Saving Seafood

US certifies countries and fisheries for wild shrimp imports

May 17, 2022 — The United States has certified 37 countries, 13 fisheries in seven other nations, and Hong Kong as having shrimp-harvesting practices that protect sea turtle populations, according to the U.S. State Department.

The State Department’s findings were published last week in the Federal Register and publicized in a press release issued Monday, 16 May, 2022. The determinations means wild-caught shrimp from those countries are eligible to be imported into the U.S.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

The United States Signs Statement Reaffirming Commitments To Protecting Marine Ecosystems

July 17, 2020 — The following was released by the U.S. Department of State:

On June 12, 2020, Jonathan Moore, the Department of State’s Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, signed a statement of support for the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), pledging continued U.S. government support for addressing abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in our ocean.

Addressing marine debris, including ALDFG (also known as “ghost gear”), is a key administration priority. By signing this statement of support, the U.S. Government joins more than eighty-five organizations and fifteen other countries in acknowledging the significant impact ghost gear has on marine ecosystems and human health and livelihoods. The U.S. Government recognizes that mitigating these adverse impacts will require a global multi-stakeholder approach supporting a variety of multilateral initiatives such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Voluntary Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear. The United States played a key role in drafting these guidelines, and GGGI serves as FAO’s sole civil society partner in implementing them.

Ghost gear is the main type of submerged marine debris; when improperly discarded in a natural environment, it can indiscriminately entangle fish and other animals while severely damaging marine habitats. An estimated 640,000 metric tons of ALDFG enter the ocean every year, and surveys suggest that derelict fishing gear comprises up to 70 percent of floating macro-plastics in the ocean by weight. ALDFG is the deadliest and most harmful form of marine debris to marine animals, primarily due to entanglement. Nearly 80 percent of animals that become entangled in ALDFG are injured or die as a result. GGGI is the preeminent international initiative addressing this problem of ghost gear and has broad representation across industry, government, and civil society. Managed by the Washington-based NGO Ocean Conservancy, GGGI conducts much needed work to quantify the impacts of ghost gear and to develop, share, and document best practices for addressing it.

The signed statement of support can be found here: https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/United-States-Statement-of-Support-for-GGGI-508.pdf. For more information on U.S. efforts to address marine debris and promote ocean conservation, visit the websites of the State Department’s Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, Office of Marine Conservation, and the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

Terms Extended for U.S. IPHC Commissioners While Commerce, State, and White House Weigh Appointments

March 30, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Yesterday Linda Behnken and Bob Alverson, current U.S. Commissioners on the International Pacific Halibut Commission, both received emails from the Department of State extending their current terms to August 31, 2018.

“This appointment is effective immediately and expires on August 31, 2018, or whenever another Alternate or presidentially-appointed Commissioner is appointed to fulfill the relevant duties, whichever occurs first,” wrote Judith Garber, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs at the State Department.

Although the appointment is a presidential decision, it’s not unusual for reappointments, or extensions of terms as in this case, to be made by the State Department, the agency that oversees international commissions.

Both Behnken and Alverson’s terms ended March 31, 2018. Both are preparing for a meeting with the Canadian commissioners in mid-April to work on issues within the Commission’s harvest policy that resulted in not reaching an agreement on catch limits at the group’s annual meeting in January.

The federal agencies are currently considering six names for the two seats. Besides Behnken’s and Alverson’s nominations, Andy Mezirow, Richard Yamada, and Duane Edelman were nominated for Behnken’s Alaska seat and Steve Joner was nominated for Alverson’s seat. Mezirow and Yamada are recreational charter operators, Edelman is a fisherman, and Joner is a fisheries manager for the Makah Tribe.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.