Saving Seafood

Pandemic aid available for those in Connecticut’s fishing industry

October 19, 2020 — People who work in the commercial fishing industry in Connecticut can now apply for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES, Act assistance.

According to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the federal CARES Act provided $300 million in aid for “marine fishery participants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Connecticut received $1,835,424 from the CARES Act Assistance to Fishery Participants but had to submit a spending plan for approval to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

DEEP, in consultation with the state Department of Agriculture, developed a plan, the final iteration of which was submitted for review on Aug. 7 and it was approved by NOAA on Oct. 9

Read the full story at The Day

As Maryland’s wild oyster season starts, experts worry coronavirus fears may reduce demand

October 19, 2020 — Sitting outside Mama’s on the Half Shell restaurant in Canton, Alisha Gladfelter painted the newly christened “Shuck Shack,” an outdoor oyster bar complete with a grill fashioned from a keg. The swirl of a mermaid’s tail — part of the restaurant’s logo — flowed from the tip of her paintbrush.

Mama’s Shuck Shack is a sign of the times, as much as homemade face masks and ubiquitous bottles of hand sanitizer, an effort to encourage passersby to try one of the succulent bivalves or a dozen, either roasted or raw.

Maryland’s wild oyster season starts in October, but restaurants, watermen and others worry the coronavirus pandemic will stifle demand for the bay’s briny bounty. With few people dining out at restaurants and colder weather limiting outdoor dining, some in the seafood industry worry customers won’t venture out for oysters on the half shell and po’boys.

Throughout Maryland’s summer crab season, demand for the crustaceans remained fairly steady, even with crab houses and seafood restaurants closed or otherwise limited by the pandemic. True to form, Marylanders stuck by their crabs, picking up carryout bushels for smaller home-based feasts.

But carryout oysters? Remains to be seen.

“Most people don’t know how to shuck oysters without cutting themselves up real bad,” said Robert T. Brown, president of the Maryland Watermen’s Association.

Read the full story at The Baltimore Sun

New Jersey fishing industry to receive $11 million in pandemic relief funding

October 19, 2020 — The fishing industry in New Jersey will soon receive an economic boost in the form of grant money from the state’s government, legislators announced.

New Jersey will put $11.3 million in federal fisheries relief towards commercial and recreational fishing businesses that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. Money will be provided to businesses in the form of grants using funds allocated to the state as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

Fishing businesses that have seen their revenue decline by at least 35% will be able to apply, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, DEP Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe and Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday.

Read the full story at The Philly Voice

Lengthy Process, Little to Show for Connecticut Fisheries

October 16, 2020 — Nearly seven months after the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law, eligible fisheries and related businesses can apply for $1.8 million in economic aid through the CARES Assistance to Fishery Participants (CAAFP) program.

On March 27, the CARES Act authorized U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to allocate $300 million in financial assistance to states, tribes and territories with coastal and marine fisheries that were negatively impacted by COVID-19.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) then made awards to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Connecticut is part of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), which also includes Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

From the $300 million, 31 entities received funding. Connecticut’s allocation was $1.8 million, the 9th lowest on the list. Rhode Island received $3.3 million, New York received $6.7 million, New Jersey received $11.3 million, and Massachusetts received $28 million. Alaska and Washington received the highest amounts at $50 million each.

Read the full story at The Connecticut Examiner

Coronavirus accelerates trends driving China’s seafood sector

October 16, 2020 — The coronavirus crisis, now surpassing 10 months in length in China, is accelerating longer-term trends that have been developing in the country’s seafood marketplace for nearly a decade.

China typically sends millions of tourists around the world during the National Day holiday, which took place 1 October this year. But with international travel restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of those who typically would have traveled abroad stayed home, visiting local tourist attractions instead.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

COVID funding plan OK’d for NJ fishermen; sea bass, tuna hit after storm

October 16, 2020 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has approved New Jersey’s spending plan for $11.3 million in federal aid for revenue losses to the commercial and charter fishing industry suffered as a result of the pandemic, U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. said.

“This is another step in the right direction to ensure that New Jersey’s fishing industry gets the funding it needs to weather the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing economic storm,” Pallone said.

According to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, eligible fisheries-related businesses include commercial fisheries, aquaculture businesses, processors, dealers, and recreational fishery businesses, including for-hire businesses as well as bait and tackle shops.

An online application will be available starting Monday through the Department of Environmental Protection’s electronic grants management system, NJDEP SAGE.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

New Jersey puts out $11.2 million in covid-19 fishing aid

October 16, 2020 — The state of New Jersey is making $11.2 million in financial aid available to commercial and recreational fishing businesses that have seen their income plummet during the covid-19 public health emergency, Gov. Phil Murphy and state environmental commissioner Catherine R. McCabe announced Thursday.

The funding is available as grants to eligible businesses that document a 35 percent loss in revenues as a result of the pandemic. As the Garden State’s share, the funding is from a $300 million allocation for fishing industries in coastal states provided by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“Fishing is an integral part of New Jersey’s identity and a critical component of our economy,” Murphy said in announcing the grants. “This grant program will help these businesses recover losses they have incurred during very difficult times. And we can all play a role in supporting New Jersey’s fishing industry by buying from local seafood suppliers and enjoying fishing through charter boat operations and bait and tackle shops.”

The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Marine Fisheries Administration will review applications and administer financial assistance to eligible business. An online application process will start Monday, October 19, 2020, through DEP’s electronic grants management system, NJDEP SAGE at https://njdepsage.intelligrants.com

Read the full story at National Fisherman

How the Pacific Islands are Balancing COVID-19 Survival Demands on Coastal Fisheries

October 15, 2020 — Coastal fisheries in the Pacific Islands have become a food and livelihood lifeline to many people who have lost jobs, especially in urban centres and tourism, following COVID-19 lockdowns and border closures. Now governments and development organisations are trying to meet the crisis-driven survival needs of here and now, while also considering the long-term consequences on near shore marine resources and habitats.

“In Vanuatu, we don’t have any cases of COVID-19. But around us the world is in lockdown and the incomes indigenous people usually get from tourism have all gone, they have completely come to a halt,” Leias Cullwick, Executive Director of the Vanuatu National Council of Women in Port Vila, told IPS. Tourism accounts for an estimated 40 percent of Vanuatu’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Read the full story at Seafood News

NEFMC Highlights Importance of Scallop RSA Surveys During COVID-19 Pandemic

October 15, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) noted the value of the industry-funded Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, calling it the “sole source” of scallop survey data during the coronavirus pandemic.

The typical survey run by NOAA Fisheries was canceled thanks to COVID-19 and it would leave key information about the status of the fishery for the year. However, the RSA program has worked as a complementary data set for about two decades.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Seattle researchers aim to stop the spread of COVID-19 infections in Alaskan fishing industry

October 15, 2020 — As Washington-based fishing companies are heading to Alaska in the coming days and weeks, thousands of their employees will be participating in a project aimed at early detection and control of COVID-19 infections.

With close quarters and crew members sharing cabins, fishing ships are ripe for spreading the disease. This summer, American Seafoods, a leading processor in the North Pacific and Bering Sea, had COVID outbreaks on three of its massive trawlers and some of its workers received care at a tiny clinic in Unalaska.

“Alaska is at high risk of an infected workforce impacting small, mostly Native communities with little resources to deal with an outbreak,” said Joshua Berger, maritime director for the state’s Department of Commerce.

Read the full story at MSN