Saving Seafood

PFMC: Salmon hearings will be conducted via webinar only

March 17, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

Due to public health concerns related to COVID19 the Pacific Fishery Management Council will be conducting the following Salmon hearings via webinar only.

We recognize these meetings are typically held in person, but given the circumstances we feel the webinar platform is the best way to proceed. We appreciate your patience and flexibility.

The links below will take you to the specific meeting information participation:

Attendee instructions:

A few days in advance of the meeting, please reference the following materials and video to practice joining the meeting. This is to ensure your ability to participate, as troubleshooting moments before the meeting will be difficult.

Alternative ways to provide public comment:

Public comment is also being accepted through March 27th at 5pm via our E-Portal. Agenda Item E.1 is the most appropriate for Salmon alternatives adopted in March.

April Council Meeting Will Be Conducted By Webinar Only

March 17, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Due to public health concerns related to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s April meeting will be conducted by webinar only. This webinar-based meeting replaces the in-person meeting previously scheduled to be held in Galloway, New Jersey. Because of the revised format, several non-essential agenda items have been postponed, and the meeting has been shortened to occur over two days (April 7-8). A revised agenda and webinar connection information are available at http://www.mafmc.org/briefing/april-2020.

We will make every effort to accommodate oral public comments during the meeting. However, we strongly encourage members of the public to submit written comments in advance to be included in the briefing book. Comments may be submitted using our online comment form or via mail, email, or fax (instructions and comment deadlines are available here).

Potential meeting participants and members of the public are encouraged to check the Council’s website frequently for information and updates.

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo, msabo@mafmc.org, (302) 518-1143.

ASMFC Spring Meeting – Cancelled

March 17, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission leadership has decided to cancel its Spring Meeting (May 4- 7) in Arlington, VA. This action is taken in response to the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cancel or postpone gatherings of 50 people or more over the next eight weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of the cancellation, our August Meeting may be extended to 4 days (August 3-6) and Commissioners and proxies are being asked to keep their calendars open for May 5 & 6 in order to conduct any necessary Commission or species management board business via webinars/conference calls. The details of any scheduled webinars will be announced as they become available.

The Commission’s Spring Meeting agenda included a number of important issues.  Commission staff, Board Chairs, and Commission leadership will develop plans to address each of the agenda items.  It is anticipated that non-urgent items will be postponed until the Summer Meeting, and items that require action prior to August will either be handled through via webinars/conference calls or through email votes, depending on stakeholder interest. Conducting meetings via webinars/conference calls makes public comment somewhat difficult. Therefore, members of the public are encouraged to submit comments in advance of a meeting to be included in briefing materials.

Hawaii Longline Fishery Producing Fresh Seafood for Hawaii Food Security

March 17, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and Hawaii Longline Association:

Due to COVID-19 impacts, local food security, self-sufficiency and access to healthy food and fish are increasingly important. Hawaii longline vessels are positioned to continue supplying fish to Hawaii restaurant and retail markets for local Hawaii consumption during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The Hawaii longline fishery is the largest food producing industry in the State of Hawaii. The fishery is comprised of 150 active vessels supplying highly monitored fresh, ice-chilled fish to Hawaii and US mainland markets.

The Hawaii longline fishery is considered globally as a golden standard in tuna fisheries, with robust management measures and strict monitoring and enforcement.

Hawaii residents consume seafood at twice the national average, as fish is culturally important to Hawaii’s diverse communities.

According to HLA Executive Director Eric Kingma, PhD, “The Hawaii Longline Association [HLA] is working with government officials, restaurants, and retail outlets to ensure that Hawaii consumers continue to be supplied with safe, high-quality, healthy seafood products caught by Hawaii longline vessels.”

For further information, contact Kingma at (808) 389-2653 or Eric.K.Kingma@gmail.com.

Wholesale fish prices drop as restaurants cut back

March 17, 2020 — Prices for lobsters and other fish are seeing sharp drops as export markets see declines and restaurants have cut back on orders as customers hunker down amid the coronavirus outbreak, Long Island fish dealers say.

Meanwhile, the decision to limit restaurants and bars to delivery and takeout only is rippling across the wholesale fish market, leading one large East End fish seller to tell local baymen to stop fishing altogether until demand catches up with supply.

The wholesale price for lobsters, normally anywhere from $12 to $15 a pound this time of year, have fallen under $8, dealers say. Other normally pricey fish such as tuna and swordfish are also taking a dive, as restaurants in New York City cut back on orders because of stay-at-home customers, or city residents who have left to summer homes in the Hamptons.

If there’s any silver lining right now, said Nino Locascio, co-owner of Mastic Seafood in Mastic, it’s the walk-in retail market in Suffolk, where business has remained brisk. He also sells wholesale to local restaurants, and that business is down “dramatically,” he said.

Read the full story at Newsday

FishOn: Virus impacts fish-related events

March 16, 2020 — The event closures, postponements and cancellations flooded into the news at the end of last week and the reality of life in the time of novel coronavirus was driven home with extreme prejudice. The far-flung FishOn staff seems to be holding up well in these early days of the burgeoning public health crisis and we hope the same for you and yours. By now, surely you know the drill. Go wash something.

There were a few fishing-related events — some of which we’d already advanced in the pages of the Gloucester Daily Times and on our online platform, gloucestertimes.com — that have been impacted and may have escaped your notice:

* NOAA Fisheries canceled the scoping meetings for revisions to the management plan for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary that were scheduled last week at the New England Aquarium and Maritime Gloucester on Harbor Loop, and this Wednesday, March 18, at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. NOAA said it is organizing an online meeting via webinar for later in March. More details to come.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Coronavirus increasingly impacting Scotland’s salmon exports

March 16, 2020 — The controls that have been imposed in various markets to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have made it difficult for some of Scotland’s salmon exporters to get products to customers, and the trade situation is likely to deteriorate before improvements are seen, the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) has said.

U.S. President Donald Trump extended a European travel ban to include the United Kingdom and Ireland on Saturday, 14 March. Cargo remains exempt from the ban, but the number of trans-Atlantic flights has dropped as a result, significantly reducing bellyhold cargo capacity from the market, according to Air Cargo News.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Everything You Need To Know About The Coronavirus And Seafood Safety

March 16, 2020 — The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is affecting industries worldwide, and seafood is no exception. With high anxiety and fear surrounding the virus, misinformation can spread quickly as everyone tries to make sense of a rapid change of lifestyle. Here’s what you need to know about how the coronavirus affects seafood safety, according to public health professionals.

There is no evidence suggesting that the coronavirus can be spread through food products or food packaging

As of now, there’s no evidence of COVID-19 transmission through food. According to the FDA regarding the safety of consumer products: “Again, we want to reassure the public that at this time there is no evidence that food or food packaging have been associated with transmission and no reason to be concerned”.

The source of the virus is still unknown

According to the World Health Organization, there have been no confirmed animal sources of COVID-19. According to the most recent situation report from March 14th, the virus does have a live animal source, but that source is unknown at this time. However the WHO does offer the following advice as a precaution: “when visiting live animal markets, avoid direct contact with animals and surfaces in contact with animals” They advise to use good food safety practices at all times and to “handle raw meat, milk or animal organs with care to avoid contamination of uncooked foods and avoid consuming raw or undercooked animal products”. These precautions do not differ from normal food safety precautions.

Additionally, the WHO states that receiving packages from an area where COVID-19 has been reported is safe: “The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low”.

Read the full story at Forbes

The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America – 15 Days to Slow the Spread

March 16, 2020 — The following was released by The White House:

Today, the White House released: The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America – 15 Days to Slow the Spread. Guidelines can be found below.

  1. Listen to and follow the directions of your state and local authorities.
  2. If you feel sick, stay home. Do not go to work. Contact your medical provider.
  3. If your children are sick, keep them at home. Do not send them to school. Contact your medical provider.
  4. If someone in your household has tested positive for the coronavirus, keep the entire household at home. Do not go to work. Do not go to school. Contact your medical provider.
  5. If you are an older person, stay home and away from other people.
  6. If you are a person with a serious underlying health condition that can put you at increased risk (for example, a condition that impairs your lung or heart function or weakens your immune system), stay home and away from other people.
  7. Even if you are young, or otherwise healthy, you are at risk and your activities can increase the risk for others. It is critical that you do your part to stop the spread of the coronavirus:
    • Work or engage in schooling from home whenever possible.
    • If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, such as healthcare services and pharmaceutical and food supply, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule. You and your employers should follow CDC guidance to protect your health at work.
    • Avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people.
    • Avoid eating or drinking in bars, restaurants, and food courts – use drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options.
    • Avoid discretionary travel, shopping trips, and social visits.
    • Do not visit nursing homes or retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance.
    • Practice good hygiene:
      • Wash your hands, especially after touching any frequently used item or surface.
      • Avoid touching your face.
      • Sneeze or cough into a tissue, or the inside of your elbow.
      • Disinfect frequently used items and surfaces as much as possible.

For more information, click here.

Coronavirus takes a toll on the Maine lobster industry

March 16, 2020 — As of 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15, seven Maine residents have been confirmed positive and five others are presumed positive for the coronavirus, according to the state. Click here for the latest coronavirus news, which the BDN has made free for the public. You can support this mission by purchasing a digital subscription.

Maine’s first probable case of the new coronavirus was only diagnosed on Thursday, but the global pandemic has already left its mark on the Maine lobster industry in the form of shrinking demand and dropping prices.

Unfortunately, there’s no end in sight to the economic disruption caused by the virus, according to Annie Tselikis, the executive director of the Maine Lobster Dealers’ Association.

“The market situation right now is real. There is not a lot of demand,” she said Friday. “You’re seeing this across all commodities. It’s not just lobster. It’s not just seafood. Uncertainty is challenging for any industry and any movement of goods.”

Problems stemming from coronavirus seemed to begin in January, after the spread of the virus paused Canadian charter flights to Asia during a time that is usually very busy for lobster sales because of Chinese New Year celebrations, according to Bloomberg News. Because of that, thousands of pounds of unsold lobster flooded North American markets, causing wholesale prices to drop.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News