Saving Seafood

Dungeness crab season remains closed despite potential for partial open

February 17, 2016 — SAN FRANCISCO — Commercial crab fisheries will now remain closed until state officials lift the health advisory along the entire California coastline.

That decision was made on Wednesday. CDFW officials may open crab fisheries south of the border between Mendocino and Sonoma counties once the state Department of Public Health clears all of the crabs along that stretch of the coast for human consumption.

The commercial crab season has taken a huge financial hit, stalled since public health officials determined the crabs had high levels of domoic acid which is a neurotoxin.

The determination followed the strong recommendation by members of the Dungeness Crab Task Force, who urged state officials on Tuesday to keep the season closed until the health advisory was lifted coast-wide, or at a minimum, for an area south of Point Arena.

The commercial crab season has been stalled since public health officials determined the crabs had high levels of domoic acid, a neurotoxin.

But on Thursday, the CDFW said it would allow recreational crab fishing south of Point Reyes after health officials cleared the crabs for human consumption.

Read the full story at KRON4

Members of California Delegation Push for Federal Disaster Declaration in Crab Fisheries

February 16, 2016 — The following was released by the office of Congressman Jared Huffman

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressmembers Jared Huffman (CA-02), Jackie Speier (CA-14), Sam Farr (CA-20), Lois Capps (CA-24) and Mike Thompson (CA-05) sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker urging her to expeditiously review and grant Governor Jerry Brown’s request to declare a fishery resource disaster in the California Dungeness crab and rock crab fisheries.

An unprecedented toxic bloom of marine algae called Pseudo-nitzchia australis containing the neurotoxin domoic acid has caused the closure of the commercial season that was scheduled to open in November 2015.

“The closures of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery and the partial closure of the rock crab fishery are causing severe economic hardship in California’s fishing communities,” the legislators wrote. “These fisheries are crucial to the coastal economy of central and northern California – last year, revenue from the sales of Dungeness crabs alone was estimated at just below $60 million.”

Even though the California Department of Public Health lifted the advisory in areas south of Point Reyes yesterday and the Department of Fish and Wildlife is considering opening the commercial season next week, the closure of the fisheries has already resulted in economic losses for stakeholders. According to the Governor’s estimates, the direct economic impact for the commercial closure is at least $48.3 million for Dungeness crab and $376,000 for rock crab.

 

A copy of the letter may be found below:

 

February 16, 2016

Dear Secretary Pritzker:

Earlier this week, Governor Jerry Brown wrote to you to request that you declare a fishery resource disaster in the California Dungeness crab and rock crab fisheries under section 308(d) of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986, and a commercial fishery failure under section 312(a) of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. This declaration will allow our communities to receive desperately-needed aid. We write in support of the Governor’s request for a disaster declaration, and ask that you work with the state to quickly complete the review process.

The closures of the commercial Dungeness crab fishery and the partial closure of the rock crab fishery are causing severe economic hardship in California’s fishing communities. These fisheries are crucial to the coastal economy of central and northern California – last year, revenue from the sales of Dungeness crabs alone was estimated at just below $60 million.

The cause of the closure, an unprecedented toxic bloom of the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzchia australis, has led to elevated levels of the neurotoxin domoic acid, which persist in the crabs’ bodies and in the environment and can be transmitted to humans via the food supply. While we remain hopeful that the toxin levels will continue to fall, our fishermen and coastal communities have already missed out on the most lucrative sales of the year. Many of these fishermen may not be able to catch enough crab this year to make ends meet, and the coastal communities that rely on this important source of revenue are already suffering.

Although the recent lifting of the health advisory for Dungeness crab south of Point Reyes is encouraging, the closure of the fishery has already resulted in lasting negative social and economic effects to fishery stakeholders and coastal communities along the coast of California. The Governor of California estimates that the direct economic impact from the commercial closures to date is at least $48.3 million for Dungeness crab and $376,000 for rock crab, as well as untold losses to other sectors of the fishing industry such as processors and distributors.

Given the severe hardship our constituents are currently experiencing, we urge you to review the Governor’s request as expeditiously as possible. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Jared Huffman, et al.

Read the press release from the Office of Congressman Jared Huffman

 

 

Dungeness crabbers likely to receive assistance

February 10, 2016 —  Gov. Jerry Brown Tuesday informed U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker via a letter that the state of California was requesting federal declarations of a fishery disaster and commercial fishery failure in response to the continued presence of unsafe levels of domoic acid in Dungeness and rock crab across the state.

The governor’s request Tuesday initiates an evaluation of a federal fishery resource disaster under the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986 and a commercial fishery failure under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976.

By declaring a federal disaster, affected fisheries would be able to receive economic assistance for losses incurred.

Typically a $90 million industry for the state annually, Brown estimated in his letter that the continued closures would cost $48 million in losses for Dungeness crab, and $376,000 for rock crab, based on estimated values of both species during the time period of November 2015 through June 2016.

Because the crabbing season is likely to remain delayed or closed for the remainder of the 2015-16 season, Brown predicts these estimates to only increase.

Mendocino County fisheries have also reported at least $4 million in losses, according to Tami Bartolomei, county Office of Emergency Services coordinator, who updated the Board of Supervisors during its Feb. 2 meeting. Bartolomei said she expected to keep receiving additional disaster economic worksheet claims from local fisheries that go to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

County supervisors that day authorized Bartolomei to send a letter to the state’s Office of Emergency Services requesting that Mendocino County be included on a list of other affected California counties for declaration considered by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has since announced it was offering federal disaster loans to state small businesses that have suffered financial losses as a result of the crab ban. Mendocino County is among the dozens of counties on the SBA’s list of eligible areas.

North Coast Sen. Mike McGuire, also chairman of the state Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, will host another meeting Thursday as part of the 43rd annual Zeke Grader Fisheries Forum in Sacramento. The meeting was scheduled prior to Brown’s letter, and will also cover the governor’s request for crab disaster declaration.

Read the full story at the Daily Journal

California Seeks Federal Disaster Declarations for Commercial Crab Fishing

February 9, 2016 — In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. today requested federal declarations of a fishery disaster and a commercial fishery failure in response to the continued presence of unsafe levels of domoic acid, a potent neurotoxin, in Dungeness and rock crab fisheries across California and the corresponding closures of those fisheries.

‘Crabs are a vital component of California’s natural resources and provide significant aesthetic, recreational, commercial, cultural and economic benefits to our state,’ Governor Brown said in the letter to Secretary Pritzker. ‘Economic assistance will be critical for the well-being of our fishing industry and our state.’

In early November 2015, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), in consultation with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), recommended a closure based on unsafe levels of domoic acid found in crab tissue that was likely to pose a human health risk. Domoic acid is a potent neurotoxin that can accumulate in shellfish and other invertebrates. At high levels, it can cause persistent short-term memory loss, seizures and death. At low levels, domoic acid can cause nausea, diarrhea and dizziness.

Read the full story at Noodls

Studies aim to restore habitat of imperiled Northwest fish

February 8, 2016 — BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Scientists in the Pacific Northwest are studying more than a dozen watersheds to develop templates on habitat restoration that could be used in similar streams to bolster struggling fish populations.

The federal government lists 28 populations of salmon and steelhead on the West Coast that need protections due to low numbers despite spending millions of dollars every year on restoration efforts.

 The studies aim to make those efforts more successful. They focus on 17 watersheds in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Northern California and British Columbia and examine the benefit of everything from dam removal to building artificial beaver dams in tributaries.

Creating templates for habitat restoration could save time and money by using strategies known to produce good results in similar habitats in the region, said George Pess, a research fisheries biologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“The overall goal is to learn enough to be smart about our restoration,” he said, noting that the studies will offer recommendations to private, tribal and government entities but won’t produce any legally binding regulations.

 

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Houston Chronicle

ALASKA: Halibut commission boosts catch limits for most of the coast

February 1, 2016 — The International Pacific Halibut Commission on Friday approved an increase in halibut catch limits for most of the coast.

The joint U.S. and Canadian body oversees management of the prized bottom fish from California to Alaska. The commission held its annual meeting in Juneau last week.

Commissioners approved a coastwide catch of 29,890,000 pounds for 2016. That’s an increase of 2.2 percent from last year’s limits.

Commission chair Jim Balsiger of Juneau said the decisions were not easy.

“The discussions focused quite a bit, both in the public and in our executive sessions about the trade-offs we have to make between rebuilding the stocks and capturing some revenue in the fisheries now when things look a little bit better,” Balsiger said. “I’m happy where we ended up so I think it was a good meeting.”

Read the full story at KTOO Public Media

Toxic pollutants found in fish across the world’s oceans

February 1, 2016 — When you go out for seafood, are you aware of what that fish on your plate might have been exposed to while swimming around in the world’s oceans? According to new research, fish populations around the world have been contaminated with industrial and agricultural pollutants known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

Researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego examined hundreds of peer-reviewed reports that stretched from 1969 through 2012. Some of the pollutants that were identified in the study included 20th century “legacy” toxins like DDT, which is banned in the U.S. and no longer widely used worldwide, and mercury, as well as more contemporary pollutants like coolants and other industrial chemicals like flame retardants.

“Based on the best data collected from across the globe, we can say that POPs can be anywhere and in any species of marine fish,” study co-author Stuart Sandin said in a press release.

However, there were some signs of improvement. The researchers found that the concentrations of pollutants contaminating fish populations have been dropping at a consistent rate over the past 30 years.

Read the full story at CBS News

Seven Fishing Associations File an Amici Brief to U.S. Supreme Court in Shark Fin Lawsuit

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — January 28, 2016 — Seven fishing associations have filed an amici brief in support of the Plaintiffs’ petition for certiorari in Chinatown Neighborhood Association, et al. v. Kamala D. Harris, which seeks to overturn California’s shark fin possession ban.  The Sustainable Fisheries Association, Rhode Island Fisherman’s Alliance, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, Garden State Seafood Association, North Carolina Fisheries Association, Virginia Seafood Council and America Scallop Association take the position that the ban frustrates the purpose of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA).

The Plaintiffs’ suit claims California’s shark fin law directly affects the fisheries of abundant, sustainably federally managed shark species such as Atlantic spiny dogfish and winter skate. According to the brief, “The California shark fin ban directly conflicts with the basic purpose of commercial fishing – allowing commercial fishermen to possess, and to place in the stream of domestic and international commerce, legally harvested fish.”

The brief argues that the California law conflicts with commercial fishing regulations that are governed and sanctioned by the MSA and should be preempted by the federal law. Commercial fishermen may catch Atlantic spiny dogfish and winter skate but the ban outlaws the fins from those legally caught sharks from being possessed in or shipped through California. According to the brief, this arrangement “creates an impermissible conflict by frustrating a primary purpose of MSA.”

The fishing associations argue that the law also conflicts with existing treaties between the United States and foreign countries by stopping fins from sharks like Atlantic spiny dogfish and skate at the California border, barring access to the ports and airports of California and ultimately prohibiting commercial fishermen from conducting foreign trade. The suit considers this a direct assault on the MSA and lawful businesses.

According to the brief, “the shark fin possession ban is not only ‘an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives of Congress’…but it frustrates treaties and overtly blocks international trade,” and harms the members of the fishing associations.

View a PDF of the amici brief

 

California legislators call on Gov. Jerry Brown to declare crab fishery disaster

January 25, 2016 — A group of nine California legislators sent a bipartisan letter to Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday calling for him to declare a crab fishery disaster in order to help secure financial assistance for the state’s impacted fishing industry.

North Coast Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) and Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) were among the letter’s signatories.

“The delayed crab season is unprecedented in duration and magnitude and California crabbers need our help now more than ever,” McGuire said in a statement. “For the past three months, we have all been hopeful that we could kick off the harvest, but as the holidays came and went and acid levels remained too high, the statewide impact has been catastrophic.”

Read the full story at Eureka Times-Standard

 

Feds Dive Into Giant Tuna Price-Fixing Case

January 22, 2016 — SAN DIEGO (CN) — An ongoing antitrust case against seafood giants got even bigger as the federal government has intervened in litigation against the likes of Bumble Bee, Tri-Union Seafoods, StarKist, and others.

U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino held a status conference Wednesday in a room filled to the brim with more than 50 lawyers from around the nation, hoping to move the case forward.

The U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division filed an unopposed motion to intervene in the lengthy litigation on Jan. 13. The feds are seeking a limited stay of discovery to aid in an ongoing federal grand jury investigation in the Northern District of California, into whether the biggest canned tuna producers violated the Sherman Act by conspiring to fix prices.

  The original class action complaint was filed in San Diego by Olean Wholesale Grocery Cooperative on Aug. 3, 2015. Dozens of lawsuits over price-fixing by the three biggest packed-seafood companies have since trickled into San Diego Federal Court after being transferred from other courts across the nation.

     The three companies control 73 percent of the U.S. market: Bumble Bee, 29 percent; StarKist, 25.3 percent; and Tri-Union, 18.4 percent, according to the complaint.

     Both Bumble Bee and Tri-Union Seafoods, which makes Chicken of the Sea brand shelf-stable tuna, are headquartered in San Diego – once the tuna-fishing capital of the world.

Read the full story at Courthouse News Service