Saving Seafood

Marine wildlife may suffer the consequences of SoCal’s oil spill for years to come

October 8, 2021 — “We’re scared to see what we’re going to find out,” Sarah Glitz, a marine scientist for Oceana, said of the Oct. 2 oil spill off the Southern California coast.

Glitz, like many scientists, has watched in horror as the ecological disaster unfurls along the coastline where about 126,000 gallons of crude oil seeped into the Pacific Ocean and indefinitely closed several Orange County beaches and fisheries.

Veterinarians are in the field tending to the injured animals that wash ashore. But it may be weeks, months, even years before the full extent of the disaster and impact on birds and marine mammals is known, Glitz said.

Already, 15 oiled birds have been recovered, two of which were dead, the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at  UC Davis reported.

Read the full story at SFGATE

 

CALIFORNIA: Fishermen and foodways begin to feel the squeeze of Orange County’s oil spill

October 7, 2021 — Over the weekend, spiny lobster fishermen in Southern California began setting traps for the start of their season. On Sunday, they were suddenly prohibited from entering a swath of the Orange County coastline, and on Tuesday, the banned area was extended even farther — without word on how long fishing will remain off-limits.

Their income from an entire season might have been contaminated in one of the largest oil spills in the state’s recent history.

A 17.7-mile oil pipeline off Huntington Beach has hemorrhaged at least 146,000 gallons into the Pacific since the leak began, possibly Friday, immediately threatening wildlife from sea to shore — and potentially contaminating the fishing grounds and aquafarms that feed Californians and keep hundreds of commercial fishermen employed.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has placed a temporary ban on commercial and recreational fishing in an area that stretches about 20 miles from Sunset Beach south to San Clemente and extends six miles out to sea. State officials, fishermen and chefs are scrambling to warn consumers of potential dangers and, in some cases, encouraging them to find new sources of seafood.

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times

 

CALIFORNIA: Orange County oil spill renews calls to ban offshore drilling

October 6, 2021 — A massive oil spill off the Orange County coast that’s fouled beaches and ecologically sensitive wetlands in what officials are calling an environmental catastrophe has renewed calls to ban offshore drilling.

The spill, first reported Saturday morning but perhaps detected the night before, originated from a pipeline running from the Port of Long Beach to an offshore oil platform known as Elly. The failure caused as much as 144,000 gallons of oil to gush into the Catalina Channel.

In the days that followed, the spill has left crude along stretches of sand in Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach, killing fish and birds and threatening sensitive marine habitats.

“The ecological and economic damage from this oil spill has the potential to reverberate for generations,” state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) said this week. At a news conference Tuesday, Min called the spill “either a case of negligence or inaction.”

Read the full story at the Los Angeles Times

 

CALIFORNIA: More beaches closed amid questions about oil spill response

October 5, 2021 — Officials imposed more restrictions on Southern California beaches Tuesday in response to a large oil spill while more questions emerged about whether the accident was swiftly reported to the Coast Guard and other authorities.

Signs were posted on the famous Huntington Beach declaring that the beach was open but that the ocean and shore were closed. On a typical day, surfers would usually be seen bobbing in the waves, but not now. Huntington State Beach still had an oily smell, although it was less severe than the stench emanating from the water on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Orange County officials closed the Dana Point Harbor and a beach for small children. Those closures are in addition to other Dana Point beaches and all beaches in Laguna Beach.

The restrictions were announced a day after oil spill reports reviewed by The Associated Press raised questions about the Coast Guard’s response to one of the state’s largest recent spills and about how quickly Amplify Energy, the company operating three offshore platforms and the pipeline, recognized it had a problem and notified authorities.

The Coast Guard received the first report of a possible oil spill more than 12 hours before the company reported a major leak in its pipeline and a cleanup effort was launched, records show.

Two early calls about the spill came into the National Response Center, which is staffed by the Coast Guard and notifies other agencies of disasters for quick response. The first was from an anchored ship that noticed a sheen on the water. The second came six hours later from a federal agency that said a possible oil slick was spotted on satellite imagery, according to reports by the California Office of Emergency Services.

Read the full story from the Associated Press

 

‘Catastrophic’ California oil spill kills fish, damages wetlands

October 4, 2021 — A large oil spill off the southern California coast left fish dead, birds mired in petroleum and wetlands contaminated, in what local officials called an environmental catastrophe.

The U.S. Coast Guard, heading a clean-up response involving federal, state and city agencies, on Sunday announced an around-the-clock investigation into how the spill occurred.

An estimated 126,000 gallons, or 3,000 barrels, had spread into an oil slick covering about 13 square miles of the Pacific Ocean since it was first reported on Saturday morning, Kim Carr, the mayor of Huntington Beach, told a news conference.

She called the spill an “environmental catastrophe” and a “potential ecological disaster”. The beachside city, about 40 miles (65 km) south of Los Angeles, was bearing the brunt of the spill.

Read the full story at Reuters

High material, transportation costs continue to impact US seafood industry

September 24, 2021 — The latest in a long line of transportation snags affecting the seafood industry is gridlock at ports in the U.S. state of California, which has created supply chain woes for importers of products from China and other major seafood-supplying nations.

A record-breaking 73 ships were waiting at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on 20 September, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California, per The Wall Street Journal, with the average wait time for ships to get into Los Angeles extending out to 8.5 days, also a record.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

NMFS approves plan to restrict salmon fishing, protect orcas

September 17, 2021 — King salmon fishing could be cut back from Puget Sound to Monterey Bay if king salmon numbers fall too low to feed the 75 endangered Southern Resident orcas, under a plan approved Sept. 14 by NMFS.

Non-tribal fishing would be restricted when king salmon numbers appear heading toward that threshold — a key recommendation from a working group convened by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, including representatives from West Coast states, tribes, and NMFS.

In late 2020 the council adopted the work group’s suggestions, including limiting commercial and recreational fishing in certain places off California, Oregon, and Washington when estimated king salmon numbers north of Cape Falcon, Oregon, fall below a certain level of abundance.

That level would be set as the average of the seven lowest years of forecast king salmon abundance off the northern Oregon and Washington coasts, currently estimated at 966,000. In recent years salmon numbers held above that level, and 2007 was the last year when forecasts would have fallen below the threshold.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

CALIFORNIA: Local organizations pair up to provide seafood to those in need

September 14, 2021 — Together, the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust and Meals on Wheels of Monterey Peninsula have made black cod the main source of protein in nearly 10,000 meals donated across the Monterey Peninsula since the start of the pandemic.

“We’re dedicated to strengthening our community and are tremendously grateful for the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust and all of the local fishermen who help us provide locally-sourced nutrition for our clients,” local Meals On Wheels Executive Director Christine Winge said in a statement announcing the partnership recently.

“This is an excellent example of creative collaboration,” she continued. “When it comes to working toward the common goal of addressing hunger, we are stronger together.”

Every year, Meals On Wheels delivers thousands of meals to homebound seniors and disabled adults throughout Monterey County.

In a similar stream of altruism, the Fisheries Trust partners with the local fishing industry, local government and conservation organizations to increase access to sustainably caught seafood while also preserving the biodiversity of Monterey Bay.

Read the full story at MSN

Why some fish are ‘junk,’ others are protected. California study points to past racism

August 30, 2021 — Andrew Rypel grew up fishing on Wisconsin’s pristine lakes and rivers. With just a worm on his hook, he caught suckers, gar, sunfish and other native fish he never saw in his game fishing magazines.

From a young age, Rypel loved all the fish species and it surprised him that others paid little attention to the native fish in his area. He noticed there were stricter fishing restrictions on game fish, like walleye and trout, than the native species. With no bag limits on many of his favorite native species, people could harvest as many as they pleased.

“I learned that there were all these different types of species,” Rypel said. “Most of the fishing community focused on these select game fish species.”

Anglers even told young Rypel to throw the less desirable native fish up on the bank after they were caught, as they were supposedly a “problem for the ecosystem” and took resources away from highly valued game species.

Rypel always found this perspective backward. Native fish are essential for healthy aquatic environments. And in the midst of the world’s climate crisis, protecting these native species is more critical than ever.

Read the full story at The Sacramento Bee

REPS LIEU AND HUFFMAN ANNOUNCE LAUNCH OF CALIFORNIA COASTAL CAUCUS

August 23, 2021 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA):

Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-02) announced the launch of the Congressional California Coastal Caucus at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. The caucus will bring together members of the California House delegation to share and discuss federal policy to address matters of importance to the 840-mile California coast, including issues relating to the environment and economy. Congressman Lieu and Congresswoman Julia Brownley (CA-26) will serve as co-chairs of the caucus. Additional members of the caucus include U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell, Nanette Barragan, Alan Lowenthal, Jimmy Panetta, Jared Huffman, Mike Levin, Ro Khanna, Jackie Speier, Salud Carbajal, Barbara Lee, and Anna Eshoo.

Congressmembers Lieu and Huffman participated in a tour of The Marine Mammal Center, followed by a roundtable discussion moderated by Carol Costello with Dr. Jeff Boehm, Chief Executive Officer of The Marine Mammal Center, and Dr. Cara Field, Medical Director of The Marine Mammal Center, on the importance of the ocean in the fight against climate change.

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of the California Coastal Caucus, and grateful to The Marine Mammal Center for hosting us today to discuss the importance of our oceans and marine life,” said Co-Chair Rep. Lieu. “California is home to 840 miles of Pacific coastline and has the highest coastal population in the nation with over 26 million people living in coastal counties. The ocean is critically important to the people I represent in CA-33, as it provides work, food, and enjoyment to my constituents. Tragically, our oceans, marine life, beaches, and coastlines are in grave danger due to the existential threat of climate change. Now is the time for bold action. I’m pleased to join my co-chair, Representative Brownley, and Representative Huffman today to announce the formation of the California Coastal Caucus and look forward to working together to develop policies to effectively address a host of coastal issues and support our oceans.”

“As representative of Ventura County with its 42 miles of coastline, I am proud to join the California Coastal Caucus, which will focus legislative efforts on the myriad of challenges and issues facing coastal communities,” said Co-Chair Rep. Brownley. “From rising oceans, which threaten local community infrastructure, to ocean acidification and pollution, which threaten our local fisheries and tourism industries, Congress must tackle coastal policy head-on.  The Coastal Caucus will provide us an opportunity to work together – across the various committees that we each sit on – to advance policy that will protect our coastlines for future generations.”

“California’s scenic coastline is admired around the world, and I have the honor of representing – and working to protect – some of the most beautiful parts of it on the North Coast. Our state has long been a national leader in the ocean and environment space, and those lucky enough to represent coastal districts like mine have a responsibility to continue setting an example for the rest of the country,” said Rep. Huffman. “The California Coastal Caucus will be a platform for addressing coastal issues our state will face, many of which are driven by the climate crisis. The Caucus will provide a space where members, stakeholder groups, and constituents can discuss these issues, identify solutions, and determine a swift course of action. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Caucus on these pressing issues.”

“The Marine Mammal Center serves as the primary responder for 600 miles of the 840-mile California coastline, rescuing up to 1,800 marine mammals annually. As the caretakers of over two-thirds of the California coast, we intimately know the important role that our ocean has in the fight against climate change, which makes the California Coastal Caucus incredibly important,” said Dr. Jeff Boehm, CEO of The Marine Mammal Center. “The Center has been a strong advocate for the creation of the caucus. We appreciate Representatives Lieu, Brownley and Huffman as well as our entire Congressional delegation for focusing on such a crucial part of California’s ecology and economy – the California coastline.”

Read the full release here