Saving Seafood

Report: Gloucester, Mass. landings down, but worth more

November 2, 2015 — The volume and value of U.S. seafood landings remained flat in 2014, while the declines locally in volume and value have leveled off from the ear-popping decline experienced the previous year, according to NOAA’s Fisheries of the U.S. report.

According to the annual report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Gloucester held serve at No. 22 among U.S. ports in volume of landings, but declined to 26th (from 25th last year) in the value of its landings.

New Bedford, riding the lucrative success of its scallop fishery, was ranked as the nation’s top revenue-producing port for the 15th consecutive year. It generated $329 million from the 140 million pounds of fish landed in 2014, but that was down 13.2 percent from the $379 million in value from 2013.

Dutch Harbor, Alaska, reported a catch of 762 million pounds, and came in second for value, at $191 million.

Nationally, U.S. ports landed 9.5 billion pounds of fish in 2013 worth $5.4 billion. That represents a 4 percent decline in landings and less than 1 percent decline in value.

“The overall trends from landings and value for U.S. wild-caught fish is positive even though landings and value are down slightly from last year,” said NOAA Chief Scientist Richard Merrick, who said the declines all fall within the range of statistical error.

Local data

For Gloucester, the report’s data produced a mixed bag, with a slight decrease in landings offset by a slightly higher value from those landings that NOAA primarily attributed to a strong pricing year for lobsters.

A year after losing about 25 percent of both the volume and the value of its landed catch, Gloucester in 2014 landed 61 million pounds of fish, down slightly from the 62 million pounds landed in 2013 and drastically below the 83 million pounds landed here in 2012, before the current slide commenced.

Read the full story at Gloucester Daily Times

 

2,000 LB Limit in Effect for Atlantic Herring Area 1A Limit on November 2

October 29, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The annual catch limit for Atlantic Herring Management Area 1A has been harvested for the June 1 to December 31 period.

Effective at 12 noon on November 2, vessels are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds per trip or calendar day from Area 1A for the rest of the fishing year, which ends on December 31. Vessels must also abide by state regulations, which include no-landing days (currently Thursday-Sunday).

There is no Area 1A allocation available for the January 1 to May 31, 2016 season, so no vessel may fish for herring in Area 1A during that period.

We expect that vessels will be able to resume herring fishing in Area 1A on June 1, 2016.

More details are available in the Federal Register notice and the permit holder letter.

Questions? Contact Shannah Jaburek, Regional Office, at 978-282-8456 or shannah.jaburek@noaa.gov.

Atlantic herring. Credit: NOAA

US scallop prices only expected to rise with no supply relief in sight

October 27, 2015 — As landings continue to come in a little shorter than had been predicted for 2015, US sources see no easing in prices for domestic scallops, which are back up near the all-time high levels seen before this fishing season began.

The agreed outlook is for prices to remain where they are now, with limited landings expected between now and Christmas, when demand traditionally picks up from October.

One executive with a scallop catching firm told Undercurrent News that boats landing in Newport News, Virginia, last week, saw U12s earn $15.75 per pound to the boat, and as much as $16 a few days later.

10/20s sold for $12.03 – $12.05. A second source, also operating out of Newport News, confirmed the largest sizes were going in the $16 range. He put 10/20s in the high $11 area, and in the low to mid $12 too. Both sources added these were typical of recent developments, and that they expected prices to remain similar for the rest of 2015.

Meanwhile David Cournoyer, general manager of Marder Trading in New Bedford, Massachusetts, put prices for fresh, dry U10s at $17.50 to the boat, $18- 18.50 sold on the street.

10/20s were $14 sold on the street, give or take 40 cents, he told Undercurrent.

“October demand was down, as it generally is this time of year. Demand tends to increase in November, December, and early January usually.”

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

NORTH CAROLINA: Disputed fisheries studies: Politics or inexact science?

September 27, 2015 — Science plays a big role in managing fisheries.

Scientists assess fish stocks, migration patterns, environmental issues — useful data that allow regulators to set policy.

We expect our science to be accurate and unaffected by politics, and as citizens, we expect political actors to treat science in the same manner.

Even Robert Fritchey, the author of Wetland Riders, a history of the Coastal Conservation Association, acknowledges that size limits, creel limits and other restrictions are necessary, and that “the science of estimating recreational discards and mortality is vastly improved.” Which would suggest that if interest groups are put aside, there is some hope science could be used in an unbiased manner to help manage fisheries.

Yet a series of e-mails found their way into the public domain from a 2007 round-robin discussion among several N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries scientists trying to peg a mortality rate for speckled seatrout caught by recreational anglers. See video

It would take a few hundred words to demonstrate where science goes off the rails and how other factors, including interest group reactions, exert an influence on what is expected to be an unbiased, fact-driven process.

The mortality rate is important because it is applied to the estimated landings of recreationally caught species and used to assign “catch quotas” for recreational and commercial interests.

The group of six scientists struggled. They questioned even the scope of the studies. “I have a problem with the adjusted values. The handling effect is a real phenomenon with recreational fishing and is definitely a cause for release mortality . . . this study wasn’t designed to look at stress-related mortality . . . ” said one team member.

Read the full story at The Outer Banks Voice