Saving Seafood

NWAA Reaction to New Anti-Aquaculture Book: “A Rehash of Old Claims”

July 14, 2022 — The following was released by the NWAA:

The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) is an organization of industry leading companies from Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, who are engaged in the responsible production of aquatic foods. Our member companies embrace and comply with some of the most stringent standards in the world in the production of both finfish and shellfish—making these products highly desirable and in-demand in restaurants and retail supermarkets. Consumers care how their seafood is produced. So do we. For this reason, we take exception to the latest anti-aquaculture book to hit the market. We believe it does a disservice to the public to publish what is essentially a rehash of old, largely disproven, claims.

From a Washington state perspective, agencies such as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), the Washington Department of Ecology, and the Department of Natural Resources, have been leaders in developing stringent regulations governing the production of aquatic foods such as salmonids, while protecting wild fish stocks and the environment. Our members welcome the regulatory oversight of these agencies and strive to be transparent and open with respect to aquaculture practices in Washington.

For example, in 2020, when our member company, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, sought to transition from farming Atlantic salmon to steelhead, the state approved the petition to grow all-female, sterile trout. That approval imposed numerous new conditions on fish farming in Washington, which Cooke readily accepted. As part of that approval, WDFW engaged in extensive analysis and found no risk of significant adverse impacts associated with Cooke’s farming.

Environmental groups unsuccessfully appealed that decision, losing a hearing in Superior Court in 2020, and then again after the Washington State Supreme Court upheld that approval in a unanimous decision. Additionally, after a multi-year evaluation, the National Marine Fisheries Service/NOAA recently completed its extensive analysis of fish farming in Washington, concluding that there is no harm to listed species at farming levels equal to or less than the historic maximum production in Washington.

Our NWAA member companies depend on a healthy environment to farm and are committed to supporting the environment. Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, for example, has not only embraced increased regulation of its operations, but the company has made enormous strides in working on fisheries enhancement projects in Washington as well as elsewhere. Cooke is committed to developing partnerships with the Tribes and local communities that benefit residents and the region, helping to ensure that there are wild fish for generations to come, and healthy, sustainable farmed fish to help meet the food demands of a growing global population.

Read the full release at NWAA

30 big names in aquaculture sign on to call for action

July 12, 2022 — At the United Nations Ocean Conference from 27 June to 1 July, 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal, more than 30 executives representing the international aquaculture sector issued a call to action to accelerate the development of purpose-driven aquaculture.

It is the first time that sector leaders from fish production, juvenile supply, feed manufacture, fish health and investor organizations, have united behind such a shared vision, according to several of the letter’s signatories, which included executives from Cermaq, Regal Springs, Multi X, Lake Harvest, Aqua-Spark, BioMar, Skretting, Cargill, Bakkafrost, Pescanova, and Benchmark.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

‘Talk with us, not for us’: fishing communities accuse UN of ignoring their voices

July 1, 2022 — Small-scale fishermen and women from coastal nations in the frontline of the “ocean emergency” have accused world leaders and other decision-makers at the UN oceans conference of ignoring their voices in favour of corporate interests.

More than half of the world’s fish caught for human consumption comes from small-scale fishing communities, yet their contribution to food security and ocean protection is not being sufficiently recognised, they say.

Suzanne Njeri, from Kenya, vice-president of the African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network, which has members from 44 out of 54 African countries, said coastal fishing communities needed “a seat at the table” and were too often sidelined.

“We want policymakers to talk with us, not for us,” said Njeri. “We see the damage to the fish breeding grounds. We are the ones who fight malnutrition. We need more practitioners here to tell their stories.”

Daniel Caniullan, an Indigenous leader, diver and fisherman from Chilean Patagonia, said his community had been fighting to defend their territories for many years.

Read the full story at The Guardian

 

MAINE: Growing number of Down East towns block new aquaculture projects

June 30, 2022 — In less than 10 minutes Monday night, the handful of voters at Cutler’s special town meeting passed a moratorium on industrial-scale aquaculture, halting any local approvals on large aquaculture projects for the next 180 days.

The small coastal town is one of a growing number of fishing communities Down East leery of fish farms that are looking to tighten their local regulations.

“Everybody [in town] is really on the same page,” Cutler’s town clerk Teresa Bragg said after the vote. “No one wants something in our harbor.”

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

 

Maine relief plan seeks to buoy seafood industry

June 27, 2022 — Maine Gov. Janet Mills is diverting $8.3 million in federal funding to help the state’s seafood industry absorb the impact of rising costs from inflation and new whale protection rules.

The funding, which will be provided by the state Department of Marine Resources, will be used to reimburse commercial fishermen, dealers, processors, and aquaculturists for the cost of their 2022 licenses and associated fees. The department will also waive lease fees for commercial leases this year through a separate process, the Mills administration says.

“Maine’s commercial fishing and seafood industry is a crucial cornerstone of our economy, and they are facing unprecedented increases in costs,” Mills said in a statement. “This puts money back in the pockets of Maine’s fishermen, aquaculturists and dealers to help them offset growing business expenses, hopefully providing a small measure of relief for them.”

The initial round of payments, totalling $4.2 million, will be mailed by the end of this month for commercial fishermen who purchased their license between Nov. 15 and March 31, according to the Mills administration. Reimbursements for licenses purchased during the remainder of 2022 will be mailed separately.

Read the full story at The Center Square

US public backs aquaculture, poll finds

June 24, 2022 — The US public would support moves to create “a clear, predictable pathway for offshore aquaculture”, according to a poll commissioned by lobby group Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS).

The survey, which polled just over 1,000 likely voters, found that two-thirds of voters would “feel more favourable towards” a member of Congress who voted to establish pathways for offshore aquaculture.

When informed that when learning that doubling US aquaculture production could create 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, 87% agreed that it is important to expand American seafood production.

Read the full story at Fish Farmer Magazine

 

Canadian Fisheries Minister Announces 2-Year Renewal of Discovery Island Fish Farm Leases

June 24, 2022 — Progress is being made to transition from open-net pen salmon aquaculture in British Columbia.

Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced on Wednesday that the Government of Canada is committed to transition from open-net pen salmon aquaculture in British Columbia’s coastal waters in a manner that “protects wild salmon, the environment and the economy.” As part of that commitment, the government agency is introducing draft framework for the transition. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) will be relying on input from the Government of British Columbia, First Nations, industry, local governments, stakeholders, and British Columbians to develop the final transition plan. Consultations will continue until early 2023, with the expectation that the final transition plan will be completed by spring 2023.

As the DFO works with partners and receives feedback, marine finfish aquaculture facilities outside of the Discovery islands will have a two-year renewal of licenses. These licenses will have stronger requirements for aquaculture facilities, including the implementation of standardized reporting requirements and sea lice management plans, as well as wild salmon monitoring. The DFO says that all of this will “improve the management of the salmon aquaculture industry and help protect wild salmon stocks and their habitat.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

Canada renews BC salmon farm licenses for two years

June 23, 2022 — Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has announced a two-year renewal of licenses for marine finfish aquaculture facilities outside the Discovery Islands in British Columbia, Canada.

The decision by the government impacts salmon farms run by Mowi, Grieg, and Cermaq, and according to a release by the DFO, is part of a planned transition from open-net pen salmon aquaculture in B.C. The decision is part of an ongoing government push to phase out all net-pen fish farming in the area – Canada’s Liberal Party and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have called for a shift away from net-pen farming by 2025.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

FAO’s Manuel Barange calls for countries to make “blue transformation” a strategic priority

June 21, 2022 — Seafood plays a vital part in global food security and nutrition, yet only half of the countries with a nutrition strategy identify fish consumption as a key objective in their public policies, Manuel Barange, the director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division of the Food, and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) said in his opening keynote address at the Blue Food Innovation Summit in London, U.K. on 14 June, 2022.

In his address, “Realizing the full potential of the blue food economy,” Barange said there are around 32,000 different species of fish in the world’s lakes, rivers, and oceans, “forming part of a valuable ecosystem. The biomass of fish is twelve times that of humans,” he said, making them a readily available source of food for the entire planet, especially impoverished, remote areas of the world.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Survey finds voters support expanding US aquaculture

June 7, 2022 — A survey commissioned by Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS) found a strong majority of likely voters would support lawmakers expanding opportunities for offshore fish farms.

The survey, cundected by Echelon Insights and released on 6 June, was conducted in May 2022 and surveyed 1,020 people nationwide. According to the results, more than 60 percent of respondents said they would be more favorable toward their U.S. representative if they backed legislation to increase access to offshore waters for American businesses.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource