportunities in our wild-caught domestic fisheries and expanding seafood farming operations, we can get more American seafood on American plates. — Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, assistant administrator”. The right side is Mr. Piñeiro Soler in clear glasses and a blue vest smiling at the camera.
@fisheries.noaa.gov

Seafood Month is also a great time to learn a little more about how the seafood we love gets from the ocean to our plates. Swordfish are a highly migratory species, traveling thousands of miles across domestic and international boundaries. That means sustainable management takes collaboration.

A graphic labeled “Swordfish” with a NOAA Fisheries species illustration of a swordfish below. Under the illustration Blue text on a light grey background reads “Did You Know? Swordfish are managed differently in the Atlantic and Pacific because their fisheries, habitats, gear, and management structures vary by region. In both regions, domestic and international collaborations help support sustainable swordfish fisheries and healthy fish populations.”
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📷 1. Credit: Isaiah Foulks, Discovery Whale Watch; taken under NOAA Permit #24359 2. Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #24359. Aerial survey funded by NOAA Fisheries and Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

@fisheries.noaa.gov

For more than 40 years, research surveys in Alaska have collected an astonishing 2.5 million otolith pairs dating back to the 1960s. 😲 Today, this massive archive lives at the University of Washington’s Fish Collection—a joint facility between @burkemuseum.bsky.social & @uwsafs.bsky.social.

A visual chart titled "Otoliths from Different Species of Fish" on a black background, displaying pairs of translucent white otoliths from nine species arranged in a 3x3 grid: Top Row: Walleye pollock (elongated, scalloped edges), Sablefish (narrow and curved), and Pacific cod (oval with distinct ridged margins). Middle Row: Alaska plaice (rounded with central growth rings), Dover sole (smooth, teardrop-shaped), and Greenland turbot (irregular, fan-like structure). Bottom Row: Pacific ocean perch (broad with textured edges), Atka mackerel (elongated with pointed ends), and Shortraker rockfish (angular, shell-like shape).
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Under a microscope, these microscopic structures reveal growth rates, chemical signatures that log past temperatures and water quality, and other crucial data that feeds directly into stock assessment models to sustainably manage U.S. fisheries!

@fisheries.noaa.gov

Just like we count the rings of a tree to see how old it is, scientists count the rings of otoliths (tiny calcium carbonate ear stones inside fish) to estimate fish age.

An educational graphic on a light blue background featuring text at the top: "Like counting rings on trees, scientists can age fish using otoliths— their ear stones." Below the text, a backlit cross-section of a translucent, golden-hued otolith (fish ear stone) is displayed against a black background. White pointer lines and numbers labeled 1 through 9 mark each individual growth band extending from the center core outward to the edge, demonstrating how annual growth rings are counted to determine a fish's age.
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What do trees, corals, shells, and fish ear stones have in common? They are nature’s time capsules! 🌳🪸🐚🐟⏰ Each of these organisms has growth rings—a universal biological marker of seasonal or periodic growth.

An educational graphic on a light blue background featuring the bold heading "WHAT DO ALL THESE THINGS HAVE IN COMMON?" arranged above a 2x2 grid of photos: Top-left: A large green tree standing in a grassy field, labeled "Trees". Top-right: Branching light-colored coral underwater, labeled "Corals". Bottom-left: A fish swimming near the ocean floor, labeled "Fish". Bottom-right: A fan-like pattern of overlapping colorful scallop shells, labeled "Scallops". An educational graphic on a light blue background featuring the bold heading "THEY ALL HAVE GROWTH RINGS" above a 2x2 grid of close-up images illustrating biological growth rings: Top-left: A cross-section of a wooden tree trunk displaying concentric growth rings, labeled "Trees". Top-right: A circular cross-section of coral skeleton under magnification showing ring patterns, labeled "Corals". Bottom-left: An illuminated, microscopic view of a fish otolith displaying distinct growth bands, labeled "Fish". Bottom-right: A hand holding a scallop shell showing visible concentric growth lines across its surface, labeled "Scallops".
@fisheries.noaa.gov

Just like farmers on land, ocean farmers work long days—in snow, ice, heatwaves, and during 3 a.m. low tides—to harvest food for us to eat. As we close out #AquacultureWeek, meet some of the businesses expanding access to fresh, environmentally conscious American seafood).

A rectangular graphic with a dark blue banner with white text that reads “Faces of Sustainable Seafood; Aquaculture Week.” The background has a faded photo of oysters in nets with a snowy landscape with a NOAA Fisheries white swoosh logo in the bottom left corner. An image stylized as a polaroid taped to the design is at the center of the design. The image is of a family of four looking towards the camera from a small red boat labeled “Farm Stand”. The photo is labeled “Alaska Shellfish Farms; Alaska; Photos courtesy of Alaska Shellfish Farms”A rectangular graphic with a dark blue banner with white text that reads “Faces of Sustainable Seafood; Aquaculture Week.” The background is a faded photo of a split under-and above-water frame that shows fish at a fish farm with a NOAA Fisheries white swoosh logo in the bottom left corner. An image stylized as a polaroid taped to the design is at the center of the design. The image is of a man in a blue baseball cap smiling and holding a kanpachi fish up for the camera. Behind him is a calm ocean. The polaroid is labeled “Blue Ocean Mariculture; Hawaiʻi; Photos Courtesy of Blue Ocean Mariculture”.
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