Conservation & Environment

WASHINGTON — August 1, 2013 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) announced of a new federal grant opportunity through the FY 2013 Saltonstall-Kennedy Program. The following statement was released by the office of United States Senator Elizabeth Warren:

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren today applauded the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) announcement of a new federal grant opportunity through the FY 2013 Saltonstall-Kennedy Program, which can benefit the fishing industry in Massachusetts.

Senator Warren had previously urged NOAA's Acting Administrator Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan to provide Saltonstall-Kennedy funding for these grants, and she has worked with Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) to increase the Saltonstall-Kennedy grants for FY 2014.

"NOAA's announcement of new grant opportunities through Saltonstall-Kennedy is great news for Massachusetts' fishing communities," said Senator Warren. "I'm pleased NOAA is making this grant solicitation, which is an excellent chance for our ports to secure funding that will help the fishing industry innovate and modernize for the future."

NOAA anticipates awarding between $5-$10 million in competitive grants focused on fisheries research and development projects, including cooperative research projects with industry. The grant announcement may be viewed here.

Read about the grant opportunity

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — August 1, 2013 — When the National Park Service (NPS) announced it would utilize third party seafood ratings and certification programs to set guidelines for vendors offering seafood options within U.S. National Parks, the agency revived a debate surrounding the eco-certification of U.S. seafood. Tomorrow, NPS is meeting with NOAA in an attempt to reconcile concerns and ensure that its new sustainable seafood guidelines aren't detrimental to fishermen, processors, and consumers alike.

In June, the National Park Service (NPS) announced a new initiative to provide healthier and more sustainable food options in national parks across the United States. As part of the program, NPS created guidelines for “sustainable seafood,” stating that parks will “provide only [seafood options] that are ‘Best Choices’ or ‘Good Alternatives’ on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch list, certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), or identified by an equivalent program that has been approved by the NPS.”

In response, John Connelly, President of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), wrote a letter to NPS, in which he asked that the Agency reconsider their guidelines. He stated that “any fish caught in U.S. waters is already ‘certified sustainable,’ based on rigorous NOAA oversight and does not need additional certifications.” His point speaks to the strict conservation standards in the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), which are enforced by NOAA.

The Seafood Coalition, an ad hoc group representing members of the seafood industry across the U.S., followed up with their own letter. In it they asked: “Why would the NPS limit its vendors to those whose products are deemed sustainable by outside interests while ignoring [NOAA’s] FishWatch, an existing and proven program?”

During a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski questioned NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis on this issue. She asked Mr. Jarvis if NPS had worked with NOAA, stating, “NOAA is the agency that makes the determinations of what is sustainable [seafood] within the country.” She concluded, “I want to make sure we’re not locking ourselves in to a standard here that is simply not the right standard.”

These serious concerns from the seafood community have caught NPS by surprise. In an interview with Seafood Source , NPS spokesperson Kathy Kupper apologized. She stated, “We didn’t mean to step on anyone’s toes. The people who worked on the [sustainable food] guidelines tried to find some easily-understood guidelines.” Ms. Kupper told Saving Seafood that NPS has set up a meeting with NOAA, but this meeting does not indicate that NPS is pulling back. “We are going forward with our standards,” she said. “We are not changing anything, we are looking at adding more.” The meeting is scheduled for Friday, August 2.

More than just ruffling feathers in the seafood industry, the NPS guidelines rekindled a longstanding debate on the meaning of “sustainable seafood.” And, as a government agency, the repercussions for what NPS deems “sustainable” carry weight.

In his letter, Mr. Connelly touched on the heart of this issue. He writes: “Why would [the Department of the] Interior and NPS require third party certification of seafood sustainability if Commerce [NOAA] were doing its job well?”

Or, in other words, if all U.S. species are by law managed sustainably, then there is no need to follow additional third party seafood certification guidelines for U.S. seafood.

The U.S. is widely considered a model of responsible fishery management. The MSA mandates NOAA must use the “best scientific information available” in setting regulations and ensuring compliance with the law’s strict conservation standards. Even fisheries that are recovering are under rebuilding plans that require fishermen to harvest only a quantity deemed sustainable by Federal managers. NOAA estimates that, as of April 2013, 33 U.S. stocks that previously experienced overfishing have been rebuilt.

Industry members question why, if all U.S. seafood is managed sustainably according to Federal conservation standards, third party recommendations are used for U.S. seafood at all.

But the groups that issue third party guidelines and provide certifications do not agree that management under MSA guarantees sustainable standards for commercial fishing. In addressing its view on the matter, the Monterey Bay Aquarium states , “when there is scientific uncertainty, we err on the side of conservation.”

This conservationist perspective can provide useful guidelines to careful consumers, but these ratings are unrealistic as a sole standard for sustainable fisheries. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch ranks species instead of specific fisheries, which can lead to generalizations that prevent many sustainable fisheries from achieving a fair rating. For example, separate stocks of the same species are listed as one, sometimes causing a healthier stock to be rated lower. Also, gear types are evaluated across the board, regardless of location. This prevents any fishery that uses bottom-tending gear from achieving a “Green/Best Choice” rating, even if it is proven to have minimal environmental effects.

In comparison, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) provides more in-depth and specialized evaluations by certifying individual fisheries. But this program is costly, and many fisheries either cannot afford certification or believe their resources could be more beneficial elsewhere. The MSC program, which is intended to address international sustainability issues, has also faced criticism for being too complex and creating sustainability standards that are “moving targets .” MSC’s certification and recertification process can be inconsistent with NOAA’s established, specialized, and proven fishery management. In her discussion with NPS Director Jarvis, Senator Murkowski spoke to this point, saying, “The NGOs that you’re relying on [MSC], in my view, have a troubling record of meddling with, at least, Alaska fishermen’s fishery management.”

Ultimately, as NPS moves forward with its guidelines, the government agency sets a precedent for both seafood providers and consumers. U.S. fisheries following the rules set by Federal conservation standards should be recognized by all agencies on the Federal level. While there is use for third party ratings and certifications as indicators of sustainability, U.S. jobs and seafood producers suffer when inferior scientific reports from seafood guides and commissioned certifications create market barriers for sustainably harvested seafood products.

These discrepancies in third party ratings go deeper than different interpretations of “sustainability.” They reveal a serious disconnect between the ratings and realities of U.S. fisheries. Saving Seafood has compiled an investigative report that details key issues with the most popular seafood guides and the obstacles they can create for U.S. seafood providers.

Read the Saving Seafood investigative report on how third party ratings and certification programs can mislead retailers and consumers.

Read the 2012 story by Saving Seafood “Whole Foods Is Wrong Says Industry, Environmentalists, Scientists, Congress and Government Data”

 

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS (Seafoodnews.com) — July 31, 2013 — U.S. Senator Mark Begich helped move several pieces of legislation through the Senate Commerce Committee including bills that will eliminate pirate fishing practices, improve international fisheries stewardship, and ensure that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the resources necessary to recruit and retain a strong workforce his office said in a press release.

"As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and chairman of the Oceans Sub-committee, I work to make sure the committee focuses on Alaska priorities," said Begich. "As a result of today's committee meeting, Alaska is one step closer to better fisheries protection, more Arctic research and a having a 21st century workforce for ocean research."

Begich is the chief sponsor of two of the bills.

Following is a breakdown of the legislation Sen. Begich is involved with:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioner Officer Corps Amendments Act: Begich introduced this bill to improve NOAA's ability to recruit and retain officers for the uniformed service which operates its research ships and aircraft, the NOAA Corps. New programs, such as educational loan repayment authority are paid for by savings generated elsewhere in the bill.

Pirate Fishing Elimination Act: The Pirate Fishing Elimination Act, with Begich as an original co-sponsor, implements a 2009 agreement to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. It authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to designate ports of entry for imports of seafood and requires ships importing seafood to submit advance information about their cargo. This bill was carried over from the last Congress and is a legacy of the work of former senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI.)

International Fisheries Stewardship and Enforcement Act (IFSEA): IFSEA, also originally co-sponsored by Begich, strengthens penalties under the Magnuson-Stevens Act and provides the Coast Guard and NOAA with additional authority for searches, inspections, shipment detentions, arrests, and subpoenas to enforce international fishery agreements. It strengthens provisions against pirate fishing, toughens penalties included in several international fishery agreements, and creates an interagency International Fisheries Enforcement Task Force to investigate pirate fishing activity.

Meanwhile Begich is an original co-sponsor of the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments of 2013 bill that establishes a national Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) program to deal with HABs which are the cause of red tides and oxygen-depleted "dead zones" in the ocean.

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