Saving Seafood

American Scallop Association Delivers Letter to Wilbur Ross, Participates in NOAA Fish Fry

June 11, 2018 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the American Scallop Association:

American Scallop Association (ASA) leadership traveled to Washington last Wednesday to participate in the 43rd Annual NOAA Fish Fry. In Washington, they hand-delivered a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross regarding current issues facing the American scallop industry.

“This is the fourth year that we have participated in the NOAA Fish Fry,” said ASA General Counsel, Attorney John Whiteside. “Attending the NOAA Fish Fry gives us the opportunity to interact with policy-level decision makers on the domestic and global issues that affect us most.”

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross visits the ASA tent at the NOAA Fish Fry.

In the letter, they outline several issues currently affecting the domestic, U.S. wild-caught, Atlantic sea scallop industry, including a request to restart the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations due to international price undercutting issues.

Specifically, as a result of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Canadian scallop industry now operates at an 8 percent advantage over its American counterpart. The agreement gives Canadian-based companies an unfair advantage in their exports to the European Union, making U.S. prices uncompetitive.

“The ASA had a discussion focused on international trade with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross about how CETA-rigged prices are causing irreparable harm to US companies trying to export lobster and scallops to the EU,” said Attorney Whiteside. The ASA urged the Secretary to resume the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations as soon as possible and be steadfast in demanding that tariff rates for fishery products like scallops and lobster mirror those set in the CETA treaty.”

ASA General Counsel, John Whiteside, delivers letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

ASA members buy and sell over 75 percent of U.S. Atlantic sea scallops landed annually and are leaders in the domestic and international sea scallop trade. Headquartered along the Eastern Seaboard, members employ over 4,000 people throughout their domestic and international operations.

The NOAA Fish Fry gives industry representatives the opportunity to draw awareness to issues facing fisheries across the cuntry while bringing industry stakeholders and top government officials together under one roof. This year, ASA members were visited by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and President Trump’s nominee to head NOAA, Barry Myers. ASA members are NOAA Fish Fry regulars, and have represented the scallop industry for years at the event. ASA members that attended the event include: John F. Whiteside, Jr., Ross Paasche, Joseph Furtado, Paul Joly, Master Chef George Karousos, Barbara Cournoyer, Brittany Bushee, and Steve Zevitas.

ASA General Counsel, John Whiteside, meets with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Read the letter to Secretary Ross here

About the American Scallop Association

The ASA was founded in 1992 to foster a better public understanding of the importance of the scallop industry and to represent and promote the interests of the domestic, U.S. wild-caught, Atlantic sea scallop industry. Its aim is to support ASA members and all other affiliated interests to ensure a viable and long-term future for the Atlantic sea scallop fishery through effective dialogue, consultation, collaboration and partnerships.

Commercial Fisheries Generate $1.2 Billion to South Central Alaska Economy

SEAFOODNEWS.COM By Peggy Parker — June 24, 2015 — A landmark study released earlier this month calculates the economic impact from commercial fisheries in Alaska’s central coast, including Anchorage west to Homer and east to Cordova.

Key findings in the “The Economic Impact of the Seafood Industry in Southcentral Alaska” by the McDowell Group show that commercial seafood generated $1.2 billion in total economic output in the region. This figure includes $685 million in first wholesale value of seafood products and $501 million in gross value added to the region through secondary impacts.

Nearly 11,000 direct jobs were created in the area by the seafood industry in 2013, including resident commercial fishermen and processing workers, hatchery employees, and commercial fishery management staff.

In addition, the industry draws more than 1,000 fishermen from outside the Southcentral region who participated in the area fisheries in 2013.

Labor income generated by the seafood industry contributed $411 million to this area’s economy. That includes an estimated $247 million in direct labor income plus an additional $164 million in multiplier impacts.

The Alaska Salmon Alliance (ASA) commissioned the McDowell Group to examine how Southcentral communities, and the region as a whole, benefit from Alaska’s seafood industry.

“Southcentral is a well-known hub for oil, gas, and tourism. The region also plays a critical role in maximizing the value of commercial fishery resources,” said Paul Dale, ASA Board of Directors president. “This report clearly documents the importance of the seafood industry in Southcentral Alaska’s regional and local economies.”

The 100-page report documents inputs to local economies in Cordova, Homer, and the Kenai region, where each received more than $50 million in total annual labor income. More than 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs in each community/area are linked to the seafood industry.

Major processors are expanding in Valdez; Seward is adding new capacity to service large vessels; and Whittier, in addition to hosting a processing plant, is a key part of the region’s transportation network. Over 100 million pounds of seafood products passed through Whittier in 2013 destined for Anchorage port facilities or Lower 48
markets.

Southcentral was home to 2,168 active commercial permit holders in 2013, each acting as a small business and having the same impact in the economy as other independent locally-owned businesses. The region has 35 primary seafood processing plants and three non-profit salmon hatchery associations.

Salmon is the foundation of the region’s seafood industry, accounting for 85 percent of total first wholesale value produced in Southcentral.

Commercial fisheries in Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound accounted for the majority (57 percent) of gross fishing earnings, but Southcentral residents also have a significant presence in commercial fisheries outside the region.

Commercial fisheries create hundreds of millions of pounds of backhaul for cargo carriers. This backhaul lowers the cost of living for all Southcentral residents by offsetting northbound freight rates. It is conservatively estimated that seafood backhaul saves Southcentral households at least $70 per year.

ASA is a trade organization comprised of regional seafood processors and commercial fishermen with the mission of promoting science-based salmon management and policies in order to preserve the long-term opportunities for all salmon user groups in Cook Inlet.

A copy of the full report and additional information about ASA is available online: http://www.aksalmonalliance.org [2].

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.