August 12 , 2022 — A federal court ruling this week has thrown into doubt the future of a valuable commercial salmon fishery in Southeast Alaska.
US seafood inflation outpaces record grocery inflation
August 12, 2022 — Overall grocery inflation reached a record in July, but inflation for seafood products outpaced total grocery inflation, according to new data.
The inflation hitting seafood products is outpacing total grocery inflation, and is up 16.8 percent in July versus a year ago, data and tech firm Numerator told SeafoodSource. Frozen seafood grocery prices also soared 14.4 percent versus a year ago – but shrimp and prawns are below the average rate of inflation, rising 8.5 percent.
Judge blasts ‘mitigation’ that would imperil both orca and salmon
August 11, 2022 — A federal judge has rejected the National Marine Fisheries Service’s “mitigation” for allowing continued “maximum” commercial harvests of the endangered Chinook salmon the imperiled Southern Resident killer whales need to survive — among the mitigations, that the agency will figure out better mitigations before the orcas go extinct.
U.S. District Judge Richard Jones accepted a magistrate judge’s recommendation for summary judgment in a lawsuit filed by Wild Fish Conservancy in 2020. The recommendation revealed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries agency violated the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act by authorizing commercial salmon harvest at levels that are pushing protected wild Chinook salmon and Puget Sound orcas to extinction.
The Washington-based nonprofit challenged the authorization of the Southeast Alaska Chinook troll fishery, which the agency approved based on vague plans to fund production of 20 million young salmon annually to increase prey for the orcas by 4 to 5%. But the agency had no plans for where to get the young fish, who would release them and where, the age of the fish at release, the juvenile-to-adult return ratio, how many fish would be needed for future broods and whether all of this would be enough to sustain the orca in the long term.
Whales Hitting Boats – Conservation and Conflict
August 11, 2022 — We live in a time of high human activity and urbanization, particularly along our coasts. Human and wildlife conflict is a complex issue that has intensified within the last century. Humans are learning to coexist with wildlife species, especially those whose populations are starting to increase or recover due to aggressive and successful conservation measures. The intersection of humans and wildlife manifest in day-to-day activities that sometimes require an “all hands-on deck” approach to address and manage. Recent interactions between boats and whales have demonstrated the need for immediate and coordinated action.
Spatial Overlaps
A recent interaction between a humpback whale and a boat occurred off Plymouth, Massachusetts in late July 2022. In a viral video, a humpback whale breached and landed on the bow of a small recreational fishing vessel. This video is a stark reminder of how interactions between humans and animals in the wild can go wrong. This incident resulted from a rather unique situation. Large schools of menhaden were aggregating close to shore where commercial and recreational fishermen were targeting striped bass, which feed on these schooling fish. Three juvenile humpback whales discovered this dense patch of menhaden and began feeding in the area, very close to shore and the recreational fishing vessels. Overlap of the recreational vessels and whales raised concern for public safety and safety of the whales.
New eCommerce app hopes to change how buyers access distributors
August 11, 2022 — A group of tech experts is hoping to enhance how the food distribution industry manages its sales supply chain, and seafood companies are already starting to get on board.
Pepper, an eCommerce platform for food distributors, is strictly targeting the business-to-business side of purchasing and ordering products – including seafood. Pepper Co-Founder and CEO Bowie Cheung told SeafoodSource the goal is to bring some of the better parts of how tech has changed things on the consumer side to the business side to streamline processes.
NOAA lays out plans for expanded testing of ropeless fishing technology
August 11, 2022 — In their latest effort to protect endangered right whales, federal regulators have released a plan to increase the use of on-demand – or ropeless – fishing gear, an initiative that includes expanded testing of the new technology.
In an effort to address the two main causes of human-induced whale mortality – vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently released rules to reduce ship speeds and its “Ropeless Roadmap” to prepare for widespread adoption of ropeless fishing.
The vertical lines that connect strings of traps on the ocean floor to buoys on the surface can get caught on a whale’s fins or in its mouth as it swims, leading to death in some cases. There are fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales, according to NOAA.
On-demand fishing gear would eliminate the need for the vertical lines in the water until the lobster trap, pot or gillnet is being hauled. Different technologies are under development now. Some include floatation devices that are triggered by an acoustic signal to return the gear or rope end to the surface when the fishing boat returns to collect it. Others use timers to release the rope and buoy to the surface, reducing the amount of time the rope is in the water column. And in a lower-tech option available in some cases, the traps or other gear can simply be removed by a grappling hook. The location of the gear can be communicated to boats above by acoustic signal.
MASSACHUSSETTS: New Bedford city councilors look for solution to shellfish bed pollution
August 11, 2022 — The New Bedford City Council Committee on Fisheries voted Tuesday to submit a motion to Mayor Jon Mitchell, requesting he petition the state’s fisheries agency to consider the relocation of shellfish to clean waters.
Since late 2019 to early 2020, shellfishing areas in Clarks Cove and the outer harbor have been closed due to contamination concerns, which has affected people who catch quahogs recreationally and commercially.
Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) staff say the areas have remained closed because releases of sewage from the city’s old sewer system through combined sewer overflows (CSOs) were unmanageable and unpredictable.
ALASKA: Regardless of party or office, Alaska candidates are targeting trawling
August 11, 2022 — Republicans, Democrats and independents seeking a variety of elected offices across Alaska appear united by a desire to restrict deep-sea trawling.
In candidate questionnaires submitted to the Alaska Beacon, candidates for statewide and legislative races — regardless of party — say the restrictions are the best way to improve salmon returns on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.
“I support efforts to reduce the wasteful bycatch of Alaska’s seafood by Seattle-based high seas fishing corporations,” said Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for Alaska’s U.S. House seat.
“Science provides the best guide. However, I think most Alaskans agree it is past time to get high seas trawler bycatch under control,” said Tuckerman Babcock, a Republican candidate for an Alaska Senate district on the Kenai Peninsula.
Their comments were typical of those submitted to the Beacon, and Linda Kozak, a Kodiak fisher who has been following fisheries issues for three decades, said she’s seen a public reaction unlike anything in her career.
“For the first time in as long as I’ve been involved in fish politics, bycatch is a household name in Alaska. It’s something that the public is interested in,” she said.
Though Bristol Bay’s red-salmon fishery is enjoying a record year, fishing for king and chum salmon on the Yukon has been curtailed for a second straight summer because of low returns, leaving traditional subsistence fishermen unable to catch fish. Similar restrictions are in place on the Kuskokwim.
The low returns have been blamed on a variety of factors, including climate change, habitat destruction and bycatch, which occurs when ships catch salmon while pursuing other fish.
MAINE: Fundraiser for Maine Lobstermen’s Association raises over $50K
August 10, 2022 — With donations still rolling in, organizers of the fundraiser for the Maine Lobstermen’s Association held at Brady’s restaurant in Boothbay Harbor on Sunday, Aug. 7 report that over $50,000 has been raised.
The fundraiser included twin lobsters, (a non-lobster entree was available), clams or mussels, corn, blueberry pie, a live auction and silent auction, entertainment by Maine humorist Tim Sample and guest appearances by former Governor Paul LePage, NewsCenter co-host Sharon Rose who served as emcee, District 89 candidates, Rep. Holly Stover and Tricia Warren, among others.
NOAA Calls for Applications for American Fisheries Advisory Committee
August 10, 2022 — The Following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries is calling for applications for the new American Fisheries Advisory Committee. The Committee was established by the American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act in May 2022 to make recommendations for Saltonstall-Kennedy priorities and grant award funding.
The Act requires the establishment of a 22-member committee with three representatives from each of six regions. Members will represent seafood sectors, including processors, recreational and commercial fishermen and seafood farmers, fisheries scientists, and regional fishery management council members. Additionally, there will be four at-large members, including one representative each from the retail and marketing sector, commercial fisheries, recreational fisheries, and NOAA Fisheries.
“The new American Fisheries Advisory Committee will bring together a wide breadth of industry and stakeholder representatives from around the country to thoughtfully consider program priorities and make recommendations for the awarding of funds for Saltonstall-Kennedy grants,” said NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator, Janet Coit. “NOAA Fisheries is pleased to assist Secretary Gina Raimondo with the process of identifying candidates, and I encourage anyone who is interested in providing input on priority fisheries research and development projects to please apply.”
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