Saving Seafood

Latest report says menhaden thriving in the Gulf

October 25th, 2016 — A commission that assesses the health and viability of the menhaden population in the Gulf released a report this week that says despite massive commercial hauls, the menhaden population is sound.

It’s called a stock assessment for menhaden — a fish caught for catfood and fish oil supplements and a favorite food of large game fish. If fact, there’s been controversy this year over how many redfish commercial menhaden boats in the Gulf should be allowed to keep in the bycatch while fishing for menhaden.

Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission evaluated the status of the Gulf menhaden in U.S. waters and concluded the “Gulf of Mexico’s menhaden stock is not experiencing overfishing,” said Steven J. VanderKooy, a fisheries coordinator with the commission, which has an Ocean Springs office.

The assessment was completed as a cooperative effort of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Texas and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Menhaden catches support the second largest commercial fishery by weight in the United States. Menhaden are small filter feeders that don’t grow much longer than a foot and only live for three or four years.

Despite the fact that millions of pounds are hauled in each year, they are thriving, VanderKooy said. “They are really, really resilient. It’s a great fish and short-lived.”

Read the full story at the Sun Herald  

ALABAMA: Lions on the Line Illustrates Impact of Lionfish on Reefs

October 18th, 2016 — For those who don’t live near the Alabama Gulf Coast, you might not be aware that Gov. Robert Bentley declared a Lionfish Awareness Day recently.

The reason for the public declaration was to coincide with the Lions on the Line event that was held at the Flora-Bama Marina and Flora-Bama Ole River Bar & Grill, which sit astride the Florida-Alabama line, hence Lions on the Line.

The Alabama Marine Resources Division (MRD), Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission and the NUISANCE Group teamed up to hold the event that encouraged the diving community to take as many lionfish as possible from the reefs off the Alabama coast and bring them in to be prepared for the public by  well-known chefs from the Gulf Coast.

For those not familiar with the lionfish, it is an invasive species that likely was dumped out of an aquarium into waters in south Florida. The species, which is native to the Indo-Pacific region, has spread like wildfire in the favorable conditions of the Gulf of Mexico and south Atlantic areas.

Read the full story at Alabama Outdoor News 

Louisiana is only Gulf state not supporting regional red snapper management bill

July 18, 2016 — Louisiana currently stands alone as the only Gulf state indicating it would be unable to afford to oversee red snapper management if oversight authority of the fishery is ultimately stripped away from the federal government.

In interviews with LouisianaSportsman.com, marine fisheries representatives from the other four Gulf states have confirmed they are still supporting H.R. 3094 from Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves and had no reservations about moving forward because federal funding was stripped from the bill last month.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Charlie Melancon said in late June that he opposes Graves’ bill that would strip management of red snapper in the Gulf from federal authority and hand it over to the states. Melancon said his opposition stems from the lack of federal funding.

That wasn’t a concern for the other four Gulf states, however.

“Alabama is prepared to manage the red snapper fishery with or without federal funding. We still think state management is the best idea,” said Chris Blankenship, director of marine resources for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “A lot of the work we’re doing with red snapper, we’re already paying for out of our funds now and providing that information to NOAA for the stock assessments for red snapper.”

Read the full story at the Louisiana Sportsman

LDWF Secretary opposes move to give Louisiana authority over red snapper

June 22, 2016 — Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Charlie Melancon stated Tuesday he is opposed to a push to transfer management authority of Gulf of Mexico red snapper from the federal government to the fisheries agencies of the five Gulf states.

Melancon said a bill proposed by Rep. Garret Graves (R-Baton Rouge) that’s currently making its way through Congress would grant Gulf states management authority without providing necessary dollars.

“Without federal funding, Louisiana could potentially lack the proper resources to manage the red-snapper fishery,” Melancon said. “It would be fiscally irresponsible for the department to support any mandate that would result in an unknown amount of fiscal burden placed on the state of Louisiana for the management of a single species of fish.”

Previously, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida had joined Louisiana in calling for NOAA Fisheries to surrender management control of the popular reef fish. Critics say gross mismanagement of red snapper has led to reduced fishing opportunities for recreational anglers. This year’s federal red-snapper season for recreational anglers was initially set at nine days, but was extended to 11 days after tropical weather kept many anglers at the dock.

Read the full story at the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Alabama Could See Shortest Red Snapper Season Ever

May 5, 2016 — Alabama recreational red snapper fishermen could be slapped with a 6- to 9-day season—the shortest snapper season ever in the state—when the season opens in federal waters on June 1.

That would be even shorter than in 2014 and 2015 when fishermen, public officials and state and federal lawmakers were outraged. The snapper season last year was 10 days long, just one day longer from 2014’s record low of nine.

That was the dire warning from U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, of Fairhope.

Read the full story from Alabama Outdoor News

ALABAMA: With federal snapper season set at 9 days, state announces 66 day season for state waters

April 28, 2016 — In response to an announcement today that the federal red snapper season for recreational anglers will be nine days long, state officials said that Alabama would set a 66 day state season, from May 27 through July 31.

However, during the longer Alabama season, anglers will only be allowed to fish in state waters, which stretch nine miles from shore, while during the federal season the entire Gulf is open.

Confounding matters further is the federal charter boat season, for boats taking paying customers. That season lasts 46 days, from June 1 through July 17. Charter boats are not allowed to fish during the longer state season.

U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne’s office shared a notice from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announcing the new federal season.

“A nine day Red Snapper season is a disgrace for Alabama’s fishermen. This type of ‘derby-style’ season poses serious challenges and puts the safety of our fishermen at risk,” said Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL). “There are plenty of Red Snapper in the Gulf, but the federal government continues to do a terrible job of counting the number of fish, as well as the number caught each year. The House has passed reform legislation that would give us a real season again, and it is past time for the Senate to act and bring real relief to our fishermen.”

Read the full story at Alabama.com

ALABAMA: Red snapper season could be an all-time low

April 7, 2016 — Alabama anglers could be faced with the most restrictive red snapper quota ever in the Gulf of Mexico, possibly just six days, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne said Wednesday.

Byrne, R-Fairhope, is a frequent critic of the federal government’s handling of regulations for the annual snapper season for commercial and recreational fishing. Deep-sea fishing is a multimillion-dollar tourism draw in Alabama, and the coastal region touts itself as the top snapper spot in the world.

This year’s limits are set to be revealed in coming weeks. Byrne, however, warned that they may be even lower than those prompting public protest in 2014 and 2015.

Based on estimates from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Fisheries Service, this year’s season for recreational fishing will be capped at “six to nine days,” Byrne said. The 2015 season was 10 days, up one day from 2014’s record low of nine.

The commercial charter/for-hire season will be from 30-56 days, Byrne added. The 2015 season was 44 days.

“It’s very disappointing,” Byrne said. “It’s very much like what we had last summer. … This derby season is not good for anybody and it could be dangerous.”

Read the full story at Al.com

Alabama Senator Shelby Seeks Solutions For Gulf Fisheries To Flourish

February 8, 2016 — At 6’3” Richard Craig Shelby, the senior Senator from Alabama, casts a long shadow on the Halls of Congress, welding influence felt in banking, energy, commerce, defense, science and fisheries, especially Gulf of Mexico fisheries.

“I like fresh seafood,” said the Senator relaxing back in his leather chair at the head of his Capitol Hill office conference table. “I especially like Gulf Scamp (a highly prized game and commercial fish in the grouper family). I could live on scamp, my wife and I never throw a piece of that away.”

The Alabama Senator has a single purpose when it comes to the Gulf of Mexico. “I want to make sure the Gulf remains healthy, and that the fish are abundant as they can be, and that all three fishing sectors; commercial, charter-for-hire and recreational, as well as all Americans, continue to benefit from them,” he said.

Born in Birmingham on the sixth of May in 1932, Shelby received a law degree from the Birmingham School of Law. First elected to the Senate in 1986 after winning a tight race as a Democrat, he was among a group of conservative Democrats. In 1994, midway through his second term, he switched allegiance to the Republican Party.

Currently he chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Senate Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee, and sits on the Committee on Rules and Administration.

Constant Gulf Seafood Supporter

During his term on Capitol Hill, Shelby has been a constant supporter of Alabama and Gulf Seafood, as well as the thousands of people working hard to deliver it to the American people everyday.

“I like to fish, it’s is a great sport,” he told Gulf Seafood News in an exclusive interview. “I enjoy the outdoors.”

In his soft Southern drawl, the Senator said he wants the Gulf seafood industry to flourish because everyone benefits from seafood. “It’s nutritious and provides jobs for thousands upon thousands along the Gulf coast, as well as across the country,” he said. “Be it commercial, charter-for-hire or recreational, I am interested in maintaining abundant, healthy seafood in the Gulf of Mexico that is available to all.”

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood Institute

 

 

ALABAMA: Gulf’s First Oyster Farmer Continues to Grow

September 25, 2015 — POINT AUX PINS, Alabama — Starting as a volunteer oyster gardener way back at the turn of the century – that’s the year 2000 for those with short memory – Steve Crockett planted the first off-bottom oysters in the Gulf as a reef restoration project for the Mobile Bay National Estuary program. Fifteen years later Point Aux Pins Alabama farm is one of the largest Gulf off-bottom oyster operations supplying restaurants and grocery chains across the South.

Gathering figures on the success rate of the restoration project, a grad student informed Crockett that data confirmed he had the best oyster growth rate of any sites on the eastern or western shores of the Bay, Dauphin Island, or Coden. That was enough to convince him to try growing oysters, at least for his own use and for friends.

“We started production the following year,” said Crockett. “We adopted the Australian Adjustable Longline Method for growing our oysters. We fiddled around with that for a couple of years but ended up losing our shirts, as well as our camp house, when Katrina stuck the Alabama coast in 2005.”

Three years later, and with a new house, Crockett was determined to try once more to farm caged grown oysters.

“This was about the same time Bill Walton appeared at the Auburn University Shellfish Lab,” he told Gulf Seafood News. “He was instrumental in our decision to get back into off-bottom caged oysters.”

Getting seed from Walton’s Auburn shellfish lab, in 2009 the East Grand Bay oysterman put his first crop of oysters in the water, while at the same time testing four different kinds of grow out gear.

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood Institute

 

Double Disasters Leave An Alabama Fishing Village Struggling

August 19, 2015 — The people of Bayou la Batre, Ala., say you know their town by the four seasons.

“Shrimp, fish, crab and oyster,” says Stephanie Nelson Bosarge. “That’s your four seasons.”

Bosarge grew up here in a house less than a thousand feet from the water — one of nine kids, the fourth generation to work in the seafood industry.

Today all that’s left of the house is a concrete slab. Grass and weeds are creeping up over what’s left of the oyster run, where a conveyor belt once carried shells between the shuckers.

“This is living proof right here,” says Paul Nelson, Bosarge’s brother, “that the grass grows over and people forget about what was here, what was raised here, what was done here.”

The Impact Of Katrina

Hurricane Katrina sent nearly 14 feet of water into Bayou la Batre, inundating homes and businesses. Rebuilding was out of reach. Insurance paid off debt, but there wasn’t enough left to start again.

“Before Katrina, everything was a struggle. After Katrina, everything was impossible,” Bosarge says.

Read the full story at New York NOW