Saving Seafood

With $250 million in monthly seafood shipments on the line, fallout from US-Canada trucker vaccine mandates could be costly

January 24, 2022 — Recently introduced COVID-19 vaccine mandates for truck drivers moving goods across the US and Canadian borders has sparked an outcry from truckers in both countries, threatening to impact already strained supply chains for fresh products, including seafood.

Canadian border authorities began refusing entry to unvaccinated American truckers after an order came into force on Jan. 15.

At the US border crossing, vaccine mandates for south-bound truckers are expected to come into force Jan. 22.

Drivers arriving at the US border not in compliance with the mandate could face the refusal of entry into the US, including having their trucks returned to Canada.

It is estimated that as many as 22,000 Canadian truck drivers and 16,000 US truck drivers may be prevented from crossing by mandates imposed in both countries.

Read the full story at Intrafish

 

Wells Fargo, Rabobank economists predict continuing supply-chain woes

January 24, 2022 — Robust U.S. demand for goods and ongoing transportation and logistical challenges will result in continued supply-chain challenges through the rest of the year, according to economists from Wells Fargo and Rabobank.

Speaking at the 2022 National Fisheries Institute Global Seafood Market Conference, Wells Fargo Senior Economist Tim Quinlan said strong retail sales in the United States, driven by rising wages and government stimulus, kept demand for goods high through 2021, putting pressure on the import market to keep pace. But delays due to COVID-19-related transportation slowdowns, workforce shortages, and lack of competition in the shipping industry prevented supply chains from catching up with demand, and delays will continue for the foreseeable future, Quinlan said.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Alaska seafood showing ‘partial recovery,’ says state seafood marketing arm

January 24, 2022 — Things were looking up for Alaska’s seafood industry in many ways in 2021. More people around the world took to buying and cooking seafood at home and seafood prices went up statewide.

But the industry is still struggling with problems brought on and exacerbated by COVID-19, like supply chain issues and mitigation costs. That’s according to a new report from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the state’s seafood marketing arm.

“Our industry is still facing a lot of the challenges it faced both at the start of the pandemic in 2020 and even before that,” said Ashley Heimbigner, communications director for the institute.

She said this year’s report scrutinized numbers from 2019, since 2020 was such an anomaly.

Read the full story at KTOO

 

Restaurants’ headwinds include labor, inflation, but pent-up demand in their favor

January 21, 2022 — Restaurant operators face significant challenges – especially finding enough employees – but have pent-up dining demand in their favor, according to B. Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the National Restaurant Association Research and Knowledge Group.

Restaurants’ labor costs are running at the highest rate in more than 40 years, Riehle said at the National Fisheries Institute’s Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A., on Wednesday, 19 January.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

“Everyone’s crystal ball is broken” – COVID-19 has scrambled the industry’s ability to plan ahead

January 20, 2022 — Historically, conversations around logistics didn’t always reach the top level of the seafood industry’s decision-making hierarchy, but in the past two years, that has changed.

A Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) panel on Tuesday, 18 January, examined how logistics became top-of-mind for seafood executives, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the industry’s ability to use forecasting for business-planning purposes.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

MAFMC Webinar Meeting: February 8-9, 2022

January 19, 2022 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s next meeting will be held Tuesday, February 8 – Wednesday, February 9, 2022. Due to concerns about the continued spread of COVID-19, this meeting will be conducted entirely by webinar. A portion of the meeting will be conducted jointly with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s ISFMP Policy Board

Agenda and Briefing Materials: A detailed agenda is available here. Briefing documents and presentations will be posted on the February 2022 Meeting Page as they become available. Most briefing materials will be posted by January 28, 2022.

Public Comments: Oral public testimony will be accepted on all major agenda items. Written comments must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 to be included in the briefing book or by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 3, 2022 to be posted with the supplemental meeting materials. Written comments may be submitted using the online comment form linked below or via email, mail, or fax (see this page for details). Comments submitted after February 3 may only be submitted using the online form.

•February 2022 Public Comment Form

Webinar: Webinar connection instructions will be posted on the meeting page at least two weeks prior to the meeting.

Questions? Contact Mary Sabo, msabo@mafmc.org, (302) 526-5261.

 

Op-ed: Focus on blue economy needed in 2022 for COVID-19 recovery

January 13, 2022 — We’ve come to the end of another year filled with uncertainty, with no sign of predictability on the horizon. No one is really sure what the new year will bring. Stability has been hard for Canadians to come by, and it’s something that decision-makers and leaders in both government and industry need to prioritize immediately to incite recovery.

In 2022, Canadian decision-makers are going to have to start implementing serious COVID-19 recovery measures as the pandemic continues to stretch on. The Blue Economy Strategy is an initiative that offers significant recovery opportunities to grow the Canadian economy. While the Blue Economy mandate was put forth by the federal government prior to the pandemic, it has been reinforced in the new mandate letter given to new Fisheries and Oceans Canada Minister Joyce Murray.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

US fresh, frozen seafood retail sales set records in 2021

January 12, 2022 — Sales of frozen and fresh seafood in the U.S. hit all-time highs in 2021, primarily driven by inflation.

Retail seafood sales hit new highs in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic buying sprees and more consumers eating at home, but 2021’s sales totals eclipsed the previous year, IRI and 210 Analytics said in a new report. Fresh seafood sales rose 4 percent compared to 2020 and 30.8 percent versus 2019, reaching USD 7.1 billion (EUR 6.3 billion). Frozen seafood sales rose 2.8 percent compared to 2020 and 40.8 percent versus 2019, reach USD 7.2 billion (EUR 6.4 billion).

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

American Lobster Draft Addendum XXIX/Jonah Crab Draft Addendum IV for Public Comment: Public Hearing Presentation Now Available

January 11, 2022 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Management Board has approved for public comment Draft Addendum XXIX to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for American Lobster and Draft Addendum IV to the Jonah Crab FMP. The Draft Addenda were initiated in August 2020 to consider implementing electronic tracking requirements for federally-permitted vessels in the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries, with the objective of collecting high resolution spatial and temporal effort data.

The collection of enhanced spatial and temporal data via electronic tracking devices in the offshore fishery would support managers in addressing a number of challenges facing the fishery. Electronic tracking data would greatly improve the stock assessment’s ability to estimate exploitation and abundance for American lobster, as the trackers would allow size composition data to be linked to harvest at a finer spatial resolution than what is currently possible. Additionally, the data could improve the models used to assess the location of vertical lines in the fishery and their associated risk to endangered North Atlantic right whales, which could impact federal risk reduction requirements for the fishery. Characterizing the footprint of the U.S. lobster fishery will also be critical to ocean planning efforts to minimize spatial conflicts with other ocean uses such as aquaculture, marine protected areas, and offshore energy development, as well as provide fishery managers tools to help maintain industry fishing grounds. Last, the efficiency of law enforcement efforts could be significantly improved with data to help enforcement officials locate widely dispersed gear in the offshore fishery. 

 

The Commission and its member states from Maine to Virginia will be conducting a series of hearings to gather public input on the Draft Addenda. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most hearings will be conducted via webinar; some hearings will be state-specific and others regionally-focused. Public hearing information, webinar links, and call-in information are below. Please note that in order to comment during the hearings you will need to use your computer or download the GoToWebinar app for your phone. Those joining by phone only will be limited to listening to the presentation and will not be able to provide input. Additional details on participating in the webinar can be found later in this release; this information is particularly important for those that have not used the GoToWebinar platform before.

Date State or Regional Hearing Contact(s)
Wednesday, January 12, 2022

6:30 – 8 PM

 Connecticut and New York Colleen Bouffard (CT), 860.876.6881

Maureen Davidson (NY), 631.444.0483
Thursday, January 13, 2022 

 6:30 – 8 PM

 New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Joseph Cimino (NJ), 609.748.2020

John Clark (DE), 302.739.9914

Michael Luisi (MD), 443.758.6547

Patrick Geer (VA), 757.247.2236
Tuesday, January 18, 2022

6 – 8 PM

 Maine Department of Marine Resources

 

 Megan Ware (ME), 207.446.0932

 
Wednesday, January 19, 2022

6 – 8 PM

 Maine Department of Marine Resources

 

 Megan Ware (ME), 207.446.0932

 
Wednesday, January 19, 2022

6:30 – 8 PM

 New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game

Note: This hearing will be held in a hybrid format. To virtually attend this hearing, please use this webinar registration link. To listen in only, dial1.415.655.0052 and enter 879-685-496.

You can also attend in person at the address below:

Urban Forestry Center

45 Elwyn Road

Portsmouth, NH 03801

 

 Cheri Patterson (NH), 603.868.1095

 
Thursday, January 20, 2022

6:30 – 8 PM

 Massachusetts and Rhode Island  Nichola Meserve (MA), 617.626.1531

Jason McNamee (RI), 401.222.4700
The Draft Addenda include two options for proposed management programs. The first is status quo or no changes to the current program, and the second is to implement electronic tracking requirements for federally-permitted American lobster and Jonah crab vessels with commercial trap gear area permits for Lobster Conservation Management Areas 1 through 5 and Outer Cape Cod. Under this option, the specified permit holders would be required to install an approved electronic vessel tracking device to their vessel prior to beginning a fishing trip to collect and transmit spatial data. The devices would collect vessel locations every minute, which would allow for the distinction between transiting and fishing activity, as well as the estimation of traps per trawl. The Draft Addenda also describe administrative processes at the Commission, state, and federal levels for successful implementation of the management program to ensure the data collected meet the needs of state and federal partners.

Webinar Instructions

To register for a public hearing webinar please click HERE and select the hearing(s) you plan to attend from the dropdown menu. Hearings will be held via GoToWebinar, and you can join the webinar from your computer, tablet or smartphone. If you are new to GoToWebinar, you can download the software (click here)or via the App store under GoToWebinar. We recommend you register for the hearing well in advance of the hearing since GoToWebinar will provide you with a link to test your device’s compatibility with the webinar. If you find your device is not compatible, please contact the Commission at info@asmfc.org (subject line: GoToWebinar help) and we will try to get you connected. We also strongly encourage participants to use the computer voice over internet (VoIP) so you can ask questions and provide input at the hearing. Those joining by phone only, will be limited to listening to the presentation but will not be able to provide input during the hearing. In those cases, you can send your comments to staff via email, U.S. mail, or fax at any time during the public comment period. To attend the webinar in listen only mode, dial 1-877-309-2071 and enter access code 350-416-497.

The Draft Addenda are available athttp://www.asmfc.org/files/PublicInput/LobsterDraftAdd_XXIX_JonahCrabDraftAdd_IV_PublicComment_Dec2021.pdf or via the Commission’s website at http://www.asmfc.org/about-us/public-input. Members of the commercial fishing industry and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide input either by participating in public hearings, webinars, or providing written comment. Public comment will be accepted until 5 PM (EST) on January 31, 2022 and should be sent to Caitlin Starks, FMP Coordinator, at 1050 N. Highland St., Suite 200 A-N, Arlington, Virginia 22201; 703.842.0741 (fax) or at comments@asmfc.org (Subject line: Lobster Draft Addendum XXIX). For more information, please contact Caitlin Starks at cstarks@asmfc.orgor 703.842.0740.

Eat Seafood America! marketing campaign pilot reports 800 percent return on investment

January 10, 2022 — The Eat Seafood America! marketing campaign, launched by the Seafood Nutrition Partnership and the Seafood4Health Coalition in 2020, has achieved an 800 percent return on investment, according to SNP.

The campaign, which was launched as a rapid response to the COVID-19 public health crisis with the dual goals of helping Americans stay healthy and boosting the U.S. seafood sector, was already shown to have increased seafood consumption in the U.S. The campaign reached four million households and “outperformed benchmark campaigns,” with every dollar spent on campaign ads resulting in a USD 9.00 (EUR 7.95) increase in seafood purchases, according to SNP.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource