Saving Seafood

FLORDIA: Divers set new record catching invasive fish: ‘A great way to get people outdoors and involved in conservation’

October 9, 2024 —  The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s annual lionfish hunting competition just wrapped up, and it broke records for both attendance and results, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

The hundreds of divers who entered the competition had three-and-a-half months to catch as many of the invasive species as they could. When all was said and done, over 31,000 lionfish had been removed from Florida waters.

Lionfish, native to the Indo-Pacific Sea and the Red Sea, first appeared off the coast of South Florida in 1985, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Outside of their native habitat, the predatory species has been able to outcompete native species like snapper and grouper while also eating fish that serve important functions in maintaining coral reefs. Their presence has disrupted the entire ecosystem, which has led Florida (and other places) to get creative in enlisting the public’s help to control their populations.

Read the full article at TCD

A Storied Luxury Liner May Soon Find New Life on the Florida Seafloor

October 4, 2024 — More than seven decades ago, the S.S. United States — a ship bigger than the Titanic — made its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, breaking the trans-Atlantic speed record.

The ocean liner, which once transported heads of state and members of the Hollywood elite from New York City to destinations across Europe, may soon make history again — this time underwater, as the world’s largest artificial reef off the coast of Florida.

The stately ship, once graced by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and John F. Kennedy, could soon be home to sea turtles, starfish and grouper.

Read the full article at The New York Times

Death toll rises from Helene while supplies are rushed to North Carolina and Florida digs out

September 30, 2024 — Authorities struggled to get water and other supplies to isolated, flood-stricken areas across the U.S. Southeast in the wake of Hurricane Helene as the death toll from the storm rose to nearly 100.

A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed due to the storm, and several other fatalities reported in North Carolina Sunday pushed the overall death toll to at least 91 people across several states.

Supplies were being airlifted to the region around the isolated city. Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder pledged that she would have food and water into Ashville — which is known for its arts, culture and natural attractions — by Monday.

“We hear you. We need food and we need water,” Pinder said on a Sunday call with reporters. “My staff has been making every request possible to the state for support and we’ve been working with every single organization that has reached out. What I promise you is that we are very close.”

Read the full article at The Associated Press

Scientists raise concerns about ancient fish species following onslaught of extreme weather: ‘They’re not invincible’

September 30, 2024 — With their spiky armor and snouts full of whiskers, Gulf sturgeon have been around since the time of the dinosaurs. But human-driven threats are pushing this Florida-native species to the brink, WUSF reports.

What’s happening?

These fish, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, face a slew of threats. Pollution has expanded in the Suwannee River, one of the waterways where they live. Plus, hurricanes and flooding can worsen chemical runoff and create oxygen “dead zones” that make it impossible for the sturgeon to breathe. For instance, scientists reported “tremendous” mortality in several Florida rivers with Hurricanes Irma in 2017 and Ivan in 2004, and they’re still waiting to assess the impacts of August 2024’s Hurricane Debby, which rose water levels by 20 feet along the Suwannee. This rise threatened to spill more fertilizers, salts, and other nutrients into this fish’s habitat. Meanwhile, a warming world is causing fluctuations in water levels, which can make it difficult or impossible for sturgeon to reach their spawning grounds.

According to WUSF, scientists say that “Florida’s prehistoric fish are surviving as they have for eons … But they’re not invincible.”

Read the full article at The Cool Down

FLORIDA: Are mahi fleeing Florida to beat the heat?

September 18, 2024 — Under a sky glowing orange from the dawn sun, Martin Grosell gunned his twin-engine sportfishing boat toward the Gulf Stream one morning in August, in search of one of his and South Florida’s favorite fish: mahi.

On board, sprawled on a beanbag, was one of his best anglers, his youngest daughter Camilla, 12.

“She’s born and raised doing this and she’s caught a lot more fish than most in South Florida,” Grosell said, then admits: ”Most of the time, it’s actually her telling me what to do.”

Grosell is an ichthyologist — a marine biologist who studies fish — at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School where he specializes in mahi. As one of the principal investigators for a research project studying lasting impacts from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, his lab looked at how the massive spill harmed two of the state’s most popular trophy fish – bluefin tuna and mahi.

Read the full article at WLRN

FLORIDA: Innovative technologies could help revive Florida’s storied oyster fishery

September 10, 2024 — A group of experts from the University of Florida have authored a report proposing the use of innovative technology that could help revive Florida’s once-prolific Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery.

Apalachicola Bay, located in northwest Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, was long the source of most of the oysters sold in the southeast U.S. state and comprised about 10 percent of those sold across the entire country. The bay’s oysters were famous for their quality and taste and an economic driver in the region, producing USD 6.6 million (EUR 6 million) worth of sales in 2011.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FLORIDA: Destin charter captains on longer red snapper season: ‘Worst I have seen in a long time’

September 4, 2024 — For some, it was business as usual. But most all agree the red snapper season was a bit long.

This year, vessels with a federal for-hire reef permit, which is most of the Destin charter fleet, had 88 days in federal waters to catch red snapper. Their season started on June 1 and ended Aug. 28 in the Gulf of Mexico.

The 88-day season (about 3 months) was the longest in more than a decade.

“We stayed steadily busy for both boats for the whole summer,” said Capt. Tyler Brielmayer of the charter boat First Light and owner of Nothin Matters.

Read the full article at The Destin Log

The Long Road to Ropeless Fishing

August 21, 2024 — The past decade has not been kind to North Atlantic right whales—or to the fishers who ply the waters where these massive mammals dwell. For the whales that migrate along the North American east coast between Florida and Canada each spring and fall, several perils have caused their population to fall catastrophically, including getting tangled in fishing gear, hit by boats, or afflicted by climate change. From a modern high of 480 individuals in 2010, their numbers have plummeted more than 25 percent to about 350 today.

But fishers have suffered, too. In an attempt to protect the withering whale population, government agencies have restricted fishing gear and closed fisheries along the Eastern Seaboard. For many fishers—including Michael “Chops” Cowdrey Jr., a captain based out of Sneads Ferry, North Carolina—the closures were financially devastating.

Cowdrey is just one of 32 members of the small Atlantic sea bass pot fishery—a community of fishers operating from Florida to North Carolina who use traps on vertical lines to catch the bulldog-sized fish. Cowdrey lost much of his income when, in 2013, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began imposing a seasonal closure on the pot fishery from November to April—peak sea bass season.

Read the full article at Hakai Magazine

FLORIDA: Cortez fishers sound alarm on shark depredation

July 16, 2024 — A discussion has surfaced in Cortez where commercial fishers say they are reeling in the consequences of federal legislation aimed at conserving shark populations.

They say a 2011 law created hardships and they now are grappling with depredation issues caused by more frequent encounters with apex predators due to higher populations.

The Shark Conservation Act of 2011 was intended to improve shark conservation in the United States. The law amended the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 and the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act of 1992 and provides, in part, that sharks caught in U.S. waters must be brought to shore with fins naturally attached.

Shark finning, banned in many parts of the world, involves cutting off fins and discarding the fish, sometimes still alive. The fins often are used as an aphrodisiac or for soup that can cost up to $100 per bowl.

With protective legislation and bans in effect for more than a decade, fishers now say there are too many sharks.

“Regulation is good but a complete stop is too extreme,” said Nate Meschelle, a Cortez commercial captain, who spoke to The Islander July 11.

Read the full article at The Islander

This Florida fisherman worries about industry’s future

July 15, 2024 — Commercial fishing is vital to Florida’s culture and identity.  Today, Florida fishermen like me land $209 million worth of fish and shellfish in dock-side value alone. The economic impact of the commercial fishing industry ripples up the supply chain generating $8.7 billion. Hundreds of millions of tourists travel to Florida to enjoy fresh seafood in the Sunshine State.

Critical to Florida’s seafood economy is a steady (and growing) supply of fresh, domestic fish and shellfish.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) “Status of the Stocks” report that was recently released would have you believe that everything is rosy.  In some isolated cases, it may be – fishermen should be proud when their sustainability efforts pay off. When overfishing is reduced, fish stocks rebuild, and more fish support more fishing businesses and seafood dinners.

Read the full article at the Tallahassee Democrat