Saving Seafood

Marine heat wave dubbed ‘Blob’ resurges in Pacific; mass deaths of sea life feared

September 23, 2019 — Across vast stretches of the Pacific Ocean extending from Hawaii north to the shores of Alaska, and southeast to near California, a new marine heat wave is underway.

This event is widely referred to as ‘‘The Blob Part Two,’’ or just another ‘‘Blob.’’ The first event, which took place from 2014 through 2016, earned that odd moniker based on its bold red appearance on maps of ocean surface temperatures.

The new incarnation already has caused coral bleaching in the Hawaiian islands and may be tied to strandings of marine mammals along the California coast. If it intensifies and seeps into deeper waters, this marine heat wave could favor another drought in California by altering the jet stream flowing across the Pacific.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

Feds propose major habitat protections for killer whales

September 20, 2019 — U.S. protections for the waters that a group of endangered orcas call home could soon expand beyond the Seattle area to encompass much of the West Coast, from the Canadian border to central California.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a proposal Wednesday to increase the critical habitat designation for southern resident killer whales by more than sevenfold under the Endangered Species Act.

Just 73 orcas remain in the Pacific Northwest population, the lowest number in more than three decades. They’re struggling with a lack of chinook salmon, their preferred prey, as well as toxic contamination and vessel noise.

The NOAA proposal calls for an additional 15,626 square miles (40,471 square kilometers) of federally protected habitat that would run from the border with Canada, down south to Point Sur, California.

The designation means federal agencies must ensure that activities they pay for, permit or carry out do not harm the habitat, but it does not generally affect approved recreational or commercial activity such as whale watching and shipping, said Lynne Barre, NOAA Fisheries’ recovery coordinator for the whales.

Read the full story at The Associated Press

Regulators approve new swordfish gear that’s safer for whales, turtles

September 19, 2019 — A new type of fishing gear designed to catch swordfish while reducing harm to other animals received approval from fishery regulators Monday.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council authorized initial use of deep-set buoy gear, which minimizes catch of non-target species, including marine mammals and sea turtles. At its September meeting in Boise, Idaho, the council voted to issue 50 permits for the new gear, and to add up to 25 additional permits per year after that, up to a maximum of 300 total permits.

Most swordfish off the California coast are currently caught at night, using mile-long, large-mesh drift gillnets, which are set overnight, and often ensnare other fish species, sharks, sea lions, dolphins and whales.

The new, deep-set buoy method using lines allows fishermen to drop hooks into deeper waters where swordfish forage during the day, catching the prized fish without ensnaring other animals. Because the swordfish are retrieved more quickly, the catch is fresher and commands higher prices at market, proponents say.

Read the full story at The San Diego Union-Tribune

Cowcod Stock South of 40°10’ N lat. Successfully Rebuilt

September 18, 2019 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

An important West Coast groundfish stock that was formerly overfished has now been rebuilt ahead of schedule, the Pacific Fishery Management Council announced today. The cowcod (Sebastes levis) stock south of 40°10’ N. latitude has been managed under a strict rebuilding plan that has severely constrained West Coast fisheries in California for two decades. Rebuilding cowcod was achieved through large area closures, non-retention rules, and very low allowance for incidental bycatch. “This is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Council Chair Phil Anderson. “The Council’s perseverance, adherence to scientific advice, and partnering with the commercial and recreational stakeholders resulted in the rebuilding of this important groundfish species.”

Cowcod, prized by both California recreational and commercial fishermen, were declared overfished and placed under rebuilding measures in 2000. They are a long‐ lived, slow‐growing species, prone to protracted rebuilding progress. Under the original rebuilding plan, the stock was expected to rebuild by 2090. Improved science and understanding of this stock’s population dynamics allowed the Council’s management measures to rebuild much quicker than originally anticipated.

Read the full release here

West Coast marine life endangered by ‘blob’ heatwave

September 12, 2019 — A “blob” of warm water in the Pacific Ocean could disrupt the marine ecosystem off the coast of California, similar to an event that occurred five years ago, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The patch, designated the Northeast Pacific Marine Heatwave of 2019 and also referred to as a “blob,” is the second-biggest such mass in four decades and, according to experts, is on a similar path to that of one that, from 2014 to 2016, caused toxic algae blooms and killed sea life ranging from sea lions to salmon en masse.

“I am surprised to see something like this develop again so soon after what looked like the end of the marine heatwave in 2016,” Nate Mantua, head of the Landscape Ecology Team at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center in Santa Cruz, Calif., told the newspaper.

Read the full story at The Hill

CALIFORNIA: Santa Monica’s only seafood festival aims to lessen environmental impact

September 11, 2019 — The fifth annual “Off the Hook” Santa Monica Seafood Festival is scheduled be held at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, 14 September, and will celebrate the seafood bounty and chefs of southern California.

Held in September in order to celebrate National Water Quality Month, Santa Monica’s only seafood festival is set to feature sustainable seafood from nearly two dozen of Santa Monica’s restaurants, including Blue Plate Oysterette, The Lobster, Sushi Roku, Herringbone, and Enterprise Fish Co. Attendees will be able to sample seafood from these and other restaurants, purchase local beer and wine, and enjoy live music with views of the Pacific Ocean framing the festival.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Whale entanglements along West Coast drop by nearly half

September 9, 2019 — A conservation group says the number of whales entangled in crab fishing gear along the West Coast dropped by nearly half this year after a lawsuit settlement ended California’s commercial Dungeness crab season early.

The Center for Biological Diversity says preliminary data released by the National Marine Fisheries Service shows 18 whale entanglements were reported in the first eight months of this year, down from 42 reports during that same period in 2018. The majority of entangled whales were spotted off California.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Current Marine Heat Wave Reminds Scientists Of ‘The Blob’

September 9, 2019 — A marine heat wave off the West Coast is causing ocean temperatures to rise from Alaska to California. Scientists say it looks a lot like the warm water mass they nicknamed the blob five years ago.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

All right. Ocean temperatures, from Alaska down here to California, have been rising. This is a marine heat wave, and scientists say it looks a lot like a mass of warm water that appeared five years ago and was nicknamed “the blob.” Cassandra Profita with Oregon Public Broadcasting has more.

CASSANDRA PROFITA, BYLINE: The current marine heat wave isn’t quite as big or as warm as the blob, at least, not yet. But the last heat wave caused major upheaval in the ocean. A toxic algae bloom made it unsafe for people to eat shellfish up and down the coast so many crab and clam fisheries were closed. Salmon and sea lions had less food to eat, and warm-water species started showing up farther north. Chris Harvey is a biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

CHRIS HARVEY: Given the severity of the last marine heat wave, the blob, we definitely felt it was our responsibility at this point to say this is something that we are concerned about, and we’re going to continue watching it with regular monitoring along the West Coast.

Read the full story at NPR

California crab fishermen are testing “ropeless” gear to save whales—and themselves

September 4, 2019 — After decades of whaling decimated their population, humpback whale populations off the West Coast are finally recovering. Hundreds of them now make their way up and down the coast each year, migrating from tropical breeding grounds in Mexico and Central America to feeding areas further north. For the most part, humpback whales—known for their melodic songs, athletic leaps through the air, and altruistic behavior towards other marine mammals—make this journey unhindered, as they did for centuries of their evolutionary history.

But in recent years, a new threat has emerged along the West Coast: From November through mid-July, tens of thousands of deadly ropes hang in the water column, connecting buoys at the surface with crab traps on the seafloor, designed to harvest Metacarcinus magister, aka Dungeness crab.

A curious humpback might become entangled while playing around with fishing gear or rolling around in it, as the mammals are known to do with kelp. Probably more often, they may become entangled while feeding, which they do by making underwater, open-mouthed lunges to collect krill or small fish. Fishing line can get caught up in the cetaceans’ baleen teeth and restrict their ability to feed. Ropes can gradually saw through tissue, causing lacerations and ultimately death by infection. Whales that don’t manage to break free on their own or get cut free by professional disentanglers immediately may drown or die slowly through exhaustion or starvation.

Read the full story at The New Food Economy

“El Chapo” drugs came into US through fake seafood firms

September 4, 2019 — An individual who worked with a major drug cartel led by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman helped to funnel more than USD 12 million (EUR 11 million) worth of drugs across the United States via fake seafood companies.

Juan Alfaro of Hacienda, California, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison for narcotics conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, according to U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of New York.

Read the full story at Seafood Source