Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Crashing Bering Sea crab numbers have fishermen on edge

September 6, 2016 — Bering Sea crabbers were stunned last week when outlooks for the upcoming fall and winter fisheries were revealed.

Results of the annual summer surveys by state and federal scientists showed numbers of mature male and females dropped sharply across the board for the big three:  opilio (snow crab), their larger cousins, bairdi Tanners, and red king crab.

“I don’t think anybody was expecting the numbers to be as low as they ended up. That was a shock,” said Ruth Christiansen, science adviser and policy analyst for the trade group Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers.

Managers use different criteria for setting quotas for the three crab species. For snow crab, the state chooses from what it believe is the most reliable of three data sets. Christiansen said she expects that fishery to be a go, albeit with a smaller catch quota.

“I’m not worried about that one not opening. But given the information we have and the state’s tendency to always be cautious, the catch will be lower than the 40.6 million pounds from last year,” Christiansen said.

Read the full story at the Alaska Dispatch News

Tough Seasons for California Crabbers

August 31, 2016 — The recent crab season in California was abysmal, to say the least.

Epic neurotoxin levels found in Dungeness and rock crabs forced state officials to close fisheries for months instead of weeks, crippling one of the state’s most lucrative fishing industries and leaving fishermen in California’s Northern and Central coasts unable to make a living.

Boats loaded with new fishing gear and crab pots sat in harbors such as Bodega Bay and Monterey. Boat owners have had to lay off crewmembers, who left to find work elsewhere or collect unemployment.

In Crescent City, a small Northern California town of fewer than 8,000 people, the community has been hosting fundraisers to help struggling crabbers. The city has one of the largest landings for Dungeness crab.

Angel Cincotta, who owns the Alioto-Lazio Fish Company on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf with her two sisters, told an NBC Bay Area affiliate that they have had to assuage customers’ concerns about the product they were selling.

“Crabs are currently coming out of Washington and Alaska, out of certified clean waters, so they’re safe to eat,” she told NBC.

The neurotoxin also affected rock crab season in Santa Barbara, one of the state’s biggest ports for rock crab fishing. The rock crab season, which runs all year, was delayed for months in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

“Thousands of Californians are dependent on healthy a crab fishery, and this year we have faced a disaster,” said State Sen. Mike McGuire, chairman of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture. “Our magnificent and iconic crab fishery has gone from abundant to scarcity. And after a lousy salmon season, our fishery boats sit idle. Crabbers are struggling to make ends meet.”

Read the full story at Fishermen’s News

Lobster, from the Jersey coast to your dinner plate

August 26, 2016 — SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. – It had been a long four days at sea aboard the Two Dukes, harvesting thousands of pounds of American lobster and a sideline catch of Jonah crab about 80 miles from the New Jersey coast in an area called the Hudson Canyon.

Out where the water is deeper than a skyscraper is tall, the work days are 14 hours long and start at 5 a.m. There’s really no break aboard the 70-foot steel-hulled lobster boat until a crew member “cooks a nice dinner” – usually not lobster or crab – and then it’s finally time to find a bunk and grab some sleep until the next shift.

The weather is an ever-present, relentless partner in the enterprise and, on any given voyage, can range from sunbaked heat to cold, howling winds and monstrous, stormy swells. No one wastes time talking about good weather.

“I really forgot how grueling it can be,” said Eric Burcaw Sr., 50, who recently came out of semiretirement to take the helm on the Two Dukes, which he operates with his brother Robert Jr.

Their dad, Robert Sr., 82, started the family’s maritime business in the 1960s and still helps out dockside during the summer when the boat comes in. The family owns two other boats they use for fishing other species and for shorter, one-day lobster runs.

On their most recent four-day lobster trip, Eric Sr. found himself in the Two Dukes’ captain’s chair. His son, Eric Jr., who took over running the boat a couple of years ago, had broken his ankle jet skiing the previous week. The injury would preclude Eric Jr. from doing the heavy work required onboard.

Read the full story at Philly.com

JON WILLIAMS: Monument Area Vital To Fishermen

August 23, 2016 — The following is excerpted from a letter to the editor written by Jon Williams, president of the New England Red Crab Harvesters’ Association. It was published today:

I was disappointed with The Courant’s Aug. 18 editorial “Atlantic Marine Preserve Would Be Victory For Environment” endorsing a plan for President Obama to designate a marine national monument off the New England coast.

Contrary to what the editorial stated, a monument would profoundly impact commercial fishermen. The editorial cited the Natural Resources Defense Council’s claim that the “vast majority of red crab landings” along the Eastern Seaboard are outside the proposed protection area. But take it from a crab fisherman: That area is vital to our livelihoods.

Read the full letter at the Hartford Courant

Delaware Bay Horseshoe Crab Population Sought by Researchers

August 19, 2016 — Researchers are looking for answers with regard to determining a horseshoe crab’s survival in the Delaware bay.

Regulators with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission say they need to get a firmer grip on how many horseshoe crabs die in association with medical harvesting.

The crabs are harvested for their blue blood, which contains coagulogen, a chemical that can be used to detect bacteria in medical products.

Read and watch the full story at SNJ Today

Regulators study horseshoe crab survival in medical harvest

August 17, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Environmental regulators studying the harvesting of horseshoe crabs that are drained of some of their blood for biomedical use say they need to get a firmer handle on how many die as part of the process.

The crabs, which have been on earth for hundreds of millions of years and are older than dinosaurs, are harvested because their blood contains coagulogen, a chemical used to make sure medical products aren’t contaminated by bacteria. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate authority, voted this month to propose taking into account the death toll associated with medical harvesting when determining the number of horseshoe crabs that can be harvested from the Delaware Bay.

The medical harvest of horseshoe crabs is about 500,000 crabs per year. The prehistoric-looking crabs typically are taken to labs, are drained of about a third of their blood and then are released alive into the same bodies of water where they were found, a spokeswoman for the commission said on Tuesday.

It’s unclear how many of the crabs die in the process, but the estimate is about 15 percent, said Kirby Rootes-Murdy, a fishery management plan coordinator with the fisheries commission. A firmer idea of how many die is important because of the crabs’ place in ecosystems, such as their role as a food source for endangered birds, Rootes-Murdy said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Virginian-Pilot

ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Management Board Initiates Draft Addendum to Modify Adaptive Resource Management Framework for the Delaware Bay Region

August 8, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Horseshoe Crab Board approved development of Draft Addendum VIII to the Horseshoe Crab Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Draft Addendum will propose changes to the Adaptive Resource Management (ARM) Framework, which is used annually to set harvest specifications for the Delaware Bay states, taking into consideration horseshoe crab abundance and red knot forage needs.

This action is in response to a recent technical review, which suggested changes to the ARM Framework, including the incorporation of mortality associated with biomedical bleeding activities into the Framework, and the exploration of options that allow for the harvest of female horseshoe crab in the Delaware Bay Region. In its review, the ARM Subcommittee suggested mortality associated with biomedical activities due to capture, handling, or post-bleeding stress and could be considered to be a form of harvest and recommended its inclusion in the Framework. This source of mortality had not been included in the ARM Framework as initially established in 2012.

The ARM Framework currently presents five harvest packages to ensure the sustainable annual harvest of horseshoe crab in the Delaware Bay Region. While the Framework can produce harvest packages that include female crab harvest, the threshold for horseshoe crab abundance precludes allowing for female harvest at this time. However, the Board expressed interest in exploring alternatives that allow for female harvest without compromising the integrity of the ARM Framework. As a result, the Draft Addendum will present alternative harvest packages which allow for female harvest. Further, the Draft Addendum will propose incorporating mortality associated with biomedical bleeding activities into the ARM Framework. The Draft Addendum will be presented to the Board for its consideration and possible approval for public comment at the Commission’s Annual Meeting in October 2016.

The ARM Framework was developed by the Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey in recognition of the relationship between horseshoe crab eggs and shorebirds in the Delaware Bay Region. The ARM predicts the optimal strategy for horseshoe crab bait harvest in the Delaware Bay Region while accounting for the need for successful red knot stopover feeding during migrations through the region.

Additionally, the Board tasked the Technical Committee with developing a proposal to test the use of alternative bait in the whelk and eel fisheries. The Board will review the proposal in October 2016. For more information, please contact Kirby Rootes-Murdy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at krootes-murdy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

New Supplemental Materials for ASMFC Horseshoe Crab and Striped Bass Boards

August 1, 2016 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

There are two new supplemental materials for the Horseshoe Crab and Atlantic Striped Bass Boards, which will be meeting during the Commission’s 2016 Summer Meeting this week.  The meeting materials are as follows and can be found on the meeting page here as Supplemental 2 at each board header (links are also provided below). Copies of these materials will be provided at the meeting for Board members.

Horseshoe Crab Management Board – a Conference Call Summary of the Horseshoe Crab Technical Committee and the Delaware Bay Ecosystem Technical Committee; and Conference Call Summary of the Horseshoe Crab Advisory Panel

Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board – Advisory Panel Nomination

To Help New England Fisheries, Cooking Up Invasive Crabs

July 26, 2016 — They have green backs, pink bellies and are only about 2 inches in diameter. The green crab is an invasive predator that’s been destroying clam and scallop populations from South Carolina to Maine — since they were introduced here two centuries ago.

Now, some New England chefs are looking for ways to put this invasive species – on the menu.

“I’m probably gonna upset some of my fisherman friends,” says Brendan Vesey, the chef at The Joinery, an upscale restaurant in Newmarket, N.H. “Because I think Tuna is delicious, and I understand why we catch it, but I currently don’t serve it.”

Why? He says – eating that one big predator at the top of the food chain throws off the whole ecosystem. Instead of seared tuna steaks Vesey serves invasive Green Crab Bisque, with seared fish, fresh peas, and house-made bacon.

Fisherman Everett Leach stops by the restaurant to drop 20 pounds of green crabs, clawing and crawling in a plastic bucket. As he stops one from escaping, another crawls out of the bucket.

“Keep an eye on ‘em, they’re runners,” he warns Vesey.

Read the full story at Rhode Island Public Radio

Fishing report: Crabbing rules provide hot topic for discussion

July 1, 2016 — Crabs were the hot topic Tuesday at the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Crab stocks have increased, not yet to desired levels, but enough that regulations were relaxed some. Commercial crabbers will have extended potting seasons.

The winter crab dredge fishery was kept closed. Recreational crabbing regulations did not change for the most part. The exception is the five-pot recreational license. Everyone may use up to two crab pots for personal consumption without a license. Recreational crabbers may use up to five pots with a license.

This license technically is for using commercial gear for recreational purposes. When crabbing under this license, you have commercial regulations with which to comply — as in mandatory reporting, time-of-day restrictions, no crabbing Sunday and a shorter season. Again, these regulations only apply to the five-pot license, not to all other recreational crabbing.

With the increase in the commercial potting seasons, arguments were to also increase this recreational five-pot season, but it was kept unchanged. What was changed is that there are now two five-pot license fees. This is due to the Northern diamondback terrapin. Some get drowned in crab pots. Now, if you have turtle-excluder devices on your crab pots, you can buy a five-pot license for $36. If you do not have the devices, you can buy a five-pot license for $46. This does not apply to commercial pots or to normal recreational (two) pots.

Read the full story at the Daily Press