Finfish Archives - Saving Seafood

Retail sector’s US seafood sales plunge as inflation continues to bite

June 14, 2022 — U.S. grocery stores’ fresh and frozen seafood sales continued to decline in May, primarily due to inflation in the category and across the store. However, shelf-stable seafood sales continued to rise, according to new data from IRI and 210 Analytics

Fresh seafood sales dropped 13.2 percent in value to USD 618 million (EUR 593 million), while sales by volume plunged 22 percent compared to May 2021. Frozen seafood sales fell 5.6 percent to USD 643 million (EUR 617 million) in the month, while sales by volume declined 14.6 percent.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Gouldsboro ordinance to focus on finfish

May 13, 2022 — The Planning Board is drafting an aquaculture ordinance to regulate only large-scale Atlantic salmon and other finfish-farming development on land.

The move comes after the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) charged that the town had overstepped its authority in a prior, broader draft regulating all forms of aquaculture on land and in the ocean.

Local seaweed and oyster farmers also voiced concerns that the initial proposed regulations could jeopardize their existing operations.

At their regular meeting Tuesday, May 3, Planning Board members unanimously agreed to limit the ordinance’s focus to finfish-related operations on land. A previous draft Aquaculture Licensing Ordinance would have applied to all aquaculture — whether raising softshell clams in nursery trays floating in a former lobster pound or growing seaweed in Frenchman Bay. That proposal contained sweeping standards and requirements from noise, parking and exterior lighting specifications to having an environmental impact statement study conducted.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

ALASKA: Board of Fish will consider moving Southeast meeting back to Ketchikan

January 26, 2022 — Alaska’s Board of Fisheries is considering moving its Southeast meeting back to Ketchikan, and it’s asking the public to weigh in.

The board — which sets the state’s subsistence, commercial and sport fishing rules — plans to discuss more than 150 proposed changes to Southeast Alaska finfish and shellfish regulations at the meeting, which was originally slated to be held in Ketchikan this month but was postponed due to a rise in COVID-19 cases in the region.

Read the full story at KTOO

Science group funds $126,000 for Atlantic fisheries studies

January 5, 2022 — Atlantic thread herring, squid, surf clams and ocean quahogs are the focus for $126,000 in funding approved by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries’ industry advisory board for 2022 research projects.

SCEMFIS is part of the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers program. By connecting and marine scientists with members of the fishing industry, the center identifies scientific priorities for better understanding commercially important fish species, and directs industry funding to projects that study them.

“Since its founding, SCEMFIS has promoted research that has increased our understanding of these species, and improved their management,” according to the center’s announcement of its 2022 plan.

Topping the list with $69,336 in funding is a study using biostatistical and fishery-dependent sampling of Atlantic thread herring and Atlantic chub mackerel in the mid-Atlantic region, where a fishery for thread herring is developing in the Mid-Atlantic region as a result of climate change and the subsequent shifting of fish stocks.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Shrimp, finfish aquaculture recovering from COVID-19 impacts

November 23, 2021 — Both shrimp and finfish aquaculture continued to grow globally in 2021, but might experience flattening or slower growth in 2022, according to production surveys conducted by the Global Seafood Alliance.

In a presentation at the final day of the organization’s Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) conference on 17 November, Rabobank Senior Analyst Gorjan Nikolik said globally, the aquaculture sector’s production is slowly normalizing after disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Here’s why seafood prices are soaring this summer

August 6, 2021 — After experiencing broad declines last year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the fishing and seafood sectors are still floundering due to the effects of supply chain issues, worker shortages and renewed consumer demand.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fisheries wrote at the beginning of the year that coronavirus contributed to an “almost immediate” impact on seafood sector sales including lost sales at most aquaculture, aquaponics, and allied businesses and charter fishing operations.

Now, chefs and restaurant owners are speaking out on why pandemic woes have led to higher prices for their customers.

According to SeafoodSource, premium items are being taken off menus across the country because the delicacies are too hard or expensive to source.

Read the full story at Fox News

Science Center for Marine Fisheries Approves $180,000 in New Funding for Fisheries Research

July 15, 2021 — The following was released by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS):

The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) has approved 5 new research projects for 2021, awarding over $180,000 in funding for finfish and shellfish projects. Approved by the Center’s Industry Advisory Board (IAB), the projects have been identified by the Center’s industry partners as addressing critical scientific needs in their fisheries.

These projects include assessing the economic impact of menhaden fisheries; developing processes for shellfish refinement; improving finfish stock assessments; mitigation proposals for surfclam hatcheries; and analyzing the age and length composition of ocean quahog.

The following projects were approved and funded:

Developing process and procedures for the refinement of surf clam and ocean quahog shells into calcium carbonate – Waste produced by the used shells of clams and ocean quahogs are considered environmentally hazardous; finding ways to effectively deal with it is an important sustainability issue. The project, headed by Dr. Alireza Abbaspourrad (Cornell University), will focus on turning shell waste into a value-added product, contributing to blue economy efforts and promote sustainability. ($110,950 in funding)

Mid-Atlantic management track stock assessment – Led by Dr. Steve Cadrin (UMass Dartmouth), this study will update stock assessments for Atlantic mackerel, summer flounder, scup, black sea bass, bluefish, and golden tilefish. The project will improve both the understanding and effectiveness of finfish stock assessments and stakeholder involvement in finfish management. ($3,520 in funding)

What hatchery capacity would be needed to support surfclam fishery mitigation via seeding fishing grounds? – Currently, the United States has over 1.7 million square acres of federal waters under lease for wind energy. These wind projects will reduce access to surfclam grounds and potentially impact surfclam hatcheries and nurseries. This study, by Dr. Daphne Monroe (Rutgers University), will evaluate mitigation strategies and other ways to support fishing communities as offshore wind energy continues to expand. ($18,480 in funding)

Evaluation of ocean quahog aging program for providing age data for the assessment; identification of status, uncertainty, and additional research needs – Ocean quahogs are the oldest and longest-lived animals under federal management, making them particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Partnering with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Dr. Eric Powell (University of Southern Mississippi) and Dr. Roger Mann (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), SCEMFIS has funded a research program to improve understanding of quahog population dynamics, recruitment, and growth rates. The present project will fund a workshop to review findings and evaluate the application of SCEMFIS findings to the NMFS-NEFSC assessment program. ($29,552 in funding)

Menhaden economic impact and management uncertainty – Led by Dr. Thomas J. Murray (Virginia Institute of Marine Science), this project focuses on developing an economic input-output model for the menhaden fishery. The development of this model will allow management decisions to be informed by economic impacts associated with catch and catch area controls. ($34,500 in funding)

SCEMFIS is a member of the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) program, a federal initiative to bring together academic researchers and industry members to fund projects improving our understanding of economically important issues.

About SCEMFIS
SCEMFIS utilizes academic and fisheries resources to address urgent scientific problems limiting sustainable fisheries. SCEMFIS develops methods, analytical and survey tools, datasets, and analytical approaches to improve sustainability of fisheries and reduce uncertainty in biomass estimates. SCEMFIS university partners, University of Southern Mississippi (lead institution), and Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, are the academic sites. Collaborating scientists who provide specific expertise in finfish, shellfish, and marine mammal research, come from a wide range of academic institutions, including Old Dominion University, Rutgers University, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, University of Maryland, and University of Rhode Island.

The need for the diverse services that SCEMFIS can provide to industry continues to grow, which has prompted a steady increase in the number of fishing industry partners. These services include immediate access to science expertise for stock assessment issues, rapid response to research priorities, and representation on stock assessment working groups. Targeted research leads to improvements in data collection, survey design, analytical tools, assessment models, and other needs to reduce uncertainty in-stock status and improve reference point goals.

Science Center for Marine Fisheries Approves $100,000 in Research Grants for 2021

March 3, 2021 — The following was released by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS):

The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) has approved 4 new research projects, with $100,000 in funding, to start 2021. Approved at the Center’s annual winter meeting, the new projects will focus on improving data collection and scientific surveys in important finfish and shellfish fisheries.

These projects include efforts to improve how menhaden are tagged and tracked; analyzing the age and length composition of the chub mackerel population; improving clam dredge performance; and improving collection methods for surfclams and quahogs. All projects were approved by the SCEMFIS Industry Advisory Board (IAB), which is comprised of the Center’s industry partners in the finfish and shellfish fisheries.

The following projects were approved at the winter meeting:

Understanding the utility of archived tag-recapture data for evaluation of movement and mortality estimation – As a changing climate forces species to shift geographical ranges, tracking population data and location has become increasingly important. The project, by Dr. Robert Leaf (University of Southern Mississippi), will directly address “high” priority needs listed in the menhaden stock assessment. ($19,874 in funding)
Characterization of the length and age composition of the Atlantic Chub Mackerel fishery in the mid-Atlantic for 2021 – In a collaboration with SeaFreeze Ltd. and Lund’s Fisheries Inc., this study, lead by Dr. Robert Leaf, will characterize the age and length composition of Atlantic chub mackerel in the commercial fishery for the 2021 season. The project addresses the assessment’s needs to provide “adequate scientific information” for the Atlantic chub mackerel stock. ($14,035 in funding)
Development of Improved Clam Dredge System using Theory, CFD, and Experiment – This study, by Dr. Eric Powell (University of Southern Mississippi), will research potential improvements to the current clam dredge system, a system which has not been updated in decades. Dr. Powell plans to work with the Center for Water and the Environment at the University of Texas, Austin in order to improve the efficiency of dredge systems, increasing catch rates, reducing fuel consumption, and reducing engine emissions. ($65,634 in funding)
Design of a dredge for collection of juvenile Surfclams and Ocean quahogs – This study, lead by Dr. Eric Powell, will support shellfish research by improving collection methods for surfclams and ocean quahogs. The project will design a cost-effective dredge to sample juvenile ocean quahogs and surfclams for research and data collection. Improving juvenile clam sampling will provide a more accurate estimate of population size, frequency and recruitment for surfclams and quahogs. ($7,590 in funding)

Read the full release here

Lund’s Fisheries Announces New Hires as Part of New Investments in Consumer Brands

January 12, 2021 — The following was released by Lund’s Fisheries:

Lund’s Fisheries is excited to announce the hiring of four new senior executives and two additional sales and marketing staff. The hires are the company’s latest investment in sustainable seafood production and marketing through its Lund’s Fisheries and Sea Legend brands.

“These new hires, in our sales, cold storage/logistics and quality assurance departments, are key to the company’s focus on continued growth of its production capacity and sales of innovative seafood products in the retail and food service sectors,” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries.

Joining the company are Mark Fratiello as its new Director of Sales and Marketing, Mike Wallace and John Fee as National Business Development Managers, Federico Sehringer as Compliance Officer and Quality Assurance Director, Joshua Farinella as Director of Compliance and Quality Assurance, and Gene Taormina as General Manager at Shoreline Freezers, located in Bridgeton, New Jersey.

Mark comes to Lund’s with an extensive sales background, including 10 years of experience in seafood sales and marketing. In his role at Lund’s, Mark will lead the company’s seasoned sales team, comprised of Jeff Miller, Mike Wallace, Rick Marino and John Fee, to grow their fresh and frozen scallop, calamari, shrimp, finfish and value-added lines, working with a national broker to drive national sales to broadline distributors, restaurants, wholesale distributors, and retail.

“I’m excited to be with a company that’s looking to expand its reach in volume, sales channels, and infrastructure,” said Mark Fratiello. “It’s great to get in on the ground floor to help build the brands, and create new opportunities for the company to grow. Lund’s investments in vessels and shoreside infrastructure provide an incredible foundation to build successful national seafood programs and bring consumers direct to the source.”

With its Lund’s Fisheries, Seafood Market and Sea Legend brands, Lund’s Fisheries is already a leading provider of sustainable, wild-caught sea scallops, calamari and finfish; the company harvested over 75 million pounds of seafood last year alone. Atlantic sea scallops and East Coast squid fisheries are certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, which is an important selling point for consumers in a market increasingly interested in sustainability. Additionally Lund’s is one of just a few domestic processors that clean calamari domestically, and offers customers products that have been both caught and processed in the U.S.

“Onboarding a national broker with a company that has more than 65 years of vertically integrated seafood experience is an exciting time in my career and a great opportunity to achieve Lund’s Fisheries strategic goals,” said Mike Wallace.

“I am happy to be associated with Lund’s, a company focused on sustainable fishing practices and centrally located in the Mid Atlantic, and geared towards producing the highest quality seafood for the food service industry,” said John Fee.

Federico and Joshua will be part of an expanded quality assurance team, where they will ensure that the products processed at our SQF-certified facilities continue to meet all regulations and standards, and that the high quality of our consumer products are maintained. Both bring years of experience in quality control to Lund’s. Federico has 18 years of food safety and quality control, both in the U.S. and Argentina. Joshua has 14 years of experience in several quality assurance roles.

“I’ve worked in retail, storage and distribution, and production. I’m glad to have the opportunity to work with a company that is able to do all of these things under one roof,” said Federico Sehringer.

“I’m ready to help the company take things to the next level,” said Joshua Farinella. “We have a strong foundation and reputation for quality to build on, and the right building blocks for continued success.”

While 2020 has been challenging for many, Lund’s Fisheries has continued investing in growing shoreside infrastructure to support sustainable fisheries, fishing vessels, and generational relationships with fishing families home-ported in Cape May, New Jersey. In mid-2021, Lund’s looks to break ground on a new 90,000 square foot cold and dry storage addition to its Shoreline Freezers facility. This investment will include additional processing space as well, which will help facilitate growth in sales.

“Lund’s methodical approach, vision and investment in state of the art equipment and facilities will advance the company’s distribution of sustainable seafood,” said Gene Taormina.

With production facilities in New Jersey, Massachusetts and California, 19 fishing vessels owned directly by the principals of the company, as well as the many independent owner/operated vessels the company works with, Lund’s welcomes its new team members and looks forward to continued growth in the harvest, production and marketing of sustainable seafood.

Additional Public Listening Session on December 3 for Aquaculture Opportunity Areas

November 25, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

December 3, 2020 from 12 pm to 2 pm ET

Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOA), which are called for in the May 2020 Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth, are defined as geographic areas that have been evaluated for their potential for sustainable commercial aquaculture. Selected areas are expected to support multiple aquaculture farm sites of varying types including finfish, shellfish, seaweed, or some combination of these farm types.

We have added a fifth AOA listening session to grant stakeholders another opportunity to provide comment. To ensure that all stakeholders, including the recreational and commercial fishing industries, from whom we would like to hear more, have the opportunity to provide comments the additional public listening session will be held December 3, 2020 from 12:00-2:00 ET.

Through the current request for information, which is open until December 22, the public and our stakeholders are encouraged to provide comments for AOA creation in federal waters off of southern California and the Gulf of Mexico as well as the location of future AOAs. The synthesis of public input and NOAA’s powerful data-driven siting analysis are essential elements to highlight space that is environmentally, socially, and economically appropriate for commercial aquaculture. We look forward to hearing from you.

Read the full release here