Economic Impact Archives - Page 233 of 314

Florida pink shrimp landings booming, up 77% during first 3 months

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton — May 2, 2014 — Pink shrimp landings are excellent in Florida this year, with landings through March the highest they have been in at least five years.

According to NMFS figures released last week, Florida West coast shrimp landings were up 180% in March, and are up 77% for the year to date. Total landings were 741,000 lbs in March, and nearly 1.8 million pounds, year to date.

As a result there has been more domestic pink shrimp available on the market.

One industry veteran said the shrimp were running a little smaller this year, and suggested that the plan to divert more water flow West to Florida Bay through the Everglades could have had a positive impact on production.

NMFS data

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Lionfish are everywhere, except menus

May 2, 2014 — It's become one of the ingredients most sought after by local chefs and food lovers: the lionfish.

This spiny, venomous and perniciously invasive creature — once prized only by saltwater-aquarium aficionados — is as elusive on area menus as it is prolific in South Florida's waters.

But Sunday, locals will get a rare chance to feast on this candy-striped invader during Lionfish Fest, a two-day lionfish roundup and cooking competition in south Fort Myers.

"I'm stoked to try out a new fish," said Brian Roland, chef and founder of Naples' Crave Culinaire which will compete in Sunday's lionfish cook-off. "I'm hoping if the demand starts to pick up here then more fishermen will try to start and source it."

Easier said than done.

Area seafood suppliers have scoured their sources for lionfish for more than a year.

What have they found?

"None whatsoever," said Ashton Henry, general manager of The Fish Lady Seafood Company in south Fort Myers. "I'd say 15 to 20 percent of our customers have asked for it — a few dozen, at least. Quite a few restaurants want to serve the invasive fish no one else has."

Read the full story and watch the video from the News-Press

New England outlier in overall US landings revenue data

April 30, 2014 — As the US fishing industry’s revenues fell in 2012, there were some exceptions.

One of these was New England. Commercial fishermen in the eastern US region landed 664 million pounds of finfish and shellfish in 2012, earning $1.2 billion in landings revenue, showed a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA).

This represents an 8.5% increase in revenue relative to 2011, said the NOAA Fisheries Economics of the US 2012 report.

That means New England fared significantly better than the overall US fishing industry, which saw landings revenues drop by 4.5%, according to the report.

New England is comprised of six states – Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Lobster only major seafood to lose value over 10-year period, report says

April 29, 2014 — Of 10 key species studied by NOAA, only American lobster dropped in price from 2003 through 2012.

It’s a tale well known in Maine: Lobster prices have tanked over the past decade as the harvest has surged.

Among 10 key species that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration examined, only American lobster dropped in price from 2003 through 2012, according to a report released Tuesday.

Commercial fishermen in the United States harvested 9.6 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2012, earning $5.1 billion. Sea scallops, shrimp, Pacific salmon and American lobster contributed the most to total revenue.

The greatest increase in landings from 2003 to 2012 was in lobster. The catch more than doubled nationally, to more than 149.5 million pounds. Nationally, the price of lobster fell 27.5 percent, from an average of $3.96 a pound in 2003 to an average of $2.87 a pound in 2012, the report said.

Other species, such as Pacific halibut, Pacific salmon, sea scallops and tuna, roughly doubled in price per pound.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

NOAA Economic report shows Commercial Fishery Values dwarf that of recreational sector

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton — April 30, 2014 — NOAA has released ‘Fisheries Economics of the US’ covering the year 2012, and it should be required reading for all in Congress involved in reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Act.

The report shows once and for all that in terms of economic value, employment, sales and income, there is simply no comparison between the recreational and commercial sectors.

This fact is particularly important as lobbyists for the recreational sector call for reallocation of US fisheries resources, which would mean taking a broad economically productive asset and putting it in fewer and more private hands.

There is a wealth of specific information in the economic report, but we want to highlight a few facts to put to rest the myth about the value of recreational fisheries.

In terms of sales, the Commercial sector in 2012 represented $140 billion, the recreational sector $58 billion. In terms of value added to the national economy, the commercial sector added nearly $60 billion, vs. about 30 billion for the recreational sector.

In terms of jobs, the commercial industry (producers, processors, distributors, wholesalers and seafood retailers) employed 1.27 million people, while the recreational sector employed 380,000.

But the most striking difference is in where these people are employed. For the recreational fishing impacts, it was building boats and engines that drove the value. This kind of durable equipment represented 82% of employment impacts, 82% of total sales and impacts, and 81% of value added impacts.

This economic power is represented in the funding of the commercial lobby as well. They are primarily funded from engine makers like Evinrude and Yamaha, and from recreational boat manufacturers like Grady White, Mako and others.

To put this another way, the value of the power boat yacht industry is the primary “value” of recreational fishing. It takes just a simple statement on a form to say a $300,000 power boat – used for cruising, parties, and fishing is part of the recreational fishing industry.’

According to NOAA, less than 20% of the jobs in the industry come from guides, boat operators, tackle shops, motel owners etc.

The picture NOAA paints of the commercial sector is totally different. Here, Seafood Retailers generated the largest number of job and value impacts, accounting for 610,000 jobs, and $32 billion in sales. They were followed by the import sector (207,000 jobs), and wholesalers and distributors (57,000 jobs). The remaining jobs were in harvesting and processing.

In short, the economic benefits of the commercial seafood sector penetrate all parts of the US, throughout the entire economy. It is true that a fishermen in Alaska is in fact supporting the jobs of dozens of people throughout the rest of the country.

The other striking thing about recreational employment was how much of it was concentrated in Florida. For example, out of 380,000 jobs in 2012, fully 30% of them are in Florida alone.

If you add the rest of the Gulf States and North Carolina, the proportion of recreational jobs is around 45%, or nearly half the national total.

This report negates the argument that the recreational fishery has a greater or more direct economic impact than the commercial fishery.

The recreational fishery’s value is primarily concentrated in boat manufacturers and equipment makers and it is highly regionally concentrated.

For the commercial industry, the value and jobs created spread throughout the entire country, while for the recreational sector, the jobs and value are concentrated in a few states and industries. Florida is the only state in the country with more jobs attributable to recreational fishing than commercial. In the rest of the 49 states, the commercial industry provides more jobs and value by a wide margin.

This analysis fully supports the purposes of the Magnuson Stevens Act, which is that if the marine resources of the US are to be used to benefit the entire country, than the commercial seafood industry is by far the most effective and democratic way to accomplish that goal.

Notes for Chart: The Value and Sales figures are in 100,000's, ie. the sales is $1.4 billion, while the jobs figures are in thousands; i.e. 1.4 million. Source NOAA Fisheries Economics of the US.

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Apalachicola Bay Oyster Communities Receive Disaster Assistance Funds

April 28, 2014 — Four funds aimed at helping Apalachicola Bay communities that produce 85% of Florida oysters recover from the collapse of the oyster harvesting industry have been announced.

Florida Governor Rick Scott announced the projects that he is recommending to receive disaster assistance funding. Last month the governor announced the awarded $6.3 million in disaster assistance funding following his request for a commercial fishery failure.

“I am excited to recommend these projects that will share $6.3 million to help restore economic vitality and provide relief to the oystermen and their families who have endured such hardship in the Apalachicola Bay area,” said Scott. “ In addition to bolstering their industry, this funding will be used to provide vocational and educational training for oystermen and their families so they are able to support their families for generations to come.”

According to Bob Jones, chairman of Florida based Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation; the federal aid needs to be supplement with more fresh water from Florida’s rivers.

Read the full story from the Gulf Seafood Institute

Innovation nets a greener future for undervalued fish

April 29, 2014 — Talking trash on the docks is nothing new. But talk of how to turn "trash fish" — netted fish that is in less demand — into treasured bounty is a different story. And the idea offers hope for creating new markets that can benefit both fishers and fish.

The fact is, a lot of fish goes to waste in the world. According to a recent Oceana report, U.S. fisheries discard an astounding 2 billion pounds per year. Most of that is due to bycatch — unintentionally caught species, including endangered mammals, sea turtles, sharks and seabirds, which are then tossed back into the water. But a lot of bycatch is perfectly edible fish, discarded simply because the fish don't garner enough value to merit space on the boat. And therein lies the opportunity: creating demand for those fish offers a way to reduce food waste and help fishers.

Bringing trash fish to the people

So, how do you turn trash fish into a tasty meal? Enlist talented, daring chefs and put on a show. Chef's Collaborative has hosted a number of Trash Fish dinners, inviting chefs to prepare elaborate multi-course meals featuring undervalued but sustainably harvested species. The result? Sold-out events from L.A. to Boston, and diners satiated on species such as redfish, Atlantic pollock, sand dabs and surf clams. The idea works not only because the chefs show that these species can taste good, but also because sustainable seafood distributors such as Sea to Table and Red's Best are helping to make these underappreciated species more readily available to customers, while securing better prices for the fishers. Using innovative distribution models and technologies, these businesses are reinventing how fish moves from water to plate, tying story to fish in ways that further increase the value of the catch. Fishers and chefs are finding that a good enough tale (and the right sauce) can turn even baitfish into a sold-out entree.

Read the full story from Green Biz

BP oil spill causing lowest oyster supply on record?

April 25, 2014 — Gulf oystermen are experiencing the lowest oyster supply that many of them have seen and they suspect that the BP/ Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 is to blame.

“We have been in business for 19 years, and haven’t been shut down except for a couple of hurricanes and the BP oil spill. However, last summer and going into the summer have been the most challenging time that we have had for procuring oysters,” John Tesvich, president of processor AmeriPure Oyster Company in Franklin, La., and chair of the Louisiana Oyster Task Force, told SeafoodSource.

The shortage of high quality oysters is significant, since the Gulf produces an estimated 70 percent of U.S. oysters. Since oysters take around three years to reach full maturity, Gulf oystermen and buyers believe they are seeing the effects of the oil spill. “The most logical thing is the oil spill,” Tesvich said.

“Areas that once produced abundantly a few years ago are barren,” said Wilber Collins, owner of Collins Oyster Company and a member of the Louisiana Oyster Task Force, in a statement from the Gulf Seafood Institute.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Effort underway to give New England seafood a boost

April 24, 2014 — From the fishermen to your dinner plate, a program at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, Maine is working to promote a fishery that is sustainable, environmentally friendly and local.

Despite New England's strong fishing industry, most of the seafood we eat in this country is imported.

The Sustainable Seafood program hopes to level the playing field a bit. It starts on the water with the fishermen who agree to catch species that aren't overfished, such as pollock and dogfish.

The chain continues with processors, dealers, and retailers who all agree to be monitored to show they are supporting sustainable practices and can show traceability of their products.

Read the full story and watch the video at NECN

Fish Landings April 23, 2014

April 23, 2014 — The Buyers And Sellers Exchange (BASE), an electronic auctioning company that sells landings at owner Whaling City Seafood Display Auction in New Bedford, Boston’s Whaling City Auction, and Gloucester’s Whaling City Auction, handled 74,000 pounds of fish and 17,700 pounds of scallops Monday.

Top species landed and average prices were:

Medium pollock: 20,700 pounds ($1.20)

Scrod cod: 18,500 pounds ($1.50)

Market cod: 15,400 pounds ($2.31)

Scrod haddock: 10,500 pounds ($2.23)

Small greysole: 9,900 pounds ($1.86)

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times