Southeast
Southeast
The southeastern United States is home to the largest concentration of saltwaterrecreational fishing in America. Whether seeking iconic fish to catch for sport or for sustenance, recreationalfishing in the Southeast generates more than $15 billion in sales annually. More than 4.5 million fishermen take more than 36 million fishing trips here every year.
The commercial fishery represents the second largest by volume in the United States and the third largest by landings revenue.
Covering a vast area from Texas to North Carolina and the U.S. Caribbean, the Southeast has the largest wetland acreage and the largest coral reef track in the contiguous United States. It provides the only known calving grounds for the highly endangeredNorth Atlantic Right Whale. Right whales travel here in the fall to give birth off the eastern coast of Florida.
Right whales aren’t alone though—bottlenose dolphins,sea turtles, a variety ofcorals,sawfish,Rice's whales,manta rays, andGulf,shortnose, andAtlantic sturgeon are also residents of our region. This variety creates unique viewing opportunities, experiences, and even challenges for those living in and visiting our region.
Together, NOAA FisheriesSoutheast Regional Office andSoutheast Fisheries Science Center work to protect our marine life and theirhabitat, offering sound science to help inform management decisions in an ever-changing environment.
Sign up to receive ourSoutheast Fishery Bulletins for information about upcoming andcurrent fishing regulations.
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Celebrate Seafood This Holiday Season
Seafood Tips from the People Bringing You America's Seafood (Part 1)
Thomas Piecuch flips floating oyster bags on his farm (Credit: Holy Ground Oyster Company).Celebrating Aquaculture Week: Farming from Tide to Table
A subsample of bluefin tuna larvae collected via net tow from the Slope Sea. The small individuals are about 3 millimeters in length and the larger individuals are about 6 millimeters. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Katey MarancikGenomics Help Uncover Mysteries of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Notices & Rules
Closure: Atlantic Bluefin Tuna General Category Fishery Through November 30, 2025
Closure: Atlantic Bluefin Tuna General Category (Commercial) Fishery
Restoring America’s Seafood Competitiveness
Closure: Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category Fishery (Recreational) - All Sizes, All Areas
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December 2025 Safe Handling, Release, and Identification Workshop
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A complete necropsy of a minke whale on Blakely Island, Washington. The necropsy revealed injuries—including severe bruising and broken ribs and vertebrae—consistent with a vessel strike. Credit: The Whale Museum2022 and 2023 Combined Report of Marine Mammal Strandings in the United States
GulfCorps Member Alexis Powell prepares to work on a habitat restoration project. Credit: Alexis Powell
Barotrauma expands gasses in a fish causing the air bladder and other organs to expand as well, making it difficult for fish to swim after release. Credit: NOAA Fisheries, Florida SeaGrant.Science in the Southeast
Our scientists at theSoutheast Fisheries Science Center produce data, information, and advice that serves as a foundation of knowledge upon which living marine resource managers in the southeastern United States depend. Our science is used to make informed decisions for maintaining healthy marine ecosystems, productive and sustainable fisheries, restoring depleted populations and damaged habitats, and recovering populations of protected, threatened, and endangered species.
Science News & Blogs
New StoryMap: Monitoring Reef Fish With Advanced Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Genomics Help Uncover Mysteries of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
A subsample of bluefin tuna larvae collected via net tow from the Slope Sea. The small individuals are about 3 millimeters in length and the larger individuals are about 6 millimeters. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Katey MarancikWorkshop Targets High-Tech Ways to Assess Endangered Whale Health
Southern resident killer whales. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Candice Emmons
Diving Deep: My Summer with NOAA Fisheries
Fishing in the Southeast
The southeastern United States is home to the largest concentration of saltwater recreational fishing in America. Recreational fishing in the Southeast generates more than $15 billion in annual sales for more than 4.5 million fishermen on more than 36 million fishing trips each year.
NOAA Fisheries Southeast manages fisheries in three areas:Caribbean, Gulf of America* (formerly Gulf of Mexico), andSouth Atlantic. The three Fishery Management Councils (Caribbean,Gulf, and theSouth Atlantic) recommend regulatory actions for their region to NOAA Fisheries in order to manage federal waters from North Carolina through Texas, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
With the fishery management councils for each region, NOAA Fisheries uses the best scientific information available to manage and conserve marine fishery resources. Our main objective is to maintain fish stocks important to commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries for long-term economic and social benefits to the nation.
*Executive Order 14172, “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” (Jan. 20, 2025), directs that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America. On August 7, 2025, NOAA Fisheries and the National Ocean Service amended regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations to reflect the renaming. The name change did not result in any changes to, and had no effect on the applicability or enforceability of, any existing regulations. This website continues to use “Gulf of Mexico” when quoting statutes or previously published materials.
Fishery Management Areas & Resources
Other Fishing and Seafood in the Southeast
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Fisheries News
Protected Marine Life in the Southeast
Through policy, management, and public outreach, we strive to ensure the recovery and survival of protected marine species for future generations in the waters of the southeastern United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We implement theMarine Mammal Protection Act andEndangered Species Act to protect marine mammals like bottlenose dolphins and endangered species such as sea turtles and sawfish.
Guidance and Regulatory Actions in the Southeast
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Marine Life News
NOAA Announces Confirmed U.S. Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2024
Credit: NOAA/Maria HarveyWorkshop Targets High-Tech Ways to Assess Endangered Whale Health
Southern resident killer whales. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Candice Emmons2022 and 2023 Combined Report of Marine Mammal Strandings in the United States
A complete necropsy of a minke whale on Blakely Island, Washington. The necropsy revealed injuries—including severe bruising and broken ribs and vertebrae—consistent with a vessel strike. Credit: The Whale MuseumNOAA Announces Confirmed Large Whale Entanglement Numbers for 2023
Trained and authorized responders use a grapple to grab the entanglement trailing behind a North Atlantic right whale (#4545). Credit: Center for Coastal Studies, taken under NOAA Permit # 24359Habitat Conservation in the Southeast
Our habitat conservation efforts center around protecting, conserving, restoring, and creating habitats and ecosystems vital to maintaining sustainable populations of recreationally and commercially important fisheries and the recovery of threatened and endangered species. Working with state and federal regulatory and permitting programs, we attempt to minimize the loss of coastal waters and wetlands while successfully enhancing and restoring fishery habitats and accommodating sustainable development.
Regulatory programs do not address the full spectrum of conservation challenges nor do they provide all the tools needed for comprehensive habitat conservation. We also participate in a variety of programs to enhance, restore, and create fishery habitats across the southeastern United States.
Partnerships are important for protecting and conserving aquatic habitat while continuing to provide ecological and economic benefits. New conservation challenges (e.g., climate change, prolonged droughts, and population growth) require engagement from the broader stewardship community. We work with a variety of partnership entities comprising various federal, state, local, private, and non-profit groups
Habitat Conservation
Habitat Restoration
Habitat Partnerships
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Habitat News
Small Modifications to Turtle Excluder Devices Have Big Impacts for Gulf Sea Turtles
NOAA team members adjust a prototyped turtle excluder device (TED) before sending it to divers below for continued testing on the NOAA R/V Caretta. Credit: NOAA Fisheries (ESA Permit 20339)
Restoring Alabama’s Lower Perdido Islands to Protect Wildlife and Coastal Communities
Robinson Island expands as crews pump sediment onto its shores. Credit: Moffatt & NicholRestoring Habitat, Bolstering the Economy, and Supporting Jobs in Florida
GulfCorps Member Alexis Powell prepares to work on a habitat restoration project. Credit: Alexis PowellCoral Reefs Fuel Florida’s Economy—Restoration Ensures Their Future
A diver getting into the water to view coral in the Florida Keys. Credit: Adobe StockFeatured Species in the Southeast
Covering a vast area from Texas to North Carolina and the U.S. Caribbean, the Southeast has the largest wetland acreage and the largest coral reef track in the contiguous United States and provides the only known calving grounds for the highly endangeredNorth Atlantic Right Whale. Right whales travel here in the fall to give birth off the eastern coast of Florida.
Right whales aren’t alone though—bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, a variety ofcorals,sawfish,Bryde's whales,manta rays andGulf,shortnoseandAtlantic sturgeon are also residents of our region. This variety creates unique viewing opportunities, experiences, and even challenges for those living in and visiting our region.
Species News
New StoryMap: Monitoring Reef Fish With Advanced Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Celebrating Aquaculture Week: Farming from Tide to Table
Thomas Piecuch flips floating oyster bags on his farm (Credit: Holy Ground Oyster Company).The Road to Identifying Aquaculture Opportunity Areas
Genomics Help Uncover Mysteries of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
A subsample of bluefin tuna larvae collected via net tow from the Slope Sea. The small individuals are about 3 millimeters in length and the larger individuals are about 6 millimeters. Credit: NOAA Fisheries/Katey MarancikSmall Modifications to Turtle Excluder Devices Have Big Impacts for Gulf Sea Turtles
NOAA team members adjust a prototyped turtle excluder device (TED) before sending it to divers below for continued testing on the NOAA R/V Caretta. Credit: NOAA Fisheries (ESA Permit 20339)