Saving Seafood

Council Actions

ASMFC 81st Annual Meeting Final Agenda and Materials Now Available

October 4, 2023 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 81st Annual Meeting will be held October 16-19, 2023 at the Beaufort Hotel,

2440 Lennoxville Road, Beaufort, North Carolina. The room block is now closed and the hotel is sold out. This will be a hybrid meeting to allow for remote participation by Commissioners, committee members, and interested stakeholders in all meetings. The main webinar link provided below will be for all board meetings, the ACCSP Coordinating Council, the Executive Committee, and the Business Session of the Commission. Webinar links for meetings of the Law Enforcement Committee and the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Steering Committee/Habitat Committee can be found on the agendas for those meetings.
 
The final agenda and meeting materials for the Annual Meeting are now available athttps://www.asmfc.org/home/2023-annual-meeting; click on the relevant Board/Committee name to access the documents for that Board/Committee. For ease of access, all board materials (including the ACCSP Coordinating Council, Executive Committee, and Business Session) have been combined into three documents – October 16, October 17, and October 18-19. Supplemental materials will be posted to the website on Wednesday, October 11th.
 
Webinar Information
Board meetings will be broadcast daily via webinar beginning Monday, October 16 at 9 a.m. and continuing daily until the conclusion of the meeting (expected to be 1:30 p.m.) on Thursday, October 19. To register for the webinar, please go to:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2497355278986432605 (Webinar ID 807-430-387)
 
If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), you can also call in at +1 (562) 247-8422, access code 438-306-259. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar.
 
For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN. 
 
Each day, the webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the first meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter.  If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio-related), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.
 
Meeting Process
Board chairs will ask both in-person and virtual board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The chair will work with staff to compile the list of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees. The same process will be used for public comment. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
 
Getting to Beaufort
Located on the Crystal Coast, an 85-mile stretch of coastline in North Carolina the Beaufort Hotel is easily accessible by automobile or airplane. Three airports are within an easy drive: Raleigh-Durham International Airport (168 miles); Albert J. Ellis Airport (Jacksonville, NC – 61 miles); and Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (CCRA – 39 miles). From the first two airports, it would be best to rent a car to get to Beaufort and from CCRA you can take a taxi or an Uber.
 
Registration
Please read the following carefully since we have changed the way we are handling meeting registration. All participants are required to register for the Annual Meeting events. However, only those who will not be reimbursed for travel by the Commission (see travel authorization #23-051) will need to pay the registration fee (e.g., guests and federal participants). The meeting registration fee is $200/per participant and $150/per spouse or guest if you register by October 6, 2023. After


October 6th and in Beaufort the fees will be $225 and $175, respectively. The registration fee covers the Monday night welcome reception, the Tuesday night dinner, and the Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon, as well event materials. You may register by returning the attached and linked registration form (by email to lhartman@asmfc.org, or US mail to 1050 N. Highland Street, Suite 200A-N, Arlington, VA 22201). Once you have registered, payment can be made in several ways (1) credit card, which can be made here; (2) check, cash or credit card at the ASMFC Registration Desk at the Annual Meeting; or (3) mail a check to ASMFC (address above).
 
Fishing Tournament
Plans are well underway for the 30th Annual Laura Leach Fishing Tournament. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate. You will receive a t-shirt with your $20 entry fee; and 100% of the tournament proceeds will be donated to Wounded Warrior Project.  The tournament runs from Sunday (10/15) through Wednesday morning (10/18); the raffle drawing and tournament prizes will be awarded at Wednesday Hart Award Luncheon. 
 
Public Comment Guidelines
To provide a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:
 
For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.
 
For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.
 
For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.
 
In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action). 
 
1.   Comments received three weeks prior to the start of a meeting week (September 25) have been included in the briefing materials.
2.   Comments received by 5 PM on Tuesday, October 10 will be included in supplemental materials.
3.   Comments received by 10 AM on Friday, October 13 will be distributed electronically to Commissioners/Board members prior to the meeting.
 
The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail and email.
 
We look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting!

Seafood Nutrition Partnership Launches New ‘Fall in Love with Seafood’ National Seafood Promotion Campaign

October 4, 2023 — The following was released by the Seafood Nutrition Partnership:

The Seafood Nutrition Partnership is excited to unveil its new public health promotion campaign
to help Americans live healthier, happier, and smarter by increasing their consumption of
seafood. The ‘Fall in Love with Seafood’ campaign launches in October during National Seafood
Month and continues throughout 2024 reminding consumers how delicious, nutritious, and
versatile seafood is to enjoy at home and away from home.

Less than a quarter of Americans eat seafood 2x per week as recommended by the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans (DGA), The American Heart Association (AHA), and the World Health
Organization (WHO).

“Throughout this campaign, we’ll educate consumers that seafood is a lean protein with health
benefits they can enjoy and count on every day,” says Linda Cornish, Seafood Nutrition
Partnership President and Founder.

For more than a decade, SNP and its partners have inspired a healthier America and raised
awareness about the essential nutritional benefits of seafood. This campaign will serve as a
platform to show that an overarching message can help all points along the seafood supply
chain and complement SNP partners’ campaigns.

The ‘Fall in Love with Seafood’ campaign, developed with award winning agency Milestone
Integrated Marketing, aims to break through social and digital media clutter to showcase the
taste appeal of a wide variety of seafood with bold, mouthwatering imagery and cheeky
headlines.

“Ultimately, we want to increase consumers’ craving for seafood and encourage America to Fall
in Love with Seafood,” adds Sarah Crowley, SNP VP of Marketing and Communications. “The
new campaign resonates with the primary target – 85% of occasional seafood consumers
surveyed agreed the campaign made them want to eat more seafood.”

The campaign soft launches in October 2023 during National Seafood Month and will continue
year-round with key market activations starting in January 2024. Key retailers and foodservice
partners will be announced ahead of the new year.
“Running the pilot campaign right after the new year is ideal timing as so many Americans are
setting New Year’s resolutions to eat healthy and seafood is a key part of a healthy diet,” says
Paul Doremus, SNP Board Chair and Trident Seafoods’ VP for Sustainability Strategy and
Policy.
This national seafood promotion campaign is being introduced at an important time as seafood
sales and consumption have declined since the growth seen during the pandemic. The
‘Fall in Love with Seafood’ campaign will empower the seafood industry to demonstrate a
collaborative, strategic effort to increase seafood sales across the board and improve the health
of Americans.

The ‘Fall in Love with Seafood’ promotion campaign will be supported by digital and social
media, influencer marketing, trade marketing, public relations outreach, and new recipes and
blogs on the SNP website. It will also be activated by SNP supporters and partners via a
campaign toolkit which includes social graphics, videos, recipes, and in-store signage.
Campaign Toolkit: Fall in Love with Seafood Toolkit

About Seafood Nutrition Partnership

Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) is the leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the U.S.
that builds awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of seafood. SNP addresses the
country’s public health crisis through education programs that inspire Americans to incorporate
more seafood and omega-3s into their diets for improved health per the USDA Dietary
Guidelines. For more information or to support SNP, visit seafoodnutrition.org.

 

TotalEnergies, Macquarie’s Corio bet on U.S. offshore wind as sector wobbles

October 3, 2023 — A wind energy developer owned by France’s TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) and a unit of Macquarie (MQG.AX) said on Monday it is bidding to build a wind farm off New Jersey’s coast, expressing confidence in the sector after a series of U.S. setbacks.

Spinning power from coastal wind turbines is central to President Joe Biden’s plan to decarbonise the U.S. economy by 2050, but his installation targets are slipping out of reach due to soaring costs, high interest rates and supply chain delays

Bucking that trend, developer Attentive Energy has now proposed to build a site with up to 1.34 gigawatts (GW), capable of powering more than 600,000 homes. Corio Generation, a dedicated offshore wind developer owned by the green investment unit of Australian conglomerate Macquarie, joined TotalEnergies in Attentive Energy last month.

“We are confident in the long-term outlook and fundamentals for U.S. offshore wind,” said Corio Generation Chief Executive Jonathan Cole.

Read the full article at Reuters

Environmental groups demand emergency rules to protect rare whales from ship collisions

October 3, 2023 — A coalition of environmental groups is calling on the federal government to enact emergency rules to protect a vanishing species of whale from lethal collisions with large ships.

The groups filed their petition with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sept. 28 in an effort to protect the North Atlantic right whale. The whale, which can weigh more than five school buses, numbers less than 340 and has been in steep decline in recent years.

Ship collisions are among the most dire threats to the survival of the whale, according to NOAA. The groups cited a proposed rule from the agency designed to prevent such ship strikes by making more vessels slow down for whales. NOAA has yet to release a final updated speed rule despite proposing new rules more than a year ago, the environmental groups said.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

NORTH CAROLINA: North Carolina’s captain Jimmy Ruhle passes at age 75

October 3, 2023 — James A. Ruhle Sr., a well-known North Carolina captain and commercial fishing advocate, passed away Sept. 28 at age 75.

Ruhle was a 2004 recepient of National Fisherman’s Highliner award, recognizing his long dedication to responsible fisheries management and cooperative research. Ruhle served for nine years on the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and participated in numerous research projects with scientists.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Fishermen diversify to fill the kelp demand

October 3, 2023 — Predominantly grown on the Pacific Coast from California to Alaska – and even in parts of New England – kelp forests have been harvested on a large scale since World War I, when the vegetation was used as a source of potash to make gunpowder. During that time, the harvest was unregulated and destructive to the surrounding habitats. Nowadays, the harvest of kelp is more sustainable due to harvesters only removing the upper portion of the canopy of the algae.

The evolution of harvesting kelp may have begun with gunpowder; however, the primary resource from kelp is algin, a product used as a gelling agent in foods, pharmaceuticals, waterproof and fireproofing fabrics, a component in fertilizers, and a healthy ingredient in food. In addition to this array of uses, kelp has been identified as a potential alternative energy source, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Studies on kelp forest ecosystems and the economics behind this sea plant show that it provides food and habitat for hundreds of fish species, invertebrates, and marine mammals. Additionally, healthy forests can protect coastlines and support other sustainable fisheries. Studies have shown that kelp generates a potential value of $465 to $562 billion annually across three critical ecosystem services:- fisheries production, nutrient cycling, and carbon removal.

Over the last 50 years though, climate change, poor water quality, and overfishing have damaged 40 to 60 percent of kelp forests. The impact has been significant, as more than 95 percent of these forests have been lost in one section of the coastline from southern Oregon to northern California due to high temperatures and over-harvest. As a result of the decline of the kelp forests, small-scale fisheries have been severely affected by a lack of food.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Price-supply dynamic boosts value-added shrimp products

October 3, 2023 — A bevy of ready-to-eat shrimp products is hitting the market, helped by plentiful supplies and American shoppers continuing to favor convenience.

Due to an import influx in recent years, U.S. wholesalers have been eager to move their shrimp inventory, but struggled earlier this year due to inflation peeling back consumer spending in both the retail and foodservice arenas. Recently, however, frozen retail shrimp prices have “finally started to mirror the trends at wholesale more and more,” 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerink said, citing a 7.8 percent price drop in August that may make it easier to move product through new promotions and offerings.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

CALIFORNIA: First permits issuing for California deep-set swordfish captains

October 3, 2023 — The first commercial fishing permits for using deep-set buoy gear in the swordfish fishery in the U.S. state of California were issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service 15 September, marking a milestone in the long transition away from large mesh drift gillnets off the West Coast.

Gillnets are to be finally phased out by 2027, replaced largely by deep-set buoy gear – vertical mainlines around 150 fathoms in length, with a flagpole outfitted with a light or radar reflector at the surface and a heavy sinker to keep the line anchored vertically.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

MAINE: UMaine researcher who helped reshape marine science in Maine retires

October 3, 2023 — When Bob Steneck came to the University of Maine in 1982, there were few marine ecologists in the state, and none interacted with fishermen. He was among the first in Maine to work with lobstermen on research, traveling with them on their boats, diving to the seafloor to study lobsters and sharing his findings with them.

At that time, there was a scientific consensus that the lobster population in the Gulf of Maine was declining. By working with lobstermen and diving down to the depths of the gulf, Steneck showed that the population was actually on the rise.

Steneck’s work and that of his students and colleagues helped propel an expansion of and change in how lobster fisheries research is conducted in Maine. Over the proceeding decades, Steneck’s students continue collaborating with lobstermen and other fishermen on their studies. They focused more on work that benefitted these industries, the management of Maine fisheries and the coastal communities that relied on them.

“We were able to take a different perspective by studying lobsters in their natural habitat. My hope was to do research to help the people of Maine,” Steneck says. “What came out of this work was research that was collaborative and directed toward improved management of the lobster fishery.”

After a 41-year career at UMaine filled with numerous studies, scientific publications, outreach and teaching the next generation of marine scientists, conservation biologists and leaders, Steneck, professor emeritus of oceanography, marine biology and marine policy has retired.

Steneck’s research helped understand and manage Maine’s most lucrative fishery, now worth almost $400 million. He and his students learned how baby lobsters grow up on the seafloor, what lobsters eat, who eats them and how they sustain their populations. This basic research was also useful for lobstermen, as well as fishery managers and policymakers who must determine the status and trends of lobster stocks.

Read the full article at Penobscot Bay Pilot 

OREGON: Oregon officials consider adding southern resident orcas to state endangered species list

October 3, 2023 — The number of southern resident orcas that forage along the Oregon Coast has been on the decline for decades as they struggle to find food and confront boats and pollution.

Just 73 are left, down from a peak of nearly 100 in the late 1990s. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division project the number could decline by half during the next 20 years.

Now, the state’s Fish and Wildlife Commission will weigh whether to add the orcas to the state’s endangered species list, creating more protections for the orcas and directing more conservation money toward their survival. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on Thursday produced an assessment of the situation that the commission will review. Southern resident orcas are already listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act and in Washington and Canada, where they also live and forage. Being listed under Oregon’s Endangered Species Act would offer even greater protections, according to Miyoko Sakashita, oceans program director for the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity.

“While the federal listing is helpful, some of its provisions only apply to federal actions,” Sakashita said via email. “By having a state listing, the state has more powerful tools to address threats to orcas and their salmon prey.”

If listed, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department would need to develop a management plan and coordinate with other state agencies to take action and address the primary threats to orcas in Oregon. The commission is scheduled to decide whether to add the southern resident orca to the state’s endangered species list by February 2024.

The primary threats to southern resident orca survival include a lack of salmon to eat, pollution from chemicals and oil spills and disturbances from boats, including sounds from the boats.

Read the full article the Oregon Capital Chronicle