Saving Seafood

CARES Act provides more than $5M for North Carolina commercial fishing industry

May 14, 2020 — Commercial fishermen in North Carolina will receive more than $5 million in federal financial assistance through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an announcement last week, saying the U.S. Secretary of Commerce announced the allocation of $300 million in fisheries assistance funding provided by Sec. 12005 of the CARES Act to states, tribes and territories with coastal and marine fishery participants who have been negatively affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Under the act, North Carolina’s commercial fishermen will receive $5,460,385.

U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the relief package will support America’s fishermen and the seafood sector’s recovery.

“Thank you President (Donald) Trump, (U.S. Treasury) Secretary (Steven) Mnuchin and our congressional leaders of both parties for your work to pass the historic legislation that is bringing much needed relief to America’s fishermen,” Mr. Ross said. “This administration stands with the men and women working to provide healthy and safe seafood during this uniquely challenging time, while our U.S. fisheries work to continue to support 1.7 million jobs and to generate $200 billion in annual sales. The nation is grateful to our fishermen for their commitment.”

Read the full story at Carolina Coast Online

Will Trump’s executive order expanding fishing help the seafood industry catch needed profits?

May 13, 2020 — The coronavirus pandemic has decimated the seafood industry in the U.S. ​Following the widespread closure of restaurants and food service locations, many of the country’s fisheries have reported sales dropping as much as 95%. Thousands of commercial fishers are at risk of bankruptcy, The Washington Post reported.

Shortly after sales started to plummet, seafood companies — including Trident, Pacific Seafoods, High Liner, Cargill and Fortune International — wrote a letter to the Trump administration to ask for financial support. Although the industry anticipated the need for billions of dollars, the government only approved an aid package for $300 million at first.

Now the government is offering additional support with another $300 million in financial aid, as well as an attempt to bolster domestic production. Currently, domestic aquaculture production is either done on land or in state-controlled waters and is only a small portion of U.S. seafood. Aquaculture accounted for 20% of the country’s seafood production in 2016, according to NPR. The outlet reported that U.S. production is dwarfed by imports, which account for 90% of the country’s seafood consumption.

Read the full story at Grocery Dive

What’s in Trump’s seafood order?

May 13, 2020 — Today we’re talking about the president’s May 7 executive order that is getting widespread support from fishing companies and processors, but also some criticism from small-scale fishermen and groups that support localized wild-capture fisheries.

Joining us is Ryan Bradley, executive director of Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United, a commercial fisherman, vessel owner, seafood dealer and business owner, and a National Fisherman Highliner.

Bradley shares with us how he hopes the EO will pave a path toward breaking down some unnecessary regulatory barriers, help enforcement fight IUU fishing — including illegal sales of recreational catch — and bolster fair trade that benefits American fishermen.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Trump executive order could speed offshore aquaculture permits

May 13, 2020 — The Trump administration executive order on aquaculture and fisheries is raising hopes among some commercial fishing advocates to roll back what they view as excessive regulation.

But the statement’s strong emphasis on streamlining the permit process for ocean aquaculture alarms opponents, who won a 2018 federal court decision in Louisiana that said NOAA lacked Congressional authority to regulate aquaculture.

The “Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth” directs federal agencies to “identify and remove unnecessary regulatory barriers restricting American fishermen and aquaculture producers” and “facilitate aquaculture projects through regulatory transparency and long-term strategic planning.”

The document has other promises to U.S. seafood producers, especially in seeking fair trade and competition with imported seafood — including to hold imports to the same food-safety standards required for domestic products.

Chris Oliver, the assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries, said in a statement that a new Seafood Trade Task Force will “develop a comprehensive interagency seafood trade strategy. The strategy will identify opportunities to improve access to foreign markets through trade policy and negotiations; resolve technical barriers to U.S. seafood exports; and otherwise support fair market access for U.S. seafood products.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Western Pacific Council calls on Trump to ease fishing restrictions in the Pacific marine monuments

May 12, 2020 — A regional fishery management council sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump late last week urging his administration to ease limitations on fishing in the nation’s Pacific marine monuments, saying the restrictions hinder American tuna fishing.

The letter, penned by Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council Chair Archie Taotasi Soliari and Executive Director Kitty Simonds, was dated Friday, 8 May, a day after the administration released details of how it would allocate the USD 300 million in funding to the seafood industry from the CARES Act. At the same time, White House officials held a call with fishery management officials to discuss other aspects of Trump’s executive order that outlined improving the country’s competitiveness as a seafood producer, a key economic policy for the administration since it came into office more than three years ago.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Trump orders removal of barriers to aquaculture

May 11, 2020 — The Trump Administration has issued an executive order Thursday to remove “outdated and unnecessarily burdensome” aquaculture regulations to promote the competitiveness of American seafood.

The Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth acknowledged aquaculture’s contribution to the U.S. economy and in enhancing the quality of American lives.

It calls for the expansion of sustainable U.S. seafood production through more efficient and predictable aquaculture permitting.

“This demonstrates a clear understanding that safe, authorized aquaculture can have a lasting impact that is not only beneficial to the viability of wild capture stocks but to the economic sustainability of the entire seafood community,” said John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute.

Read the full story at Aquaculture North America

Lund’s Fisheries Supports President Trump’s Order Promoting American Seafood

May 8, 2020 — The following was released by Lund’s Fisheries:

Jeff Reichle, Chairman of Lund’s Fisheries, Inc., issued the following statement on President Trump’s “Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth”:

Lund’s Fisheries has been in business since 1954; I myself have been with the company since 1974. This is the first time in my memory that a sitting President has taken the time and initiative to recognize the hard work and value of this country’s fishing industry and its importance in feeding Americans.

Fishermen are notoriously independent people, seldom looking for help, and most often overlooked by their government. It is refreshing, to say the least, that the President has chosen to recognize our industry in this time of national crisis.

We at Lund’s Fisheries are extremely grateful to this Administration for this recognition and Executive Order. With 5 processing companies employing over 300 people in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California, we are ready to continue to meet the country’s needs during this crisis.

We are especially grateful to hear that the Administration will help us with trade barriers and inequities in our international import/export business. Far too often trade barriers have been put in place by foreign nations against our products with no pushback from the U.S. government. We cannot thank the President enough for his tough negotiations on these matters, and look forward to working with his Administration on these issues following his welcomed announcement yesterday.

We further look forward to working with the Administration to ensure that the commercial wild fishing industry is able to stay healthy and vibrant without being impeded by the installation of wind turbines on historical fishing grounds. We hope that the opening sentence in section 1, which states “America needs a vibrant and competitive seafood industry to create and sustain American jobs, put safe and healthy food on American tables, and contribute to the American economy” will include safeguarding this historic industry by ensuring that our ability to produce seafood into the future will not be lost in a rush to produce subsidized wind energy at any cost.

GSSA Thanks White House for Supporting American Fishermen

May 8, 2020 — The following was released by the Garden State Seafood Association:

Yesterday, President Trump signed an Executive Order to increase domestic seafood production, address unfair seafood trade practices, and ensure that the seafood industry is able to meet the country’s current food needs. The Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) thanks the Administration for recognizing our nation’s vibrant fishing industry and keeping it competitive.

“We would like to thank President Trump for promoting American seafood, and the hard work that our fishermen do to provide the nation with essential protein,” said Scot Mackey, Director of Government Affairs for the Garden State Seafood Association. “The best seafood is American-made, from sustainably harvested fish and scallops to locally farmed oysters. This order will help the industry weather the current crisis and come back stronger.”

GSSA is grateful for efforts to create a more level international playing field for seafood. The U.S. has some of the strictest and most sustainable seafood management in the world. Combined with illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide, and trade barriers from other countries, U.S. fishermen are often at an unfair disadvantage. This order takes steps to combat IUU fishing, and address unfair international trade practices.

The Administration also recognizes the tremendous potential of U.S. aquaculture, which here in New Jersey means our growing farmed oyster industry. The Administration’s order looks to build on that potential by addressing current restrictions in the aquaculture permitting process. By streamlining this process and eliminating unnecessary barriers, the Administration is setting up U.S. aquaculture for a promising future.

About the Garden State Seafood Association

The Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) advocates on behalf of New Jersey’s fishermen and fishing communities. Through closely monitoring regulatory developments, actively participating in the management process, and sharing the latest fisheries news and information with our members, GSSA holds our leaders accountable to the concerns and priorities of New Jersey’s hard working, historic fishing industry.

American seafood industry may see jobs boost thanks to White House regulation

May 8, 2020 — America’s seafood industry just got a vote of confidence from the White House after President Trump issued an Executive Order aimed at creating jobs for the nation’s fishermen.

“It will create tens of thousands of jobs in our seafood industry and also keep millions of Americans more healthy and safe,” said White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro during an appearance on FOX Business’ ‘The Evening Edit’ while noting, “It will unleash our commercial fisheries in a way that is good for America” he added.

U.S. fish farms produce $1.5 billion a year, compared with $140 billion in China, according to the White House.

Navarro, along with Joe Grogan, outgoing domestic policy advisor to Trump who drove the E.O., penned an Opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, highlighting America’s chance to capitalize on our vast oceans surrounding the nation.

Read the full story at FOX Business

Seafood industry applauds Trump’s new executive order, while some groups cry foul

May 8, 2020 — An executive order issued on 7 April by U.S. President Donald Trump containing a number of new mandates intended to enhance the competitiveness of the U.S. seafood has drawn widespread praise from the industry, and has been derided by some environmentalists and fishing groups.

The new executive order contains an array of recommendations for wild-caught fisheries, and an extensive set of new tasks for multiple government administrations intended to expand the nation’s aquaculture. The new changes are devoted to removing barriers to permitting, improving regulatory transparency, and establishing new “Aquaculture Opportunity Areas.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source