Saving Seafood

Large rockfish leave Chesapeake Bay to become ocean migrators

May 15, 2020 — A new electronic tagging study of 100 Potomac River striped bass sheds light on rockfish migration in Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Coast. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science researchers found that when rockfish reach 32 inches in length they leave Chesapeake Bay and become ocean migrators. Small fish stayed in the Bay had higher mortality rates than those that undertook ocean migrations.

“Knowing the size at which they leave, we can do improved management that is tailored better to commercial and  sectors those related to catch and size limits,” said study author and Professor Dave Secor of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. “It allows us to bring different parts of the fishery into an assessment model to evaluate stock health and test how effective regulations will be.”

Chesapeake Bay striped , also known as rockfish, (Morone saxatilis) were implanted with two-inch acoustic transmitters and their coastal shelf migrations recorded over a four-year period by telemetry receivers throughout the Mid-Atlantic shelf waters and southern New England. Researchers found that only large striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay migrate to ocean waters when they reach 32 inches in length, and smaller fish remain resident to the Chesapeake Bay, regardless of sex.

Read the full story at PHYS.org

VIRGINIA: Multi-year menhaden quota conflict could finally be at an end

May 15, 2020 — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) has rescinded a noncompliance finding for the U.S. State of Virginia’s menhaden fishery, potentially ending a conflict over the quota that has been going on for more than two years.

The noncompliance finding was initiated in October 2019 after a multi-year battle over the state’s menhaden catch limits in the Chesapeake Bay. The conflict was initiated in November 2017, when the ASMFC made changes to the menhaden quota up and down the U.S. East Coast.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Despite early season fears, Chesapeake blue crab selling for record prices

May 14, 2020 — In March, the closure of most U.S. restaurants just as the blue crab season in Virginia and Maryland was getting started had retailers, processors, and watermen afraid that the bottom would drop out of the market.

Initial reports in local media indicated that pricing was off, in some cases, as much as 30 percent, and the fear was that the fishery would be in dire straits.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

DNA surprises surfacing in the Atlantic: Species found far north of normal range

May 12, 2020 — The following was released by The Rockefeller University:

In brief: Rockefeller University scientists investigating shifting Atlantic Ocean migration patterns bottled the genetic traces of species far north of their normal homes.

By simply fishing for DNA in seawater, the researchers found Brazilian cownose rays and Gulf kingfishes – never known north of the Gulf of Mexico, and Chesapeake Bay, VA respectively – off the New Jersey shore, a 2 hour drive south of New York City.

The two-year study demonstrates an accurate, inexpensive way to detect long-predicted marine life range changes.

Author Mark Stoeckle and Director Jesse Ausubel of The Rockefeller University Program for the Human Environment are available for interviews.

The paper, “Improved Environmental DNA Reference Library Detects Overlooked Marine Fishes in New Jersey, United States,” published the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, is available at https://bit.ly/2WD6OXE

Read the full release here

Fisheries in Maryland, Virginia losing millions due to COVID-19 shutdowns

May 6, 2020 — Fisheries along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and Virginia are, like many other fisheries in the country, facing an economic crisis as restaurant shutdowns cause decreases in demand.

The region’s two most iconic fisheries – blue crab and oysters – are both being hit by COVID-19-based restaurant closures that caused a rapid drop in demand. Restaurants account for 70 percent or more of the demand for the two species, with retail channels unable to make up the demand gap.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Less Seasonal Help, Coronavirus Deliver One-Two Punch To Bay’s Blue Crab Industry

May 1, 2020 — Crab season is off to a slow and foreboding start around the Chesapeake Bay, with many crabmeat processors crippled by an inability to import seasonal workers and by watermen worried they’ll be unable to sell all they can catch as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Chilly, windy weather limited commercial harvests of blue crabs through much of April, the first full month of the season. Warming spring weather usually brings better fortunes, but those in the business of catching or picking crabs say they fear for their livelihoods amid the double whammy that’s hit the Bay’s most valuable fishery.

“It’s kind of a really scary situation,” said Bill Sieling, executive vice president of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association, which represents Maryland companies. “It just doesn’t look good.”

Read the full story from the Chesapeake Bay Journal at Patch.com

Fish-oil firm keeps ‘sustainable’ label despite controversy

April 3, 2020 — A company that makes fish-oil supplements will keep its certification for sustainable fishing despite defiance of catch limits in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Marine Stewardship Council’s sustainability marker is prominently displayed on seafood packages in grocery stores. It means a company catches fish from a healthy population and leaves little impact on the food chain, among other factors.

Maintaining the designation is a victory for Omega Protein. But it stokes an ongoing debate over labels that boast environmental responsibility. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation said the development is “a serious black eye” for the certification.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Coronavirus hinders Bay cleanup efforts, seafood industry

March 27, 2020 — Watermen have no restaurants that can buy their catches. Help for farmers who want to install runoff controls has been sharply curtailed. Streams throughout the region are missing their annual spring cleaning. And many students are losing their chance to experience the Chesapeake Bay firsthand.

The impact of the novel coronavirus, barely on the radar only a few months ago, is rippling through the Chesapeake Bay region, with impacts felt from Pennsylvania farm fields to Eastern Shore oyster grounds. While some impacts are minor, such as the postponement of meetings and cleanup events, others could become significant if the COVID-19 crisis lingers, potentially creating another setback for Bay pollution control initiatives.

While some point to slivers of positive news — air pollution is down — the near-shutdown of business activity is likely to slam state budgets in coming months, and possibly years, at a time when they had hoped to significantly increase spending on the Bay cleanup.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

Chesapeake seafood industry suffers as coronavirus closes restaurants

March 27, 2020 — The Chesapeake Bay’s seafood industry has been especially hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as buyers dry up for oysters and prices plummet for fish and crabs.

Watermen say they’ve given up on the final weeks of the oyster season, as restaurant and raw bar closures have deprived them of lucrative markets for their catch.

“It’s very drastic,” said Robert T. Brown Sr., president of the Maryland Watermen’s Association. “I’ve seen things bad, but I’ve never seen them like this before.”

Oyster farmers say they’re idled for the same reason, though some are trying to eke out some direct sales to consumers. Ted Cooney, founder of Madhouse Oysters on Hooper’s Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, said sales suddenly stopped at a time when they’re usually selling 100 or more boxes of bivalves every week.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

Chesapeake crab industry remains crippled by visa shortage, coronavirus

March 20, 2020 — Responding to employers’ calls, including those of crab meat processing companies in Virginia and Maryland, the federal government announced March 5 that it would release an additional 35,000 temporary visas for foreign workers.

That still may not be enough to quench the Chesapeake Bay seafood houses’ demand for temporary workers, according to the trade group that represents the industry. And they may still arrive too late to help much or perhaps get stuck on the other side of the border, as the United States today closed its Mexican border for unessential travel because of coronavirus concerns.

Several seafood company owners and watermen had implored the Trump administration to issue 64,000 more visas, the cap set by Congress.

Jack Brooks, co-owner of J.M. Clayton Seafood Co. in Cambridge, MD, and president of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association, said he expects a worker shortfall, despite the government’s action.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal