Saving Seafood

Florida restauranteur delivering fresh, flash-frozen fish across the US with Gulf to Table

January 19, 2021 — A restaurateur on Florida’s Gulf Coast has started a new endeavor designed to bring the region’s seafood delicacies to individuals and businesses across the country.

Charles Morgan launched Gulf to Table to deliver fresh, flash-frozen fish to markets, restaurants, and private homes. The fish are processed at Morgan’s Harbor Docks restaurant and market in Destin, and shipped overnight. Morgan counts markets in New York and Canada among his customers, along with a slew of independent restaurants.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Gulf red snapper plentiful, and prices stay robust

December 30, 2020 — No one should have any difficulty buying fresh Gulf of Mexico red snapper for dinner anytime in the foreseeable future.

“It’s what they call a ‘harvest fishery’ — you go out there, they bite. They’re not hard to find,” said Steve Rash, who owns Water Street Seafood in Apalachicola, Fla.

That assessment was confirmed by the recent Great Red Snapper Count — a two-year scientific study conducted by Texas A&M’s Harte Research Institute. Researchers reported to Congress in October that there are up to three times as many red snapper living in the gulf as scientists previously estimated.

Rash says the dozen or so boats operating out of his fish house catch red snapper on nearly every trip, whether it is the target species or as bycatch in the grouper, amberjack, or other reef fisheries. He says dock prices are in the $5 to $5.50-per-pound range, with fishermen who are leasing quota netting about $2 per pound.

As of just before Thanksgiving, gulf fishermen had landed about 5.6 million pounds, or 82 percent of the annual quota of 7 million pounds. Rash said sales to restaurants were slow from last winter to early spring as a result of covid-19-related shutdowns.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Reminder: New Year Brings Changes to Federal Fishing Regulations

December 28, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Fishermen are reminded that several changes to federal fishing regulations occur beginning January 1st as we ring in 2021 (and gladly bid 2020 farewell). The first day of January begins a new fishing year for some species in the snapper grouper management complex.

The South Atlantic regulation changes apply to federal waters ranging from 3 to 200 nautical miles offshore of NC, SC, GA, and the east coast of Florida.

For example, a spawning season closure for shallow-water grouper goes into place each year to help protect species such as Gag Grouper, Red Grouper, Scamp, Red Hind, Yellowmouth Grouper, and others. The shallow-water grouper season will reopen May 1, 2021 with the exception of Red Grouper off the coast of North Carolina and South Carolina, which reopens June 1st. Some other snapper grouper species will reopen for harvest January 1st.

See the Regulations Summary (click the image) available from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council for changes effective January 1, 2021. To keep up with federal regulations and changes throughout the year (recreational and commercial), download the free FishRules mobile app.

Additional regulation information and other helpful resources are available from the Council’s website at: https://safmc.net/regulations/.

Best Wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year!

“Gulf to Table” Ships Fresh, High-Quality Gulf Seafood Directly to Consumers Across the U.S.

December 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance:

Gulf to Table is shipping the highest quality wild-caught Gulf seafood to families, restaurants and markets around the country through personalized shopping and overnight shipping. The ease of purchasing from Gulf to Table’s website makes it an ideal choice for consumers looking for fresh Gulf seafood this holiday season, no matter where they live.

Gulf to Table is the brainchild of Charles Morgan, whose seafood restaurants are known in Destin, Florida and throughout the Southeast for their impeccably fresh seafood and innovative menus. Mr. Morgan has developed a strong reputation of caring for his fishermen, staff, and the sustainability of Gulf fisheries, while delivering high-quality seafood across his restaurants. With Gulf to Table, he has expanded his successful business to offer this same care and high-quality seafood to customers across the country.

Gulf to Table ships fresh, flash frozen seafood – fast. The website is constantly updated and personalized, making shopping online easy. Staff is trained in all things fish. If a customer is struggling to choose the right type, quantity, or cut of seafood, the website offers a responsive chat experience to help them make the right choice for them. True to Mr. Morgan’s desire to foster a transparent seafood market, customers can even find out which boat and captain caught the fish that gets shipped out. There’s also a pick-up option for locals.

“Wild-caught seafood is the last truly wild protein available to the public,” Mr. Morgan said. “It’s our goal to help customers understand just what goes into getting honestly labeled and sustainably harvested fish from the waters of the Gulf to their dinner tables. And through our user-friendly website, fresh seafood is just a click away.”

Gulf to Table strives to offer as much of the Gulf’s bounty as possible, from whole fish and fillets, to local favorite cuts of cheeks and throats.

Through his Harbor Docks restaurant, Mr. Morgan is a member of the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance, which brings together fishermen, seafood dealers, and restaurants to advocate for the fair distribution of fish across the Gulf of Mexico

FLORIDA: Shrinking Population Forces Shutdown of Oyster Harvesting in Florida Bay

December 17, 2020 — Florida officials voted Wednesday to shut down oyster harvesting in Apalachicola Bay, a major source of the nation’s supply, due to a diminished population caused by low freshwater flows.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a measure that will suspend all harvesting of wild oysters from the bay through December 2025, or “until 300 bags per acre of adult oysters can be found on a significant number of reefs.”

The final rule also bans on-the-water possession of oyster harvesting equipment in Apalachicola Bay, which encompasses St. George Sound, East Bay, Indian Lagoon and St. Vincent Sound. Their canals, channels, rivers and creeks are also off-limits to harvesting for the next five years.

Historically, nearly 90% of Florida’s commercial oyster harvest and about 10% of the entire U.S. supply came from Apalachicola Bay, according to the commission.

Read the full story at the Courthouse News Service

Critically endangered North Atlantic right whale population gets a boost: 2 newborns spotted off US coast

December 8, 2020 — Biologists from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida knew immediately what they were seeing: It was a North Atlantic right whale calf.

They couldn’t help but be ecstatic.

“Soon enough, the team knew the mother would surface for a breath of air and the calving season would have the first live mother-calf right whale pair,” said Melanie White, a research biologist who serves as the aquarium’s North Atlantic Right Whale Conservation Project Manager.

The calf, found swimming on Dec. 4 with a first-time mom known as Chiminea off the coast of Cumberland Island in Georgia, was the first of two live calves found over the past week, the National Marine Fisheries Service tweeted Monday.

The second, born to 16 year-old Millepede, was spotted Monday while swimming with bottlenose dolphins off Vilano Beach in Florida.

Read the full story at USA Today

Choked, strangled and drowned. How balloons and plastic bags are killing marine animals

November 20, 2020 — In Florida, a critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was entangled in a plastic bag that had become filled with sand. The plastic bag had wrapped around the turtle’s neck, which likely led it to drown or suffocate.

In another Florida case, a recently hatched sea turtle was found with two plastic balloons in its gastrointestinal tract, causing a blockage that potentially led to the animal’s death.

Balloons, plastic bags, recreational fishing line and food wrappers are killing thousands of marine animals as they eat plastic items that later perforate internal organs, or they become entangled and drown, Oceana said in a new report.

Read the full story at The Miami Herald

FLORIDA: Tampa Bay fishermen donate their catch to families struggling during the pandemic

November 19, 2020 — Fishermen from the Tampa Bay area are stepping up to help families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance is partnering with the St. Petersburg Free Clinic to bring 20,000 pounds of fresh fish to families who are facing economic hardship because of the pandemic. 

Over the next few months, commercial fishermen in Madeira Beach will donate red grouper and red snapper to St. Petersburg Free Clinic for distribution to the people and community it serves. The clinic is a multi-service, independent, human services agency that helps locals who are in need of food, shelter and health care.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, we’ve been serving at times up to triple the amount of families we typically support,” said Jennifer Yeagley, CEO of St. Petersburg Free Clinic. “Half of these households have never had to visit a food pantry prior to COVID-19. So, we are very grateful to the local fishing captains and these businesses all working together to provide sustainable, local seafood to our neighbors in need.”

Read the full story WTSP

Florida connection draws Publix into Atlantic Sapphire partnership

October 26, 2020 — A Florida connection has brought together pioneering salmon farming firm Atlantic Sapphire and the Publix supermarket chain.

Atlantic Sapphire, which recently celebrated its first commercial harvest at its new recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) farm in Miami, Florida, U.S.A., is teaming up with the Lakeland, Florida-based supermarket chain to begin offering its Bluehouse brand salmon in 269 of its 1,255 stores, mostly in the Miami area.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Florida gains CARES Act spend plan approval

October 22, 2020 — Florida has become the latest U.S. state to gain approval for its CARES Act spend plan, allowing it to begin the application process to deliver aid to the seafood industry to offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The approval comes several months after the USD 300 million (EUR 253.7 million) in aid funding was approved in May. Florida represents the fourth-largest recipient of those funds, with the state receiving USD 23.6 million (EUR 19.9 million) in relief funding to be distributed among industry stakeholders.

Read the full story at Seafood Source