Saving Seafood

Maine delegation urges USDA to buy seafood from Maine fishermen

August 19, 2021 — While the U.S. Department of Agriculture has increased its seafood buying in response to the pandemic and directives from Congress, none of the agency’s COVID-related seafood purchases have been awarded to suppliers based in Maine.

Maine’s congressional delegation called out the agency on Tuesday in hopes of drawing attention to product harvested by the state’s small-scale independent fishermen.

“USDA efforts to engage these smaller producers will pay large dividends — supporting and maintaining economic activity in rural areas, and helping develop consumers’ tastes for seafood that is sustainable, affordable, and harvested close to their homes,” U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine 1st District, and Jared Golden, D-Maine 2nd District, wrote in a joint letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The letter urged the Biden administration to work with small-boat family fishing businesses to fully explore opportunities for Maine seafood products in USDA’s procurement efforts, according to a news release.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

MAINE: Digital platform program will bolster seafood industry

April 19, 2021 — The Economic Development Administration has awarded the Gulf of Maine Research Institute nearly $750,000 to help connect small businesses and entrepreneurs with leaders in the seafood industry to create digital platforms to promote growth, job creation and resiliency.  

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Angus King (I-Maine) announced the award on Monday that will establish the institute’s Gulf of Maine Blue Innovation Recovery program.  

“Maine’s working waterfront is central to the livelihoods of families, communities, and small businesses throughout our state,” the senators said in a statement.  “We welcome this investment in the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, which will help our seafood industry weather the coronavirus pandemic through innovative technology.” 

The seafood industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, with restaurants closed, trade disrupted and new safety protocols put in place.  

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Maine’s congressional delegation asks Biden to protect lobstermen from proposed rules to save right whales

February 26, 2021 — Maine’s congressional delegation has asked President Biden to protect the lobster industry as federal agencies weigh a series of proposed rules that they say “would be a death knell” for the state’s most valuable fishery.

The four delegation members called on Biden to fulfill his campaign promise to “protect the livelihood and safety of the fishing community.”

“Maine’s lobstermen are seeking your assurance that they can continue to provide for their families, that their communities will survive, and that their children will be able to continue Maine’s long-standing lobstering heritage. We urge you to recognize the impact these proposed conservation measures will have on our lobstermen, fishermen, and the entire seafood industry in the state of Maine,” Sen. Angus King, Sen. Susan Collins, Rep. Chellie Pingree and Rep. Jared Golden wrote in the letter, which was sent Wednesday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently released a series of proposed amendments to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan in an effort to protect the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

$400K in federal funds may help open new markets for Maine aquaculture

February 9, 2021 — A research project looking at new and underserved markets for Maine’s aquaculture industry has been awarded $400,499 in federal funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant program.

The award, announced Friday, will go to the Maine Sea Grant, according to a news release.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a tremendous negative impact on all seafood producers,” said Sebastian Belle, the association’s executive director. “The work that will be done in this project will be critical in helping our members adapt to and recover from the challenges they are facing.”

The award will support the research of potential new and underserved markets for Maine-grown aquaculture products, and will fund efforts to seek partnerships between aquaculture and wild capture supply chains.

“Maine’s aquaculture industry has undergone significant growth and diversification in recent years, creating new jobs and economic opportunities in our state,” U.S. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a joint statement.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

Bipartisan group in Congress calls for further COVID-19 aid for seafood processors

February 5, 2021 — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators and representatives have signed onto a letter calling for more aid for seafood processors and processing vessels.

The letter, signed by over a dozen members of Congress, calls for U.S. Department of Agriculture Acting Secretary Kevin Shea to implement a program offering grants and forgivable loans to support seafood processing facilities and processing vessels. The loans would help processors and vessel operators implement COVID-19 response measures.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Senators Collins, King Join Bipartisan Call to Ensure NOAA Fisheries Surveys Proceed in 2021

October 9, 2020 — The following was released by the The Office of Senator Angus King (I-ME):

In May 2020, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries started canceling research surveys to protect the health of its crews and personnel at sea on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In support of coastal communities across the country who rely on these surveys as a basis for their livelihoods, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) joined their colleagues in calling on NOAA to identify and resolve any challenges created by COVID-19 that prevented surveys from occurring in 2020 in order to ensure surveys can be safely conducted in 2021.

“Fishery and ecosystem research surveys are essential to support the U.S. blue economy and provide valuable fishery-independent data needed to carry out provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).  Data collected from NOAA’s research surveys are used to manage commercial and recreational fisheries that contributed 1.74 million jobs, over $240 billion in sales, and $111 billion in gross domestic product to the U.S. economy in 2017,” the Senators wrote.  “The economic output of U.S. fisheries is maximized by setting accurate quotas and catch limits, which depend on the long-term, fishery-independent datasets collected by NOAA’s research surveys.”

The Senators acknowledged NOAA’s initial response and actions to compensate for lost survey data; however, they reiterated that the methods used are not sufficient replacements for the typical large-scale, long-term research surveys required to sustainably manage fisheries under the MSA.  In closing, the Senators requested a clear, written plan for FY2021 surveys before December 15, 2020.

Read the full release here

Lobster Industry: Challenges Facing Maine’s Iconic Fishery & How They Might be Overcome

August 19, 2020 — Last year, Maine’s lobster fishery brought in almost $500 million to the state, and even more when you count the economic benefits to dealers, processors and restaurants. Now, with the pandemic hindering the market for lobsters locally and around the world, this signature industry has been impacted severely. We will talk about how the industry is facing challenges, and what efforts are underway to find new ways to market lobsters and connect with consumers.

Read the full story at Maine Public

Trump directs aid to Maine lobster industry crushed by tariffs

June 26, 2020 — President Trump ordered the Department of Agriculture to offer a lifeline to the struggling Maine lobster industry that has been hit hard by his trade policies with China.

Trump’s trade war with China devastated farmers in the Midwest, but it also evaporated Maine’s chief export market as escalating tariffs led China to place a 35 percent markup on lobster.

The late Wednesday order from Trump all but directs the Agriculture Department to extend a $30 billion farm bailout program to Maine’s commercial fishers. The program previously sent cash to corn, soybean, pig and other farmers, primarily in the Midwest, who Trump has courted in his reelection effort.

The move follows years of lobbying by Maine’s congressional delegation, which cited “severe financial difficulties due to unfair retaliatory tariffs” in a joint statement expressing support for the government aid.

“Better late than never,” Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) tweeted.

“We made it clear last year in a letter comparing our lobster industry to the farmers in the Midwest seeing relief in this tariff fallout. The first line was ‘Why not lobsters?’” King added in a statement to The Hill, noting that lobsters were one of the first items hit with Chinese tariffs.

Read the full story at The Hill

Maine fishermen among small business owners hoping for new paycheck protection funds

April 20, 2020 — When the $350 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program ran out, many Maine fishermen were among those waiting in line. Congressional leaders are working on an agreement to be voted on this week that would reload those funds.

“I’m crossing my fingers that that will occur,” Senator Susan Collins told News 8 Sunday, after a conference call with lead negotiator on the talks, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

Sen. Collins said negotiations on roughly $350 billion in additional funding for the program she co-authored would continue Sunday night, ahead of votes in the Senate on Monday and the House on Tuesday.

“I strongly support adding more funding to the PPP and will keep pushing to make sure the process is fair, clear, and efficient,” Sen. Angus King said in a statement Sunday.

Sen. Collins says she hopes to extend application deadlines in the new agreement beyond the current date of June 30th, because some who were self-employed had to wait.

“The Small Business Administration, which is not used to dealing with people who are self-employed, had them wait an extra week,” Sen. Collins said. “And thus, by the time many of the fishermen or carpenters or plumbers or hair stylists in our state applied, the money was out.”

Read the full story at WMTW

MAINE: On Lobster Day, celebrating our industry and addressing the threats

September 24, 2019 — This week, we celebrate one of Maine’s most famous residents — and no, I’m not talking about Stephen King or the couple who say “buttery flaky crust” in the Dysart’s commercial. Actually, this week marks National Lobster Day, when we celebrate not only our favorite crustacean, but all the men and women who help this industry and our state thrive.

Folks from away might not understand why we are celebrating the lobster, but Maine people know that this shellfish isn’t just a delicious meal — it’s a vital part of our state’s economy, supporting communities up and down our coast. Maine people also know that even as we celebrate lobsters, this industry is facing serious challenges — from well-intentioned but harmful potential regulations, to poorly designed foreign policy emanating from Washington, to the looming threat of warming waters due to climate change. So today, more than any other time in the past, it’s important to emphasize the value of this economic driver, and push back on the threats it faces.

One of the most pressing concerns facing our lobster industry is the danger of potentially misguided federal regulations to protect right whales. Now, let’s be clear: everyone, including lobstermen, wants to protect this endangered species. We just want to make sure we’re making changes based on sound data; and at this point, it is not clear that Maine’s lobster fishery is a significant contributor to right whale deaths. The possible changes threaten livelihoods and lives by calling for expensive and dangerous new equipment configurations. Even worse, these changes would disproportionately affect Maine lobstermen while not holding Canadian fisheries to the same standards.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American