Pity the lowly herring, an essential species getting little love these days from the government agencies that are supposed to protect them.

Everything in the ocean is food to something else, a food web comprising many food chains. Earthjustice attorneys are stepping in to help stop the plunder of the ocean’s larders.

Over the past few decades, Earthjustice legal victories have been working to shape an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management in New England.

US District Court Judge Gladys Kessler has found that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has failed to stem the decline of Atlantic river herring and shad populations due to the overfishing by the New England industrial fishing fleet.

Our planet is a blue planet and yet the oceans receive relatively little attention from an environmental perspective.

Oceans scientist Steve Murawski has got some good news for our fishermen clients in New England: there may be more fish to catch next year. If you remember, many fishermen had to retire their nets because of too few fish. In an Associated Press report, Murawski heralds the end of overfishing as a result of a…

All fish must be brought onboard and documented by federal observers

Fishermen in Port Clyde, Maine, are modeling a standard that allows them to continue their fishing tradition, while also allowing the fish stocks to rebound.

Report & Recommendation

Maine fishermen seeking to stop industrial trawl ships from entering fish sanctuaries

Stipulation of Settlement and Order of Dismissal

Finalizes FOIA lawsuit settlement after months of government stalling

Public input now allowed in response to commercial groundfishermen lawsuit

Fishermen seek truth in management of industrial herring fleet

Allows ships to decimate groundfish populations

This brief filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association argues that the federal government is ignoring ten years worth of data documenting bycatch by high-volume herring ships in areas identified as spawning grounds and sanctu

This document was filed by a coalition of New England fishermen seeking to support Earthjustice and the Midcoast Fishermen’s Assocation’s lawsuit to ban industrial herring trawlers from critical fishing grounds.