Saving Seafood

Massachusetts Makes Millions More Available in Aid for Fishing Industry

July 26, 2021 — As the hard-hit Massachusetts fishing industry work to get back on its feet from the pandemic, the state Division of Marine Fisheries announced last week the release of another $23.8 million in CARES act money to assist with recovery efforts.

Grant applications have gone out to seafood processors, commercial fishermen, shellfish farmers, and for-hire recreational vessel owners, Gov. Charlie Baker said in announcing the second round of funding.

“The fishing and seafood industries are integral parts of the economy, history, and culture of Massachusetts, and have suffered significant losses during the Covid-19 pandemic,” the governor said. “We were pleased to coordinate the distribution of $28 million through the CARES Act last year and our administration remains dedicated to supporting these industries with this second round of federal relief funding.”

Four months ago the U.S. Secretary of Commerce announced an additional $255 million in fisheries assistance funding for states with coastal and marine fisheries negatively affected by Covid-19. Massachusetts received the third-highest allocation, after Alaska and Washington state.

Speaking to the Gazette by phone last week, Dan McKiernan, director of DMF, said Island seafood markets, charter and party boat operators, commercial oyster farmers, shellfishermen and commercial fishermen are all potential grant recipients. All were hit hard in the pandemic’s earliest months.

Read the full story at the Vineyard Gazette

North Carolina commercial fishermen landed less seafood in 2020

July 23, 2021 — Commercial fishermen sold nearly 20% less fish and shellfish to North Carolina seafood dealers in 2020, a decline from the previous year that’s being blamed on the state’s stay-at-home order brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, a state agency said Friday.

A news release from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries says commercial fishermen sold 42.9 million pounds of fish and shellfish last year, a 19% decline from 2019 and about a 23% decrease from the previous five-year average.

The decline was linked to a 41.3% decrease in hard blue crab landings from 2019 that may have been partly due to impacts from COVID-19. The division said it heard from several fishermen who said they found it difficult to move blue crabs at the beginning of the state’s stay-at-home order when many restaurants were closed.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Massachusetts Begins Sending Out Applications For Round 2 of Cares Act Fisheries Relief Funding

July 22, 2021 — Almost four months after the U.S. Secretary of Commerce announced the additional allocation of $255 million in fisheries assistance funding through the CARES Act, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is just starting the process of distributing the funds.

Massachusetts received the third largest amount in funding, having been allocated $23,632,530 for fisheries assistance.

Read the full story at Seafood News

California Current Fish Surveys Resume with 3-Month Assessment of Sardine, Anchovy, and Mackerel

July 22, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries has begun an ambitious assessment of small pelagic fish reaching from the Canadian border to the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, in cooperation with Mexico, which will help determine how many fish can be caught off the West Coast.

The COVID-19 pandemic had idled surveys for sardine, anchovy, and other species of small coastal pelagic species (CPS) off the West Coast since 2019. Small pelagic species are important ecologically and provide food for larger fish, such as tunas. The new assessment resumes regular CPS  surveys by collecting data from NOAA Ship Reuben Lasker, commercial fishing vessels equipped with acoustic technology, and autonomous Saildrones.

The Lasker left San Diego on July 6, becoming the centerpiece of the 3-month survey. It will cover thousands of miles in U.S., and Mexican waters. NOAA Fisheries scientists are coordinating efforts with federal fisheries agencies in Mexico and Canada, providing a science foundation for future decisions on fishing levels and seasons.

“Organizing and coordinating this survey was a tremendous feat of collaboration,” said Kristen Koch, Director of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, which is leading the survey. “Collecting data across all three countries will provide a valuable foundation for management of these important transboundary species.”

The Lasker will survey coastal pelagic fish along transects in the California Current, quantifying the fish with echosounders. These instruments include an advanced new model that can for the first time also measure the velocities of fish as they swim relative to the ship. The measurements will help to understand whether and how fish respond to survey vessels and if those reactions affect the quality of data on the numbers and distributions of fish.

Read the full release here

Northeast US fisheries observer waiver fully ends

July 22, 2021 — An ongoing waiver of observer coverage for vessels in the U.S. Northeast has been terminated as COVID-19-related restrictions abate.

NOAA Fisheries initially released the observer waiver in June for vessels if an observer or monitor that is either fully vaccinated or has quarantined for the requisite amount of time is available. That waiver was put into place in March 2020 as COVID-19 became an increasing concern.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Seafood Expo Global set to revive global in-person industry events

July 22, 2021 — Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global is set to take place on 26 to 28 April, 2022, in Barcelona, Spain – the first time the event will be held in Spain and the first event since COVID-19 forced event closures in 2020.

According to even organizer Diversified Communications, participants that have already signed up for the event are looking forward to resuming shows as a means of strengthening business relations with partners. [Editor’s note: Diversified Communications also owns and operates SeafoodSource].

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Massachusetts urges fishing industry to apply for $24M in virus aid

July 21, 2021 — Massachusetts’ fishing industry is being urged to apply for nearly $24 million in federal coronavirus relief funds.

Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration said Tuesday that commercial fishermen, shellfish farmers and seafood processors, and for-hire recreational vessel owners are eligible for the aid through $2.2 trillion stimulus bill passed by Congress last year.

Baker said the funds are meant to mitigate losses incurred last year when demand for seafood and for-hire fishing services declined.

“The fishing industry was particularly hard hit during the pandemic, with very limited exports of seafood and a big downturn in restaurant sales,” said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said in a statement. “The distribution of an additional $23.8 million will give needed relief to fishermen and fishing related businesses who have been severely impacted by the pandemic.”

Read the full story at the Associated Press

MASSACHUSETTS: Applications open for second round of COVID-19 fisheries relief

July 21, 2021 — The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries mailed applications to seafood processers, wholesalers, commercial fishermen and aquaculture farmers on Tuesday — officially opening the state’s second round of CARES Act relief for fisheries.

The funds are intended to mitigate the financial impacts on marine fisheries participants that suffered more than a 35% loss of revenue due to the pandemic.

“Things are definitely recovering, we’re seeing high prices for many shellfish species, finfish, lobster, scallops,” said DMF Director Daniel McKiernan. “There’s a lot of demand for seafood right now so 2021 is looking like a really great year for the industry, but there’s still deficits from what happened last year that these funds will help mitigate.”

This may be the last chance for fisheries to get major COVID-19 relief funds. McKiernan said he wasn’t aware of any state or federal relief planned beyond this round.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

RICK GAFFNEY: Support Small Fishermen By Making It Easier To Buy Fresh Off The Boat

July 19, 2021 — The pandemic changed many things in Hawaii, including access to fresh fish. The swift departure of hundreds of thousands of tourists and the consequent closure of many hotels and restaurants eliminated the bulk of the demand for fresh fish literally overnight.

One major fish wholesaler resorted to curbside sales at Pier 38 in Honolulu Harbor just to keep the lights on, and some large commercial fishing vessel owners shut down to avoid their extensive costs of operation.

Creative solutions for distribution quickly surfaced. Community Supported Agriculture — direct purchasing between consumer and farmer — began flourishing in communities across the state, offering a model for fisheries. Local IA on Oahu, a self-described community supported fishery, provided a direct link for fresh, locally caught seafood.

Roadside fish sales proliferated on all the islands, and fresh fish retailers who could keep their doors open while meeting COVID-19 restrictions engaged long-standing relationships with fishermen to assure that preferred local seafoods were available.

A new app called FishLine — created specifically to help consumers find fresh fish directly from fishermen at no cost to either — also surfaced. FishLine was introduced on the Big Island by the Hawaii Fishing and Boating Association.

Read the full opinion piece at the Honolulu Civil Beat