Saving Seafood

U.S. Fishing and Seafood Industries Saw Broad Declines Last Summer Due to COVID-19

January 19, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The U.S. fishing and seafood sector generated more than $200 billion in annual sales and supported 1.7 million jobs in recent years. It experienced broad declines in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 public health crisis, according to a new NOAA Fisheries analysis released today. While losses vary by sector, by region and by industry, data and information from this report may help businesses and communities assess losses and inform long-term recovery and resilience strategies.

According to analysts, COVID-19 protective measures instituted in March across the United States and globe contributed to an almost-immediate impact on seafood sector sales. There was a strong start to the year, with a 3 percent increase in commercial fish landings revenue in January and February. However, revenues declined each month from a 19 percent decrease in March to a 45 percent decrease by July. This translates to a 29 percent decrease across those 7 months, as compared to 5-year averages and adjusted for inflation.

Restaurant closures, social distancing protocols, and other safety measures also contributed to losses in other sectors of the seafood economy. By the end of second quarter 2020, 78 percent of aquaculture, aquaponics, and allied businesses reported COVID-19 impacts with 74 percent experiencing lost sales. The analysis noted outdoor seating at restaurants in warm months and a pivot to direct delivery at some supermarkets provided an outlet for some aquaculture sales. Also, the recreational charter/for-hire fishing industry was completely shut down in the spring with some phased reopenings in the early summer. The new analysis contains regional snapshots to help industries understand local impacts to key fisheries.

The protective measures that shuttered restaurants also impacted charter fishing operations. Charter operations were completely shut down in most coastal states beginning in mid-March, with phased re-openings starting in May. NOAA Fisheries estimates that in the Southeast, charter revenues relative to the preceding 3-year period fell 72 percent in March through April due to local and state COVID-related closures and protocols. In May-June, revenue was down 4.5 percent as businesses began to re-open. In contrast, charter operations in Alaska and Hawaiʻi, which rely heavily on out-of-state tourism, continue to experience severely depressed sales due to the sharp decrease in tourism. Hawaii is estimated to have lost 99 percent of charter trips between April and July. In addition, many fishing tournaments have been postponed or cancelled. About 50 fewer Atlantic HMS tournaments registered this year compared to 2019. Hawaiʻi sportfishing tournaments have been similarly impacted.

“In the coming months and years, scientists and economists will work to obtain a more complete picture of COVID-19’s impact on U.S. seafood and the Blue Economy. It is our hope that this initial analysis provides a foundation that the industry researchers and planners can draw upon as they plan for the future,” said NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver.

Read the full release here

NOAA proposes new regulations to protect North Atlantic right whales

January 5, 2021 — NOAA has proposed new modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan that are intended to address entanglements in fishing gear, one of the leading causes of death in the highly endangered animal.

The regulations are targeting pot and trap fisheries – specifically the Northeast Jonah crab and lobster fisheries – which according to NOAA Assistant Administrator for Fisheries Chris Oliver “deploy about 93 percent of the buoy lines fished in areas where right whales occur.” The plan would require gear modifications to reduce the number of vertical lines by requiring more traps on each line, in addition to the insertion of weaker parts of the rope; modify existing seasonal restrictions; add “up to two” new seasonal buoy line closures; and modify gear markings to include state-specific marking colors, along with increasing the number and area of marked lines.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Fishery council to finalize priorities for 2021

October 21, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council has scheduled a special meeting for next week to finalize its priorities for 2021, as well as approve recommendations that fit within the executive order promoting U.S. seafood competitiveness and economic growth.

The special meeting, set for Oct. 27, will be held as a webinar. It is set to begin at 12:40 p.m. Deadline for submitting written comments is Thursday at 8 a.m.

The council, which usually finalizes its next-year priorities at its December meeting, moved up final action on its priorities so it may identify which of those may also directly respond to Executive Order 13921 issued in May by President Donald Trump.

“The council will first adopt its priorities for 2021 related to every fishery management plan and every action,” Janice Plante, council spokeswoman, said Tuesday. “The council has to decide which of those priorities will make the cut.”

Plante said the development of the master list of 2021 council priorities should naturally help inform the council when it turns to crafting its recommendations for the executive order.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

‘Great Red Snapper Count’ finds abundance in Gulf

October 5, 2020 — Scientists have presented findings to Congress that report there are more red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico than previously known, information that could affect future management of the fishery.

According to a summary by Chris Oliver, assistant fisheries administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the new information comes from the Great Red Snapper Count, a survey conducted by the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University. On Thursday, a team from the Harte Institute briefed members of Congress on their findings.

“First, the welcome news,” wrote Oliver. “(B)ased on this study, there are more red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico that previously thought, possibly up to three times as many. We can all agree that’s a good thing.”

The Great Red Snapper Count began in 2016 when $10 million in federal funding was made available for a study. The goal for the two-year project was to create an independent estimate of the snapper population in the Gulf. The Harte Institute summed up the problem:

Read the full story at AL.com

NMFS plans for first federal offshore aquaculture zones

August 26, 2020 — Unfazed by a recent setback in federal appeals court, the National Marine Fisheries Service is moving ahead on planning “aquaculture opportunity areas” in federal waters off southern California and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Still in the very early stages, the planning process will evaluate the potential in those regions and map out what NMFS planners envision as clusters of three to five fish farming operations. The gulf and Pacific coast areas were selected “based on the already available spatial analysis data and current industry interest in developing sustainable aquaculture operations in the region,” according to agency officials.

“Naming these areas is a big step forward,” said NMFS administrator Chris Oliver in announcing the move toward implementing the Trump administration’s May executive order on promoting U.S. seafood industry development. “The creation of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas will foster the U.S. aquaculture industry as a needed complement to our wild capture fisheries. This type of proactive work creates opportunities for aquaculture farmers and maintains our commitment to environmental stewardship.”

The long-range plan calls for 10 development areas around the coasts that would support finfish, shellfish, seaweed and combinations of those maricultures. NMFS officials say they will “use scientific analysis and public engagement

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Feds select Gulf of Mexico as potential zone for fish farming

August 21, 2020 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday chose the Gulf of Mexico as one of two places where it will look to grow offshore fish farming.

The gulf joins Southern California in becoming a region for “Aquaculture Opportunity Areas,” the first two in the United States. President Donald Trump issued an executive order earlier this year outlining the concept as a way of boosting the country’s seafood industry and reducing its reliance on imported fish. The selection covers federal waters but does not identify more specific locations.

“The creation of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas will foster the U.S. aquaculture industry as a needed complement to our wild capture fisheries,” said Chris Oliver, the assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, in a statement. “This type of proactive work creates opportunities for aquaculture farmers and maintains our commitment to environmental stewardship.”

Read the full story at the Tampa Bay Times

Senators Markey, Warren Question NOAA’s Lack of Consistency When it Comes to Northeast Observer Cove

August 21, 2020 — Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren are adding their names to the list of politicians questioning NOAA over their decision to reinstate at-sea monitors and observer coverage in the Northeast.

Observers and at-sea monitors for those in the Northeast were reinstated this past Friday, August 14. The requirement to carry observers on board had been waived for months due to health and safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus. However, NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver announced last month that the waiver would be lifted because “observers create no more risk than crew members.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

Multiple Groups, Politicians Call on NOAA to Continue Waiver of At-Sea Observers

August 18, 2020 — At-sea observers in the Northeast were reinstated by NOAA on August 14— but multiple groups and politicians are urging the government agency to reconsider their decision.

Observer coverage has been waived for months due to health concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. However, NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver announced late last month that observer coverage in the Northeast would resume on August 14.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Fisheries Survival Fund Questions NOAA Over Decision to Reinstate Observers, But Cancel Surveys

August 17, 2020 — Why are fishery surveys being canceled but at-sea-observers being reinstated? That’s the tough question that the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) is asking. FSF submitted a letter to NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver on August 13, just one day before the resumption of observer programs in the Northeast region.

“As you know, FSF represents the significant majority of full-time Limited Access permit holders in the Atlantic scallop fishery,” the letter reads. “Our members are home-ported along the Atlantic Coast from Massachusetts through North Carolina. The scallop industry recognizes the value of observers, as well as the difficulty of decisions NMFS is confronting during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, FSF still does not understand why NMFS cancelled unique fishery-independent surveys critical to resource management yet is reinstating less critical fishery-dependent data collected by observers when other options (VTRs, vessel tracking, and electronic monitoring) are available.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

Groups File Petition for Additional Speed Limits Along Atlantic Coast to Protect Right Whales

August 13, 2020 — Earlier this month a number of conservation groups came together to file a petition seeking additional speed limits along the Atlantic Coast to protect North Atlantic right whales. The letter, submitted to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver on August 6, begs the National Marine Fisheries Service to take action to prevent and mitigate the continuing threat of vessel strikes.

The call for action comes shortly after the death of a calf this past June. As SeafoodNews reported, the deceased North Atlantic right whale was spotted off the coast of Elberon, New Jersey, on June 25. The whale was ultimately identified as a male calf of whale #3560. A necropsy conducted by NOAA revealed evidence of at least a pair of vessel collisions.

Read the full story at Seafood News