The 2023 Status of Stocks report illustrates the challenges of managing U.S. fisheries sustainably in an era where climate change is not down the road—it has already arrived. Overfishing remains a persistent issue, and rebuilding efforts continue to fall short of needed progress. To make rebuilding plans effective and restore healthy conditions, NOAA Fisheries must prioritize ecosystem considerations. Adapting management approaches to incorporate the changing climate and shifting ocean conditions is essential for the long-term health of our fisheries. Fishery managers, scientists and the fishing industry must work collaboratively to develop adaptive, ecosystem-based strategies that promote resilience and ensure fishing practices remain sustainable in the face of climate change.
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For many years, the United States has taken pride in its world-class fishery management infrastructure which seeks to maintain sustainable fishing and abundant fish populations that can provide us with food and support businesses, recreation and culture. But a recent report from the agency that manages our marine fisheries reveals that while some progress has been made in the past year, many fish stocks around the country are at concerningly low levels of abundance. Even more alarming is that the steps we are taking to try to rebuild those fish stocks are rarely having an impact. Particularly as climate change disrupts our ocean and puts our fishing communities at risk, fishery managers need to act decisively to reverse these trends.
Too Many Stocks are Still Overfished
NOAA’s Status of Stocks report, which is delivered every year to Congress, serves as a vital health check for U.S. fisheries. The 2023 report focuses on a few key metrics: the fish stocks currently subject to overfishing, the stocks that are overfished and the progress of rebuilding plans intended to bring previously overfished stocks back to healthy population sizes. These figures can give us insight into the effectiveness of existing management and areas where improvements are needed.
Overfishing occurs when fish stocks are fished harder than they can naturally replenish. The report notes that 6% of known stocks are currently experiencing overfishing. That’s an all-time low, which is good news; however, the number hasn’t budged much for a decade. Despite efforts to reduce overfishing, the trend reveals a concerning stagnation, particularly because some stocks, like greater amberjack in the Gulf of Mexico, have remained subject to overfishing for more than 20 years. If continued unchecked, overfishing leads to stocks becoming overfished, which threatens the livelihoods of communities that rely on fishing as well as our sustainable food supply of fish. which threatens our sustainable food supply and the livelihoods of communities that rely on them.
When a stock is declared overfished, it signifies that the population has declined to a level where it can no longer sustainably support fishing in the long term. A primary purpose of managing our fisheries is to avoid creating overfished stocks, not only because of the impact that has to the environment, but also because it can devastate fishing communities. Rebuilding a stock back to a healthy level once it’s overfished is difficult and includes restricting fishing while the population grows, which can take decades. The challenge of rebuilding is exacerbated by climate change, which adds further complexity to the problem. Shifting ocean temperatures, changing currents and acidification are just a few of the impacts that make it even harder for overfished stocks to recover. At the same time, rebuilding stocks is more critical now than ever before because abundant and resilient stocks are better able to handle these climate impacts.
Efforts to Rebuild Stocks are Struggling
When a stock becomes overfished, managers must put a rebuilding plan in place for restoring its size back to target levels. These plans typically involve reducing catch limits and implementing other strategies that allow the stock size to grow. The 2023 Status of Stocks report celebrates a milestone, marking the 50th stock rebuilt since 2000 with the Snohomish coho salmon. However, this figure only tells part of the story. Rebuilding progress has been stalling out—just three stocks have been rebuilt since 2019—and the number of stocks in rebuilding plans has increased and is now up to 48. Furthermore, 11 of the 50 rebuilt stocks being celebrated in the report have since become overfished again, with nine still in the process of rebuilding a second time. This indicates that fishery management is failing to keep stocks at healthy levels and struggling to recover them when they decline into being overfished.
As seen from the figure above, rebuilding progress has tapered off since the early 2010s. Ideally, what we would see is the total number of rebuilt stocks rising, and the number of overfished stocks falling. That had been happening until about 2017, when the number of overfished stocks started rising and the number of rebuilt stocks stayed relatively flat. This pattern is troubling, underscoring a critical need for improvement.
Rebuilding is Critical to Build Resilience to Climate Change
The reality is that rebuilding is becoming both increasingly important and increasingly difficult. A changing climate complicates traditional management approaches, which rely on the assumption that the future will look (roughly) like the past. Yet, climate change doesn’t change the reality that managers, scientists and fishermen must still work together to bring stocks back to target population sizes when they are overfished. And climate change is far from the only factor that can explain shortcomings in rebuilding progress. Fishery managers need to do more to end overfishing on overfished stocks and put plans in place that are robust enough actually to rebuild successfully.
These conditions highlight the urgency of improving data collection and incorporating climate and ecosystem considerations into management measures. Yet, despite this need, only 8% of 2022 stock assessments—the primary vehicle by which a stock’s health is determined—included ecosystem measures. Furthermore, a report by the GAO found that only a quarter of fishery management plans considered “climate-related information.” This lack of climate-change preparedness impedes rebuilding efforts, as strategies that don’t account for climate-related impacts risk further stagnation of and decline in the health of our fisheries. These concerns are compounded by the fact that, of the 506 stocks managed by NOAA, we only know the overfishing status of 72% and the overfished status of 52% of them. That means that, in addition to inadequate climate data, there is significant uncertainty regarding the baseline health of hundreds of our fish stocks.
The post Navigating Troubled Waters: Breaking Down the 2023 Status of Stocks Report appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
Navigating Troubled Waters: Breaking Down the 2023 Status of Stocks Report
After a slight delay of the Maria S. Merian caused by late-arriving containers our research cruise MSM142 finally got underway. By last Tuesday (24.03.2026), the full scientific team had arrived in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, and the ship reached port on Wednesday (25.03.2026) morning. That same day, scientists and technicians moved on board and immediately began preparations, assembling and testing our instruments. Although the mornings on Wednesday and Thursday were grey and overcast, the afternoons cleared up beautifully. This gave us valuable time to organize equipment on deck and store empty boxes back into the containers before departure.
Given the forecast of harsh conditions outside the fjord, we carried out the mandatory safety drill while still in harbour. This included practicing emergency procedures and boarding the lifeboat. After completing border control, we were finally ready to leave Nuuk. We set sail on March 27th, heading into the Labrador Sea to begin our mission. Even before starting scientific operations, we tested the setup for deploying our gliders without releasing them during the transit out of the fjord. Once we reached open waters, we were met by high waves the following morning. For some on board, this was their first experience under such rough sea conditions. Seasickness quickly became a challenge for a few, while scientific work had to be temporarily postponed due to the strong winds and sea conditions. Together with the crew, we discussed how best to adapt our measurement plans to the given weather conditions. On March 29th, we were finally able to begin our scientific program with the first CTD deployment. A CTD is an instrument used to measure conductivity, temperature, and depth, which are key parameters for understanding ocean structure.
During the following night, we continued with additional CTD stations and successfully recovered two moorings: DSOW 3 and DSOW 4, located south of Greenland. These moorings carry instruments at various depths that measure velocity, temperature, and salinity. DSOW 4 was redeployed on the same day, while DSOW 3 followed the next day. In addition, the bottles attached to the CTD’s rosette can be used to collect water samples from any desired depth. These samples can be used, for example, to determine the oxygen content, nutrient levels, and organic matter.
Both are part of the OSNAP array, a network of moorings spanning the subpolar North Atlantic. On these moorings are a few instruments, for example microcats which measure temperature, pressure and salinity.
We then conducted around 25 CTD stations spaced approximately 3 nautical miles apart across an Irminger ring identified from satellite data. This high-resolution sampling was necessary to capture the structure of an Irminger Ring, which had a radius of about 12 km wide.
The days leading up to April 2nd were marked by very rough weather conditions. Life on board became both challenging and, at times, unintentionally entertaining sliding chairs were not uncommon. During the night from April 1st to April 2nd, winds reached 11 Beaufort with gusts up to 65 knots, forcing us to pause our measurements. Fortunately, conditions improved by morning, allowing us to resume our work. As well as with the help of the crew we had to adapt to the harsh weather conditions to continue our scientific work. On the 3rd of April, we were able to deploy a few gliders and one float. An ocean glider is an autonomous underwater Vehicle, which you can steer remotely and send to different locations, while it is measuring oceanographic key parameters.
This research cruise focuses on understanding small-scale processes in the ocean and their connection to the spring bloom, an essential phase in marine ecosystem in subpolar regions. Despite the challenging start, we have already gathered valuable data and look forward to the weeks ahead in the Labrador Sea.
Despite their dramatic name, false killer whales aren’t an orca species. These animals are dolphins—members of the same extended family as the iconic “killer whale” (Orcinus orca). Compared to their namesake counterparts, these marine mammals are far less well-known than our ocean’s iconic orcas.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at false killer whales—one of the ocean’s most social, yet lesser-known dolphin species.
Appearance and anatomy
False killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) are among the largest members of the dolphin family (Delphinidae). Adults can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh between 1,500 and 3,000 pounds, though some individuals have been recorded weighing even more. For comparison, that’s roughly double the size of a bottlenose dolphin—and slightly larger than a typical sedan.
These animals are incredibly powerful swimmers with long, torpedo-shaped bodies that help them move efficiently through the open ocean in search of prey. Their skull structure is what earned them their name, as their head shape closely resembles that of orcas. With broad, rounded heads, muscular jaws and large cone-shaped teeth, early scientists were fascinated by the similarities between these two marine mammal species.
Although their heads may look somewhat like those of orcas, there are several ways to distinguish false killer whales from their larger namesake counterparts.
One of the most noticeable differences has to do with their coloration. While orcas are known for their iconic black-and-white pattern with paler underbellies, alternatively, false killer whales are typically a uniform dark gray to black in color—almost as if a small orca decided to roll around in the dirt. If you’ve ever seen the animated Disney classic 101 Dalmatians, the difference is a bit like when the puppies roll in soot to disguise themselves as labradors instead of showing their usual black-and-white spots.
Their teeth also present a differentiator. The scientific name Pseudorca crassidens translates almost literally to “thick-toothed false orca,” a nod to their sturdy, cone-shaped teeth that help these animals capture prey. Orcas tend to have more robust, bulbous heads, while false killer whales appear slightly narrower and more streamlined.
Behavior and diet
False killer whales are both highly efficient hunters and deeply social animals. It’s not unusual to see them hunting together both in small pods and larger groups as they pursue prey like fish and squid.
Scientists have even observed false killer whales sharing food with each other, a behavior that is very unusual for marine mammals. While some dolphin and whale species work together to pursue prey, they rarely actively share food. The sharing of food among false killer whales spotlights the strong social bonds within their pods. Researchers believe these tight-knit social connections help false killer whales thrive in offshore environments where they’re always on the move.
Maintaining these close bonds and coordinating successful hunts requires constant effective communication, and this is where false killer whales excel. Like other dolphins, they produce a variety of sounds like whistles and clicks to stay connected with their pod and locate prey using echolocation. In the deep offshore waters where they live, sound often becomes more important than sight, since sound travels much farther underwater than light.
Where they live
False killer whales are highly migratory and travel long distances throughout tropical and subtropical waters around the world. They prefer deeper waters far offshore, and this pelagic lifestyle can make them more difficult for scientists to study than many coastal dolphin species.
However, there are a few places where researchers have been able to learn more about them—including the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands.
Scientists have identified three distinct groups of false killer whales in and around Hawaii, but one well-studied group stays close to the main Hawaiian Islands year-round. Unfortunately, researchers estimate that only about 140 individuals remained in 2022, with populations expected to decline without action to protect them. This is exactly why this group is listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and is considered one of the most vulnerable marine mammal populations in U.S. waters.
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Current threats to survival
False killer whales are currently listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. From climate change-induced ocean acidification and harmful algal blooms to marine debris and fishing bycatch, false killer whales face the same mounting pressures that are impacting marine ecosystems around the world. As their prey becomes scarce due to increasing threats, populations of top predators like these decline, serving as a powerful signal that the ocean’s overall health is in critical need of protection.
Here at Ocean Conservancy, we’re working daily to confront these threats head-on and protect the ecosystems and wildlife we all cherish so dearly. But we can’t do it without you. Support from ocean lovers is what powers our work to protect our ocean, and right now, our planet needs all the help it can get. Visit Ocean Conservancy’s Action Center today and join our movement to create a better future for our ocean, forever and for everyone.
The post All About False Killer Whales appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2026/03/31/false-killer-whales/
A lot has happened in the meantime: I became an Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark, we all lived through the Corona period, then slowly adjusted to the post‑pandemic stability, only to find ourselves again in turbulent political times. I am now affiliated with the Marine Research Center in Kerteminde, a beautiful coastal town on the island of Fyn. My plan is to share small updates on my research and activities every now and then. So let’s start with yesterday’s sampling trip for benthic phytoplankton, carried out by my colleague, Prof. Kazumasa Oguri. The sampling will help prepare for the first‑semester bachelor students who will join his small but fascinating project. This project is all about the benthic diatoms that form dense, photosynthetic communities on tidal‑flat sediments. Their daytime oxygen production enriches the sediment surface and allows oxygen to penetrate deeper, supporting diverse organisms that rely on aerobic respiration. The project will explore how oxygen distribution and oxygen production/consumption in sediments change under different light conditions (day, night, sunrise/sunset). The team will incubate benthic diatom communities in jars and measure oxygen profiles using an oxygen imaging system under controlled light regimes.
Yesterday, we visited several potential sampling sites where students can carry out their fieldwork. I encourage all PIs in our group to define at least one small project related to Kerteminde Fjord, where our laboratories are located. Over time, I hope we can build a more integrated dataset describing the marine and coastal ecosystems of the area.
Another activity currently in preparation is a project on marine invasive species in Kerteminde, which will feed into a course I will run in July and a master’s thesis project. More will come later.
Let’s hope for a more continuous blog from here on, keeping track of our activities, with or without jellyfish!
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