April 20, 2020 — Despite a Trump administration plan to gradually reopen restaurants in the United States, many foodservice owners and operators don’t believe they will last through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a new survey, nearly 80 percent of independent restaurant owners said that government stimulus assistance provided in the CARES Act will not prevent the nation’s 500,000 independent restaurants from shutting down permanently.
April 20, 2020 — Hawaii’s fishing industry is far from a comeback after the price of fish plummeted and the market crashed in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Many fishing boat captains have been forced to lay off crew members and keep their vessels docked until it is financially viable to return to the sea.
Each trip out costs money and the price of ahi is so low, many crews are actually losing money when they operate.
Prices have rebounded slightly, but they are nowhere close to what they used to be.
April 20, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council covered several important scallop-related issues during its April 14-15, 2020 meeting, which was held by webinar. Current COVID-19 restrictions on travel and public gatherings prevented the Council from meeting in person. Here’s a recap of the scallop highlights.
Amendment 21: The Council approved the range of alternatives that will be further analyzed for consideration in Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. This amendment is being developed to address:
April 20, 2020 — When the $350 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program ran out, many Maine fishermen were among those waiting in line. Congressional leaders are working on an agreement to be voted on this week that would reload those funds.
“I’m crossing my fingers that that will occur,” Senator Susan Collins told News 8 Sunday, after a conference call with lead negotiator on the talks, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
Sen. Collins said negotiations on roughly $350 billion in additional funding for the program she co-authored would continue Sunday night, ahead of votes in the Senate on Monday and the House on Tuesday.
“I strongly support adding more funding to the PPP and will keep pushing to make sure the process is fair, clear, and efficient,” Sen. Angus King said in a statement Sunday.
Sen. Collins says she hopes to extend application deadlines in the new agreement beyond the current date of June 30th, because some who were self-employed had to wait.
“The Small Business Administration, which is not used to dealing with people who are self-employed, had them wait an extra week,” Sen. Collins said. “And thus, by the time many of the fishermen or carpenters or plumbers or hair stylists in our state applied, the money was out.”
April 20, 2020 — Man cannot live on takeout alone and, at some point, even the most stove-averse Long Islanders are going to have to start cooking. The good news is that some big-time restaurant suppliers, in an effort to shore up their flagging business, are now delivering to regular folks. Many local food purveyors are ramping up or initiating takeout services so you don’t have to go to the market, and some enterprising restaurants and caterers are even getting into the grocery game. In general, these companies offer quicker and more dependable delivery than regular supermarkets whose stock must be ordered through Instacart. But they are all overburdened in this new age of takeout so be prepared to be patient.
Baldor Specialty Foods: You’ve been eating Baldor provisions for decades without knowing it: it is one of the Northeast’s largest wholesale importers and distributors of fresh produce and specialty foods, a staple supplier of fine restaurants and markets. Now Baldor is making its vast inventory of specialty food available directly to consumers. All the staples are here, as well as foie gras, fiddlehead ferns and beef cheeks and pretty much anything you have ever eaten. Free delivery to all of Long Island with a $250 minimum. More info: baldorfood.com
The Chef’s Warehouse: One of the tristate region’s leading food service suppliers is now offering you 10-packs of frozen Neapolitan pizzas, 1-pound cans of jumbo lump crab meat, 5-liter tubs of gelato plus meats, produce, dairy and grocery items. Delivery takes up to four business days; trucks come to Long Island on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; free delivery for orders over $250 ($35 fee for smaller orders). More info: chefswarehouse.com
DiCarlo Foods (1630 N. Ocean Ave., Holtsville): You’ve probably seen DiCarlo’s trucks on Long Island’s roads and highways. The Holtsville-based company, founded in 1963, is one of the metropolitan area’s largest food distributors, supplying restaurants, pizzerias, hotels and institutions. But attached to the 5-million cubic-foot warehouse is a “Cash & Carry” open to the public that carries a wide range of fresh, frozen and packaged foods. Home delivery is available as well. More info: 631-758-6000, dicarlofood.com
April 20, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
Consistent with the agency’s emergency rule on observer waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic and under the authority granted to the Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator at 50 CFR Part 648.11(c), NOAA Fisheries is extending the waiver granted to vessels with Greater Atlantic Region fishing permits to carry human observers or at-sea monitors for an additional two weeks, through May 2, 2020.
NOAA Fisheries will continue to monitor and evaluate this situation. As we have done in other parts of the country, we will use this time to work with the observer service providers to implement adjustments to the logistics of deploying observers, ensuring qualified observers or at-sea monitors are available as soon as safely possible.
Observers and at-sea monitors are an essential component of commercial fishing operations and provide critical information that is necessary to keep fisheries open and to provide sustainable seafood to our nation during this time. We will continue to monitor all local public health notifications, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updates. We are committed to protecting the public health and ensuring the safety of fishermen, observers, and others, while fulfilling our mission to maintain our nation’s seafood supply and conserving marine life.
April 17, 2020 — Members of Florida’s Congressional Delegation sent a letter to the U.S. Commerce Department seeking help for the fishing industry.
Sens. Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and 25 Florida members of Congress signed onto the request for aid.
“Florida’s fishing industries have experienced several crises in recent years. Impacts from Hurricanes Irma and Michael, major fish kills caused by harmful algal blooms, significant habitat loss in the Florida Reef Tract due to coral bleaching and disease, and massive seagrass die offs in many of our state’s estuaries have taken their toll,” the letter reads.
“Even for those businesses who have endured these events, the economic crisis we face today as a result of the pandemic may prove fatal without your assistance.”
All members of the state Delegation signed the letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross except Tallahassee Democrat Al Lawson and Dover Republican Ross Spano.
April 17, 2020 — Alaska’s seafood processing and harvesting sectors are preparing covid-19 emergency plans as some of the state’s fishing hubs attempt to enact their own guidelines before workers begin to arrive for the summer harvest season.
The state requires fishermen and businesses supported by workers arriving in the state to submit a travel plan or protocol for maintaining critical infrastructure to akcovidplans@ak-prepared.com. The plan should outline how they will avoid:
April 17, 2020 — The Florida delegation on Capitol Hill is urging the U.S. Commerce Department to quickly move to distribute funds from the $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus enacted at the end of last month to help the fishing business.
As part of the stimulus package, $300 million was included to help fisheries and Florida’s two senators–Republican U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott–and 25 of the state’s 27 members of the U.S. House sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Sec. Wilbur Ross on the matter on Wednesday.
“Florida’s recreational and commercial fishing industries are critically important to Florida’s tourism-based economy, as well as for the state and nation’s food security and have been hit especially hard during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rubio’s office noted.
The Florida delegation also called on Ross to work U.S. Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue “ to expand seafood commodity purchases for nutrition programs, take further action to guide Florida’s fishing communities to new resources such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and expedite consideration of the State of Florida’s pending Fisheries Disaster Declaration request related to severe red tide events which occurred between 2015 and 2019.”
April 17, 2020 — State fisheries managers insist it is too early to close commercial salmon fisheries to prevent the spread of COVID-19 despite growing concerns from many in small communities about the coming influx of seasonal workers.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang said in an interview that he is certainly aware of the issues that could arise from holding spring and summer salmon fisheries that start next month as everyone also attempts to limit the spread of the disease, but he stressed state officials are drafting plans to provide extra protection to local residents and fisheries workers.
He also noted that salmon is just one sector of the state’s diverse and year-round fishing industry.
“I think people are wondering whether we’re going to have fisheries; I think they forget that we actually have a lot of fisheries in the water right now and we’re geared up to manage those,” Vincent-Lang said.
In addition to numerous federally managed fisheries, commercial boats are currently targeting crab, halibut, rockfish, pollock, Pacific cod and other species in state waters.