Saving Seafood

Management & Regulation

Are scientific bottom trawling efforts in the Gulf of Mexico damaging habitats?

November 4, 2022 — Multiple websites that are affiliated with NOAA detail info about bottom trawling and outline the tools and processes that are associated with many different trawl practices, including their own. NOAA trawl surveys allow the agency to track changes in fish and invertebrate populations across the oceans, providing academic institutions, government agencies and the private sector with essential information.

However, one notable omission from these resources is the impact that they do or could have on the very ecosystems they’re exploring. While NOAA captures plenty of information in an unobtrusive way, bottom trawling efforts cannot be described as such. That insight was broken down in detail back in 2016, when the USGS outlined info about how such practices destroy the natural seafloor habitat by essentially rototilling the seabed. It mentions that bottom-dwelling plants and animals are greatly affected by this practice and can be outright destroyed.

That insight caused some government and private agencies to change how they capture information about seabed ecosystems. However, NOAA’s bottom trawling efforts in the Gulf of Mexico remained mostly unchanged, which recently compelled the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) to send a letter to NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad. This letter outlines how these practices are needlessly harming seafloor habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. The effort to change the way scientific surveys of bottom habitats are conducted is something that’s been going on for over a decade though.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA backs expansion of US aquaculture industry

November 4, 2022 — NOAA has released its first-ever strategic plan for expanding “a resilient aquaculture industry” in the U.S. over the next five years.

The plan was co-authored by representatives of NOAA Fisheries, the National Sea Grant College Program, and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. The 20-page report states that domestic seafood is a vital resource for the United States, and that aquaculture can be effective in fighting climate change, replenishing wild stocks, and aiding in the recovery of threatened and endangered species.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Final Supplemental Materials Now Available for ASMFC 80th Annual Meeting

November 4, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Final supplemental materials for ASMFC’s 80th Annual Meeting are available for the Shad and River Herring Management Board and the Horseshoe Crab Management Board can be found in the below links or at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2022-annual-meeting.

 
 
 

As a reminder, the Commission’s Public Comment Guidelines are:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards will continue to provide an 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.

MAINE: Maine organizations are helping fishermen start aquaculture farms

November 3, 2022 — A group of organizations in Maine on Nov. 1 opened registration for a training program designed for fishermen to learn how to farm seafood. Maine’s vibrant working waterfront, including aquaculture, builds resilience for generations of Maine’s fishing families, who have long navigated the waters to feed our community. Hosted by Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), Maine Aquaculture Association (MAA), Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center (MAIC), and Maine Sea Grant (MSG), the Aquaculture in Shared Waters (ASW) program focuses on the cultivation of commercially valuable species including oysters, mussels, scallops, and kelp. Students learn from leading industry, regulatory, and scientific experts on fundamental topics like site selection, permitting, animal husbandry, equipment, business planning, financing, marketing, community relations, and more.

“For the past ten years, the Aquaculture in Shared Waters course has served as a vital tool to help fishermen learn to farm the sea, diversify their income, and pioneer a new industry on Maine’s working waterfront,” said Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquaculture Association. Since the program began in 2013, over 400 students have completed the course and 30 new aquaculture businesses have been established. and 60 have been expanded or retained through economic diversification.

Read the full article at Pen Bay Pilot

Hunt for deep sea minerals draws scrutiny amid green push

November 3, 2022 — High demand for metals ranging from copper to cobalt is pushing the mining industry to explore the world’s deepest oceans, a troubling development for scientists who warn that extracting minerals from critical ecosystems that help regulate climate could cause irreparable damage.

The issue will be in spotlight this week as dozens of scientists, lawyers and government officials gather in Jamaica to debate deep sea mining as part of a two-week conference organized by the International Seabed Authority, an independent body created by a United Nations treaty.

The organization is the global custodian for deep ocean waters that don’t fall within any country’s jurisdiction. It has issued 31 exploration licenses so far, and many worry the world’s first license to go the next step and mine international waters could soon be approved with no regulations currently in place.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

 

At least 6% of global fishing ‘probably illegal’ as ships turn off tracking devices

November 3, 2022 — Up to 6% of global fishing activity is hidden because commercial vessels disable their tracking systems, a practice that can be used to hide illegal fishing, according to a new study.

Ships use automatic identification systems (AIS), tracking beacons that enable them to be located on global shipping maps. Researchers applied a machine learning algorithm to a dataset of fishing vessel activity compiled by the non-profit Global Fishing Watch, which included more than 3.7bn AIS messages from fishing vessels between 2017 and 2019.

They discovered geographical hotspots for ships disabling their trackers, including west Africa, the coast of Argentina and the north-west Pacific – suggesting these are locations where illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is likely to be taking place.

Read the full article at the Guardian

Fighting Labor Abuses in the Seafood Sector

November 3, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Illegal and inhumane working conditions in the seafood sector are not only devastating for the victims and their families, but also contribute to destabilization of maritime security and supply chains, as well as the degradation of fisheries and broader marine ecosystems. NOAA Fisheries recognizes the need to ensure that workers across the supply chain have access to legal, safe, and healthy working conditions.

The international framework to promote legal and safe conditions in the seafood industry is supported by the International Labor Organization, the International Maritime Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. The United States is actively engaged in each of these organizations, promoting effective standards, such as transparent recruiting practices, fair wages, and occupational safety and health protection.

Promoting Action in International Organizations

NOAA Fisheries, in cooperation with interagency partners, is advocating for the strengthening of global guidance on labor standards at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, including the development of guidance for industry to promote social sustainability across its supply chains. We are also leading, or are key voices, in discussions at regional fishery management organizations, including the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, to ensure that workers in members’ fleets have access to safe and legal working conditions, including ending forced labor.

Ensuring Goods Made with Forced Labor Do Not Enter U.S. Markets

NOAA Fisheries is part of a comprehensive U.S. Government effort to combat illegal labor practices, including forced labor, in fisheries, in concert with the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, and State. For example, we work with Customs and Border Protection and other agencies to support the identification of potential forced labor practices and violations aboard fishing vessels, as well as products that may have been produced using forced labor. CBP can subsequently prevent merchandise produced in whole or in part in a foreign country using forced labor from being imported into the United States.

Coordinating Government Agencies Addressing Labor Issues in Fisheries 

The Maritime SAFE Act required the formation of an Interagency Working Group on Illegal, Unreported or Unregulated Fishing. The Sub-Working Group on Labor in the Seafood Supply Chain, including Forced Labor, was established in 2021 as a subsidiary working group to focus on labor concerns. The Sub-Working Group’s mission is to develop and facilitate a comprehensive U.S. government response to identify and address labor abuses, including forced labor, in the fishing industry. Currently, the Sub-Working Group is making progress on addressing recommendations from several reports to Congress. These  include:

Public-Private Partnership: Collaborative Accelerator for Lawful Maritime Conditions

NOAA Fisheries recognizes the shared role of government and civil society in preventing illegal and harmful labor practices in the seafood supply chain, as well as promoting legal, safe, and healthy working conditions for workers in the fishing industry.

NOAA leads an initiative known as the Collaborative Accelerator for Lawful Maritime Conditions in Seafood (CALM-CS,and pronounced “calm seas”). CALM-CS brings together key voices from across the seafood sector to collaborate and accelerate progress on key initiatives so that all workers across the seafood sector have access to safe, healthy, and legal workplaces, from aboard vessels to on docks to shoreside processing.

NOAA and the U.S. government strongly value the importance of workers’ voices within these processes. We are committed to ensuring that this work is inclusive of workers and worker’s unions, and their perspectives.

Learn more about CALM-CS. We encourage participation from all stakeholders. You can request more information by emailing calm.cs@noaa.gov.

Decline of North Atlantic right whale population continues

November 3, 2022 — The “critically endangered” North Atlantic right whale’s population continues to decline, according to a press release from New England Aquarium. A report by the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium stated the population dropped 2.3 percent, from 348 whales in 2020 to 340 in 2021.

The 2020 right whale population was initially thought to be 336, but new photographic data of the animals adjusted that number to 348, according to the release.

A graph provided by New England Aquarium shows that right whales were on a path to recovery from 1990 to around 2010, approaching 500 whales, before a steep population decline began in 2015. The current right whale population is similar to numbers from around 2001.

Read the full article at MV Times

Ban On Longliners Using Wire Leaders Takes Effect Next Month To Protect Sharks

November 3, 2022 — A new regulation prohibiting the use of wire leaders in longline fisheries is expected to increase the survival of hooked oceanic whitetip sharks by up to 30%.

The regulation takes effect on May 31 this year and will replace wire leaders — short lengths of wire that stop fish from biting themselves free from hooks — with nylon alternatives. Plastic leaders give sharks a better chance of survival because they can bite themselves free, or fishermen can cut them loose with greater ease.

Read the full article at Civil Beat