Saving Seafood

Florida’s Senators, Congressmen Urge Commerce Department to Help Fisheries Hurt by Red Tide

June 4, 2021 — On Wednesday, members of the Florida delegation sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo urging that the Department approve Florida’s request for disaster assistance for fisheries that were harmed by severe red tide events that occurred between 2015 and 2019.

Florida’s two U.S. senators–Marco Rubio and Rick Scott–and Republican U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan, Byron Donalds, Carlos Gimenez and Greg Steube signed the letter.

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Secretary Raimondo:

We write to bring your attention to a pending request by the State of Florida for the declaration of a federal fishery resource disaster in response to severe red tide events that occurred between 2015 and 2019.  We respectfully urge you to expeditiously consider the State of Florida’s request, and approve the disbursal of disaster assistance to fishing and seafood businesses that were harmed by the impacts to sea life that were caused by red tide.

On May 24, 2019, the State of Florida submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Commerce to declare a federal fishery resource disaster pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1861a, and the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act, 16 U.S.C. § 4107, in response to the severe red tide events that occurred in the state between 2015 and 2019.  As noted in the initial request, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that 1,300 licensed charter fishermen, 1,700 commercial fishermen, and 273 wholesalers were economically harmed by the impacts of the severe red tide blooms.

Read the full story at Florida Daily

NOAA forecasts slightly smaller than average Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” this summer

June 3, 2021 — The “dead zone” that appears in the Gulf of Mexico every summer is expected to be smaller than normal this year, according to an announcement Thursday, 3 June from NOAA scientists.

This year’s hypoxic area – which features little or no oxygen to sustain marine life – is forecasted to be about 4,880 square miles, or roughly twice the size of Delaware. The five-year average for the “dead zone” is about 5,400 square miles, slightly smaller than Connecticut.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

White House Proclamation on National Ocean Month, 2021

June 2, 2021 — The following was released by The White House:

The world’s ocean basins are critical to the success of our Nation and, indeed, to life on Earth. The ocean powers our economy, provides food for billions of people, supplies 50 percent of the world’s oxygen, offers recreational opportunities for us to enjoy, and regulates weather patterns and our global climate system. During National Ocean Month, we celebrate our stewardship of the ocean and coasts, and reaffirm our commitment to protecting and sustaining them for current and future generations.

My Administration is dedicated to improving our Nation’s public health by supporting resilient ocean habitats, wildlife, and resources in which all Americans rely on. Through our “America the Beautiful” initiative, we are working with State, Tribal, and local partners to conserve at least 30 percent of United States lands and waters by 2030 — so that our natural world can continue to supply the food, clean air, and clean water that every one of us depends on to survive. We are also committed to supporting safe, plentiful, and sustainable seafood harvesting for domestic consumption and export, and reducing public health risks such as harmful algal blooms that have proliferated as a result of climate change and the acidification of our waters.

The ocean has always been essential to our economy, and that will remain true as we build back better and develop the clean industries and good jobs of the future. My plan to dramatically expand offshore wind energy over the next 10 years will provide good-paying union jobs and a sustainable source of clean energy. Investing in resilient, reliable coastal infrastructure — including modern ports and waterways — that can withstand the impacts of rising seas and powerful storms will keep our economy competitive in the global marketplace while making our families safer. Conserving and restoring coastal wetlands and habitats will also strengthen our efforts to tackle climate change, improve the resilience of coastal communities, and help restore nursery areas that are important to our fisheries. Investing in our fishing communities and supporting local seafood supply options will also be critical to helping us build a climate-resilient, sustainable ocean economy.

Climate change is a global challenge that is integrally linked to the ocean. By protecting our ocean and coastal ecosystems and resources, we are also protecting the worldwide economies and people that depend on them. To address these challenges, we are building on our Nation’s long legacy of ocean exploration and research to gain new insights into ocean ecosystems and biodiversity and ways the ocean can sequester and store carbon. Marine life, changing ocean conditions, and plastic and other pollution pay no attention to national boundaries. That is why we must focus on a worldwide approach to conservation and sustainability. In collaboration with our international partners, my Administration will continue America’s global leadership in ocean science, stewardship, and conservation. Our engagement in international efforts, such as the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, reflects the priorities and values of my Administration to ensure that ocean science delivers greater benefits for the American people, the people of the world, and international ocean ecosystems.

My Administration is also committed to delivering climate justice, including ensuring equitable access to our ocean and coasts for all Americans — and working to ensure that Indigenous Americans, Black Americans, and other people of color are no longer forced to shoulder disproportionate climate and environmental burdens, as they historically have. My Administration will work hard to further break down the barriers many communities of color face by creating new opportunities to diversify ocean-related access and workforces. We will also equip educators with tools to teach our Nation’s youth how to become a powerful generation of ocean stewards.

It is imperative that we take proper action now to ensure that the ocean continues to thrive. During National Ocean Month, we recognize the central role of a healthy ocean in sustaining all of our lives, and pledge to find innovative ways to conserve, protect, and restore our ocean.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2021 as National Ocean Month. I call upon Americans to take action to protect, conserve, and restore our ocean and coasts.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty‑one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.

Ray Hilborn: MPAs aren’t the answer to ocean biodiversity, sustainability efforts

June 1, 2021 — A global movement to create additional marine protected areas (MPAs) has been steadily gaining traction in recent years, with the initiative picking up milestone victories in the past few months.

In January, newly inaugurated U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order committing to a “30 by 30” goal, whereby the United States would designated 30 percent of its land and territorial waters to conservation by the year 2030. The move heightened the potential that MPAs will be used as a tool to tackle climate change.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NOAA FY 2022 budget advances America’s response to the climate crisis

June 1, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA:

From the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean and in communities from coast to coast, NOAA’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget request delivers the science, data, and services Americans need to address the climate crisis.

“This historic increase in NOAA’s budget will put American businesses, workers, and communities in a better position to respond to the climate crisis,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “Our economic competitiveness relies on our communities’ resilience and our ability to make informed decisions, especially when it comes to climate change and extreme weather. For decades, NOAA has provided critical weather and climate guidance that supports our economy, infrastructure, and security, and this historic investment will enable NOAA to deliver on its mission.”

For FY 2022, NOAA proposes a budget of $7.0 billion in discretionary appropriations, an increase of $1.5 billion from its enacted FY 2021 budget. NOAA provides 24×7 actionable information about climate change through a complex suite of oceanic, atmospheric, and space-based observing tools, using ships, planes, satellites and autonomous aerial and undersea vehicles. This budget increase will accelerate NOAA’s efforts to research, adapt to, and mitigate the impacts of climate change, in support of the Administration’s efforts to tackle the climate crisis at home and abroad, through $855.1 million in targeted investments in the following areas:

  • Research ($149.3 million increase): NOAA will strengthen core research capabilities for improved climate forecast products and services. These improved products and services will help communities prepare for and adapt to impacts of extreme weather and climate disasters that have become much more frequent and costly in recent decades.
  • Observations and Forecasting ($368.2 million increase): NOAA will expand its delivery of the best available climate observations and information (physical, biological, social, economic) to understand, prepare for, and adapt to future conditions and support job creation in frontline and underserved communities that are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
  • Restoration and Resilience ($259.3 million increase): NOAA will invest in ecological restoration and community resilience, and address an increasing demand for NOAA’s science and services needed to enhance natural and economic resilience along our ocean and coasts through our direct financial support, expertise, robust on-the-ground partnerships, and place-based conservation activities. NOAA will support the president’s goal to conserve at least 30 percent of the nation’s lands and waters by 2030 and through the Civilian Climate Corps.
  • Offshore Wind ($20.4 million increase): NOAA will further the Administration’s goal to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind in the U.S. by 2030, while protecting biodiversity and promoting ocean co-use in our nation’s Blue Economy.
  • Equity ($57.9 million increase): NOAA will enhance its integration of equity across the organization, from management, to policies, to service-delivery. NOAA will cultivate a more diverse, climate-ready workforce of the future that builds upon NOAA’s long history of investments in graduate and postgraduate training, fellowships, and extension programs, an enterprise which already has an alumni base numbering in the thousands.

Communities across the country are struggling with the effects of extreme events like hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, and fisheries collapse. In 2020, a record-setting 22 weather and climate disasters each caused over $1 billion in damage in the United States, including the worst wildfires in California history and several major hurricanes in a season that saw a record 30 named storms. With 2021 bringing massive, unprecedented winter storms to several southern states and predictions for another above-average hurricane season, investments in climate research to understand extreme events and provide services to help communities and businesses make smart climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation decisions are more important than ever.

“NOAA is the nation’s 24×7 provider of trusted and life-saving environmental information. From your daily weather forecast to decades of climate monitoring, NOAA is always on call,” said Ben Friedman, acting NOAA Administrator. “NOAA’s focus on equity inside and outside the agency positions us well to increase our support for vulnerable communities, and ensure that we are helping all Americans better prepare for and respond to the increasing impacts of climate change and extreme weather.”

The FY 2022 budget also strengthens investments in NOAA’s vessels, aircraft, and satellites — the observational platforms vital for measuring and monitoring our environment — as well as space weather observation and prediction services that protect critical infrastructure such as the electrical grid, aviation, and satellite communications:

  • Fleet Support ($101 million increase): NOAA will invest in key components of the nation’s environmental at-sea observation platforms and facilities, by enabling a single-phase mid-life maintenance on the NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown and construction of a dedicated marine operations facility (Pier Romeo) in Charleston, South Carolina – homeport for NOAA Ships Ronald H. Brown and Nancy Foster.
  • NESDIS ($2.029 million ): NOAA will make crucial, timely investments to ensure that the Nation’s next-generation satellite systems not only improve existing services, but that they also expand delivery of essential climate, weather, atmospheric, and oceanographic information to meet the needs of the American public. In support of Executive Order 14008, NOAA’s data and information infrastructure will expand the use of the best available observations, from NOAA and partner satellites and systems, to enhance the understanding of climate change-related trends and patterns, and deliver essential products, information, and climate services to inform decision makers.
  • Space Weather ($5 million increase): NOAA will continue to build towards a space weather prediction capability that will ensure national and global communities are ready for and responsive to space-weather events.

Why Fish are the Catch of the Day for Climate Research

May 28, 2021 — Climate change in the ocean has made a splash with people who want to protect marine animals, like fishes, from warming oceans. But the problem goes beyond endangered species and threatened ecosystems. It also affects people who rely on fish not only for food but also for income.

To learn more about these impacts, scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Marine Station are collecting data on where fish live today and how those environments are changing. Gathering and analyzing this information is the most accurate way to protect the fish and the fishing communities.

“Understanding how fish respond to climate change is important but not the only factor,” said Steven Canty, a marine biologist and the program coordinator of the Marine Conservation Program at the Smithsonian Marine Station. “We can’t only be thinking about the fish when so many people rely on them for food security and their livelihoods.”

Read the full story at the Smithsonian Magazine

SATS pens letter to Biden urging support for aquaculture prioritization

May 24, 2021 — U.S. aquaculture advocacy group Stronger America Through Seafood penned a letter last week urging President Joe Biden to prioritize seafood production to help mitigate climate change and outline the climate impacts and potential benefits of aquaculture in the country.

“As our federal leaders seek innovative solutions to address the climate crisis, aquaculture, one of the most resource-efficient methods for protein production, should be considered as a tool to help feed our growing population responsibly while protecting our planet,” SATS campaign manager Margaret Henderson said. “Through federal action, the [Biden] administration and Congress can establish a clear regulatory pathway for permitting offshore aquaculture that would support a sustainable seafood future, increase the resiliency of our food systems, and create new jobs in communities nationwide.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

UN World Ocean Assessment: The ocean is in trouble, but we still have time to act

May 20, 2021 — The Second World Ocean (WOAII) Assessment, launched in April, serves as an important tool to aid in policy making for world leaders. As part of the United Nation’s Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the States of the Marine Environment, the effort behind creating the assessment relies on the expertise of hundreds of co-authors and leading experts worldwide.

The report details new research, gaps in knowledge, and current knowledge about the state of the world’s oceans and the many pressures they are under, as described by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his speech for the launch event for the report.

Peter Auster, UConn Research Professor Emeritus of Marine Sciences and Senior Research Scientist at Mystic Aquarium, was one of the expert co-authors of the report. He recently met with UConn Today to answer some questions about the latest state of the  .

Read the full story at PHYS.org

Marine scientists call on G7 countries to prioritize ocean protections

May 20, 2021 — An international group of marine scientists have called on G7 countries to prioritize planning ocean protections at the next summit, to take place in Cornwall, England, next month.

The scientists’ statement, dubbed “Seven Asks for the G7,” includes a list of seven actionable steps that could be taken to protect the oceans. Those steps, according to the letter, are central to addressing climate change and supporting “human wellbeing.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Study finds protecting key ocean areas could boost total catch, fight climate change

May 19, 2021 — A new study published in Nature has found that protecting key areas of the ocean would increase overall catch, help reduce carbon emissions, and protect biodiversity.

The study, “Protecting the global ocean for biodiversity, food and climate,” found that an increase in protected areas of the ocean could potentially protect biodiversity, increase the yield of fisheries, and secure marine carbon stocks at risk from human activity. The study also found that most coastal nations have areas that, if protected, could “contribute substantially to achieving these three objectives of biodiversity protection, food provision, and carbon storage.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source