Saving Seafood

Salmon Farmers Hit by China Boycott After New Virus Outbreak

June 17, 2020 — Salmon farmers have been hit by restrictions in China, where a new outbreak of the coronavirus was blamed on imported fish.

The red-fleshed fish is now being boycotted in China after new infections were traced back to the chopping board of a seller of imported salmon at a market in the capital. Orders have been canceled and “it’s difficult to ship fish to Beijing” in the near term, said Anders Snellingen, manager for global operations at the Seafood Council for Norway, the world’s biggest producer.

China still represents a small share of global salmon demand, making up less than 5% last year, but it’s also one of the fastest growing markets and fish farmers were already feeling the squeeze of pandemic restrictions.

“We had to rebook our shipments to China and direct it toward other markets,” Grieg Seafood ASA spokeswoman Kristina Furnes said by phone. While there is now closer scrutiny of salmon, the same applies to other food imports as well, she said. Grieg doesn’t export large volumes to China and hasn’t had any cases of Covid-19 in its organization.

Read the full story at Bloomberg

Pandemic Reveals Need for Connectivity Solutions for Fishing Industry

June 17, 2020 — Connectivity at sea has never been more important than during these difficult times. New regulations can be introduced at any moment and it is of great importance to ensure that this information is communicated to all marine sectors.

While large vessels are equipped with multiple channels of communication, including circuit-switch terminals and VoIP applications powered by VSAT, smaller vessels, like those used in fishing industry, are hardly reachable.

MarineStar is an easy-to-install terminal with built-in handset and small antenna, that operates using Thuraya’s extensive satellite network, providing dependable voice communications.

Nabil Ben Soussia, CEO Middle East, Asia & Turkey of IEC Telecom Group, said: “In the past crew communication has not been a high priority for many fishing vessels. Often the crew make use of one corporate satellite handset and switch sim cards in order to use it. This approach can be problematic – the phone can be lost, stolen, run out of charge, or be stored in areas with no signal, and therefore shore offices may not be able to call it. In light of fast-changing Covid-19 regulations, it is important for crews to remain reachable at all times – and with MarineStar you have a robust handset providing reliable always-on communication.”

Today the global fishing fleet is estimated to include some 4.6 million vessels, the majority of which are small boats with crew daily away from their loved ones. Such boats have neither the budget nor room for a costly satellite set up, but this does not mean that the crew has no other option but to stay disconnected.

Read the full story at The Maritime Executive

Report: Without Federal Aid, 85% Of Independent Restaurants Could Permanently Close

June 17, 2020 — The COVID-19 pandemic could force a staggering 85% of independent U.S. restaurants to shutter by the end of the year, according to a new report commissioned by recently formed trade group the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC).

Conducted by Compass Lexecon, a Chicago-based consulting firm, the report predicts a grim future for roughly 500,000 Main Street restaurants unless a more robust financial assistance program is established.

According to IRC, privately owned restaurants with fewer than 20 establishments — including fine dining spots, neighborhood joints, pizza parlors, bistros and food trucks, among other types of businesses — make up 76% of the industry and directly employ 11 million people across the country.

Read the full story at Forbes

Frozen premium seafood line debuts in Midwest, East Coast retailers

June 17, 2020 — Even as some large grocery chains are reducing the number of different frozen products they carry, many retailers are still seeking new frozen seafood meals, portions, and other items.

Sales of frozen seafood products increased faster than all other frozen food categories for the week ending 24 May, 2020, compared to a year ago, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI) data presented by 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerinkin a recent webinar hosted by the National Fisheries Institute.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

WTO talks on curbing fishing subsidies may restart in July

June 17, 2020 — There are some signs that talks at the World Trade Organization on ending harmful fishery subsidies may restart next month after being suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A Heads of Delegation meeting has been announced by the negotiations chair for 25 June to begin discussing the latest draft proposal for a deal. A follow-up meeting for delegation leaders on 21 July will set a potential Autumn work program for negotiators.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Migrant seafood workers file complaints over COVID-19-based firings in US

June 17, 2020 — Two migrant workers who worked in a Louisiana-based seafood processing facility have filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board claiming they were fired due to leaving company housing to seek hospital treatment.

The two workers, Maribel Hernandez and Reyna Isabel Alvarez, were in the country on temporary H-2B visas, according to Reuters. The two workers claim that their employer, Acadia Processors LLC., told them and other sick workers to remain in employee housing without pay while ill.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NEFMC June 23-25, 2020 – By Webinar – Listen Live, View Documents

June 17, 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 through Thursday, June 23-25, 2020.  The public is invited to listen live and provide input during designated opportunities for public comment.  The Council still cannot hold an in-person meeting due to travel restrictions and public safety guidelines associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

START TIME:  The webinar will be activated at 8:00 a.m. each day.  However, please note that the meeting will begin at 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.
  • Here’s the Help Desk link in case you get stuck joining the webinar or have trouble along the way.

CALL-IN OPTION:  To listen by telephone, dial +1 (213) 929-4212.  The access code is 925-492-373.  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 June 23-25, 2020 Webinar Meeting.  Additional documents will be posted as they become available.
 
RELATED – ATLANTIC HERRING STOCK ASSESSMENT PEER REVIEW:  A management track assessment for Atlantic herring was recently completed.  The peer review of that assessment will take place on Monday, June 22, 2020 at roughly 10:00 a.m., the day before the New England Council meets by webinar.  All documents related to this assessment can be accessed via the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s data portal.
 
COMMENTS:  The deadline for submitting written comments for consideration at the New England Council’s webinar meeting is Thursday, June 18, 2020 at 8:00 a.m.
 
THREE MEETING OUTLOOK:  A copy of the New England Council’s Three Meeting Outlook is availableHERE.
 
COUNCIL MEETING QUESTIONS:  Anyone with questions prior to or during the Council meeting should contact Janice Plante at (607) 592-4817, jplante@nefmc.org.

The Facts About Seafood, COVID, and Chinese Food Markets

June 17, 2020 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

On 13 June, Chinese media began reporting on the closure of the Xinfadi food markets in Beijing due the presence of COVID-19.

Do not be misled by sensational reports.  The facts are clear.  And these are the facts about food according to academic experts and global public health officials and agencies:

Former Commissioner of US Food and Drug Administration states:  “The idea it hitched a ride on fish is highly implausible.  I mean it is absurd.  I can’t see any plausible scenario where this virus rode in on a salmon.”

The World Health Organization states:  “As food has not been implicated in the transmission of COVID-19, testing of food or food surfaces for this virus is not recommended.”

The Codex Alimentarius states:  “COVID-19 is a respiratory illness primarily transmitted through person-to-person contact and direct contact with respiratory droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes.  There is no evidence to date of viruses that cause respiratory illnesses being transmitted via food or food packaging.  Coronaviruses cannot multiply in food; they need an animal or human host to multiply. It is highly unlikely that people can contract COVID-19 from food or food packaging.”

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations states: “Despite the hypothesis that the virus may have originated in bats and infected another animal used for food, there is no evidence of continued transmission of the virus from animals to humans through the food chain.”

The US Food and Drug Administration states: “…. there is no evidence that food or food packaging have been associated with transmission (of COVID-19) and no reason to be concerned.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states:  “In general, because of poor survivability of these coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging..”

Canadian Food Inspection Agency states:  “Scientists and food safety authorities around the world are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19.  There are currently no reported cases of COVID-19 being spread through food.”

The Norwegian Food Safety Agency states:  “There are no known cases of infection via contaminated food, imported food or water.  Therefore, fish and seafood products from Norway are safe to eat” and “Currently there are no known cases of infection via contaminated food, imported food or water.  Based on current knowledge of coronaviruses, infection via food and water is considered unlikely.”

The European Food Safety Authority states:  “Experiences from previous outbreaks of related coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), show that transmission through food consumption did not occur.  At the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that coronavirus is any different in this respect.”

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment states: “There are currently no cases which have shown evidence of humans being infected with the new type of coronavirus via the consumption of contaminated food.  There is also currently no reliable evidence of transmission of the virus via contact with contaminated objects or contaminated surfaces, which would have led to subsequent human infections.”

The Chilean National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service states:  “There is no evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can infect aquatic animals and, therefore, these animals do not play an epidemiological role in spreading COVID-19 to humans.”

University College London researchers state:  “SARS-CoV-2 can infect a broad range of mammals, but few fish, birds or reptiles” and that “most [fish] have no susceptibility to infection.”

Asian Fisheries Science journal states:  “Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can infect aquatic food animals (e.g. finfish, crustaceans, molluscs, amphibians) and therefore these animals do not play an epidemiological role in spreading COVID-19 to humans.”  (authors include 16 global public health researchers)

North Carolina State University researcher states:   “In fact, we don’t see evidence of any respiratory viruses being transmitted through food in the past.”  (COVID-19 is a respiratory virus) and “‘The good news with this particular virus is that it is not a foodborne virus.  Most of the food that we eat, ends up getting right into our gut and ends up encountering a whole bunch of acid in our stomachs.  And this virus particularly doesn’t really remain infectious once it hits the stomach.”

For more information about what global public health professionals say about seafood and COVID, visitCOVID-19 & Seafood website.

Alaskan Native Tribes Face Health and Government Challenges With Fishing Season

June 16, 2020 — Like many tribal members in Alaska, Melanie Brown lost a generation of her family to influenza in 1918. Now, with Covid-19 circulating among the tens of thousands of fishermen and cannery workers arriving in the remote villages of Bristol Bay, Brown fears history is repeating itself.

Growing up in Naknek, a small village in Bristol Bay, Brown heard stories about the 1918 pandemic from her great-grandparents. They told her the disease killed people they knew, often within just a couple days of falling ill.

“It was so fast-acting, it was like it would liquify your lungs,” Brown said.

Brown’s great-grandparents were among those orphaned by the pandemic. But they were teens — old enough to raise themselves, Brown said. An orphanage was founded in Dillingham for younger kids.

Today, the Kanakanak orphanage is Bristol Bay’s largest health clinic. And with 12 available beds and two ventilators, that facility is bracing for an influx of Covid-19 during a summer fishing season that triples the area’s population.

Read the full story at the Courthouse News Service