April 28, 2020 — In the midst of a near-nationwide lockdown that has drastically shifted the consumer market for seafood in the United States, companies of all sizes are adding direct-to-consumer sales outlets.
In early March, as most restaurants across the country closed or limited to doing take-out only due to social distancing restrictions imposed to prohibit the spread of COVID-19, a huge chunk of the nation’s seafood market disappeared within the space of a couple of weeks.
April 27, 2020 — With no promises from the State of Alaska or the City of Dillingham to strengthen the health care response to a COVID-19 outbreak this season, the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation opposes opening the world’s largest salmon fishery “in order to protect the 28 villages [we] serve in the area.”
BBAHC’s statement came just hours before Alaska’s Govenor Mike Dunleavy issued his now nearly daily update on COVID-19 in Alaska. When asked to comment on the statement, Dunleavey reiterated the administrations ongoing discussions with health experts in coastal communities.
April 27, 2020 — There are more calls to close the commercial fishery this season in Bristol Bay.
“To date, there are no reported cases of COVID-19 in Bristol Bay, and BBAHC fears the arrival of several thousands of people from around the world will put its communities and resources at risk,” read a news release from the Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation.
The BBAHC says it is the sole provider of medical care in the region and has a surge plan in place for year-round residents, but does not have the resources for an influx beyond that surge.
“BBAHC has not received a commitment from the State of Alaska or the City of Dillingham regarding what additional resources would be provided in the case of an onset of COVID-19. Without a plan of action, BBAHC resources will most likely will be strained and overwhelmed,” according to the release.
April 27, 2020 — U.S. seafood is floundering under coronavirus pressure due to the disruption in China trade and low market demand, according to New Hampshire Community Seafood General Manager Andrea Tomlinson.
For fishermen to continue distributing their product, Tomlinson told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo that New Hampshire fisheries are allowing customers to purchase fresh catches right off the dock while following all safety precautions.
“What we’re primarily doing is promoting lobstermen who are selling directly from their boat,” Tomlinson said. “But what we’re talking about is… a product that’s really only touched one gloved hand, which would be the hand of the sternman… And then it’s going directly to the consumer. So, you know, when you think about the amount of hands that a typical piece of food has traveled through, the risk here as far as safety is minimal.”
April 27, 2020 — The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program has “substantially” reduced its workforce through furloughs and layoffs, according to a 27 April press release from the aquarium.
The Seafood Watch program maintains a set of standards by which it ranks the environmental sustainability of the world’s fisheries. It also produces a consumer guide in which it ranks fisheries via a three-tiered system: Green, or “Best Choice” seafood, which has minimal adverse impacts on the environment; Yellow, or “Good Alternative” seafood, which are good options when “Best Choices” aren’t available; and Red, or seafood to “Avoid,” meaning the seafood is not sourced using environmentally responsible means.
April 27, 2020 — The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the entire seafood industry. Demand for fresh seafood has plummeted as restaurants, hotels, and catering businesses shutter. And trade has faltered as transportation restrictions prevent supply chains from moving product.
But while businesses in the developed world can apply for social safety provisions and major seafood companies’ balance sheets give them a fighting chance to weather the storm, small-scale fishermen face severe risk. Especially in the developing world, where a day’s catch buys that night’s meal, fishermen’s prospects are bleak.
April 27, 2020 — From Delaware Bay oysters to Atlantic scallops, the state’s fisheries are struggling to survive as retail sales dry up.
In the town of Port Norris, on South Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore, the first weeks of spring have for well over a century marked the beginning of the annual oyster harvest, a time when the waters of the Maurice River burst to life with a commercial fleet eager for prosperous days ahead. But as the first few weeks of the season come to a close, Port Norris remains still, a sign of just how deep the COVID-19 pandemic has drilled into the state’s economy.
“It’s brought things to a halt,” said Steve Fleetwood, president of Bivalve Packing, South Jersey’s largest wild-caught oyster processor. Already, Fleetwood has had to lay off some of his roughly 20 employees, who, in a rural community as small as Port Norris, are friends and neighbors. “I hate to see people without jobs,” he continued. “Hopefully we can suck it up and wait it out.”
April 27, 2020 — The state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) authorised the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (Nyserda) to issue a new offshore wind solicitation for at least 1GW and up to 2.5GW.
The energy regulator has planned to issue the tender – which would be the US’ largest offshore wind auction to date – this summer, according to a petition filed with the PSC.
However, Nyserda has suspended its plans to hold the auction round indefinitely as government agencies prioritise New York’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
New York has recorded the highest number of cases and casualties in the US, according to statistics company Worldometer.
April 27, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Andy Kim (D-NJ):
Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) and Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03) demanded that the Trump Administration fairly and quickly distribute financial aid to the fishing industries in states like New Jersey that have incurred greater economic losses as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought requested the agencies distribute the financial assistance based on state-specific economic impacts of the pandemic. It was also signed by Senator Bob Menendez, Senator Cory Booker, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Congressman Bill Pascrell (NJ-09), Congressman Albio Sires (NJ-08), Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ-10), Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Congressman Tom Malinowski (NJ-07), Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), and Congressman Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02). Last month, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which allocated $300 million in fisheries assistance.
“The commercial and recreational fishing industry in our home state of New Jersey has felt the devastating economic impacts of the pandemic. The Trump Administration must swiftly make this financial assistance available to fishing communities and allocate it in a way that equitably accounts for the severe economic losses the hardest hit states have endured,” the letter states. “While many states with lower numbers of COVID-19 cases kept their commercial and recreational fisheries open or have already completed their most important fishing seasons of the year, the pandemic has left our fishing industry in dire financial straits.”
New Jersey’s commercial fishing industry generates over $8 billion annually supporting over 50,000 jobs and has one of the largest saltwater recreational fishing industries in the United States.
The letter is available here.
April 24, 2020 — In an interview with SeafoodSource, Blue Harvest President and CEO Keith Decker said the first employee tested positive on 14 April, having gone on medical leave on 3 April. A second employee tested positive 20 April in what Decker called an unrelated case. A third case is suspected but not confirmed, Decker said.
In response, Blue Harvest “immediately notified the city and Board of Health proactively,” Decker said.
“We have been in close contact throughout the week, and it’s standard protocol to notify the board of health if you have a positive diagnosis,” he said.
Blue Harvest had already arranged for a third-party contractor to sanitize the facility prior to the issuance of a cease and desist letter, and that cleaning took place Thursday, 23 April. The plant is scheduled to reopen on Monday, 27 April, Decker said.