Saving Seafood

Russian Pacific cod MSC approval has catchers eyeing more EU, US sales

October 18, 2019 — A portion of the Russian longline Pacific cod and halibut fishery has been certified as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard, meaning the country’s catchers are set to further target the European and US markets.

The approval took place on Oct. 9 and this means all cod and halibut from the certified management areas caught after Aug. 1 this year can be sold as MSC certified, Sergey Sennikov, director of sustainability for Norebo Holding, Russia’s largest fishing company, during the 2019 Groundfish Forum in Berlin, Germany.

“We can target Europe and the US as well, as Pacific cod is well known in the US. It’s about having more access to the market,” he said. This places Russian Pacific cod more closely in competition with product from the US. The US fishery has been MSC certified for many years, but catch allocations have been coming down.

According to the public certification report on the Russian fishery, the portion of the total allowable catch (TAC) for Pacific cod covered by the MSC approval is 31.8%. The report only gives a TAC for 2016-2017, which was 140,000 metric tons, meaning 25,200t of this would be eligible for sale as MSC-approved.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

A fish mystery solved using genetic testing

October 17, 2019 — The population of cod in the Northern Bering Sea has increased immensely since 2010, and scientists are using fish DNA to find out why.

Think of it like a genetic ancestry test, but for fish.

Until recently, pacific cod were rarely found in the Northern Bering Sea. A 2010 survey showed cod made up only three percent of the entire fish population. That’s been changing, fast.

A survey in the summer of 2017 showed that number shot up 900 percent.

Ingrid Spies is a research fisheries biologist who led the way on this research to determine whether the population spike is evidence of a growing population or of an existing population migrating from elsewhere?

One thought was that cod could have migrated from Russia or the Gulf of Alaska, where they observed cod numbers decline significantly in 2017. Scientists were able to come to a conclusive answer to the question using genetic testing.

Read the full story at KTUU

Groundfish Forum forecasts only marginal lift in 2020 whitefish supply

October 17, 2019 — The supply of the big stocks of wild whitefish are set to remain stable for 2020, lifting by less than 1%, according to a forecast from the Groundfish Forum.

The forecast at the forum for the US supply of Alaska pollock for 2020 is 1.528 million metric tons, down from 1.552m in 2019. Undercurrent News previously reported the science on pollock points to possible cuts in the next couple of years.

For Russian pollock, the forum predicts a slight lift in supply for 2020, from 1.685m metric tons to 1.70m. Global pollock supply is set to be 3.44m metric tons, down marginally from 2019’s 3.45m.

For Atlantic cod, the total supply is forecast to rise very slightly, from 1.131m metric tons in 2019 to 1.132m. In June, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advised the cod quota in the Barents Sea for 2020 be set at a level 2% higher than its advised level for 2019 of 674,678t. At 689,672t, its 2020 advice comes in at 5% lower than the total allowable catch for 2019 set by the Norwegians and Russians, of 725,000t.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Fishing rules don’t match industry realities, advocates say

October 11, 2019 — The federal government on Wednesday released data showing that cod stocks in the area remain overfished and are not on target to be rebuilt by 2024. NOAA Fisheries also reported that “overfishing is occurring” among an already-depleted Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod population.

“Abundance is very low, not the way it used to be, so that’s obviously of great concern to us,” Division of Marine Fisheries Director David Pierce told the News Service after participating in “seafood day” activities Thursday to recognize the contributions of the fishing sector and the 90,000 jobs in the seafood industry.

Pierce said he had not yet reviewed the latest federal assessment, but said an industry-based survey and one in the works at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth will also influence cod quotas for 2021 and 2022.

“It’s a very important assessment. A lot hinges on it,” Pierce said. “The health of the Gulf of Maine groundfish fishery is very dependent on the health of that Gulf of Maine cod stock.”

Calling the report “concerning,” Sen. Bruce Tarr, who represents the fishing port city of Gloucester, told the News Service, “I’m still reading through the details but I think it points to the fact that we should be doing things differently than we are today.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Genetic Evidence Points to Rapid, Large-Scale Northward Shift of Pacific Cod During Recent Climate Changes

October 10, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

New genetic research suggests that unprecedented summer abundances of Pacific cod in the northern Bering Sea were due to escalating movement from their core habitat under recent warm conditions.

Until recently, Pacific cod were rarely encountered in the northern Bering Sea. Fishery surveys in the 1970s reported “trace amounts” of cod there. A 2010 Alaska Fisheries Science Center survey estimated that the entire northern population amounted to about 3% of the large southeastern Bering Sea stock that supported a valuable commercial fishery.

Then in 2017, the summer survey recorded dramatically higher abundances in the north: a 900-fold increase since 2010. In the same year, southeastern Bering Sea abundances were down 37% from 2016. Strikingly, the increase in the north nearly matched the decrease in the southeastern Bering Sea.

A 2018 survey revealed an even more remarkable shift: there were more cod in the northern than southeastern Bering Sea.

Read the full release here

NOAA: Overfished cod not on target to rebuild by 2024

October 10, 2019 — Cod stocks in the area remain overfished and are not on target to be rebuilt by 2024, according to new federal data. In its latest stock status for the Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod, NOAA Fisheries also reported that “overfishing is occurring” among an already-depleted population. The status is unchanged from NOAA’s 2017 assessment.

“The Gulf of Maine Atlantic cod shows a truncated size and age structure, consistent with a population experiencing high mortality,” researchers wrote in a 208-page report released Wednesday. “Additionally, there are only limited signs of incoming recruitment, continued low survey indices, and the current spatial distribution of the stock is considerably less than its historical range within the Gulf of Maine.”

The cod assessment is part of an operational assessment, updated through 2018, of 14 Northeast groundfish stocks by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Cod was identified as a stock that is experiencing overfishing, and the report categorizes eight groundfish stocks as having been overfished.

Read the full story at The Daily News

All Hands: Alaska determined to overcome tariff troubles

October 9, 2019 — The theme coming out of Alaska seafood’s annual meeting is — no surprise — tariffs.

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute opened its All Hands On Deck meeting today in Anchorage with annual updates from its program directors, followed by public meetings for species committees and the Responsible Fisheries Management program.

International Program Director Hannah Lindoff opened her update with a slide detailing the current state of U.S./China tariffs.

“This is the most up to date information,” said Lindoff. “But if anyone is on Twitter and something changes, please let me know.”

Although most products in Alaska’s portfolio are exempted from U.S. tariffs on Chinese exports — salmon, pollock and Pacific cod — competition in the global marketplace makes tariffs disadvantageous for any fisheries affected by additional duties.

For example, Alaska contributes 10 to 15 percent of the global supply of red king crab. Russia supplies about 70 percent. Alaska’s red king crab quota is down 12 percent for 2020. Golden king crab and snow crab quotas are up 13 and 23 percent, but the tanner/opilio fishery is shut down for the year.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

US to get a little more fish in catch pact with Canada

October 3, 2019 — American fishermen are expected to get a little more fishing quota under terms of an agreement with Canada.

The countries are home to fisheries for economically important species that cross international boundaries, such as cod and haddock. They reach agreement every year about how to divide catch on eastern Georges Bank, a critical fishing area off New England and Canada.

The New England Fishery Management Council says the U.S is scheduled to get 29% of the 1.4 million pound total allowable catch of cod on eastern Georges Bank in 2020. It’s also slated for 54% of the 66 million pound total allowable catch of haddock in the area.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

ALASKA: Adak Based Fish Processor Fears for Future Without Restored Cod Allocations in 2020

September 27, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — In 2016, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council enacted amendment 113 as a way to give onshore fish processors in Western Aleutian communities like Adak and Atka a fighting chance. AM113 carves out a portion of 5,000 metric tons of Pacific cod to be delivered to these facilities as part of an effort to prevent fish factory “motherships” from taking in the bulk of the harvest for processing.

In Adak, Golden Harvest Seafood is one of the processors that depends on cod deliveries to maintain is operations. The company currently has an arrangement with Costco, providing fresh Alaska-caught seafood to its stores.

But the amendment designed to protect these smaller processors isn’t without opposition from large processors, such as the Groundfish Forum, a trade organization representing five companies operating 19 trawl catcher-processor vessels in the region.

Initially, the Groundfish Forum and the Katie Ann LLC, United Catcher Boats & B&N Fisheries filed legal complaints over AM113. Washington D.C. District Court Judge Timothy Kelly Judge ruled against amendment 113, citing the Magnuson-Stevens Act, a set of federal rules that are meant to encourage the sustainable and optimal exploitation of U.S. coastal fisheries.

The City of Adak, the Aleut Corporation and several other parties of interest have appealed the ruling. B&N Fisheries has subsequently dropped from the lawsuit.

The judge’s decision has caused some to call the North Pacific Fishery Management Council’s ability to protect Alaska communities into question.

Meanwhile, affected communities are looking for some relief from the federal government over the potential revenues that were lost when AM113 was struck down.

Steve Minor, a spokesman for Golden Harvest Seafood, told KTUU on Monday that the U.S. Secretary of Commerce has denied a petition requesting emergency action regarding the cod allocation at the start of the new year. The petition asked for relief from January 20 through March 15, 2020 on the grounds of recent and unforeseen events and the time needed to process said petition.

According to the petition, the events listed below qualify as “recent and unforeseen” circumstances that form the basis of the request:

“Event 1: On March 21, 2019 the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued an opinion that vacated Amendment 113 to the Bering Sea Aleutian Islands Groundfish FMP, and remanded the Amendment to the Service (NMFS) for reconsideration consistent with the opinion.

Event 2: In January, 2019 the Aleutian Islands CV Trawl Pacific cod fishery nearly closed before the fishery ever began because of the race for fish in the Bering Sea.”

Golden Harvest Seafood has invested millions in the processing operations on Adak, becoming the primary employer in a community that sees anywhere from 50 to 200 residents depending on the time of year. Locals are concerned that the plant’s closure would result in the closing of the local school, which currently serves less than 20 students.

KTUU has reached out to multiple members of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council seeking comment on its stance on AM113, as well as the council’s interest and ability to continue seeking assistance for Western Aleutian fish processors. At the time of this article’s publishing publishing, we are still awaiting an official response.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Cod fishing off New England shut down for months

September 27, 2019 — The federal government is shutting down recreational cod fishing in the Gulf of Maine for several months.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says possession of Gulf of Maine cod will be prohibited from Oct. 1 to April 30. The Gulf of Maine touches Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and is a hotbed of a recreational and commercial fishing.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald