Of the total 175 stocks, 135 were not overfished. Ten stocks experienced active overfishing, and 21 remained in an overfished state. The index tracked 175 stocks important to the fishing industry and accounted for more than 80 percent of total U.S. fish catches according to NOAA Fisheries.
An Index With Unknown Values
The overfishing status was unknown for 23 of the 175 stocks at the reference date. For overfished stocks, this applied to 19 stocks. NOAA Fisheries distinguishes between overfishing and overfished stocks: overfishing describes a catch rate that is too high, while an overfished stock has a population size that is too low.
Individual Stocks Move in Different Directions
In the first quarter of 2026, Atlantic mackerel in the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras area transitioned from an overfished status to not overfished and was rebuilding at quarter's end. It remained free from active overfishing. Snow crab in the Bering Sea moved in the opposite direction: previously considered not overfished and rebuilding, it shifted to overfished but remained without active overfishing. For northern shortfin squid off the northwestern Atlantic coast, the overfishing status shifted to unknown during the same period. An overfished state often results from overfishing but can also relate to updated understanding of stock productivity. NOAA Fisheries cited habitat degradation, pollution, climate change, and disease as additional factors that can reduce population size.
Why 94 Percent Doesn't Apply Here
This represents a different scope and time period than the 175 FSSI stocks in the Q1 2026 quarterly report. SeafoodSource reported that the 2023 annual report classified 94 percent of stocks with known overfishing status as not experiencing overfishing.
NOAA Announced Course Shift in Early September 2026, Critics Warned
In early September 2026, NOAA announced revised agency priorities aimed at reducing bureaucracy, modernizing science, and prioritizing fishing communities. According to Inside Climate News, the reforms serve as a roadmap for implementing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April 2025: Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness. Four of ten federally mandated national standards are under review, including overfishing prevention and the application of best science. The review also includes whether recreational fishing should remain subject to the same standards. Andrea Treece of Earthjustice said the agency was moving sharply away from science. Meredith Moore of Ocean Conservancy expressed concern that even the definition of overfishing and the application of best science could be challenged. Environmental groups praised individual steps like modernizing data systems. Former NOAA Fisheries Director Janet Coit called regulation the backbone of sustainable fisheries management and warned of consequences for fish populations of future generations. The National Fisheries Institute welcomed the announced return to risk-based regulation. Institute President Lisa Wallenda Picard congratulated NOAA Fisheries and the government on their efforts. A NOAA spokesman referred to a press release in which agency representative Eugenio Piñeiro Soler wrote that the agency was moving toward a science-based system and away from regulations treating domestic fishermen as a problem. Questions about remaining protections remained unanswered.
In April 2026, conservation organization Ocean Conservancy reported that the White House proposed cutting NOAA funding by $1.6 billion. The report also noted that NOAA's staffing declined by 20 percent in 2025, with many positions remaining unfilled. Ocean Conservancy Vice President Jeff Watters said the cuts came at a particularly bad time given the vulnerability of American fisheries. The report noted that 42 stocks remain overfished and population estimates in 65 percent of rebuilding plan stocks have stagnated or declined.
Looking at the Second Quarter 2026
An update from the National Marine Fisheries Service for Q2 2026 shows Atlantic herring off the northwestern Atlantic coast with no active overfishing but in an overfished state.