Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Some New Bedford Businesses Growing Despite Pandemic

December 14, 2020 — Mayor Jon Mitchell and his economic development team have been working on growing jobs and the city’s economy despite the strong headwinds of COVID-19.

The seaside city of New Bedford has been hit as hard, if not harder, than most communities by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Mitchell has done more than most local leaders to deal specifically with the virus – including a Roosevelt New Deal-esque move to convert two mothballed healthcare facilities into COVID-19 hospitals for his residence.

There will be a world after COVID-19 has passed.

Read the full story at WBSM

NFI Announces Virtual Global Seafood Market Conference 2021

December 14, 2020 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

This week the National Fisheries Institute announced registration is open for the Virtual Global Seafood Market Conference 2021: Succeeding in the Ever-Changing Seafood Industry, February 1-5, 2021. The virtual GSMC will feature two hours of daily Plenary sessions with industry experts on the markets, economics and consumer insights in the age of COVID-19.

At the same time, NFI also unveiled a year-long GSMC Webinar Series which kicks off on January 13th with the popular GSMC Shrimp Panel. The overarching theme for GSMC Virtual and the Webinar Series is “Succeeding in the Ever-Changing Seafood Industry.”

NFI has bundled the virtual conference and the year-long webinar series and is offering it to members at a value. Non-members will also have the opportunity to register.

“We’ll kick off the Webinar Series with the popular GSMC Shrimp Panel on January 13th; and a few weeks later the virtual GSMC will feature popular experts like Duane Lenz of Cattlefax – and new voices like Bo Jackson of Jackson and Partners,” said NFI’s Senior Vice President, Judy Dashiell. “We will meet in person when it’s safe; but our members rely on GSMC information. We listened and have created a robust program that spans 2021. We are committed to delivering programming with excellent speakers, seamless technology and respect for people who are attending during their workday.”

In addition to this announcement, Dashiell noted that NFI will further expand its 2021 educational programs to include the Future Leader’s Program and the NFI Shrimp School; as well as introducing the NFI Salmon School; NFI Lobster School; and NFI Scallop School.

The Virtual GSMC 2021 and the GSMC Webinar Series are supported by Premiere Sponsor Diversified Communications and Gold Sponsors Baader North America Corporation, Datassential, Foa & Son, IRI, Lineage Logistics, Los Angeles Cold Storage, Rabobank, Urner Barry, Wells Fargo Bank, and Windward Strategies LLC.

Seafood industry decision-makers have trusted GSMC analysis for a decade and in 2021 they’ll have the opportunity to absorb even more of that knowledge without leaving home.

Register by January 7 2021 to receive the Member Early Bird rate; and access the GSMC Shrimp Panel Webinar on January 13th. To register, contact Suzanne Low at slow@nfi.org. And find more information in this video.

Aid for Growers With Oysters Too Big for the Half-Shell

December 14, 2020 — The pandemic has seriously impacted many who fish or work on the water for a living. With restaurants and the food service industry taking a big hit, the demand for various seafood products, including oysters, has been severely curtailed. As a result, many of the oysters raised by oyster farmers have grown to a size that is considered too large for sale and general consumption.

The good news is that a lot of those oysters, which can live well over 10 years, will find a new home, back in the water and not served on a restaurant plate, thanks to a partnership between the Nature Conservancy and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Last month, the organizations combined forces to launch the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration program, which will extend $2 million in payments to oyster farmers to support more than 100 shellfish companies and help preserve over 200 jobs in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and Washington State. Simultaneously, over five million of the older oysters will be deployed to rebuild 27 acres of imperiled native shellfish reefs across 20 restoration sites.

On Long Island, the program will begin to buy oysters from local farmers to use in nearby oyster reef restoration sites, including ones in Shinnecock and Moriches Bays. Over the next few weeks, several Long Island oyster growers will deliver 350,000 oysters so that they can be counted, cleaned, recorded, and, most importantly, replanted for restoration.

Read the full story at the East Hampton Star

Alaska hit with second COVID-19 trawler outbreak

December 11, 2020 — Alaska’s winter groundfish fishery was hit with a second COVID-19 outbreak after nine of 28 people on board a trawler owned by the O’Hara Corporation tested positive for coronavirus this week.

According to the City of Unalaska, O’Hara’s F/T Enterprise arrived in Dutch Harbor on Saturday, 5 December, when two crew members were found to have COVID-19. A local clinic tested the rest of the crew and found another seven positive cases.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Online Seafood Buying Guide: Where the Chefs Shop

December 11, 2020 — There’s never been a better time to buy seafood online. With the crushing impact of the pandemic on the hospitality industry, seafood purveyors that once counted on wholesale business to restaurants and hotels have pivoted to direct-to-consumer online retail.

“It’s been survival mode,” said Peter Jarvis, president, CEO and chief fishmonger of Peter’s Florida Seafood. His company relied primarily on wholesale for 30 years, up until March of this year. Wholesale business in 2020 is still down by about 75% from what it was by this time last year, but online-retail sales of Florida stone crab claws and other fish caught in the state’s coastal waters have kept Mr. Jarvis in business and customers happy. “People are excited to get chef-quality seafood on a consistent basis, and it means a lot because they aren’t going out,” Mr. Jarvis said.

At Island Creek Oysters in Massachusetts, president Chris Sherman said, “We lost 98% of our core revenue overnight, which was selling oysters directly to top chefs around the country.” While Island Creek has run an online-retail operation as well for the last decade, “there were some years when it didn’t make sense to keep it going.” Beginning in March, that changed: “Within weeks of the shutdown, that [retail] part of the business really sprang to life.”

The companies below provide access to pristine seafood you would otherwise have to visit a restaurant to get. They’re transparent about their sourcing and vigilant about maintaining sustainable fisheries—though the profusion of packaging required to keep seafood cold and fresh in transit can be daunting to eco-conscious consumers. Whether stocking up for a holiday celebration or with an eye to healthier, omega-3-packed eating in the new year, cast your line here.

Read the full story at The Wall Street Journal

Whales get a break as pandemic creates quieter oceans

December 10, 2020 — When humpback whales migrated to Glacier Bay in Alaska this year to spend the long summer days feeding, they arrived to something unusual: quieter waters.

As the COVID-19 pandemic slows international shipping and keeps cruise ships docked, scientists are finding measurably less noise in the ocean. That could provide momentary relief for whales and other marine mammals that are highly sensitive to noise.

Through networks of underwater hydrophones, scientists are hoping to learn how the mammals’ communication changes when the drone of ships is turned down, potentially informing new policies to protect them.

“More needs to be done,” says Jason Gedamke, who manages the ocean acoustics program at NOAA Fisheries. “When you have animals that for millions of years have been able to communicate over vast distances in the ocean, and then once we introduce noise and have increased sound levels and they can’t communicate over those distances, clearly there’s going to be some impact there.”

Read the full story at OPB

NEFMC Receives Overview of 2020 Scallop Surveys, Biomass Estimates, and Initial 2021 Outlook

December 10, 2020 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its December 1-3, 2020 webinar meeting, the New England Fishery Management Council got its first comprehensive look at 2020 scallop survey results for Georges Bank and the Mid-Atlantic. The results indicate that roughly two-thirds of the harvestable biomass – also known as exploitable biomass – is located in scallop rotational areas, and roughly one-third is available on open bottom. The Council will review Gulf of Maine survey results during its January meeting.

This year’s surveys were conducted entirely through the industry-funded Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program. The federal scallop survey was canceled due to complications associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are a few highlights for Georges Bank and the Mid-Atlantic.

Read the full release here

WA submits draft plan to distribute $50 million in federal relief funding to commercial fishing, shellfish and charter industry members

December 10, 2020 — The state announced this week that it has submitted a draft plan for how to distribute $50 million in federal relief funding to members of Washington’s commercial seafood, shellfish and charter industries to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Fisheries (NOAA-Fisheries) for review and approval.

Under Section 12005 of the CARES Act, Congress provided $300 million to states to distribute to fisheries participants with Washington and Alaska receiving the highest allocation of $50 million each.

“The pandemic had early and dramatic impacts to shellfish and commercial fishing businesses. These activities play an outsized role in our state, especially in our tribal and natural resources dependent economies,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “I am pleased that we will soon have more assistance available to help these hurting businesses recover.”

“Submitting this plan for federal review brings us one step closer to getting this funding into the hands of commercial fishing and shellfish industry members who need it most,” said Ron Warren, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) fish policy director. “We applaud Washington’s congressional delegation for securing this relief for members of Washington’s commercial seafood, shellfish and charter industries.”

Read the full story at KBKW

New York’s commercial fishing sector appreciates aid, but worries about continued challenges for restaurants

December 10, 2020 — New York is now taking applications from commercial fishermen and other fishing businesses seeking relief from losses they suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while fishermen are thankful for the assistance, an industry leader said more needs to be done, including helping restaurants.

The funding, a total of $6.7 million, comes to the state through the CARES Act passed in March. That COVID relief package included a total of $300 million in direct aid to commercial fishermen, with the Department of Commerce determining how much each state, tribal nation and territory received.

Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, told The center Square the pandemic created a perfect storm for the seafood industry, and the federal aid will help in an “unusual” year.

“Fishermen are essential workers,” Brady said. “No one wants a handout. These guys just want to be able to work, but in this case, they were able to work, but … the markets for fish were so depressed that your choices were go in and get paid at 1970s prices or don’t go in. But then you don’t have an income.”

A couple of items that would really help the industry recover would be for restaurants to rebound and for the return of fish processing in the state.

Read the full story at The Center Square