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Celebrate National Seafood Month

October 01, 2022

The United States is recognized as a global leader in sustainable seafood for both wild-caught and farmed species. Join us for National Seafood Month 2022 and savor delicious seafood along the way.

Mandala of seafood including fish, lobsters, oysters

As we welcome autumn, we also celebrate National Seafood Month. The United States is recognized as a global leader in sustainable seafood for both wild-caught and farmed species. U.S. fishermen and fish farmers operate under some of the most robust and transparent environmental standards in the world. NOAA Fisheries works to advance and export sustainable management practices internationally. We establish and maintain a level playing field for our fishermen and fish farmers, and maintain confidence in U.S. seafood products and access to the global marketplace.

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Pot of seafood stew with wooden spoon in it
Seafood stew. Credit: Shutterstock

Aquaculture plays a key role in sustainable seafood as well. Developing a domestic aquaculture industry is critical for the economic and environmental resiliency of our coastal communities and supply of sustainable seafood.

Sustainable seafood relies on strong science, responsive management, and enforced compliance. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement enforces best stewardship practices over our ocean fisheries. They work with domestic and international partners to ensure a level playing field for those playing by the rules, combating IUU fishing and expanding compliance with ocean stewardship laws.

Join us all month long to celebrate sustainable seafood with new features, videos, and more. There's a lot to celebrate because—aside from being scrumptious—seafood is good for you, good for the economy, and good for the planet! So dig into our seafood features below.

Seafood Features 

Seafood for Everyone: A Conservation with Janet Coit

On this episode of Dive In With NOAA Fisheries, we talk with NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the U.S. seafood industry and getting Americans to eat more local seafood.

Listen to the podcast

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Shucked oysters on a plate
Whether enjoyed grilled, fried, or raw, oysters make a great addition to your plate. Consumers enjoy oysters on the half shell served with popular garnishes like lemon, cocktail sauce, horseradish, and mignonette sauce. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

How NOAA Preserves the Habitat of Seafood in the Pacific Islands

From protecting essential fish habitat to recovering coral colonies that have detached from the reef, NOAA supports seafood habitat in many ways.

How NOAA preserves the habitat of seafood in the Pacific Islands

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Hand made coral nurseries to restore coral reefs
Coral nurseries are one tool NOAA uses to restore reefs, which are vital habitats for many managed seafood species. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.

Spooky Fish That Are Actually Delish: Serve These for Halloween

It’s the season for ghosts, goblins and ghouls — but did you know that October is also the time that we recognize the importance of sustainable seafood? This National Seafood Month, check out our FishWatch recipes to discover how you can turn spookily-named fish into your next delicious dish.

Spooky fish that are actually delish

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onkfish taken during NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research "Windows to the Deep 2019" exploration mission
Monkfish taken during NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research "Windows to the Deep 2019" exploration mission. Credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Windows to the Deep 2019.

BlueTrace Wins NOAA Small Business Innovation Research Grant

Maine-based shellfish technology company BlueTrace has won a $500,000 NOAA Small Business Innovation Research grant to expedite their innovative shellfish tagging and traceability efforts. Seeing a need in the shellfish market to more effectively manage and track harvests, founder and CEO Chip Terry and his partners started Oyster Tracker. That product quickly evolved into the BlueTrace tool for shellfish harvesters to print tags and digitally record the harvest logs required by law.

More about BlueTrace's Innovative shellfish tagging and traceability efforts

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A shellfish grower holding a BlueTrace printer and oyster label in one hand, and a smartphone in the other hand.
Shellfish grower with BlueTrace mobile printer and custom tag. Credit: BlueTrace

Ensuring a Future for Seafood in a Changing Ocean: Part 1

This October, we’re celebrating National Seafood Month by featuring (and feasting on) the bounties of our nation’s seafood industry. But we are also mindful of the challenges a changing ocean poses to the future of these harvests and all the people that bring them to us. Here’s a look at just some of the ways NOAA Fisheries and our partners are laying the groundwork for adapting our fisheries and aquaculture to a changing climate through the decades ahead.

Read the first installment in this 2-part series

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1280x800-seafood-on-ice-shutterstock-90334042.jpg
Photo credit: Shutterstock.

Ensuring a Future for Seafood in a Changing Ocean: Part 2

NOAA Fisheries works to support resource managers, municipalities, and seafood businesses as they make decisions about how they will adapt to climate change. Across the country, regional fisheries councils and coastal communities are leading the way. The second installment of this 2-part series highlights a few examples.

Learn how NOAA's partners are working to build a resilient seafood future

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An aquaculture worker on a boat pulls long dropper ropes of sea kelp from the water.
Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries.

7 Ways to Celebrate National Seafood Month

Temperatures are cooling, leaves are changing colors, and the smell of pumpkin spice fills the air—all signs of fall in the United States! This time of year is meaningful for many reasons. At NOAA Fisheries, it’s a time to celebrate seafood because October is National Seafood Month. Check out ways you and your family can savor the flavors—and health benefits—of seafood.

See 7 ways to celebrate National Seafood Month

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Mahimahi on a plate with lemon garnish and green beans.
Mahimahi. Credit: iStock.

Aquaculture: Policy and Possibilities

Aquaculture is important for nutrition, for local jobs, for climate-ready food systems, and for collaboration between wild capture and aquaculture to put U.S. seafood back on U.S. plates. In this Dive In With NOAA Fisheries podcast, we talk with Dr. Michael Rubino, NOAA Fisheries’ Senior Advisor for Seafood Strategy and formerly the director of the Office of Aquaculture. He’s been thinking a lot about farmed seafood’s place in the greater industry, and how technology and innovation have made it safer and more sustainable. Recently, he published an article about aquaculture policy considerations outlining some opportunities and challenges facing it in the future. 

Listen to the podcast

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Man checks on oyster bed at Wellfleet Oyster Farm
Wellfleet Massachusetts Oyster Farm. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Adriane Michaelis

Ku a Lanakila Nā Mahi Iʻa: the Fish Farmers Stand Victorious

Join the webinar Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 3:00pm EST to learn more about the Ku a Lanakila Nā Mahi Iʻa project. This project uses oral history documentation to uplift the innovation and pioneering spirit of the elder generation of Hawaiʻi aquaculturists. Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo aims to document the lived experiences of growing seafood as a means to ensure we continue to hold restorative aquaculture as a crucial part of our food systems into the future. We also hope to increase awareness of aquaculture achievements in Hawaiʻi, including successes in modern aquaculture as well as the resilience of loko iʻa as the oldest form of mariculture and aquaculture innovation in the islands. The project also increases community capacity to do oral history documentation by providing resources for training and technical support for audio recording and transcription. We will share about the pilot phase of the project in which nine participants were interviewed on three different islands.

Register for the webinar

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Landscape of the Hawaiian fishpond during a sunny day in Kauai.
Nomilo Loko Iʻa (Hawaiian fishpond) formed naturally when a volcanic caldera on the southern shore of Kauaʻi filled with water. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Joseph Bennington-Castro

Sustainable Pacific Oyster Farming

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Pacific oysters on the half shell at Kodiak Ocean Bounty. Credit: Erik Obrien.
Pacific oysters on the half shell at Kodiak Ocean Bounty. Credit: Erik Obrien.

Pacific oysters are a smart seafood choice because they are sustainably grown and harvested under state and federal regulations.

Learn more about Alaska's growing aquatic farming industry

Sustainable Fisheries, Sustainable Seafood

Celebrating success in recovering our nation's fisheries.

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Photo of tuna swimming with sun rays coming through
Tuna swimming in sun rays coming through water. Credit: iStock.

Celebrating sustainable fisheries and sustainable seafood

Cheer for Seafood at Your Next Tailgate Party

This fall, get ready for the big game with these seafood tailgate ideas.

Get fun fall seafood recipes ideas

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Shrimp and oyster jambalaya. Credit: North Carolina Sea Grant.
Seafood jambalaya is a classic southern tailgate food. Photo and recipe courtesy of North Carolina Sea Grant.

Last updated by Office of Communications on October 26, 2022

National Seafood Month