Saving Seafood

Mid-Atlantic Council Invites Public Input on Ways to Reduce Burdens on Domestic Fishing

July 22, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

On May 7, 2020, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth. The purpose of this Executive Order is “to strengthen the American economy; improve the competitiveness of American industry; ensure food security; provide environmentally safe and sustainable seafood; support American workers; ensure coordinated, predictable, and transparent Federal actions; and remove unnecessary regulatory burdens.”

Section 4 of the Executive Order requires each Regional Fishery Management Council to submit a prioritized list of recommended actions to reduce burdens on domestic fishing and to increase production within sustainable fisheries, including a proposal for initiating each recommended action within 1 year. Recommendations must be consistent with the requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and other applicable laws.

We Want to Hear From You!

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council invites the public to provide input on ways to reduce burdens on domestic fishing and to increase production within sustainable fisheries. Recommended actions may include changes to regulations, orders, guidance documents, or other similar actions.

Please visit our Executive Order Comment Form to submit any comments or suggestions you would like the Council to consider. Comments may also be sent via email to msabo@mafmc.org with the subject line “Executive Order Comments.” All comments must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, August 5, 2020. The Council will review responses at its August 2020 meeting.

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo at msabo@mafmc.org, (302) 518-1143.

The Pros And Cons Of Expanding United States Offshore Aquaculture In 2020

July 20, 2020 — An executive order issued by President Donald Trump on May 7th moved to open up federal waters to commercial fish farming (aquaculture). The area has previously been off-limits. The executive order intends to promote U.S. seafood production and create a hassle-free regulatory process for offshore aquaculture projects. While the aquaculture industry is celebrating, many conservationists and commercial fishers are not happy with the move.

Coastal waters in the U.S. are managed in zones under different authorities. The Submerged Lands Act of 1953 secured state control over waters from the coastline to three miles out to sea. Beyond that mark, waters are federally managed to 200 miles offshore. This federal zone is called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). While nearshore aquaculture in the U.S. is regulated by states, there is currently no explicit authority in charge of permitting and regulating aquaculture in federal waters, which provides a significant stumbling block for anyone interested in starting up an offshore fish farm. The executive order designates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the government agency lead on all aquaculture projects in the EEZ and also requires that all permitting decisions on new aquaculture projects be made within two years, significantly speeding up the process. “An executive order is needed to establish priority amongst the many agencies that have authority in the offshore space,” says Margaret Henderson, campaign manager for the aquaculture lobby group Stronger America Through Seafood.

Despite having the largest EEZ in the world, the U.S. currently has no commercial fish farms in any of it. NOAA fishery statistics indicate that approximately 90% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, however this estimate is debated by some that argue that it is far less given the fact that much of the fish caught in the U.S. is exported for processing, only to be sent back to be consumed. Regardless of the percentage, proponents argue that expanding U.S. offshore aquaculture will lower imports and stimulate domestic production.

Read the full story at Forbes

Alaska’s emerging mariculture industry suffers setback from market losses in pandemic

July 17, 2020 — For the past few years, mariculture has been the hot topic of innovation in fisheries in Alaska. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit, many of the budding farms took a huge financial hit to their operations.

In the past five years, Alaska has seen a boom in the number of applications for mariculture operations, focusing on oysters, geoduck clams and kelp. Their main outlet has been in restaurants and wholesale food service, where they’ve been able to carve a niche for sustainably grown Alaska seafood and supply markets both in the state and the Lower 48.

But the coronavirus pandemic closed restaurants across most of the United States in March, and large events or group cafeterias that required catering or food service remain mostly off the table. That left the mariculture farms in Alaska with a much more limited market but still a lot of product to move.

For Ketchikan-based Hump Island Oyster Co., it’s going to be a tough year. Owner Trevor Sande said the company has mostly sold its oysters to wholesalers who distribute to food service businesses and retailers, with some going to local sources. They also grow a small amount of kelp, but the majority of the farm produces oysters. With seven years of shellfish growing under their belts, Hump Island has been increasing its business size every year, and this year’s plummet leaves them with a lot of oysters that don’t have anywhere to go.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

How Rhode Island’s Shellfish Industry is Innovating During Coronavirus: RI Sea Grant on LIVE

July 16, 2020 — The Rhode Island aquaculture industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus — loss of sales, but also forced to reinvent their business models fast.

Azure Cygler, Fisheries and Aquaculture Extension Specialist at the RI Sea Grant at the University of Rhode Island appeared on GoLocal LIVE, and talked about how the aquaculture industry in the state is adapting due to coronavirus restrictions — and innovating.

Cygler joined GoLocal LIVE as part of an ongoing partnership between the Rhode Island Food Policy Council and GoLocal.

“In terms of our seafood industry, we have some of the best and most amazing innovators you could imagine,” said Cygler. “So at the University of Rhode Island, I work with Rhode Island Sea Grant and the Coast Resources Center — I’ve been working with these folks for years and I just wanted to kind of zero in on the shellfish industry, which is part of the bigger seafood system.”

Read the full story at Go Local Providence

Aquaculture’s Role in Nutrition in the COVID-19 Era

July 14, 2020 — Aquaculture, the relatively young but fast-growing industry of farming of fish and other marine life, now produces around half of all seafood consumed by humans.

A new paper from American University published today examines the economics of an aquaculture industry of the future that is simultaneously environmentally sustainable and nutritious for the nearly 1 billion people worldwide who depend on it for health and livelihoods.

Of the scenarios the paper discusses, included are two approaches that illustrate what aquaculture might look like if nations refocus inward for food and nutrition security in the COVID-19 era.

“Seafood is essential to meeting global food and nutrition security goals,” said Jessica Gephart, the paper’s primary author and an assistant professor of environmental science at American University. “Under what circumstances, and with what policies, can we maximize aquaculture for its nutrition benefits and sustainability for all who rely on seafood?”

This is a challenging question to answer, especially in the COVID-19 era. As the pandemic is still unfolding, the full scope of long-term damage to food systems is unknown, the paper notes. Yet, the aquaculture industry is suffering major setbacks, as some exports are being halted, workers are being laid off, demand has dramatically decreased, production units are incurring large losses and some countries are reconsidering their reliance on foreign seafood. The authors note that such setbacks “can be particularly long-lasting for a budding sector, with many young farms that potentially lack the capital to weather the storm and the political clout to secure sufficient recovery aid.”

The demand for seafood is expected to increase significantly by 2050, the paper notes, if historical trends in income and population growth, urbanization, and diets are maintained. This has prompted researchers to contemplate the future role of aquaculture in meeting demand and supporting nutrition needs. “Nutrition sensitivity” refers to the multiple benefits derived from diverse foods, including improving nutrition, valuing the social significance of food, and supporting livelihoods.

Read the full story at Environment Coastal & Offshore

GAA seeks SSCI recognition for BAP program

July 13, 2020 — The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) has announced it has submitted an application for The Consumer Goods Forum’s (CGF) Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) benchmark for its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification program.

The benchmark application is the first step in achieving SSCI recognition for meeting “industry expectations for third-party social compliance programs,” according to a press release from GAA. The application makes BAP the first certification program to apply, according to GAA.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Industry leaders say transparency is key to global aquaculture sustainability

July 9, 2020 — In a recent webinar hosted by the aquaculture technology investment firm Hatch, an international panel of aquaculture leaders connected virtually to discuss the importance of sustainability in the industry and the space innovation on that front, now and in the future.

“The world now produces more than 155 million tons of seafood every year. Around 55 percent of that comes from aquaculture. As our population is growing, demand continues to rise, and within the next 50 years we will have to grow more seafood than we have ever grown in the entire existence of mankind,” said Moritz Mueller, the head of marketing and communications at HATCH. “At the same time, understanding the limits of our oceans and protecting them, in order to keep our planet healthy is an essential task. This seafood, and the feed for it, will not come from our wild stocks, but it has to come from aquaculture. And only an industry that is sustainable will be able to shoulder such a responsibility.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New research reveals surprising differences between salmon species — helping consumers decide which ones to serve for dinner

July 9, 2020 — It is well known that salmon provides a range of valuable nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids and protein. But it can be confusing for consumers to know which species offers the highest level of nutrition when they are faced with several different types of salmon at the grocery store.

There are also mixed messages when it comes to farmed salmon, with some people believing it may contain contaminants and is not as nutritious as wild-caught fish.

Consumers can’t look to labels for clarity since nutritional information is not required on seafood packaging in Canada and the United States.

Stefanie Colombo, an assistant professor of Aquaculture at Dalhousie University’s Agriculture Campus, wanted to shed some light on the murky area by exploring the nutritional differences between salmon. Her research, published recently in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, produced some surprising findings she hopes may dispel misunderstandings about farmed salmon.

“I get a lot of questions from people I meet about farmed salmon and many people have the idea that it’s not good for you, that it’s full of fat and contaminants,” says Dr. Colombo, who also holds the Canada Research Chair in Aquaculture Nutrition. “I knew these were misconceptions, but I wanted to know how it compared to the other types of salmon that were out there.

Read the full story at Dal News

Pandemic’s effect on global seafood industry demand and pricing will be long-lasting, report says

July 8, 2020 — The global seafood industry will experience lasting impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, including reduced demand and pricing.

That is the conclusion of the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report produced every two years by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the only report that tracks global fisheries and food trends.

This year it included a special focus on the pandemic which has toppled seafood markets and supply chains around the world. The report forecasts that global seafood production will be down 1.7 percent (6.6 billion pounds) and the trade value of seafood will decrease by nearly $6 billion.

Of that, wild capture fisheries are projected to decrease by 2 percent (nearly 4.2 billion pounds), while aquaculture production is expected to decrease by 1.4 percent (2.6 million pounds).

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News