Saving Seafood

What’s in Trump’s seafood order?

May 13, 2020 — Today we’re talking about the president’s May 7 executive order that is getting widespread support from fishing companies and processors, but also some criticism from small-scale fishermen and groups that support localized wild-capture fisheries.

Joining us is Ryan Bradley, executive director of Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United, a commercial fisherman, vessel owner, seafood dealer and business owner, and a National Fisherman Highliner.

Bradley shares with us how he hopes the EO will pave a path toward breaking down some unnecessary regulatory barriers, help enforcement fight IUU fishing — including illegal sales of recreational catch — and bolster fair trade that benefits American fishermen.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Trump executive order could speed offshore aquaculture permits

May 13, 2020 — The Trump administration executive order on aquaculture and fisheries is raising hopes among some commercial fishing advocates to roll back what they view as excessive regulation.

But the statement’s strong emphasis on streamlining the permit process for ocean aquaculture alarms opponents, who won a 2018 federal court decision in Louisiana that said NOAA lacked Congressional authority to regulate aquaculture.

The “Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth” directs federal agencies to “identify and remove unnecessary regulatory barriers restricting American fishermen and aquaculture producers” and “facilitate aquaculture projects through regulatory transparency and long-term strategic planning.”

The document has other promises to U.S. seafood producers, especially in seeking fair trade and competition with imported seafood — including to hold imports to the same food-safety standards required for domestic products.

Chris Oliver, the assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries, said in a statement that a new Seafood Trade Task Force will “develop a comprehensive interagency seafood trade strategy. The strategy will identify opportunities to improve access to foreign markets through trade policy and negotiations; resolve technical barriers to U.S. seafood exports; and otherwise support fair market access for U.S. seafood products.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Global Aquaculture Alliance’s GOAL conference to move online due to COVID-19

May 12, 2020 — The Global Aquaculture Alliance announced on Tuesday, 12 May, its annual Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) conference will be completely virtual this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

GOAL 2020 will be held from 6 to 8 October as previously scheduled, with six to eight program sessions per day. Access to the first day of the conference will be offered free of charge to members of seafood associations and other strategic partners worldwide.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Global farmed salmon producers significantly reduced antibiotic use over seven years, GSI report finds

May 12, 2020 — Seven years of data from more than 50 percent of the world’s farmed salmon sector is featured in the latest annual sustainability report from the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI).

Released on 11 May, the report’s data covers 15 key indicators – 10 environmental and five social – impacting salmon aquaculture operations worldwide. The new issuance, which highlights data through 2019, reveals some promising sector trends, GSI said, including a 50 percent reduction in the use of antibiotics over the past seven years, as well as a more holistic, collective approach to preventing and managing sea lice.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MASSACHUSETTS: Executive order calls for reducing aquaculture regs

May 12, 2020 — Around the same time last week that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released $300 million in coronavirus aid to the seafood industry, President Donald Trump issued an executive order “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth.”

The major reasons given to issue the executive order were familiar objectives of the administration: reduce our dependence on imported seafood by decreasing the regulatory burden on fishermen and the aquaculture, while creating a level playing field with other countries.

“The Fisheries Survival Fund has long supported efforts to revise and streamline unnecessary regulations, an effort that is more important now than ever,” spokesman John Cooke wrote in a statement.

Trump ordered each of the country’s regional fishery management councils to submit a prioritized list of recommended actions to reduce regulatory burdens on fishermen and increase production within six months. But the Trump administration already asked NOAA and the New England Fishery Management Council three years ago to develop a list of unnecessary and duplicative regulations, which has already been submitted, and it may be much harder to find the regulatory fat this time around.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Maine fishing industry to receive $20.1M in federal aid

May 11, 2020 — Maine’s fishing industry will receive $20.1 million out of $300 million in federal economic relief designated for U.S. fishermen and seafood industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fishery participants eligible for funding include commercial fishing businesses, charter and for-hire fishing businesses, qualified aquaculture operations, processors and other fishery-related businesses, according to a news release. Tribes are also eligible for funding including for any negative impacts to subsistence, cultural, or ceremonial fisheries.

The shutdown of restaurants and other outlets serving fresh seafood has decimated the the supply chain of fishermen and seafood processors.

In 2019, Maine’s fishing industry generated a value for harvesters and aquaculture operators of more than $673 million, which translates to approximately $2 billion in overall value when accounting for the value added by dealers and processors.

Read the full story at MaineBiz

Trump orders removal of barriers to aquaculture

May 11, 2020 — The Trump Administration has issued an executive order Thursday to remove “outdated and unnecessarily burdensome” aquaculture regulations to promote the competitiveness of American seafood.

The Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth acknowledged aquaculture’s contribution to the U.S. economy and in enhancing the quality of American lives.

It calls for the expansion of sustainable U.S. seafood production through more efficient and predictable aquaculture permitting.

“This demonstrates a clear understanding that safe, authorized aquaculture can have a lasting impact that is not only beneficial to the viability of wild capture stocks but to the economic sustainability of the entire seafood community,” said John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute.

Read the full story at Aquaculture North America

US industry, offshore farmers believe Trump’s order will have ‘huge’ impact

May 11, 2020 — An executive order issued May 7 by the administration of US president Donald Trump will have “huge” and far-reaching impacts on the country’s ability to farm its own seafood, particularly offshore, sources told Undercurrent News. The order establishes the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the federal government’s lead agency for aquaculture permitting, set a two-year deadline for permitting most projects and seeks to develop “aquaculture opportunity zones”, among other provisions.

Its importance should not be  “underestimated”, Margaret Henderson of the group Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) told Undercurrent.

“We in the seafood business know how much value we bring to the American public, we know how much value we bring to the global economy. But it’s not something you see batted around every day at the Oval Office,” she said.

She added that SATS was founded following a Nov 2017 meeting among representatives of companies such as Cargill, Pacific Seafood Group, Red Lobster, Fortune International, and Taylor Shellfish. The members met with the leadership of NOAA and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross about their hope to bring change to the sector.

“They indicated to us a willingness to move something like this back then. We’d been in constant communication and had several White House meetings since that time and have been working very close with the entire NOAA team who really should credit for the language in this product. They’ve been working on this for a very long time,” Henderson said.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

American seafood industry may see jobs boost thanks to White House regulation

May 8, 2020 — America’s seafood industry just got a vote of confidence from the White House after President Trump issued an Executive Order aimed at creating jobs for the nation’s fishermen.

“It will create tens of thousands of jobs in our seafood industry and also keep millions of Americans more healthy and safe,” said White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro during an appearance on FOX Business’ ‘The Evening Edit’ while noting, “It will unleash our commercial fisheries in a way that is good for America” he added.

U.S. fish farms produce $1.5 billion a year, compared with $140 billion in China, according to the White House.

Navarro, along with Joe Grogan, outgoing domestic policy advisor to Trump who drove the E.O., penned an Opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, highlighting America’s chance to capitalize on our vast oceans surrounding the nation.

Read the full story at FOX Business

Seafood industry applauds Trump’s new executive order, while some groups cry foul

May 8, 2020 — An executive order issued on 7 April by U.S. President Donald Trump containing a number of new mandates intended to enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. seafood has drawn widespread praise from the industry, and has been derided by some environmentalists and fishing groups.

The new executive order contains an array of recommendations for wild-caught fisheries, and an extensive set of new tasks for multiple government administrations intended to expand the nation’s aquaculture. The new changes are devoted to removing barriers to permitting, improving regulatory transparency, and establishing new “Aquaculture Opportunity Areas.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source