Saving Seafood

FCR and FIFO are out, FFDR and LCA are in – aquaculture’s new sustainability metrics taking hold

February 24, 2022 — The aquaculture industry – and the non-governmental organizations that scrutinize it – rely on complex tools to calculate the impact, effectiveness, and value of marine ingredients to the aquaculture industry.

IFFO, the international trade body that represents the marine ingredients industry, recently completed a review of the primary metrics used to analyze the sector, using the latest available data, reviewed the industry’s performance over the last 20 years.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

New England council concerned with offshore wind, aquaculture impact on fish habitat

February 23, 2022 — Concern over the impact of offshore wind energy development – and potentially aquaculture in federal waters – has the New England Fishery Management Council preparing a ‘Habitat Area of Particular Concern’ (HAPC) in southern New England to focus on cod, scallops and other species that rely on essential fish habitat south of Cape Cod.

During its Feb. 1-3 meetings the council initiated a framework adjustment to develop the new HAPC, with a goal of having it ready in April.

According to a council summary, HAPCs “emphasize the importance of specific areas and habitat features; and strengthen the basis for conservation recommendations designed to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts on habitat.”

With Vineyard Wind undertaking construction of it 800-megawatt project and neighboring leaseholders moving forward, offshore wind is the council’s most immediate concern.

Longer term is the potential for offshore aquaculture, with some companies exploring how to raise Atlantic salmon and other species off southern New England.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

Lawmakers come out against higher fees for large aquaculture projects

February 22, 2022 — A key state legislative committee voted this week against recommending a proposal to allow the state to charge up to $250,000 in application fees for large scale aquaculture projects.

The bill was proposed by the Maine Department of Marine Resources as a way to cover the costs of vetting complicated aquaculture applications and prevent them from monopolizing the department’s resources to the detriment of others in the queue.

Seven of the marine resources committee’s 12 members voted against the bill. On Friday, the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Jay McCreight, D-Harpswell, said that she planned to ask the committee to reconsider the bill next week and, if allowed, would propose pulling the fee portion so two non-contested parts of the bill could move forward.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

 

Scottish salmon exports return to pre-Brexit, pre-COVID levels

February 15, 2022 — Exports of farm-raised Scottish salmon, the United Kingdom’s most valuable food export, recovered to near-record figures in 2021.

According to official HMRC figures, overseas sales of salmon in 2021 increased by 36 percent year-over-year to GBP 614 million (USD 832.7 million, EUR 732.4 million), just GBP 4 million (USD 5.4 million, EUR 4.8 million) short of 2019’s all-time high.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Stronger America Through Seafood sends letter to Congress in support of AQUAA Act

February 14, 2022 — Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) has sent a letter signed by more than 65 supporters of aquaculture – including leaders in the U.S. seafood harvesting, production, and retail sectors – to Congress, requesting support for aquaculture expansion in the U.S.

The letter, sent on Monday, 14 February to both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, calls for support for the “Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture Act,” or “AQUAA Act.” An updated version of the AQUAA Act was recently introduced by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Marco Rubio (R-Florida); and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawaii) and Steve Palazzo (R-Mississippi).

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

‘Roadmap’ plots aquaculture’s needs, future in Maine

February 2, 2022 — As aquaculture and its contribution to the state economy grow, so does the need to support it. 

The Maine Aquaculture Association and Maine Sea Grant released the Maine Aquaculture Roadmap 2022-2032 last week, a 10-year plan developed with feedback from nearly 100 organizations and companies. It outlines four main goals and identifies $15 million in resources needed to strengthen the commercial aquaculture industry and working waterfronts across the state. 

“Aquaculture is clearly a priority for Maine, and we needed a forward-looking, research-driven plan to responsibly sustain Maine’s marine farming sector. Now we have one that supports Maine’s farm families and the future of the working waterfront,” said Fiona de Koning, a shellfish farmer and owner of Acadia Aqua Farms in Bar Harbor. 

A 2017 economic impact report by the Aquaculture Research Institute at the University of Maine noted that the economic impact of aquaculture tripled between 2007 and 2014, from $50 million to $137 million. 

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Growing BAP hoping to expand in China, riding coattails of growing US soy imports

January 31, 2022 — Eighteen years after a shrimp farm in Belize became the first Best Aquaculture Practices-certified facility, the program continues to grow at a healthy rate and is eyeing expansion into China.

The Global Seafood Alliance’s BAP third-party certification program grew 8.6 percent in 2021, ending the year with 3,169 BAP-certified facilities in six continents and 39 countries, up from 2,918 BAP-certified facilities at the end of 2020, according to the organization.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Report: $15M investment needed to bolster Maine aquaculture over next decade

January 27, 2022 — Maine’s aquaculture sector has been steadily growing in recent years, and a new industry report identifies over $15 million in resources that may be needed to continue that growth over the next decade.

The Maine Aquaculture Roadmap 2022-32 was released Tuesday by the Maine Aquaculture Hub, Maine Sea Grant and Maine Aquaculture Association.

The roadmap was developed with feedback from approximately 150 stakeholders representing nearly 100 different organizations and companies operating in Maine’s marine economy.

The plan is based on the premise that sustainable aquaculture has tremendous potential to bolster Maine’s coastal economy by providing good jobs, local food security and diversification opportunities for working waterfront families.

Read the full story at Mainebiz

 

New study finds aquaculture could help counter drivers of climate change

January 27, 2022 — A joint study recently released by the University of Adelaide and The Nature Conservancy (TNC), titled “Climate-Friendly Seafood: The Potential for Emissions Reduction and Carbon Capture in Marine Aquaculture,” reveals aquaculture done right could actively reduce the drivers of climate change.

The study assessed greenhouse gas emissions for marine aquaculture of fed-finfish, macroalgae, and bivalves. According to the study, mariculture generates 37.5 percent of all aquaculture products and 97 percent of the world’s seafood harvest. Though mariculture already has a lower greenhouse gas emission footprint than terrestrial products, further low-emissions strategies must be implemented as production continues to scale up to meet future global demand.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

MAINE: American Aquafarms launches video series

January 20, 2022 — American Aquafarms is inviting the public to tune in to the first of its eight-part “Community Conversations” series starting Thursday, Jan. 20. In the introductory video, the Norwegian-backed company’s new American CEO, Keith Decker, paints his vision of Maine as a major food producer and the proposed $250 million Frenchman Bay salmon farm as being at the forefront of sustainable fish farming practices worldwide. As the pandemic persists, company officials see the online series as a way to disseminate information directly about the project and respond to questions from the public.

Archipelago Law, a Portland-based firm specializing in maritime and “Blue” commerce, which earlier this winter took over from Bernstein Shur as American Aquafarms’ Maine legal counsel, developed “Community Conversations.” One of the small firm’s founding partners, Benjamin E. Ford, serves as host in “Show 1” of the series created on the video hosting platform Vimeo. Decker and American Aquafarms’ Project Development Manager Tom Brennan are the only other two participants in the 15-minute segment available at https://vimeo.com/661319868/c983238d00.

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander