Saving Seafood

Horseshoe crabs have a vital role in the development of a coronavirus vaccine. Here’s why

September 22, 2020 — Allen Burgenson had a job, his father explained as they stood on the sand.

This was Allen’s first fishing trip, but he wasn’t going to take anything from the bay. He was to return the water’s gifts to the deep, where they’d belonged for hundreds of millions of years.

If he spotted a horseshoe crab on its back, his father said as he held Allen’s hand, that meant it was in trouble and needed Allen’s help to get home. Allen just had to flip it over. Its 10 legs could make it the rest of the way back to the crashing waves.

Allen did just that on that day in 1963 in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, when he was 3 years old. That’s what he still does today. Whenever Burgenson enjoys a stroll along the East Coast, he is still a lookout for the stranded sea creature that’s unlike anything else on the planet.

In 1963, Burgenson didn’t know that inside each of those ancient animals he saved was something that would help save millions of us during his lifetime.

In 2020, the horseshoe crab is poised to assume a vital role in a drug the whole world awaits, a COVID-19 vaccine.

Read the full story at USA Today

Alaska Symphony of Seafood rescheduled to 2021

September 22, 2020 — The Alaska Symphony of Seafood, scheduled to be held this November, has been postponed until spring 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release from the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF), which organizes the event.

The program has been hosted since 1994 and allows Alaskan value-added seafood products to compete against each other, which “encourages companies to invest in product development, helps them promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska Seafood in national and global markets.” A call for products will be reissued early next year.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

JIM HUTCHINSON JR: What I’m Reading

September 22, 2020 — I received a regular email update (Atlantic Coast Fisheries News) from the ASMFC Communications Team on August 26th which contained an interesting section called What We’re Reading featuring links to various online articles that ASMFC staff finds interesting in their daily work.  You tell me if these stories are in any way related to bunker, shad, stripers or tautog. There’s a Wildlife Conservation Society story about statues at the Central Park Zoo in New York City, an appeal by Ocean Conservancy about COVID-19’s effect on marine sciences with instructions on “writing to your representatives” and a link to something called The Revelator about “The 10 Hottest Climate Change Books of Summer.”

ASMFC staff suggests an article from the NY Times entitled “Why Some Tropical Fish Are Gettin’ Squiggly With It” and another from the British tabloid The Guardian about visiting California’s Monterey Bay aquarium via the web.  There’s also a piece from the Canadian based publication Hakai about British Columbia fish farming, as well as a Mother Jones hit piece through a Seattle based non-profit called Grist about President Trump, Kanye West and the greater sage-grouse.

But from a private sector perspective, if you run a widget factory and learn your staff spends a good portion of their work day catching up on the NY Times best seller list or reading up on the indigenous people of Bolivia as spotlighted in the September 3 edition of Atlantic Coast Fisheries News, what exactly would you do?

Read the full opinion piece at The Fisherman

Fishermen struggle amid COVID, lockdown

September 21, 2020 — Ken Concepcion and Mariano Torres busily packed their equipment into a loaded pickup truck late Friday morning, preparing to leave the Hagåtña boat basin after having spent the early morning fishing. Concepcion had just made a $27 sale at the Guam Fishermen’s Co-op. It was his second sale for the week. On Wednesday, the last time he’d gone fishing, Concepcion managed to make about $60.

“That’s $30 for gas … then you got the bait, the ice and drinks. It comes down to just break even or at a minus,” Concepcion said.

Fishing has essentially become Concepcion’s main source of income since he was furloughed from his job at the Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort. It has proven difficult, however, as pandemic restrictions have made selling his catches more challenging.

Smaller markets are no longer as easy to sell to, since a lot of them have shut down, either due to safety concerns or financial issues, Concepcion said. There’s also competition from other fishermen to consider. Concepcion said he counts himself lucky that the co-op is still buying.

Read the full story at The Guam Daily Post

Chinese Customs finds traces of COVID-19 on Indonesian, Russian seafood packaging

September 21, 2020 — China’s Customs authorities have announced the discovery of traces of COVID-19 on the packaging of seafood originating from Indonesia and Russia.

A shipment of frozen hairtail shipped by Medan City, Indonesia-based Pt. Putri Indah was held by the General Administration of Customs after its packaging was found to contain traces of the novel coronavirus. In response, China has announced that imports from the firm will be barred for a week, according to the Announcement No. 103 from the Chinese Customs Administration.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NEFMC September 29-October 1, 2020 – By Webinar – Listen Live, View Documents

September 21, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold a three-day meeting by webinar from Tuesday, September 29 through Thursday, October 1, 2020.  The public is invited to listen live and provide input during designated opportunities for public comment.  The Council still cannot hold a large, in-person meeting due to indoor gathering limitations, travel restrictions, and public safety considerations associated with the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic.

START TIME:  9:00 a.m. on Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.  The webinar will end shortly after the Council adjourns each day.

WEBINAR REGISTRATION:  Online access to the meeting is available at Listen Live.  There is no charge to access the meeting through this webinar.

  • Here are instructions in the Remote Participation Guide for successfully joining and participating in the webinar.
  • THIS IS KEY!  If you want to speak during opportunities for public comment, you need to: (1) register for the webinar; and (2) actually “join” the webinar.  People who call in by telephone without joining the webinar will be in listen-only mode.  Those who take both steps – register and then join the webinar – will see the meeting screen and be able to click on a “raise hand” button, which will let the meeting organizer know you want to be unmuted to speak.
  • We have a Help Desk in case you get stuck joining the webinar or have trouble along the way.  Phone numbers are listed on the Help Desk Poster, or just email helpdesk@nefmc.org.  We’ll get right back to you.

WEBINAR CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (631) 992-3221.  The access code is 352-930-778.  Please be aware that if you dial in, your regular phone charges will apply.

AGENDA:  All meeting materials and the agenda are available on the Council’s website at NEFMC September 29-October 1, 2020 Webinar Meeting.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.

JOIN THE USITC ROUNDTABLE:  At 6:00 p.m. or shortly following the close of Council business on Tuesday, September 29, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) will host a virtual roundtable to gather input from New England fishermen and other industry stakeholders on two topics:

  • The impacts of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the U.S. fishing industry; and
  • The impacts of seafood imports on U.S. products and markets.
All stakeholders are encouraged to join the discussion.  No preregistration is needed.  Just join HERE.  Additional information can be found in the USITC roundtable flyer.

COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at the New England Council’s webinar meeting is Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 8:00 a.m.

THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is available HERE.

HAPPENING THIS WEEK! COMMITTEE AND ADVISORY PANEL MEETING LINEUP:  Here’s what’s on the calendar leading up to the Council meeting.  Details are available at each respective link.

Maine lobstermen to harvest $50 million windfall

September 18, 2020 — A wave of government money is heading toward local fishermen hurt by trade wars and COVID-19, and officials say it will arrive sometime in November.

The Trump administration announced on September 9 that Maine lobstermen will receive $50 million because they’ve been hurt by the 25 percent tariffs China slapped on lobster in July 2018. The program pays 50 cents for every pound of lobster landed in 2019, up to $250,000 per person.

“I’m happy the boats got their relief, but the timing is suspect,” said Travis Fifield, Stonington lobster dealer, in an interview. Only fishermen, and no one else in the supply chain, will get part of that $50 million, Fifield said.

The announcement follows the European Union’s decision in late August to drop its tariff on U.S. lobsters for five years. Local seafood dealers have said that will help the lobster industry.

Another $20 million in federal money will be distributed to a broad swath of Maine’s fishing industry, including lobstermen, processors, aquaculturists and dealers. Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Commissioner Patrick Kelliher said in a memo he hopes the checks are mailed in November. That money, which comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was authorized by Congress under the CARES Act in the spring. To get the money, people have to show they’ve suffered a 35 percent drop in income because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full story at the Penobscot Bay Press

Cooperative Research Key to Successful Start of Annual Bottomfish Survey in Hawaiʻi

September 18, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting many aspects of our lives and has increased pressure on the local Hawaiian fishing community. During these challenging times, we are relying on our ten-year cooperative research partnership with the local fishing community to continue survey operations critical to fishery management. The annual Bottomfish Fishery-Independent Survey in Hawaiʻi (#BFISH) became operational in 2016. It has provided important local abundance estimates used in the Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Stock Assessment.

One difference between BFISH and many of our other research missions is its foundational partnership with the local fishing community. In addition to work done from the NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette, local bottomfishers typically conduct two-thirds of the overall sampling effort. They use up to six commercial fishing vessels distributed among the main eight Hawaiian islands. These cooperative research fishers are contracted through Lynker Technologies and the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group. They conduct hook-and-line sampling using a design developed in partnership with PIFSC scientists. This year, they have stepped up to the plate and are conducting 100 percent of the sampling.

These small, open-deck fishing vessels are crewed by only a few people. They are a safer alternative to larger platforms, such as NOAA ships. All parties are following Center for Disease Control-recommended precautions to make sampling as safe as possible. Most of the vessels will be operating to and from neighbor islands, where COVID cases remain lower than in more populated regions. All crew members conduct self-evaluations with temperature checks each morning and wear masks at all times.

While our partnership with the local community has always been important, this year it has been critical to the continued success of the survey. Research fishing operations began in mid-August 2020 and will run through the end of November. Research fishers are conducting hook-and-line sampling at 453 locations across the main Hawaiian islands. They will be deploying the MOUSS stereo-video camera system at 47 locations around Oʻahu and Penguin Bank.

Read the full release here

ASMFC 79th Annual Meeting Webinar Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

September 18, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Usually, this time of year we are in the final stages of preparing for our Annual Meeting, which is hosted by one of our 15 member states. It is a special meeting, where our Commissioners and federal partners come together to not only conduct important fisheries management business, but also celebrate our collective and, in the case of the Captain David H. Hart Award recipient, individual contributions to the sustainable and cooperative management of Atlantic coastal fisheries. This year, the Annual Meeting was scheduled to be held in New Jersey but continuing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic and prohibitions on large gatherings resulted in us making the difficult choice of postponing the in-person meeting until next year and shifting to a virtual meeting this year.  Notably, this is the first time since 1942 that the Commission will not meet in-person for an Annual Meeting.

In light of this, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Annual Meeting Webinar will be held October 19-22, 2020. The preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines, which follow, are also available on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-annual-meeting-webinar. The final agenda, meeting materials and webinar details will be available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-annual-meeting-webinar by October 7th.

We look forward to meeting with you at the 79th Annual Meeting Webinar.

Hawaii’s fishing industry faces lasting impacts as pandemic drags on

September 18, 2020 — With restaurants and hotels shut down, Hawaii is seeing a shortage of fish that is impacting the price of popular products like ahi and could have lasting effects on the industry.

“The boats are going out on fewer trips. They are carrying a lot less weight than usual because of all that’s happening,” said Long Tran, as he watched a load of tuna come off the boat Tuesday morning at Pier 38.

Tran buys fish for Poke by the Pound and says the price fluctuates naturally with the seasons.

He said the pandemic will likely have lasting consequences for the industry.

Ultimately, those changes will affect his bottom line.

“The fish is going to continue to be in shortage, but we will be running in the red all the time, so we will basically have to call our fish vendors out to do what they can for us,” Tran said.

Fresh Island Fish owns their own vessels and their fish goes directly to their plant. That product goes straight to the restaurants and to the customers.

Read the full story at Hawaii News Now