Saving Seafood

The Pros And Cons Of Expanding United States Offshore Aquaculture In 2020

July 20, 2020 — An executive order issued by President Donald Trump on May 7th moved to open up federal waters to commercial fish farming (aquaculture). The area has previously been off-limits. The executive order intends to promote U.S. seafood production and create a hassle-free regulatory process for offshore aquaculture projects. While the aquaculture industry is celebrating, many conservationists and commercial fishers are not happy with the move.

Coastal waters in the U.S. are managed in zones under different authorities. The Submerged Lands Act of 1953 secured state control over waters from the coastline to three miles out to sea. Beyond that mark, waters are federally managed to 200 miles offshore. This federal zone is called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). While nearshore aquaculture in the U.S. is regulated by states, there is currently no explicit authority in charge of permitting and regulating aquaculture in federal waters, which provides a significant stumbling block for anyone interested in starting up an offshore fish farm. The executive order designates the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the government agency lead on all aquaculture projects in the EEZ and also requires that all permitting decisions on new aquaculture projects be made within two years, significantly speeding up the process. “An executive order is needed to establish priority amongst the many agencies that have authority in the offshore space,” says Margaret Henderson, campaign manager for the aquaculture lobby group Stronger America Through Seafood.

Despite having the largest EEZ in the world, the U.S. currently has no commercial fish farms in any of it. NOAA fishery statistics indicate that approximately 90% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, however this estimate is debated by some that argue that it is far less given the fact that much of the fish caught in the U.S. is exported for processing, only to be sent back to be consumed. Regardless of the percentage, proponents argue that expanding U.S. offshore aquaculture will lower imports and stimulate domestic production.

Read the full story at Forbes

National Fisheries Institute Statement on the FDA’s Smarter Food Safety Blueprint

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

Yesterday’s announcement of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint demonstrates how the agency plans to rapidly evolve its regulatory approach in an age of unprecedented technological advancement.

Forecasting unique demands on the future value chain will help FDA identify and whenever possible neutralize challenges. In just the past few months, the seafood market has changed and the seafood community and FDA have worked to keep our food supply safe with a rigorous yet flexible approach.

We are pleased to see the Trump Administration embracing a food safety framework for the future that is both smart and safe.

Delegation Calls for Trump to Restore Restrictions to Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Monument

July 8, 2020 — Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have urged President Trump to reverse his recent action to remove fishing restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

Trump’s June 5 decision opened up 5,000 square miles in the Atlantic ocean for commercial fishing. The order to designate that area of the Atlantic Ocean as a national monument was signed by former President Barack Obama during his final months in office, as SeafoodNews reported.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Trump fast-tracks environmental rollbacks to deliver on campaign promises

July 2, 2020 — As the nation grapples with a pandemic and continued protests against systemic racism, calling for police reform, President Donald Trump is rolling back environmental regulations in an effort to deliver on some of his major campaign promises as November nears.

On June 4, Trump issued an executive order to expedite infrastructure investments and “other actions” that will “strengthen the economy and return Americans to work.” The order calls for expediting government decision making and halting environmental review processes.

In the same spirit of cutting red tape, Trump issued a proclamation June 5 to reopen the Northeast Canyons and the Seamounts Marine Region, off the coast of New England, to commercial fishing. In 2016, the Obama administration established the only marine sanctuary in the Atlantic Ocean, protecting 5,000 miles of fragile deep sea environments 130 miles off the shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

At a roundtable in Bangor, Maine, Trump touted how the move would be good for Maine’s economy.

“As we work to fully reopen and revitalize our nation’s economy I am doing everything in my power to support American workers, including those in Maine’s amazing seafood industry,” Trump said.

Read the full story at PBS

What You Need To Know: USMCA Enters Into Force TODAY, Wednesday, July 1

July 1, 2020 — The following was released by The White House:

TODAY, Wednesday, July 1, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) enters into force.The USMCA delivers on President Trump’s promise to replace the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with a 21st century trade deal that marks the beginning of a historic new chapter for North American trade by supporting more balanced, reciprocal trade, leading to freer markets, fairer trade, and robust economic growth in North America. The Agreement contains significant improvements and modernized approaches to rules of origin, agricultural market access, intellectual property, digital trade, financial services, labor, and numerous other sectors. These enhancements will deliver more jobs, provide stronger labor protections, and expand market access, creating new opportunities for American workers, farmers, and ranchers. On June 29, 2020, President Trump signed a Proclamation to take certain actions under USMCA Implementation Act. You can find the full proclamation here. You can also find additional details on the U.S. Customs & Border Protection work to implement USMCA here.

With today’s entry into force, the USMCA will help address longstanding trade imbalances. Key provisions include:

  • More North American Auto Content: Under USMCA’s rules vehicles must be built with at least 75 percent of parts made in North America in order to qualify for zero tariffs, up from 62.5 percent under NAFTA. Also, 40 to 45 percent of an auto will have to be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour. Recent USTR analysis estimates that these rules will incentivize billions in new U.S. automotive investment and in new purchases of U.S.-made auto parts, and support tens of thousands of additional jobs in the U.S. automotive sector. Read the analysis here.
  • Increased Agricultural Market Access: The USMCA provides the U.S. with greater access to Canada’s dairy, poultry, and egg markets. Combined with other agricultural provisions in the agreement, the independent International Trade Commission estimates that, as a result of USMCA, U.S. agricultural exports to Canada and the rest of the world would increase by $2.2 billion.
  • Small and Medium Sized Businesses: The USMCA contains the first chapter of any trade agreement dedicated to Small and Medium Enterprises. The chapter will enforce new intellectual property provisions, bolster innovation, and support small businesses engaging in digital trade. Additionally, USMCA removes burdensome regulations, reduces duplicative red tape, and lowers costs that will help the 30 million U.S. small businesses that employ half the private-sector workforce and create two-thirds of all new jobs, to better compete globally.
  • Enhanced Labor and Environmental Rights: The USMCA makes a number of significant upgrades to NAFTA’s environmental and labor provisions, incorporates them into the core of the agreement, and makes them fully enforceable, which will help level the playing field for U.S. workers and businesses.
  • Addresses Non-Market Practice and Unfair Subsidies: The agreement includes countless rules that directly address the pernicious and growing challenge of unfair subsidies and non-market practices that have the potential to disadvantage U.S. workers and businesses. These include new and enforceable provisions covering state-owned enterprises, currency manipulation, anticorruption, and combatting duty evasion.
  • Increased Intellectual Property Protections: USMCA dramatically enhances intellectual property protections. It contains a modernized, high-standard IP chapter that provides strong and effective protection and enforcement of IP rights critical to driving innovation, creating economic growth, and supporting American jobs.
  • Strongest Provisions on Digital Trade: The USMCA includes a first-of-its-kind chapter on digital trade that – among other things – ensures data can be transferred across borders and cracks down on data localization measures used to restrict where data can be stored and processed.

More on USMCA: Canada and Mexico are our first and third largest exports markets for United States food and agricultural products, making up 28 percent of total food and agricultural exports in 2017.  These exports support more than 325,000 American jobs. In November 2018, President Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) delivering on his promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and protect American farmers, ranchers, businesses, and workers. The USMCA is a 21st century, high-standard agreement that modernizes the 25-year-old NAFTA and supports mutually beneficial trade leading to freer markets, fairer trade, and robust economic growth in North America. can find the Agreement’s Text here, pertinent Fact Sheets here, and Support from External Stakeholders here and here.

Feds in Last-Minute Move OK Fishing Boat Owners for COVID Loans

June 29, 2020 — The Small Business Administration announced Thursday that owners of commercial fishing vessels are now eligible to apply for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans — giving them only three business days to get their paperwork in before the program expires at the end of the month.

The PPP program was designed to let small business owners keep workers on payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic. The loans can be fully forgivable if the recipient uses at least 60 percent of the funding to pay workers.

Advocates for the fisheries on Friday praised the move from the SBA while encouraging fishing boat owners to hustle on down to their local banks to get their applications in. All PPP loans must be approved no later than than June 30.

“We’re hearing that many banks stopped taking PPP loan applications on Friday,” said National Coalition for Fishing Communities Executive Director Robert Vanasse. “With this news from the SBA, we hope that local banks will extend that window until Tuesday.”

Read the full story at WBSM

Environmental Groups, Fishing Advocates Clash over Marine Monument Suit

June 29, 2020 — In response to a June 5 order by President Trump that would open a national marine monument 150 miles off the coast of New England to commercial fishing, the National Resources Defense Council and other entities have come together to file a lawsuit to protect the region.

The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument was established in an area that was previously open to commercial fishing, supporting fish, red crab, squid, and lobster harvests. The monument was designated in 2016 by President Barack Obama as a way to protect the habitat “for a wide range of species, from endangered whales to Atlantic puffins to centuries-old deep-sea corals,” according to the N.R.D.C.

A group called Saving Seafood has fired back, issuing a June 17 statement of its own that said the marine monument had been established “without appropriate stakeholder consultation” in the first place. The environmental conservation community “chose the politically expedient route, and used their contacts and clout in the Obama administration to circumvent the scientific and public process. What they are now discovering is that what one president might create with the stroke of a pen, another president might take away.”

Read the full story at The East Hampton Star

Statement from Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities Executive Director Robert Vanasse on Changes to the Paycheck Protection Program

June 29, 2020 — The following was released by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities:

Our fishing coalition members are grateful for today’s modifications to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which will finally allow most vessel owners to take part in the program and will help save industry jobs. As fishermen deal with the ongoing changes to the industry caused by the COVID-19 crisis, these protections will help support livelihoods and ensure that our fishing communities remain strong.

We would like to thank President Donald Trump and members of his Administration, Secretary Wilbur Ross and the staff of the Department of Commerce, Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the staff of the Department of the Treasury, and Administrator Jovita Carranza and the staff of the Small Business Administration for their efforts in making changes to the program, and for helping to make sure that the PPP is available to as many American businesses as possible.

America’s fishing industry has been a foundation of not just the culture of our coastal communities, but of the US economy as well. Commercial fishing communities span the nation, from Hawaii and the Pacific territories, to Alaska, to the Pacific Northwest, the West Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the East Coast.

The National Coalition for Fishing Communities gives voice to the numerous communities — municipalities, fishermen, shore-side businesses, processors, retailers, and many others — that make up America’s seafood industry. Our members represent tens of thousands of fishermen across the nation.  Neither we nor our members accept financial support  from environmental organizations or their funders.

Trump wants to use trade war bailout funds to buoy Maine’s lobster industry

June 26, 2020 — President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week directing the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide trade war bailout money to Maine lobstermen, a long-coveted win for the industry, which has been impacted by steep Chinese tariffs since 2018.

The EO instructs Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to assess trade war damages to the New England seafood industry and distribute aid accordingly, and to include the U.S. seafood producers in future payments.

“It’s good news, definitely, to see the president taking an interest in the lobster industry,” said Sheila Dassatt, executive director of the Downeast Lobstermen’s Association, an organization that advocates for the industry.

Read the full story at The Counter