May 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries:
An informative and nuanced message from DMF’s Dan McKiernan about the status of the seafood industry and dynamic response efforts during the Spring of 2020.
Council Announces Three Winners for 2020-2021 US Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship
May 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020-2021 US Pacific Territories Fishery Capacity-Building Scholarship. The scholarships are offered annually to college students with close connections to American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) who are pursuing degrees that will bolster the Territories’ capacity to manage their fishery ecosystems. Students who accept a scholarship agree to work with their local fishery agency upon graduation for an equivalent amount of time that they receive the scholarship.
The 2020-2021 recipients include Aveipepa Fua (American Samoa) who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marine science at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo; Jude Lizama (CNMI) who will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in oceanography with a concentration in fisheries science at Hawai’i Pacific University; and Leilani Sablan (Guam) who will be pursuing a master’s degree in biology at the University of Guam.
Since the scholarship program began in 2016, five recipients have graduated, with three having fulfilled their work requirements in American Samoa and the CNMI and two beginning their work commitment in 2019; and six recipients are poised to graduate in 2020 (two students) and 2021 (four students).
The scholarship program was established through a memorandum of understanding involving several federal agencies, the local fishery agencies in the Territories and several colleges and universities in Hawai’i and the Territories. It is funded by the Council, NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office.
5 Orsted US Offshore Wind Projects Face Possible Delay Due to COVID-19, Permitting Challenges
April 30, 2020 — Five of Ørsted’s U.S. offshore wind projects totaling nearly 3 gigawatts may face delays due to the coronavirus crisis and slowed permitting, in a blow to U.S. ambitions to animate a thriving offshore wind industry over the next few years.
Denmark’s Ørsted, the world’s top offshore wind developer, built a formidable early lead in the U.S. market, with projects stretching from New England down to Virginia, including two huge projects totaling nearly 2 gigawatts for New Jersey and New York.
On Wednesday Ørsted confirmed that two smaller projects — the 120-megawatt Skipjack for Maryland and the 130-megawatt South Fork for New York — are all but certain to be delayed beyond their planned completion dates in 2022. Ørsted now expects to finish Skipjack in the following year, and COVID-19-related shutdowns in New York “will also very likely delay South Fork beyond 2022,” the company said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Ørsted said its three largest awarded U.S. offshore projects — the 704-megawatt Revolution Wind for Rhode Island and Connecticut; 880-megawatt Sunrise Wind for New York; and 1.1-gigawatt Ocean Wind for New Jersey — face “increased risk of delays.”
Orsted expects delays in South Fork offshore wind farm
April 30, 2020 — The South Fork offshore wind farm will “very likely” be delayed beyond its planned 2022 completion date, according to a top official for project developer Orsted, who cited a “prolonged” federal review of U.S. wind projects and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Denmark-based Orsted’s U.S. offshore wind projects were still advancing, said chief executive Henrik Poulsen in comments with the release of Orsted’s first quarter financial report, but at a “slower pace” than planned. He cited the South Fork wind farm as one of two projects that were the “most exposed to the risk of delays.”
A second project by Orsted known as the Skipjack wind farm off the coast of Maryland also will likely be delayed by about a year from its originally 2022 completion date, Poulsen said.
There are also “increased risks of delay” for another New York project known as Sunrise Wind, intended to connect to the Long Island grid in 2024, Poulsen said, as well two other East Coast projects. Sunrise Wind, awarded by New York State with a capacity of some 880 megawatts, has been hampered by an inability to complete offshore site surveys by vessels because of COVID-19 restrictions, Poulsen said. The company expects to have “more clarity” on whether the projects will meet 2023-24 completion dates “after summer,” Poulsen said.
Reps. Bonamici, Young, Huffman, González-Colón Introduce Bill to Improve NOAA Response to Sexual Harassment, Assault
April 30, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR):
During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Don Young (R-AK), Jared Huffman (D-CA), and Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention and response policy, and to secure more resources for survivors.
The bipartisan NOAA Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act will strengthen NOAA’s sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention and response program, coordinate claims, strengthen reporting, and support survivors. NOAA employs approximately 12,000 people, with many working in remote locations and aboard research and survey vessels to study, understand, and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coast. Bonamici and Young are Co-Chairs of the House Oceans Caucus.
“As we respond to the coronavirus pandemic, we cannot forget about the bravery of survivors who have come forward and exposed the pervasive nature of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “A few years ago, a talented fisheries biologist reached out to me after she was forced to put her career on hold because of sexual harassment on a NOAA vessel. I worked with NOAA leadership to make tangible changes to the agency’s policies and procedures for reporting and investigating sexual harassment. The scientist was eventually able to return to her research safely, but there are still gaps in NOAA’s efforts. This bipartisan bill will help prevent harassment, help more survivors seek justice, and hold more offenders accountable for their actions.”
As meat plants idle, California has no shortage of fish, dairy
April 30, 2020 — The coronavirus lockdown has reduced fisherman Pete Grillo’s operation to a folding table and Igloo coolers under a blue canopy at the foot of a rickety wood pier along Driscoll’s Wharf.
Even as restaurant suppliers have all but disappeared as customers, the purveyor of yellowfin tuna on Wednesday sold out of yellowfin that hit the dock Friday. “This is the last of 30,000 pounds,” said seller Ben Stephens, 24.
California isn’t immune to pork, beef and chicken supply issues, but it does have its own food ecosystem, which includes an abundance of fish and the availability of regional beef and chicken, experts say. That could keep the state’s appetite for protein satiated in the weeks to come.
California is “the breadbasket of the world,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.
US State Department bars import of wild-caught shrimp from China, Venezuela
April 30, 2020 — In a public notice posted to the Federal Register on 30 April, the U.S. Department of State announced that it is suspending the certification of wild-caught shrimp from China and Venezuela, making it ineligible to enter the U.S. for sale.
The suspension was in accordance with Section 609 of Public Law 101-162, which requires countries harvesting wild-caught shrimp in areas that contain sea turtles prove they have adequate laws regarding turtle excluding devices (TEDs). China’s certification was suspended due to “the use of methods of harvesting shrimp that may adversely affect sea turtles,” while Venezuela was suspended “due to the inability to confirm whether methods of harvesting shrimp may adversely affect sea turtles.”
US restaurants seeking USD 120 billion relief fund
April 30, 2020 — Seafood suppliers in the U.S could benefit if Congress approves a USD 120 billion (EUR 111 billion) stabilization fund, proposed on 29 April by the Independent Restaurant Coalition.
During a Zoom “town hall” meeting, thousands of independent restaurant owners and prominent chefs, including José Andrés and Andrew Zimmern, urged Congress to create the stabilization fund for the 500,000 independent restaurants across the U.S.
Lawmakers question status of USD 300 million fisheries aid
April 30, 2020 — Lawmakers from the U.S. state of Massachusetts sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday, 29 April, citing their “frustration and concern” over the lack of action on a USD 300 million (EUR 274.1 million) relief package for American fisheries that Congress passed a month ago.
In the letter, U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, along with U.S. Reps. Seth Moulton and Bill Keating, sent Ross a list of five questions regarding the aid that was part of the USD 2.2 trillion (EUR 2.01 trillion) CARES Act. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on 27 March.
Reminder – Public Hearings Scheduled for Proposed Special Management Zones off NC and SC
April 30, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
At the request of state marine resource agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is considering designating existing artificial reefs in federal waters as Special Management Zones (SMZs).
The designation, as proposed in Regulatory Amendment 34 to the Snapper Grouper Fishery Management Plan would restrict allowable gear and limit harvest for species in the snapper grouper management complex. The measures are being considered in order to prohibit gear that has the potential to result in overexplortation of snapper grouper species at the artificial reefs. The SMZ designation will help optimize fishing opportunities and also define the areas as Essential Fish Habitat.
Proposed Measures
Regulatory Amendment 34 would:
- Designate 30 artificial reefs in federal waters off NC as SMZs
- Allow only hand-held fishing gear: handline, rod and reel and spear
- Restrict harvest of snapper grouper species with spear to the recreational bag limit
- Designate 4 artificial reefs in federal waters off SC as SMZs
- Allow only hand-held fishing gear: handline, rod and reel and spear
- All harvest of snapper grouper species would be limited to the recreational bag limit
Public Hearings and Comment
Public hearings will be held via webinar May 4 and 5, 2020. Hearings begin at 6:00 p.m. Webinar registration is required.
- Monday, May 4 – Register for webinar
- Tuesday, May 5 – Register for webinar
Additional information, including a public hearing document, presentation with detailed maps, and an online comment form is available at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/public-hearings-scoping-meetings/.