Saving Seafood

As Maine’s Fishing Industry Flounders Amid Coronavirus, Lawmakers Look for Help

April 1, 2020 — With so many restaurants closed and much of life disrupted by the new coronavirus, fishermen in New England are trying to figure out how they’ll pay the bills this year.

Leaders in Maine say that they’ve found some specific ways to help at the local level but think more federal aid may be needed to help those in the seafood industry minimize economic damage.

Last week, Maine Gov. Janet Mills sent a letter to President Donald Trump explaining how dire the situation is.

She told the White House that “a $50 million loss in fishery value” in lobstering by June was a real risk at present.

Mills has provided pathways for Maine small businesses to apply for low-interest loans that could help offset cause during the virus outbreak.

Read the full story at NECN

HAWAII: Oversupply of fish leads to bargains, but also raises concerns for future of industry

April 1, 2020 — For Roger Dang, president of Fresh Island Fish, navigating business amid fallout from the coronavirus crisis means tapping into a different set of sensibilities.

“We need to look at the whole picture with our whole hearts and our whole minds,” he said.

At his company this means putting Hawaii fish directly into the hands of the public.

The objective: to get fishing boats back out on the ocean and help keep Hawaii’s fishing industry afloat. More on that later.

Fresh Island Fish wholesales to hotels and restaurants, which means it has a lot of inventory with few places to send it. So, since March 21, it has been selling this bounty direct to the public at unheard-of prices. Early Monday morning on Instagram, for instance, it listed 5 pounds of ahi for $4 per pound and 5 pounds of marlin and hebi at $3 per pound.

Sales take place curbside at Pier 38, initially creating a traffic jam along Nimitz Highway. The company was unprepared for the response. Consider that its first announcement was “a Microsoft flyer — we’re not social media people, we’re fish people,” said Dang. “We didn’t expect more than 50 people. We had a small tent outside our facility and saw a line of more than 100 cars.”

Read the full story at The Honolulu Star Advertiser

CARES Act Helps Preserve New Jersey’s Commercial Fishing Industry, Coastal Economy

April 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Garden State Seafood Association:

The recently passed CARES Act provides emergency loans and other forms of relief for American small businesses affected by the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The Act also included over $300 million specifically intended to help the domestic fishing industry, one of the many industries harmed by the ongoing closures necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19.

This federal support is essential for the future of New Jersey’s fishing industry, which is a key part of the state’s coastal economy. According to statistics compiled by the Garden State Seafood Association, New Jersey’s fishing industry landed over $170 million worth of fish in 2018. According to NOAA statistics, 68 percent of what consumers spent on seafood was at food service establishments, like restaurants, rather than in retail sales.

The fishing industry is one of the largest year-round employers and is responsible for thousands of direct and indirect jobs. According to a 2016 paper from NOAA, New Jersey’s seafood industry is the sixth largest in the U.S., and is responsible for 37,127 jobs, $6.2 billion in sales, $1.4 billion in income, and $2.3 billion in value- added impacts.

The industry landed over 190 million pounds of finfish and shellfish in 2018, worth a total of  $170,261,000. Four of the top six commercial fishing ports in the Mid-Atlantic are found in New Jersey. The industry is responsible for significant harvests of Atlantic scallops, monkfish, shortfin and longfin squid, Atlantic mackerel, tunas, swordfish, black sea bass, summer flounder, Atlantic surfclams, and ocean quahogs.

The industry is concentrated at five major coastal ports; Belford, Point Pleasant, Barnegat Light, Atlantic City, and Cape May/Wildwood. The table below illustrates the 2018 landings at three of the ports, and their dollar value.

Read the full release here

Seafood certification programs address COVID-19 crisis with extensions, interim policies

April 1, 2020 — Certification programs are adjusting practices and policies in response to safety concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic, in an effort to support businesses in an already challenged industry.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), and Fair Trade have all made initial accommodations to reduce travel and in-person interaction while retaining the integrity of their programs. Each organization is also in the process of assessing their specific procedures for potential further changes as they monitor the global situation relating to COVID-19.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Canada shoring up fisheries, aquaculture sectors with aid package, essential industry declaration

April 1, 2020 — Canada has moved to support its fisheries and aquaculture sectors with an aid package that will provide both direct and indirect support to the industry and its employees.

Canadian Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan announced aquaculture and seafood processing companies will have access to the CAD 5 billion (USD 3.5 billion, EUR 3.2 billion) Farm Credit Canada loan program. And fishermen, processing workers, and front-line aquaculture workers are entitled to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which provides CAD 2,000 (USD 1,400, EUR 1,300) per month for up to four months for workers who lose their income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, small- and medium-sized businesses will have accesss to CAD 65 billion (USD 45.7 million, EUR 41.8 million) in support via interest-free loans provided through the Canada Emergency Business Account and the Export Development Canada and Business Development Bank.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Coronavirus-related closures impacting US fisheries, driving down prices

April 1, 2020 — As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the U.S., with many states issuing stay-at-home mandates that will last at least a month, a growing number of fisheries are facing choppy waters.

The restaurant industry is seeking relief as its profits have plunged during the crisis, and many of the fisheries that supply those restaurants with seafood are facing similar downturns. Fisheries and suppliers of premium seafood products have been hit especially hard, with sales of products like lobster plummeting due to lack of demand.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New identity for marine ingredients certification program, agenda remains unchanged

April 1, 2020 — MarinTrust is the new name for IFFO RS, the global marine ingredient standard for responsible supply, with the organization wanting the change to emphasize the value of trust for products sourced from certified production facilities, and thereby reinforce the industry’s reputation.

MarinTrust Executive Chair Libby Woodhatch told SeafoodSource that as well as giving the organization a name that can be understood by non-native English-speakers, the change provides some crucial distance between the certification program and IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organization.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

US seafood industry gets $300 million in coronavirus relief, hopes for more protections

April 1, 2020 — The U.S. seafood industry received a $300 million assist from the $2 trillion COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress on March 27, and a wide coalition of industry stakeholders is hoping for more.

Fishery recipients in the relief bill include tribes, persons, communities, processors, aquaculture and other related businesses. SeafoodNews.com reports that those eligible for relief must have “revenue losses greater than 35 percent as compared to the prior 5-year average revenue, or any negative impacts to subsistence, cultural, or ceremonial fisheries.”

The funds will be provided on a rolling basis within a fishing season through Sept. 30, 2021. Two percent can be used for administration and oversight activities.

The package follows a bipartisan letter sent on March 23 to Congress by Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markie of Massachusetts and Alaska’s Republican Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan. They asked, among other things, that fishermen be able to collect unemployment insurance, get help with vessel loan payments and ensure that the global pandemic does not compromise management of U.S. fisheries.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

April 4-10, 2020 PFMC Meeting Webinar Information

April 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) and its advisory bodies will meet April 4‐10, 2020 by webinar only, to address issues related to groundfish, salmon, Pacific halibut, coastal pelagic species, and administrative matters.

Information on how to access the Council meeting live stream is now available on our April 4-10, 2020 Council meeting webpage.

Please note that the evolving public health situation regarding COVID‐19 may further affect the conduct of the April Council and advisory body meetings. Pacific Council staff will continue to monitor COVID‐19 developments and will determine if there is a need for additional measures. If such measures are deemed necessary, Council staff will post notice of them prominently on our website (www.pcouncil.org). Potential meeting participants are encouraged to check the Pacific Council’s website frequently for such information and updates.

Rep. Pallone Statement on House Passage of Third Coronavirus Pandemic Response Legislation

March 31, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ):

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) issued the following statement today after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the third major legislation passed by Congress to respond to the coronavirus pandemic:

“Today, more help is on the way. The CARES Act provides essential assistance to the American people, health care workers, hospitals, small businesses and state and local governments that have been seriously impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.  This legislation provides much needed financial relief to laid-off or furloughed workers through increased and extended unemployment insurance so they will continue to receive a paycheck in the weeks and months ahead. It also puts money in the pockets of struggling Americans, and provides grants and loans to small businesses to help them better weather the ongoing economic storm.

“As the coronavirus pandemic overwhelms our health care workers and hospitals, the legislation includes $100 billion to our hospitals and $16 billion for personal protective equipment and other resources for our courageous health care workers so they can safely treat patients. Health care professionals are on the front lines, and we must continue to work to ensure they are protected and have the resources they need to safely do their jobs.

“I’m pleased that this package contains $300 million in funds specifically designated to help fishing communities who have incurred significant economic losses as a result of this pandemic. In my district in New Jersey, the recreational and commercial fishing industry is vital to our coastal communities up and down the Jersey Shore.

“Finally, I’m glad to see that Democrats were successful in removing a provision in the initial draft of the Senate bill that would have provided a $3 billion bailout to the oil and gas industry. This provision had no place in this legislation.

“The CARES Act takes a significant step in protecting the health of all Americans and providing peace of mind during this time of economic uncertainty, but there is a lot more work to do. In future legislation, we must ensure affordable treatment for all, expand distance learning programs and access to the internet for low-income Americans, protect consumers from price gouging and prevent critical services from being shut off during this crisis.”

The CARES Act includes key provisions that give:

$260 billion in Dramatically Expanded Unemployment Benefits: The bill includes numerous provisions to improve unemployment benefits including providing an additional $600 per week for the next four months, providing an additional 13 weeks of federally funded benefits, and expanding eligibility to include workers in the gig economy and self-employed workers.

Immediate Direct Cash Payments to Lower and Middle-Income Americans:  The bill provides for immediate, direct cash payments to lower-and middle-income Americans of $1,200 for each adult and $500 for each child, beginning to phase out at an annual income of $75,000 for an individual and $150,000 for a household.  These payments will provide individuals with the cash they need right now to survive with much of the economy currently shut down.

Read the full release here