Saving Seafood

DFO Renews Fishery Management Order Regarding At-Sea Observer Requirements

July 1, 2020 — Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announce that they are renewing their fishery management order regarding at-sea observer requirements.

As SeafoodNews reported in April, the DFO confirmed that they would be temporarily waiving at-sea observer requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A month later the agency ordered that all fishing activities authorized under the Fisheries Act be carried out without any at-sea observer being onboard fishing vessels, except under the following conditions:

Read the full story at Seafood News

What You Need To Know: USMCA Enters Into Force TODAY, Wednesday, July 1

July 1, 2020 — The following was released by The White House:

TODAY, Wednesday, July 1, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) enters into force.The USMCA delivers on President Trump’s promise to replace the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with a 21st century trade deal that marks the beginning of a historic new chapter for North American trade by supporting more balanced, reciprocal trade, leading to freer markets, fairer trade, and robust economic growth in North America. The Agreement contains significant improvements and modernized approaches to rules of origin, agricultural market access, intellectual property, digital trade, financial services, labor, and numerous other sectors. These enhancements will deliver more jobs, provide stronger labor protections, and expand market access, creating new opportunities for American workers, farmers, and ranchers. On June 29, 2020, President Trump signed a Proclamation to take certain actions under USMCA Implementation Act. You can find the full proclamation here. You can also find additional details on the U.S. Customs & Border Protection work to implement USMCA here.

With today’s entry into force, the USMCA will help address longstanding trade imbalances. Key provisions include:

  • More North American Auto Content: Under USMCA’s rules vehicles must be built with at least 75 percent of parts made in North America in order to qualify for zero tariffs, up from 62.5 percent under NAFTA. Also, 40 to 45 percent of an auto will have to be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour. Recent USTR analysis estimates that these rules will incentivize billions in new U.S. automotive investment and in new purchases of U.S.-made auto parts, and support tens of thousands of additional jobs in the U.S. automotive sector. Read the analysis here.
  • Increased Agricultural Market Access: The USMCA provides the U.S. with greater access to Canada’s dairy, poultry, and egg markets. Combined with other agricultural provisions in the agreement, the independent International Trade Commission estimates that, as a result of USMCA, U.S. agricultural exports to Canada and the rest of the world would increase by $2.2 billion.
  • Small and Medium Sized Businesses: The USMCA contains the first chapter of any trade agreement dedicated to Small and Medium Enterprises. The chapter will enforce new intellectual property provisions, bolster innovation, and support small businesses engaging in digital trade. Additionally, USMCA removes burdensome regulations, reduces duplicative red tape, and lowers costs that will help the 30 million U.S. small businesses that employ half the private-sector workforce and create two-thirds of all new jobs, to better compete globally.
  • Enhanced Labor and Environmental Rights: The USMCA makes a number of significant upgrades to NAFTA’s environmental and labor provisions, incorporates them into the core of the agreement, and makes them fully enforceable, which will help level the playing field for U.S. workers and businesses.
  • Addresses Non-Market Practice and Unfair Subsidies: The agreement includes countless rules that directly address the pernicious and growing challenge of unfair subsidies and non-market practices that have the potential to disadvantage U.S. workers and businesses. These include new and enforceable provisions covering state-owned enterprises, currency manipulation, anticorruption, and combatting duty evasion.
  • Increased Intellectual Property Protections: USMCA dramatically enhances intellectual property protections. It contains a modernized, high-standard IP chapter that provides strong and effective protection and enforcement of IP rights critical to driving innovation, creating economic growth, and supporting American jobs.
  • Strongest Provisions on Digital Trade: The USMCA includes a first-of-its-kind chapter on digital trade that – among other things – ensures data can be transferred across borders and cracks down on data localization measures used to restrict where data can be stored and processed.

More on USMCA: Canada and Mexico are our first and third largest exports markets for United States food and agricultural products, making up 28 percent of total food and agricultural exports in 2017.  These exports support more than 325,000 American jobs. In November 2018, President Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) delivering on his promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and protect American farmers, ranchers, businesses, and workers. The USMCA is a 21st century, high-standard agreement that modernizes the 25-year-old NAFTA and supports mutually beneficial trade leading to freer markets, fairer trade, and robust economic growth in North America. can find the Agreement’s Text here, pertinent Fact Sheets here, and Support from External Stakeholders here and here.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada: No At-Sea Observers Through August 12

June 29, 2020 — The following was released by Fisheries and Oceans Canada:

Renewal of Fisheries Management Order FMO-2020-03 dated May 15, 2020

Pursuant to Subsection 9 of the Fisheries Act, the Minister of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans gives notice that the Fisheries Management Order dated May 15, 2020 regarding at-sea observer requirements has been renewed. It will remain in effect until August 12, 2020 unless otherwise revoked or amended.

As such, all fishing activities authorized under the Fisheries Act must continue to be carried out without any at-sea observers, unless the following requirements are met:

1. At-sea observer companies have in place safe working procedures related to COVID-19 which align with federal, provincial and or territorial guidelines;

2. Fishing vessels have in place safe working procedures consistent with the At-Sea Observer company’s procedures related to COVID-19;

3. A record of all safe working procedures can be presented to a fishery officer upon request.

Any person authorized to carry out fishing activities under the Fisheries Act is required to not authorize any at-sea observer to come on board any fishing vessel, unless these requirements are met.

Canada’s $62.5 M Seafood Stabilization Fund Opens for Seafood Sector Applications on Monday

June 19, 2020 — Canada’s Seafood Stabilization Fund, a $62.5 million federal disaster fund for Canada’s fishery and seafood sector that passed Parliment last April will be open for applications on Monday, June 22, 2020. The funds are intended for Canadian processors and aquaculture operations who are coping with the impacts of COVID-19.

The funds are eligible for costs related to increasing storage capacity, including finding storage solutions for live, frozen or processed products; plant operations such as new investments in equipment, materials or services to protect workers, adapt plant operations, products or packaging, or increase efficiency; and meeting new market demands, including responding to new consumer needs, finding new markets, and delivering to them.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Canada unleashes slew of federal funding programs supporting its seafood sector

June 18, 2020 — The Canadian Fish and Seafood Opportunities Fund (CFSOF) has been reopened to help the country’s seafood industry access new consumer markets, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hurt its economy, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan announced on 17 June.

The fund, which was initially launched in 2018, is a national cost-sharing federal, provincial, and territorial program aimed at aiding Canada’s seafood sector in addressing new market-access issues and identifying branding opportunities. Ultimately, the program seeks to “maximize the value of Canada’s world-class fish and seafood,” the Canadian government affirmed in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Canada budgeting up to CAD 469.4 million in support for struggling fish harvesters

May 14, 2020 — The Canadian government is moving forward with up to CAD 469.4 million (USD 333.4 million, EUR 309.2 million) in new measures aimed at supporting the country’s fishing industry, which has been under tremendous stain due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

In a 14 May announcement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the investment builds upon the CAD 62.5 million (USD 44.3 million, EUR 41.1 million) put forth in last month’s Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund, and focuses on supporting Canada’s fish harvesters who are economically impacted by the pandemic, but cannot access existing federal measures.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

How Purchasing Local Fish Can Support Communities and the Economy

May 12, 2020 — The spread of the COVID-19 virus has caused uncertainty for global food supply chains. Poverty and food insecurity are on the rise as a result of the pandemic. Yet, for many, these crises predate the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Overwhelming evidence demonstrates the vulnerability of global food supply chains and long-distance transportation networks embedded in a “just enough, just in time” approach.

This recent instability will affect everyone, but the impact will be far more severe for Indigenous people, precarious and low-wage workers and people living in poverty, struggling to meet their basic needs. While we must develop ways to address the immediate concerns, enhancing the resilience of local food systems has taken on new urgency.

The structures that underpin the modern food system and the resulting food insecurity are evident in northwestern Ontario. Thunder Bay, the region’s largest city, serves as a hub for food, social services and other basic amenities for those living in surrounding communities, including dozens of First Nations.

The city is perched on the shores of Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake, which has more than 30 native species of fish and a long history of productive commercial and subsistence fisheries. Nevertheless, our research has shown that local fish is almost impossible to find on the shelves of regional grocery stores.

Read the full story at The National Interest

Alaska halibut getting battered by foreign imports

May 12, 2020 — Sales of Alaska’s most popular seafoods are being hit hard by markets upended by the coronavirus, but perhaps none is getting battered worse than halibut. Along with the big losses in the lucrative restaurant trade, Pacific halibut also is facing headwinds from increasing foreign imports.

Starting three years ago, sales of fresh Pacific halibut to established markets on the East Coast were toppled by a flood of less expensive fish flowing in primarily from eastern Canada. Trade data show that for 2019 through February 2020, total Canadian halibut imports to the U.S. topped 15.3 million pounds for which the U.S. paid nearly $107 million.

“It is taking over the eastern seaboard and also is being trucked from Boston to major middle American markets such as Chicago and Denver. It’s very hard to sell Alaska halibut to these traditional markets now. The Canadian product is cheaper and is available nearly year round,” said a marketer with more than 30 years of experience in selling halibut from Southeast Alaska, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“All of a sudden, an important market that paid a good price for fresh halibut has disappeared,” he said. “Rule of thumb is generally, sell fresh make a profit, freeze halibut, lose money.”

Earlier this year, fresh farmed Atlantic halibut was spotted for sale at $9.99 per pound at a Costco near Seattle.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal of Commerce

Canada allocates $62.5M for fish and seafood processors amid COVID-19

April 28, 2020 — Canada’s fish and seafood industry is getting new funding in an effort to keep grocery shelves stocked amid the COVID-19 crisis.

The Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund, which was announced by Prime Minister Justine Trudeau on a live broadcast on April 25, is aimed to provide fish and seafood processing plants access to short-term financing to pay for maintenance and inventory costs, and adapt operations to respond to changing requirements and new market demands.

“As we fight COVID-19, people who work in fish and seafood processing plants across the country are playing a crucial role when it comes to getting food to our tables. This fund will help ensure that they can safely continue to their important work,” said Trudeau during his Saturday broadcast.

Read the full story at Aquaculture North America