February 18, 2021 — Several unsecured creditors of Legal Sea Foods still have not been paid by the seafood restaurant chain after its sale to PPX Hospitality Group, according to a news report.
It is not clear how many vendors are still owed funds, but several lawsuits were filed by vendors to Legal last year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced Legal to close its restaurant dining rooms for months, according to The Boston Globe.
February 18, 2021 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:
Today the leadership of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) all emphasized that food or food packing is not a likely source of COIVD-19 transmission. The rare joint statement said there is “no credible evidence” that the illness is transmitted that way.
“Today’s statement is an example of experts adhering to science and translating that high-level understanding into an important public health message,” said Lisa Weddig Vice President for Regulatory and Technical Affairs at the National Fisheries Institute.
In today’s statement the USDA, FDA and CDC highlighted the safety of the U.S. food supply saying, “consumers should be reassured” that their confidence is based on “overwhelming international scientific consensus.”
“From epidemiologists to biologists, authorities are confident in the safety of the seafood supply and, what’s more, health experts cite seafood’s role in supporting a healthy immune system,” said Weddig.
The groups noted that a recent opinion from the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods said, “despite the billions of meals and food packages handled since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, to date there has not been any evidence that food, food packaging or food handling is a source or important transmission route for [the disease.]”.
NFI encourages companies and countries to ensure their actions and policies are based on this scientific fact.
February 18, 2021 — The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the blue and red swimming crab market are ongoing, and have combined to make the industry a more complicated prospect for importers.
Chicken of the Sea Vice President and National Fisheries Institute (NFI) Crab Council Executive Robert Kragh – speaking during NFI’s Global Seafood Market Conference webinar series – said the impacts of COVID-19 on the market were immediate from a producer perspective. SeafoodSource is providing exclusive coverage of the GSMC webinar series, which will be providing exclusive market-focused content throughout 2021.
February 18, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
NOAA Fisheries and the University of Florida launched a phone survey in January to continue assessing the impact of COVID-19 on commercial/for-hire fishing operations, and on seafood dealers and processors. Thank you to those of you that have already responded. A second round of phone calls began on February 12th.
This survey will assist us in assessing economic impacts on individual businesses over the entire 2020 calendar year. It is a follow-up to a survey conducted during July/August 2020 on impacts for the first half of the year. The first reports using results from last summer’s survey as well as other data can be found here.
We are using this multi-region survey to inform NOAA Fisheries, the Department of Commerce, Congress, fishery management councils, state fishery managers, and stakeholders about the economic and social impacts of Covid-19 on the fishing industry.
If You Get a Call
Phone survey participants were randomly selected to participate. If you were selected, you will receive a phone call from the University of Florida with a 352 area code. Your response is very important to the success of this survey. It will take less than 10 minutes, and the information you provide is strictly confidential.
For more information on the phone survey, see this bulletin from NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Region.
February 17, 2021 — Fishermen must wear masks while they are underway, even while sleeping, and the Coast Guard intends to enforce it.
That’s an edict issued as a public health emergency by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a Marine Safety Bulletin issued on Feb. 1. It requires the wearing of masks at all times in U.S. waters on all commercial vessels “when boarding, disembarking, and for the duration of travel” to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The action states that “conveyance operators traveling into or within the U.S. may transport only persons wearing masks and must use best efforts to ensure that masks are worn.”
Best efforts include allowing entry to a vessel only to those who wear masks, instructing persons that failure to comply constitutes a violation of federal law, and removing any person who refuses to comply. Exemptions apply to children under 2 years old, a person with a disability who cannot safely wear a mask or a person for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety or job duty, or if an operator is “the sole occupant of the vehicle.”
February 17, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:
KEY MESSAGE:
NOAA Fisheries and our partner, the University of Florida, are teaming up on a phone survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on commercial/for-hire fishing operations and on seafood dealers and processors. The phone survey is a follow-up to an earlier on-line survey conducted in July and August on economic impacts for the first half of 2020. The upcoming survey will assist us in assessing economic impacts over the entire calendar year.
Survey participants were randomly selected to participate. If you receive a phone call from the University of Florida with a 352 area code, your response is very important to the success of this survey. It will take less than 10 minutes, and the information you provide is strictly confidential.
PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY:
We are using this multi-region survey to inform NOAA Fisheries, the Department of Commerce, Congress, fishery management councils, state fishery managers, and stakeholders about the economic and social impacts that the recent economic downturn has had on the fishing industry.
NOAA Fisheries will draft reports for the public detailing the revenue losses and recovery of fishing-dependent businesses over the past year. Here is a look at what we have already been able to capture and release in a series of snapshot reports. You helped make this information available to us. Thank you!
MORE INFORMATION:
If you have further questions regarding the survey please contact:
Mike Jepson in the Gulf of Mexico Region, Michael.Jepson@noaa.gov
Matt McPherson in the South Atlantic Region, Matthew.McPherson@noaa.gov
February 17, 2021 — South Shore fisheries hauled in $2.9 million in federal money designated for the industry last year, about 10 percent of the total received for Massachusetts.
That money went to 126 commercial fishermen, charter boat owners, aquaculture farmers and seafood processors.
The 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, known more commonly as the CARES Act, authorized over $2 trillion in relief to individuals, businesses, hospitals, loan programs and other recipients to help ease the economic impacts of COVID-19.
The Paycheck Protection Program loans, known as PPP loans, were also part of that package, which injected $1.3 billion into the South Shore economy, with forgivable loans to 10,974 companies.
February 16, 2021 — Wrangell will receive considerably less in its shared fish tax payments this year than the city expected, city manager Lisa Von Bargen explained at an assembly meeting on Tuesday.
“That speaks to the abysmal situation related to the fishing issues in our region,” Von Bargen said.
The payment she referred to is a fisheries business tax collected outside of municipal boundaries. The state disperses the tax money to communities in the region. Wrangell planned to receive $10,000 dollars this year from the shared fish tax. In reality, the city will receive just over $1,600.
Municipalities also receive another fisheries business tax for fishing business within municipal boundaries. Wrangell’s payment from that tax is lower than expected as well: about $203,000 for the last fiscal year.
February 16, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
KEY MESSAGE:
NOAA Fisheries and our partner, the University of Florida, are teaming up on a phone survey to assess the impact of COVID-19 on commercial/for-hire fishing operations and on seafood dealers and processors. The phone survey is a follow-up to an earlier on-line survey conducted in July and August on economic impacts for the first half of 2020. The upcoming survey will assist us in assessing economic impacts over the entire calendar year.
Survey participants were randomly selected to participate. If you receive a phone call from the University of Florida with a 352 area code, your response is very important to the success of this survey. It will take less than 10 minutes, and the information you provide is strictly confidential.
URPOSE OF THE SURVEY:
We are using this multi-region survey to inform NOAA Fisheries, the Department of Commerce, Congress, fishery management councils, state fishery managers, and stakeholders about the economic and social impacts that the recent economic downturn has had on the fishing industry.
NOAA Fisheries will draft reports for the public detailing the revenue losses and recovery of fishing-dependent businesses over the past year. Here is a look at what we have already been able to capture and release in a series of snapshot reports. You helped make this information available to us.
February 16, 2021 — Fisheries and aquaculture sectors globally have been hit hard by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and could face further disruption in this year as lockdowns affect supply and demand, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The information paper, “The impact of COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture food systems” – which was featured at the 34th session of the FAO’s Committee on Fisheries (COFI) earlier this month – reports fish supply, consumption, and trade revenues are all expected to have declined in 2020 due to containment restrictions, while global aquaculture production is expected to fall by some 1.3 percent; the first drop recorded by the sector in several years.