Saving Seafood

NFI signs letter requesting liability protection from essential workers

April 17, 2020 — The National Fisheries Institute, along with 31 other associations representing industries from beef to trucking, has signed onto a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell requesting Congress grant liability protection from lawsuits related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The industries that have signed onto the letter all represent “essential critical infrastructure,” according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The U.S. government has told these companies that they have a “special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Treatments containing fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids being trialed on COVID-19 patients

April 17, 2020 — In an effort to suppress and ultimately stifle the spread of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s scientific and medical communities are turning to treatments containing omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil for help.

Clinical trials will soon be run by KD Pharma Group and its partner, SLA Pharma, to test the effectiveness of its new drug, EPAspire, on patients symptomatic with inflammatory cytokines, which is believed to play a part in COVID-19’s progression. The United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has moved to expedite trials of the drug, while discussions with authorities in other European countries are underway, KD Pharma announced on 14 April.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NMFS suspends West Coast observer requirements

April 17, 2020 — Most requirements for observers aboard West Coast fishing vessels have been temporarily suspended through April, following the lead of NMFS’ decision to do the same earlier for Northeast fisheries in the face of coronavirus outbreaks.

The agency announced the decision Wednesday, April 15, hours after a recommendation from the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and also cited new policies of monitoring service providers to address health and safety concerns for their observers and fishing crews.

A NMFS notice to industry issued by the office of Ryan Wulff, the assistant Pacific regional administrator for sustainable fisheries, said the two-week hiatus was requested by contractors who provide observer services, and are now implementing health guidelines to address concerns raised by fishermen and plant operators.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Southeast Alaska fishermen’s group works to feed families affected by COVID-19

April 16, 2020 — With thousands of Alaskans out of work because of coronavirus mandates and other economic effects, fishermen and processors in Southeast Alaska are working to ensure families in need have access to food.

One of those groups, the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, is partnering with processors in Sitka to distribute five-pound packages of fish to families in Sitka. The families in need have been identified through the town’s mutual aid program.

“Within a week or two of the shelter-in-place and a lot of the businesses closing down, hearing that the grocery store here was not accepting checks anymore because too many of them were bouncing, to me was a pretty clear sign that people are feeling that stress,” said Linda Behnken, Executive Director of ALFA. “Since we are probably closer to the whole economic impacts of this pandemic than the end, we started thinking about what we could do and talking to the processors here in Sitka, and right away heard from fishermen that where they can they’re willing to donate fish to help to get to families in need.”

Behnken said the processors then also jumped on boarding, saying they’d help get the fish to families as long as someone could distribute it. Anyone else who want to support the effort can help cover the costs by purchasing donation boxes through ALFA’s community-supported fishery program, Alaskans Own.

Read the full story at KTUU

Seafood Market Craters After Restaurants Shuttered Worldwide

April 16, 2020 — Just one kilogram of freshly caught squid a day was almost enough to live on for Thai fishermen like Wisut Boonnak. Now the catch has halved in price and he’s spending more time on village duties.

“It’s the biggest price drop that I can remember,” said Wisut, who’s been fishing for the past 40 years off the southern Thai coast. “There are fewer buyers around now because exports are lower.” Wisut used to go to sea daily to catch squid and mackerel. These days he’s out just once or twice a week.

The global seafood industry, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, is seeing demand crater. From lobster fishermen in North America to salmon farmers in Norway and shrimp producers in Vietnam, people are hurting as the coronavirus shuts cafes and restaurants and wreaks havoc with supply chains. Whether farmed or wild, fresh or processed, few areas have escaped the impact.

Read the full story at Bloomberg

Louisiana seafood businesses unite for broader sales

April 16, 2020 — Fisherman Lance Nacio, of Montegut, LA is trying to keep his struggling seafood business going, one sale at a time.

With curtailed restaurant operations, fishermen have had difficulty selling their catch.

Nacio, a third-generation fisherman, set up a pop-up sale in the parking lot of Randol’s Restaurant in Lafayette. April 9 was his second time to use this approach.

“It’s keeping us afloat. It’s opening our mind on new ways to move product,” he said.

The pop-up sale was promoted on the Louisiana Direct Seafood website and on Facebook.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has promoted the Louisiana Direct Seafood concept. On Facebook, the governor encouraged buying seafood.

Read the full story at The Magnolia Reporter

As RFMOs waive observer requirements, NGOs caution against permanence

April 16, 2020 — As fisheries councils in the U.S. and abroad begin relaxing observer requirements in order to meet safety needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple NGOs have issued a joint statement cautioning against those relaxed requirements becoming permanent.

The letter comes as the National Marine Fisheries Service announced that it is suspending West Coast observer coverage, in response to a recommendation made by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. The council suggested in a letter to the NMFS that the waiver could “match the duration of ‘shelter-at-home’ or similar orders by the governors of Washington, Oregon, and/or California.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Seafood Expo Global 2020 edition canceled

April 16, 2020 — The following was released by Diversified Communications:

Diversified Communications, organizer of Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global, the world’s largest seafood event, has reluctantly determined that the continued and expanding magnitude of the public health and safety issues caused by COVID-19 worldwide now requires the cancellation of the 2020 edition of Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global. The event had previously been postponed due to COVID-19.

Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global was originally scheduled for 21-23 April 2020 at the Brussels Expo in Belgium. When we announced the postponement of the 2020 event, we had expected to reschedule later this year. Given the recent announcement that the limitation on large gatherings in Brussels has been extended through 31 August 2020 and the ongoing impacts of COVID–19, including global travel restrictions, and the broad need to practice physical distancing, we have concluded it is impossible to hold the event. The complexities of organizing a safe, global, seafood event drawing seafood professionals from more than 158 countries in the midst of a pandemic pose too many insurmountable hurdles. We are disappointed to concede that hosting a 2020 edition of the event is infeasible.

If you purchased a registration ticket to attend the 2020 edition in April, your registration to the exhibit hall will automatically be applied to the 2021 edition in Barcelona, Spain. Once the 2021 registration is opened later this fall, you will receive communications from us about your rolled over registration. If you have not registered for the April 2020 edition, you will receive communications from us as soon as the registration for the 2021 event opens.

Looking ahead: mark your calendar for 2021!

While we all continue to navigate this difficult situation, the Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global team is engaged in intensive planning for the next edition, scheduled for 27-29 April 2021, in our beautiful new location, Fira Barcelona Gran Via, in Barcelona, Spain.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at info-global@seafoodexpo.com if you have any questions.

We wish you all good health and look forward to seeing you in Barcelona in 2021.

Groundfish: NEFMC Postpones Final Action on Amendment 23; Pursues COVID-19 Impact Options

April 16, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council, which met April 14-15, 2020 exclusively by webinar for the first time in the Council’s history, confronted several issues challenging the groundfish industry during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Council discussed mid-range planning at the start of its meeting. Given ongoing travel restrictions and limitations on public gatherings due to COVID-19, the Council voted to postpone final action on Groundfish Monitoring Amendment 23. The amendment is being developed to improve catch accounting in the fishery while minimizing costs to industry but still maximizing the value of the data that’s collected.

Read the full release here