Saving Seafood

First Squid Fishery Begins Marine Stewardship Council Assessment

Northeast United States Longfin Inshore Squid Fishery Becomes the First Squid Fishery in the World to Undergo MSC Certification

June 29, 2017 — The following was released by Lund’s Fisheries and The Town Dock:

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announced today that the U.S. Northeast longfin inshore squid fishery has entered a sustainability assessment for MSC certification. It is the first squid fishery in the world to undergo MSC certification.

The Town Dock of Point Judith, Rhode Island, and Lund’s Fisheries, Inc. of Cape May, New Jersey requested the sustainability assessment. It is being conducted by SCS Global Services, the first independent sustainability certifier to be MSC-accredited. A positive pre-assessment of the fishery was completed in January. The Town Dock and Lund’s Fisheries have also agreed to have the Illex (Illex illecebrosus) squid fishery assessed under the MSC standards as soon as possible.

The Longfin Inshore Squid Fishery

The longfin inshore squid (Doryteuthis pealeii) fishery dates back to the late 19th century, and the squid most often makes its way onto dinner plates across the country as calamari, served either fried or sautéed in salads. Longfin squid also serves as an important source of bait for many other high-profile fisheries.

The longfin squid fishery is concentrated in the Northeast, and the species is most abundant in the waters between Georges Bank, off the coast of Massachusetts, and Cape Hatteras, off the coast of North Carolina. The fishery is largely comprised of small-mesh bottom trawl boats, with mid-water trawls and pound nets comprising a much smaller portion of the catch.

Leading Squid Producers and Suppliers

The Town Dock, one of the companies requesting the assessment, is the largest supplier of longfin squid in the country.

“Throughout our 37 years of business, our goal has always been to provide customers with a healthy and sustainable seafood product,” said Katie Almeida, Fishery Policy Analyst at The Town Dock. “By certifying longfin squid, we hope to take that promise of sustainability a step further, and to provide our customers with squid for many years to come.”

Lund’s Fisheries, the other company requesting the assessment, is the only company that participates in all three U.S. squid fisheries on the east and west coasts, and sells its products worldwide. A family company in business since 1954, Lund’s is also one of the largest producers of Illex squid, and was instrumental in developing the Illex fishery with substantial investments made in shoreside processing. It is a member of the American Scallop Association, which has worked with MSC to certify U.S. Atlantic sea scallops.

“For over 60 years, we have constantly strived to improve the quality and sustainability of our products to meet the high standards of our customers,” said Jeff Kaelin, Government Relations coordinator at Lund’s Fisheries. “Our effort to certify longfin and Illex squid as sustainable is another example of our commitment to producing the best, most responsibly sourced seafood possible for our customers.”

Marine Stewardship Council’s Fisheries Standard

The MSC Fisheries Standard for sustainability was developed in deliberation with scientists, industry, and conservation groups, and reflects the best fisheries science and management practices. It is based on three principles that every certified fishery must meet: the health of the fish stock; the impact of fishing on the marine environment; and management of the fishery.

SCS Global Services, an accredited third-party conformity assessment body, is conducting the assessment. SCS will assemble a team of fishery science and policy experts to evaluate the fishery according to the three principles of the MSC Fisheries Standard. The process takes around 14 months and is open to fishery stakeholders. All results are peer reviewed and no decision will be made about the fishery’s sustainability until after the assessment is complete. Those interested in the longfin inshore squid fishery assessment can participate by contacting Jenn Humberstone at jhumberstone@scsglobalservices.com.

Future Illex Squid Assessment

The Town Dock and Lund’s Fisheries have also requested an MSC certification assessment for the Northwest Atlantic Illex fishery. Northwest Atlantic Illex, also known as northern shortfin squid, are a commercially important species that span the northern Atlantic Ocean, from eastern North America to Iceland and the United Kingdom.

About The Town Dock
For the last 35 years, The Town Dock has been a recognized leader in calamari (squid) products worldwide. With a waterfront location, multiple processing facilities, exceptional partnerships, and a company-owned fishing fleet, The Town Dock is the largest purchaser of US domestic East Coast squid. The company offers a full line of domestic and imported calamari products, and markets these products to customers in both the foodservice and retail segments.

About Lund’s Fisheries, Inc.
Lund’s Fisheries, Inc. is a primary producer of fresh and frozen seafood located in Cape May, N.J. Lund’s purchases, produces and distributes nearly 75 million pounds of fresh and frozen fish annually. Its fresh and frozen domestic sales stretch from Maine to Texas while its frozen exports extend to markets around the world. Lund’s has about 30 fishing vessels delivering a variety of seafood to its facility year round. Lund’s is committed to developing and managing systems and practices to track seafood back to the harvest location to ensure it is sourced from fisheries that are well-managed, certified sustainable or actively working towards implementing more responsible and sustainable harvesting practices.

About the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)  
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organization. Its vision is for the world’s oceans to be teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations. The MSC certification program recognizes and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping create a more sustainable seafood market.

The blue MSC label on a seafood product means that:

  • It comes from a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC’s science based standard for environmentally sustainable fishing.
  • It’s fully traceable to a sustainable source.

More than 300 fisheries in over 35 countries are certified to the MSC’s Standard. These fisheries have a combined annual seafood production of almost 10 million metric tons, representing close to 12% of annual global marine harvest. More than 25,000 seafood products worldwide carry the blue MSC label.

About SCS Global Services
SCS Global Services is a global leader in third-party quality, environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, power generation, retail, and more. In addition to its Emeryville, California, headquarters operation, SCS has affiliate offices in Latin America, Asia/Pacific, Europe and Africa. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to many environmental NGOs due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS is a chartered benefit corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.

NEW JERSEY: ‘Perfect Storm’ ship sunk, becomes part of artificial reef

May 12, 2017 — The ship made famous in the book and subsequent film “The Perfect Storm” has been intentionally sunk off the New Jersey and Delaware coasts so it can become part of an artificial reef.

The sinking of the Tamaroa, a 205-foot Coast Guard vessel, took place Wednesday morning. The sinking initially was scheduled to occur several months ago, but was repeatedly delayed by rough seas and other related issues.

The vessel was sent down about 33 nautical miles (61 kilometers) off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey. It was deployed in water more than 120 feet (36.5 meters) deep after patches were removed from holes that were pre-cut into its hull, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The pre-cut holes were part of the extensive work that had to be done before the ship could be sunk, including the removal of interior paneling and insulation as well as emptying and cleaning the vessel of all fuel and fluids.

The ship turned on its side as it slowly went down in the calm water, then turned straight up as the bulk of the vessel went under water. It then disappeared from view as a person on board a neighboring vessel thanked the Tamaroa for its long service.

A tugboat had started hauling the Tamaroa from a Norfolk, Virginia, shipyard on Monday afternoon and it slowly made its way up the Eastern Seaboard on Tuesday without any issues.

Read the full story at The Gloucester Daily Times 

NEW JERSEY: Cape fishermen chase scallops despite risks, trade-offs

March 3, 2017 — Scallops caught by boats based in southern Cape May County may end up on your plate at a local restaurant, or in the frozen foods section of a Wal-Mart or Costco, or even in foreign countries like France.

But before the delicious white mollusks end up frozen in a chain store or fresh at a restaurant, commercial fishermen have to scrape them from the bottom of the ocean floor.

It’s a fairly lucrative business that fuels a commercial fishing industry worth tens of millions of dollars each year. But the job takes an emotional toll on the fishermen who must leave their families for up to two weeks at a time to go to sea.

Tom McNulty Jr.’s wife, Mandy, gave birth Feb. 16 to a daughter. Zoe McNulty was born at 7 pounds, 12 ounces, the proud father announced recently. But with scallop season quickly approaching, he’s going to have to leave them to go make a living.

“I’m not looking forward to that day when I have to leave,” said McNulty, 35, of Middle Township, who captains two scallop boats and also has a 6-year-old son. “You can’t wait to come back and see your family.”

“It’s hard on your family,” he added. “You miss birthdays. You miss graduations.”

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

Skate Update: NEFMC Reschedules Montauk, Cape May Scoping Hearings

January 17, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council has RESCHEDULED its Montauk, NY and Cape May, NJ scoping hearings on Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan.  The new dates are as follows:

  • Cape May — Tuesday, Feb. 21, Grand Hotel of Cape May
  • Montauk — Wednesday, Feb. 22, Montauk Playhouse Community Center Foundation

Both hearings were initially scheduled to take place the previous week.  However, in order to avoid potential conflicts for stakeholders who are planning to attend the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Feb. 14-16 meeting in Kitty Hawk, NC, the New England Council has decided to hold its Mid-Atlantic region skate scoping hearings the following week.

See the full release at the NEFMC

Skate Scoping Hearings Scheduled: NEFMC Seeks Public Input to Help Shape Potential Limited Access Alternatives

January 10, 2017 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Managment Council: 

The New England Fishery Management Council has scheduled six scoping hearings to gather public input on Amendment 5 to the Northeast Skate Complex Fishery Management Plan. This action could lead to the development of a limited access program for both the skate bait and skate non-bait/wing fisheries.

The hearings will be held Jan. 24 through Feb. 16 from Portsmouth, NH to Cape May, NJ. The deadline for written comments is March 6.

The skate fishery currently is “open access,” so any vessel may join at will. The Council is considering converting the fishery to “limited access” and establishing qualification criteria, permit categories, permit conditions, and other measures to better manage the fishery.

“In initiating this action, the Council is responding to calls from industry members who wish to see these fisheries maintained,” said Dr. Matt McKenzie, chairman of the Council’s Skate Committee.

Skate fishermen have expressed concern that increasingly strict measures in other fisheries – particularly groundfish – could lead to unrestrained increases in fishing effort on skates by new entrants into the fishery and: (1) cause quotas to be harvested more quickly; (2) trigger reduced skate trip limits; and (3) have negative economic impacts on current participants.

The scoping hearings mark the first opportunity for members of the public to make suggestions or raise concerns about the range of issues the Council should consider in a limited access program under Amendment 5.

“We welcome constructive public comments from all interested stakeholders – either in person or submitted in writing,” said McKenzie.

Qualification criteria may include factors such as: the time period vessels have participated in the fishery; historical levels of landings; and dependence on the fishery. The Council may develop different categories of limited access permits. If so, these categories may treat vessels differently and possibly differentiate between vessels that target skates and those that catch skates as bycatch in other fisheries.

See the full release at the NEFMC

The real reason why you’re suddenly seeing whales in N.J. and N.Y. waters

November 28, 2016 — If you’ve spent any time walking the beaches or boating the ocean waters of New Jersey or New York in recent weeks, you’ve likely been treated to spectacle that has been a rarity in these parts for most of the past century or so: whales.

They’ve been seemingly everywhere.

Breaching just past the sandbars in Asbury Park.

Swimming past groups of surfers in Rockaway Beach.

Bumping into boats off Belmar.

And this week’s ultimate cetacean sensation: a humpback whale swam up the Hudson River for a photo op in front of the George Washington Bridge.

Besides inspiring a chorus of oohs and aahs, the increase in sightings is adding a blubbery new wrinkle to a raging debate over a far smaller fish: the Atlantic menhaden. It’s the menhaden, also known as “bunker” — clumsy, multidinous, slow swimming virtual floating hamburgers — that those whales are chasing.

Even as the whales were gulping down bunker along the coast of New Jersey, the ASMFC has been pushing the commercial quotas back up closer to pre 2012 catch levels. Last year, the catch limit was raised 10 percent, with the ASMFC citing data that showed bunker were not being overfished.

And, then, three weeks ago, the council voted to raise the commercial catch limits another 6.5 percent.

That move has been cheered by commercial fishing operations who argue the limits were never necessary and simply jeopardized an industry that employs hundreds of people from New Jersey to Virginia, where the largest menhaden processing operation, Omega Protein Corp, is located.

“The fact that there’s a lot of fish around has nothing do with reducing these quotas,” said Jeff Kaelin, spokesman for Lund’s Fisheries, a Cape May commercial fishing company that sells bunker as lobster bait. The increased number of whale sightings is simply the result of smaller fish growing to a larger size due to “environmental conditions.”

“The stock was not overfished,” he said. “It’s never been.”

Kaelin said the 20 percent coast-wide reduction translated into a roughly 50 percent cut for New Jersey companies that harvest bunker, because it shut down the fishery early in the year and put the state’s crucial fall harvest off limits.

“If the science says we need to cut back we will, but in this case we feel very strongly that we’re underfishing the stock,” he said.

Read the full story at NJ.com

Oysters, Clams, and More: Future of Green Farming in a Garden State?

November 1, 2016 — Streamlining regulations and getting rid of excessive paperwork could spark an upsurge in “green aquaculture” in New Jersey

In an effort to promote the eco-friendly aquaculture industry, the Senate and Assembly have unanimously passed a bill to reduce the paperwork involved in setting up this type of business. The lawmakers, who hope the governor will sign their bill to encourage “green aquaculture,” believe that fish-farming in New Jersey waters holds the potential to create jobs for the long term.

“We’ve made it virtually impossible for them to succeed. Only the most persistent people have been able to move forward,” said Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May Court House), who sponsored the legislation (S-317) to drastically streamline regulations so applicants could essentially submit one packet to be distributed interdepartmentally instead of encountering the many conflicting demands they currently face.

Rutgers University estimates that the 160 aquaculture businesses already operating in the state contribute $36 million directly and indirectly to the economy. But considering that surrounding states have grown their aquaculture industries to 30 times the size of New Jersey’s, those aren’t nearly enough dollar signs for the Garden State’s legislators and would-be aquaculturalists; they think the legislation will help to cut out some of the 11 different state, local, and federal agencies with which those aspiring to be part of the industry currently must file paperwork.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture defines aquaculture as “the raising of marine and freshwater organisms under controlled conditions” and includes “food fish and shellfish, cultured pearls, ornamental and aquarium fish, and plants for food, fuel, garden ponds and aquariums.”

Read the full story at the NJ Spotlight

Delaware might scuttle ferry for artificial fishing reef

LOWER TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A Cape May-Lewes Ferry boat that has been for sale for four years likely will be scuttled as a new artificial reef after failing to draw interest on the commercial market.

The MV Twin Capes has been moored at the Delaware River & Bay Authority’s docks in Lower Township since it was gradually taken out of service about two years ago.

The ferryboat is bigger, heavier and more nicely appointed than the other three in the fleet. It has a full restaurant, a food court and two plush bars that were added as part of a $27 million renovation in 1996.

But the bigger boat costs more to operate, DRBA spokesman James Salmon said. It requires a bigger crew (17 people instead of 12) and uses more fuel than the other three ferries with every 17-mile crossing over the Delaware Bay.

The DRBA has a tentative agreement to sell the ferry for $250,000 to Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources for use as an artificial ocean reef.

Delaware is partnering with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which has decades of experience sinking barges, boats and construction material to create offshore habitat for fish.

Read the full story at Press of Atlantic City

Commission could increase menhaden catch

August 2, 2016 — New Jersey commercial bait fishermen want to see the coastwide catch of menhaden increased nearly 80,000 metric tons.

“We’re focused on the science. If the science supports an increase, we want to take it,” said Jeff Kaelin from Lunds Fisheries, a commercial fishing operation in Cape May.

The amount of menhaden fishermen will be able to take from the water next year will be decided Wednesday in Alexandria, Virginia, when the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission meets.

The Atlantic Menhaden Technical Committee has given the ASMFC options that would allow the catch to increase by as much as 10,000 to 80,000 metric tons.

Only one option is to keep the status quo at 187,880 metric tons. There is no option to reduce the catch.

Kaelin said Jersey purse seiners have been shut out of the fishery since July 4, after fishermen reached their allocation for this year. He said if they had more quota, they could be selling bait to New England lobstermen who are clamoring for bait.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

How safe is the fishing industry in South Jersey?

May 25, 2016 — CAPE MAY, N.J. — The dangers of commercial fishing were illustrated dramatically 6 miles off Cape May on April 28 when the scallop boat Last Stand collided with a 400-foot barge pushed by the tug Dean Reinauer.

Three fishermen aboard the Last Stand donned survival suits, climbed into a life raft and paddled away from the rigging as the fishing boat rolled and sank beneath the waves in just minutes.

Nobody was hurt, and the U.S. Coast Guard based in Cape May rescued the fishermen safely. The Coast Guard is investigating the accident.

“The industry is as cautious as they can be. They are prepared. They’re not careless. They’re not reckless,” said Gregory DiDomenico, president of the trade group Garden State Seafood Association.

DiDomenico said the sinking shows how preparation and training made a difference in a crisis. By comparison, he said, many times more recreational boaters die in accidents each year.

“When you consider all the regulatory measures and Coast Guard inspections and the amount of technology and electronics on board today … they want to come home at the end of every trip,” he said.

Read the full story at Press of Atlantic City