Saving Seafood

Maine Department of Marine Resources Launches New Maine Seafood Brand Initiative

December 9, 2020 — The following was released by the Maine Department of Marine Resources:

The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), with support from Governor Janet Mills, is launching a branding and promotion initiative to celebrate Maine Seafood and to help consumers find and enjoy it in the comfort and safety of their home.

While rapidly changing seafood markets due to the coronavirus pandemic have posed challenges for seafood producers, retail seafood sales are up 35 percent compared to last year according to market research company Information Resources, Inc.

With $1,000,000 of the $20 million CARES Act relief funds allocated by NOAA for Maine’s commercial fishing and seafood industry, the Maine Seafood branding and promotion initiative will help this growing population of home-bound seafood enthusiasts discover the superior taste, quality and variety of seafood from Maine.

“Like producers across the globe, Maines seafood industry continues to face the challenge of rapidly changing markets,” said Maine Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher. “But this challenge also presents an opportunity. The Gulf of Maines cold, clean water is home to a wide variety of premium seafood products that are easy to prepare. The Maine Seafood branding and promotion initiative will help consumers learn about, find, and prepare Maine Seafood in their own kitchens.”

Maine’s seafood dealers and processors take great pride in delivering a variety of premium seafood products including inspired ready-to-cook offerings that take the worry out of meal preparation. Maine harvesters and aquaculturists are committed to responsible harvesting, cultivation, and handling practices, protecting both food quality and the marine environment.

“With more Maine people cooking from home, we have an opportunity to support Maines seafood industry by promoting the premium products we produce here at home,” said Governor Mills. “This initiative will support a vital sector of our states economy and connect consumers with high-quality seafood produced in the U.S. at a critical time.”

“When choosing Maine Seafood, consumers can trust that their seafood products, from shellfish to seaweed and halibut to haddock will be the highest quality, best tasting seafood on earth,” said Commissioner Keliher.

The initiative will emphasize the attributes that distinguish Maine Seafood, including the premium nature of the products, the pristine marine environment of the north Atlantic Ocean, and the industry’s passion for quality. A Maine Seafood website will feature a directory of Maine Seafood suppliers as well as inspired recipe ideas that make enjoying a Maine Seafood experience at home easy. Blog posts from influential food writers will drive consumer appreciation and demand for Maine Seafood. Social media accounts will allow foodies across the world to connect around their shared love of Maine Seafood. As the initiative moves forward, assets will be developed to support the industrys own marketing efforts. For a directory of Maine Seafood suppliers and easy, inspiring holiday and delicious holiday recipe inspiration visit www.SeafoodfromMaine.com.

Maine Department of Marine Resources launches seafood branding effort

December 9, 2020 — The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) has launched a new marketing effort intended to promote the state’s seafood products through a branding effort to boost sales for the industry.

The new launch establishes a seafood brand for the Northeast U.S. state, using USD 1 million (EUR 825,527) of the state’s allocated USD 20 million (EUR 16.5 million) in CARES Act relief funding. The initiative will emphasize the qualities distinguishing Maine seafood, and will use multiple media channels to reach food-oriented audiences, according to the Maine DMR.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Senators Push USDA to Buy More Seafood After COVID-19 Decimates Fisheries Sector

December 8, 2020 — Two senators are trying to help U.S. fisheries decimated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., on Friday requested the Government Accountability Office conduct a study to explore ways to ensure that American fisheries receive the expanded economic support they desperately need. The senators are asking for more seafood be purchased through the federal government purchases through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Procurement Program.

“The seafood industry is critical to local and regional economies across the country and is largely sustained by the sale of fresh product,” the senators’ letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro said. “Notably, more than 68 percent of the $102.2 billion that consumers paid for U.S. fishery products in 2017 was spent at food service establishments. Because of the coronavirus, this market evaporated, and the supply chain for fishermen and seafood processors was decimated.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

USDA extends sign-up period for Seafood Trade Relief Program

December 8, 2020 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a one-month extension to the signup period for the Seafood Trade Relief Program.

The program is designed to support the U.S. seafood industry by offsetting some of the impacts of retaliatory tariffs implemented by foreign governments. Thanks to the extension, impacted fishermen can now sign up for the program through 15 January, 2021.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Restaurant industry begs for help as second wave forces new shutdowns

December 8, 2020 — U.S. restaurant groups are urging Congress to provide immediate financial help for the hard-hit industry, as new dining restrictions are expected to increase financial burdens and cause more restaurants to close.

An estimated 110,000 restaurants have already closed their doors since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association. In November alone, food and beverage establishments lost 17,400 jobs – the first month since April the industry has lost jobs, according to new U.S. Department of Labor data.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Chinese market bans imported seafood, threatens fines for transgressors

December 8, 2020 — Seafood markets in one of China’s largest cities are barring vendors from selling or stocking imported seafood after a string of incidents in which the novel coronavirus was detected on foodstuffs of foreign origin.

Vendors at the Xin Zhu Que wholesale market, located in the northwesterly city of Xi’an, have signed a pledge not to bring imported product into the market or to sell it, with fines set at CNY 10,000 (USD 1,500, EUR 1,300) per 500 grams of product if found in possession of imported seafood. Copies of the declarations shared on Weibo suggest the declarations – signed and stamped by each vendor – have been drawn up by the managers of the market rather than any government authority.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

24 of 25 crewmembers aboard US Seafoods trawler test positive for COVID-19

December 7, 2020 — United States Seafoods had navigated the coronavirus pandemic with no cases on their vessels until last Thursday, 3 December, its last day of the season. The Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based company’s Legacy trawler pulled into Unalaska to wrap up perch fishing for the season when two people on board tested positive. Further testing by a local clinic found that 24 of the 25 people on the vessel had COVID-19.

A news release from the City of Unalaska said that all the crew members remained on board the 132-foot factory trawler, with the one person who tested negative separated from the rest.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

As COVID impacts continue to hurt US fisheries, CARES Act funding still stuck in limbo

December 7, 2020 — Almost exactly seven months after USD 300 million (EUR 247 million) in funds were released to U.S. fisheries through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), over one-third of the money slated for distribution hasn’t even had its method of distribution decided on.

The funds, released on 7 May, were announced by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for disbursement in state-by-state amounts. The funds were to be distributed through NOAA, with each state charged with creating and executing its own individual spend plan.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Pandemic prompts extension of crab-pot season in Virginia

December 4, 2020 — Regulators of Virginia’s fisheries have decided to extend the traditional crab pot season. And they say it shouldn’t have a big impact on the crab populations in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Virginian-Pilot reported Thursday that the Virginia Marine Resources Commission extended the crab pot season by 20 days, until Dec. 19. The goal is to make up for losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WTOP

WCPFC to consider rollover of tropical tuna measure in upcoming virtual meeting

December 4, 2020 — The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission will hold its regular annual session from 7 to 15 December, with the renewal of the tropical tuna measure on bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin billed as the main topic up for discussion.

The meeting, WCPFC17, has been complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced the commission to meet virtually, according to WCPFC Executive Director Feleti Teo.

Read the full story at Seafood Source