Saving Seafood

Sustainable seafood sales reached an all-time high as shoppers cooked at home in 2020-21

October 4, 2021 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The momentum behind the sustainable seafood movement continues to grow, according to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the international not for profit responsible for the world’s most widely used sustainable seafood ecolabel. Despite disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, consumers bought record numbers of products with the blue MSC label in 2020-21.  

The new figures released today as part of the MSC’s annual report show that the volume of independently certified sustainable seafood sold with the MSC label increased nearly 6% between April 2020 and March 2021. In total 1,267,000 tonnes of MSC labelled seafood were sold globally, compared with 1,197,000 tonnes the year before.  

Types of seafood popular during Covid-19 lockdowns saw some of the biggest rises. Sales of frozen seafood products with the MSC label grew by 26% – the largest increase overall. While sales of MSC labelled canned fish rose by close to 4% globally, driven in part by a 50% year-on-year increase in sales of MSC labelled tuna products, putting global sales on course to reach 110,000 tonnes a year. 

Driving these increases is a growing consumer awareness of the need to protect our oceans [1], coupled with changes in shopping habits during the pandemic and growing commitments to sustainability from seafood brands. The US in particular saw a 54% increase in sales of MSC labelled sustainable seafood on the back of growing commitments from brands and retailers including Walmart. 

Increases in the availability and sales of sustainable seafood products have been supported by growth in supply. The report shows that despite massive disruptions to their operations, more fisheries and supply chain organisations became certified to catch and handle MSC certified seafood in 2020-21. The number of MSC certified fisheries increased to 421, now collectively responsible for 14% of all wild marine catch.  The year also saw a 5% increase in the number of organisations, such as supermarkets, restaurants, processors, distributors and warehouses, certified to  handle, process and package MSC certified seafood [2]. Worldwide, these organisations now operate in more than 46,200 sites. 

Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the Marine Stewardship Council, said: “The growth of the MSC’s program against the backdrop of the pandemic is a sign of the strength of the sustainable seafood movement. Despite the unprecedented challenges, more fisheries have become certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard, more brands are making bold commitments and more consumers continue to buy sustainably sourced fish.   

“But the challenges are growing. Too many governments continue to put short-term interests before sustainability. And globally the level of overfishing continues to rise. Institutional inertia is out of step with growing public activism around the oceans. The pandemic has heightened awareness of the need to protect our valuable natural resources. We’re calling on governments to seize this moment as an opportunity to support sustainable fisheries and seafood businesses by committing to measures that safeguard our fish stocks.” 

Despite the progress presented in the report, the MSC stresses that urgent action is still required to overcome the challenges facing the oceans. The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020 report revealed that overfishing continues to rise, with more than a third (34%) of the world’s fish stock now overfished. 

The MSC’s report highlights that governments failed to reach agreement on ending harmful fishing subsidies, one of the major drivers of overfishing and have so far failed to reach agreements on quotas for mackerel, herring and blue whiting in the North East Atlantic. The future sustainability of global tuna stocks is also in jeopardy if international commissions responsible for managing tuna fail to set robust harvest strategies.  The MSC is calling for urgent action to address these challenges.

Read the MSC’s 2020-21 Annual Report, Recognising & rewarding sustainable fishing. 

Notes for editors:  

References:  

  1. 2020 Global Seafood Consumer Survey, MSC 
  2. There were 5,391 MSC Chain of Custody certificate holders on 31 March 2021 compared to 5,158 on 31 March 2020. This certification ensures that MSC certified seafood is kept separate from non-certified seafood and is clearly labelled.  

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organisation which sets globally recognised, science-based standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability. The MSC ecolabel and certification program recognises and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping create a more sustainable seafood market. It is the only wild-capture fisheries certification and ecolabelling program that meets best practice requirements set by both the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) and ISEAL, the global membership association for sustainability standards. For more information visit msc.org. 

Chinese media claiming origins of COVID-19 pandemic stem from Maine lobster company

October 1, 2021 — Reports appearing across China’s tightly controlled media are suggesting COVID-19 first arrived in the country in 2019 via a shipment of lobster from the U.S. state of Maine.

“In November 2019, a shipment of frozen Maine [lobster] arrived in Wuhan and shortly afterwards several people working in the market fell very ill with a strange pneumonia,” noted an article published this week in the New Observer, a state-owned periodical.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Rhode Island Announces Second Round of COVID Fisheries Funding

September 21, 2021 — The Rhode Island Congressional Delegation and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced that commercial fishing and charter/for hire businesses, qualified aquaculture operators, seafood processors, and dealers are eligible to apply for an additional $255 million in assistance funding provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 on September 16.

This funding will support activities authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

DEM’s Division of Marine Fisheries is administering this second support round. According to the state government, commercial fishing, commercial aquaculture, seafood processors/wholesale (dealers), and charter/for-hires – may be eligible for assistance in the form of direct payments if they can quantify direct and indirect COVID-19 losses.

Read the full story at Seafood News

 

USDA Invests $700 million to Provide Relief to Small Producers, Processors, Distributors, Farmers Markets and Seafood Processing Vessels and Processors Impacted by COVID-19

September 16, 2021 — The following was released by the USDA:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it will soon publish Requests for Applications (RFAs) for new grant programs – the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant program and the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant program – to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. These grant programs will provide assistance to small businesses in certain commodity areas, including small scale specialty crop producers and processors, shellfish, aquaculture and other select producers, meat and other processors, distributors, farmers markets, seafood facilities and processing vessels. Today USDA released grant forecasts for these new programs to help potential applicants determine their eligibility and to prepare to apply for funding. Approximately $650 million in funding is available for the PRS grants and $50 million is available for SPRS. All of these new programs are funded by the Pandemic Assistance provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

“As the economy continues to gain strength after the Biden Administration’s historic vaccination and economic relief efforts, USDA is working with agricultural and food businesses to ensure they have the resources and tools to thrive in 2021 and beyond,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The funding associated with USDA Pandemic Assistance is meant to serve as a bridge from disruptions associated with the pandemic to longer-term investments to help build back a better food system. Financial relief to these essential producers, distributors, processors and other small agricultural businesses is a critical to get our food system back on track.”

For the PRS grants, eligible entities are detailed in the Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program forecast, USDA-AMS-TM-PRS-G-21-0011. Eligible entities should visit the PRS grant portal at usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov for complete information on the program, including how to obtain a free of charge DUNS Number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) BEFORE applying for this program. On September 23, USDA will issue another announcement indicating that entities may submit their applications through the grant portal; entities will need their DUNS number to submit an application.

For the Seafood PRS grants, USDA will allocate block grant funding to U.S. states and territories based on a formula that considers economic activity as demonstrated through commercial fisheries landings. Eligible entities are state agencies as detailed in the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program forecast, USDA-AMS-TM-SPRS-G-21-0012. The state agency will then provide funds to seafood processing facilities and processing vessels. Seafood processors and processing vessels should apply directly through their State agency; seafood processors and processing vessels should not apply through PRS and should instead contact their state agency for financial assistance once USDA awards funds to states. A listing of state contacts will be made available on the USDA website. Tribal government owned eligible entities may apply directly to USDA, details of which will be developed through tribal consultation in conjunction with Office of Tribal Relations.

Updated information regarding the PRS and Seafood PRS programs will be available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) website: www.ams.usda.gov.

Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered unless the applicant provides documentation of an extenuating circumstance that prevented their timely submission of the grant application. Read more in AMS Late and Non-Responsive Application Policy (PDF, 431 KB).

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

USDA providing USD 50 million in grants to seafood suppliers, processors

September 14, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said will soon dole out USD 50 million (EUR 42 million) in grants via its Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant.

The agency will soon publish requests for applications for the new COVID-19 relief program for seafood processors as well as for its Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program “to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to the COVID-19 crisis,” the agency said in a press release.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Majority of US independent restaurants say they will close without funding

September 10, 2021 — More than 82 percent of independent restaurant operators say they will likely permanently close if U.S. Congress does not quickly replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), according to a new survey.

Independent restaurant operators from across the country called on members of the U.S. House Small Business Committee to make restaurant relief a priority during a markup of the budget reconciliation package at an Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) press conference on 9 September.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

ASMFC October 18-21 Meeting to be Held by Webinar Only

September 10, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Due to concerns about the continued spread of COVID-19 and the challenges of conducting a fully participatory hybrid meeting (in-person and virtual meeting combined), the Commission’s Executive Committee, which met via webinar today, made the difficult decision to shift its meeting, scheduled for October 18-21, from an in-person meeting to one that will be conducted entirely via webinar. The details regarding the other committees that were scheduled to meet (Law Enforcement Committee, Habitat Committee and Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership Steering Committee) are still being worked out and will be shared over the next couple of weeks. At the Executive Committee’s direction, Commission staff will also explore the possibility of shifting the in-person Annual Meeting in New Jersey to January 2022.

Tokyo Olympics’ sustainability legacy outweighs actual sales

September 8, 2021 — The Tokyo Paralympics wrapped up on 5 September, following the first-ever Olympic Games without spectators, and despite challenges related to COVID-19, the event was still a win for seafood sustainability – both the advocates and the organizations promoting it.

Exactly how much certified seafood was sold during the Olympics, and what percentage of that total was comprised of products certified as sustainable, will not be known until an external review of the procurement code and its operational performance is completed, which is expected by the end of 2021.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

US Northeast groundfish market in flux due to pandemic, labor shortages

September 7, 2021 — In 2019, the U.S. state of Maine’s total commercial groundfish landings were valued around USD 4 million (EUR 3.4 million). In 2020, fleets in Maine landed just 58,730 pounds of cod, averaging USD 2.55 (EUR 2.16) per pound at the dock for a total value of USD 149,844 (EUR 126,926), whereas 15.2 million pounds had been landed a decade before.

A 2021 NOAA status update reported that in New England, 13 commercial species are currently considered “overfished,” including Atlantic cod (considered collapsed), yellowtail flounder, Atlantic halibut, winter flounder, and Atlantic herring.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

MARYLAND: Nearly 80% of commercial fishermen stopped work during COVID. Relief on way for industry

September 2, 2021 — A seafood industry recovering from a pandemic just got additional support thanks to $3.4 million in relief funds announced in August  by Gov. Larry Hogan.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 doubles down on financial assistance for the industry previously provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, for those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The pandemic has slowed our sales down because people aren’t buying our products like before,” said Harry Phillips, owner of Russell Hall Seafood LLC in Fishing Creek. “Due to lack of (employees) in restaurants and being only at half capacity, that’s why sales have been down. It’s actually possibly getting worse, but we haven’t received assistance like this because our sales were strong last summer.”

Read the full story at Delmarva Now