Saving Seafood

Florida fishermen work with NMFS to track red tide

August 13, 2021 — Another eruption of red tide on the southwest Florida coast has brought fish kills and public health advisories to beaches, and commercial fishermen are pitching in the help scientists map out the effects.

Fishermen who work offshore of the Tampa Bay region are providing oceanographic data to NMFS’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center, as part of the center’s ongoing collaboration with the Florida Commercial Watermen’s Conservation.

The non-profit group is dedicated to science-based water quality testing and marine stewardship, founded and operated by commercial fishermen in response to devastating red tide blooms of the last five years.

The group trains and outfit fishermen with water monitoring kits, for its mission ‘to quantify the environmental and oceanographic conditions before, during, and after red tide blooms to better understand their dynamics and provide timely decision-support to increase the resilience of fishermen and fishing communities on the west coast of Florida to red tide events.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Is it safe to eat seafood in the Tampa Bay area during Red Tide?

July 16, 2021 — With no end in sight for the Red Tide algal blooms currently plaguing the Tampa Bay area, questions have surfaced concerning the safety of the region’s locally sourced seafood. We spoke with several food safety and marine biology experts about what consumers should know before dining out and how best to avoid fish and seafood that may be contaminated.

Is it safe to eat local seafood during Red Tide?

The short answer is yes. Most of the local seafood sold at markets and restaurants in the Tampa Bay area is fished offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, and the industry is heavily regulated and monitored for safety. Florida grouper and snapper are all fished in areas far offshore nowhere near the coastal algal blooms plaguing the region, said Dr. Steve Murawski, a professor of fishery biology at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science.

“Generally, the major seafood components are offshore,” Murawski said. “This particular Red Tide is really restricted to the very near-shore area from north of Port Charlotte up to Pasco County, and in terms of sourcing traditional grouper, snapper, scallops … they wouldn’t be affected by this.”

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, storebought seafood and seafood served at local restaurants can be considered safe to eat because it’s been monitored and tested prior to distribution.

Read the full story at The Tampa Bay Times

FWC reminds boaters to recognize divers-down devices, flags amid scallop season

July 12, 2021 — Scallop season in Citrus County runs through Sept. 24 and is a draw for tourists and locals alike.

Because this activity is so popular, boats in local rivers and scallop harvest grounds can number in the thousands during weekends.

“Public safety remains paramount during these times and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers take on this responsibility as well responding to other situations in the area,” FWC area supervisor Capt. Rama Shuster said.

To assist during this busy time, additional FWC officers from outside the local area will be added to patrols. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Coast Guard will also provide support.

Read the full story at the Citrus County Chronicle

FLORIDA: Gulf lobster: Post-covid, hope for ‘normal season with good pricing’

July 6, 2021 — Florida’s 2020-21 spiny lobster season was extremely poor, with low production and low early-season boat prices that only rebounded in the winter when the crustaceans were scarce.

But as always, Keys seafood dealers and fishermen remain optimistic that the 2021-22 season, which opens in August and runs through March, will return to average harvest levels of between 5.5 million and 6 million pounds.

According to state commercial landings data, only about 3.5 million pounds of lobster tails were harvested in 2020, with an average boat price of about $7. Landings for 2021, which are still incomplete, show about 350,000 pounds with an average price of more than $11.50, owing to a surge in purchase of live product by Chinese buyers for that nation’s winter New Year celebration.

“Production-wise, we’re way off,” said Gary Graves, who operates Keys Fisheries, a restaurant, market and wholesaler in Marathon, Fla. “The season was horrible. Is it water quality? Is it the storms that destroyed the habitat? I’ve been doing this 50 years. This year, we’re looking forward to a normal season with good pricing. There’s a shortage of lobster around the world and prices should be good.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

FLORIDA: Pandemic moves local fishermen to embrace entrepreneurship

June 30, 2021 — While thousands of small businesses across the U.S. have been forced to close their doors, two local fishermen found the perfect opportunity to open up shop during the coronavirus pandemic.

Thirty-one-year-old cousins CJ Owens and Jeff Frye, Jr. embraced entrepreneurship when commercial fishing hit a snag last year.

“At the beginning of Covid, we had a hard time selling stuff because state lines were shut down and we couldn’t ship nothing out,” said Frye. “If we didn’t sell it locally, we didn’t sell it.”

That dilemma inspired the cousins to open North Star Seafood, a quaint fresh seafood market in downtown Jacksonville, at the beginning of May.

“We knew there was a clientele and just tried to figure out how to go forward with it,” said Owens.

Frye said they originally aimed for something smaller than the storefront at 106 Marine Blvd. but decided the highly trafficked location might be a good place to move their product.

Read the full story at The Daily News

NOAA sets sail to study endangered smalltooth sawfish

June 28, 2021 — Federal researchers are back in the waters near Southwest Florida to tag and study endangered smalltooth sawfish.

Scientist Andrea Kroetz, with the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, and Research Biologist John Carlson, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, returned to the Everglades and 10,000 Islands area to monitor the population and habitat use of juvenile smalltooth sawfish.

Carlson said the research is two-fold. Since sawfish are listed under the Endangered Species act, the team has been monitoring the population since 2008 to get an idea if the species is recovering.

“The other aspect is habitat use,” Carlson said. “We’re trying to gather more information to better define what features sawfish use when they’re juveniles.”

Smalltooth sawfish can grow up to 17 feet long and were historically common off Florida’s coastline, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website says. Populations declined, however, because of overfishing.

Read the full story at the Naples Daily News

Council Approves Management Measures for Dolphin and Wahoo in Federal Waters along the Atlantic Coast

June 22, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved proposed management measures affecting fisheries for Dolphin and Wahoo in federal waters along the Atlantic coast during its meeting last week. Measures include modifying the recreational vessel trip limit for Dolphin from 60 fish to 54 fish per vessel per trip while maintaining the 10 fish per person daily bag limit. The measures are being proposed through Amendment 10 to the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan for the Atlantic. If approved by the Secretary of Commerce, the new measures could be implemented in 2022.

The proposed reduction in the daily trip limit was reached after much discussion by the Council in an effort to address concerns expressed by fishermen, primarily from South Florida and the Florida Keys, about declines in the size and number of Dolphin landed in recent years. In contrast, many fishermen involved in the for-hire fishery off the coast of North Carolina opposed reductions to the current 60 fish vessel limit, citing negative economic impacts to the charter industry and noting limited changes to the numbers and sizes of Dolphin fish observed in their area over the past few years. A reduction of 48 Dolphin per vessel had been considered earlier as a preferred measure. Options to apply reductions in specific areas were also considered but ruled out. For example, an option to reduce recreational vessel limits for Dolphin for the east coast of Florida resulted in nominal reductions in harvest (<1%) given that more than 90% of trips harvested less than 10 fish per vessel per trip.

Council Chair Mel Bell noted the difficulty in managing the Dolphin fishery along the Atlantic coast. “Dolphin is a highly migratory species by nature that is harvested internationally. We don’t have a stock assessment for Dolphin or Wahoo. We’re missing the actual data. We’ve heard so many differences between what is being observed between Florida and North Carolina, private anglers and for-hire,” said Bell. “This attempt to compromise is difficult.” He noted the Council will continue to monitor the fishery and can take further action in the future.

Amendment 10 includes actions to update Annual Catch Limits (ACL) for both Dolphin and Wahoo largely based on updated recreational landings and modify allocations between recreational and commercial sectors. The recreational sector allocation for Dolphin would increase from 96.07% to 97.55% of the total ACL.

The amendment would also revise recreational accountability measures to allow for temporary reductions in bag limits, vessel limits, and the season should the sector ACL be projected to be met for Dolphin and temporarily reduce the bag limit, length of the season, or implement a vessel limit for Wahoo to prevent the sector ACL from being exceeded (post season). In addition, the amendment would remove the requirement for an Operator Card for for-hire and commercial federal Dolphin Wahoo permit holders and allow possession of limited quantities of Dolphin or Wahoo onboard commercial vessels with trap, pot or buoy gear on board.

The Council removed a proposed measure to reduce the recreational bag limit for Wahoo after considering recommendations from its advisory panels, public comment and updated data analyses. The current limit is 2 Wahoo per person per day. Council members had considered the reduction to address concerns that the recreational ACL could be met and result in a closure of the fishery, including the for-hire sector, in late fall. The Council agreed to address additional management measures for Dolphin and Wahoo in its future work plan.

Other Business
During the meeting week the Council received stock assessment presentations and fishery overviews for Gag grouper, golden Tilefish and Red Snapper. The stock assessment for Gag found the stock is overfished and undergoing overfishing. The Council has begun developing an amendment to incorporate fishing level recommendations from its Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) and address management needs. Fishing level recommendations will also be incorporated into an amendment to update fishing levels for Tilefish. The stock is not considered overfished or undergoing overfishing, but the SSC cautioned about the high level of uncertainty in the assessment.

The Council discussed the results of a recent stock assessment for Red Snapper. The assessment shows that abundance of Red Snapper is at an all-time high, reflecting what fishermen are seeing on the water. The stock remains listed as overfished and undergoing overfishing. Overfishing is primarily due to the high number of Red Snapper that are released by fishermen year-round and don’t survive. Council members recognize that these issues are an effect of regulations and the high number of interactions expected when a stock is abundant and the species is aggressive and desirable.

The stock remains overfished, as expected, because the population is early in its recovery period and it will take time to rebuild the age structure. For example, the abundance of fish age 3 and older has recovered to a greater extent than the abundance of fish age 10 and older. Red Snapper can live to be over 50 years old. The good news is that stock rebuilding is on track and consistent with the Council’s rebuilding plan. Recovering the entire stock, not just the youngest ages, is important to ensuring stable fisheries over the long term.

The Council’s SSC will meet later this summer to provide fishing level recommendations for Red Snapper after reviewing alternative recruitment scenarios and considering the use of descending devices and other best practices in the fishery. The Council will develop an amendment to address the SSC recommendations and agreed to work to address short-term and long-term measures to help meet Red Snapper management challenges.

Additional information, including the stock assessment and a video presentation outlining the issues affecting the recovery of the Red Snapper stock is available from the Meeting Story Map.

Council members also reviewed public comment on a proposed Rock Shrimp Fishery Access area within the Oculina Bank Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern, an area off the east coast of Florida where deepwater Oculina coral is found. Council members heard concerns about the impacts of trawling near the coral areas and also acknowledged the historic trawling grounds and the work and cooperation from its Deepwater Shrimp Advisory Panel members in establishing the original protected area. The Council is scheduled to address Coral Amendment 10 again during its September meeting.

The next meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council is scheduled for September 13-17, 2021, in Charleston, SC. Information from this week’s meeting, including Committee Reports and the June 2021 Meeting Story Map is available from the Council’s website.

FLORIDA: Tampa Bay area Congress members reintroduce legislation for fishing industry relief

June 10, 2021 — A group of Tampa Bay area Congress members has reintroduced legislation seeking tax relief for Florida fishers.

The bill, known as the Fishing Equipment Tax Relief Act, would equalize the tax rate for portable, electronically aerated bait containers with the parts used to assemble them. The legislation is a bipartisan effort, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Charlie Crist, Vern Buchanan and Stephanie Murphy.

“Florida’s dynamic recreational and commercial fishing industry is vital to our economy and an essential part of the Florida way of life,” Bilirakis said in a statement. “The industry has faced many challenges over the past few years. Our bipartisan bill will offer important tax-equity in the fishing business, and represents an important economic boost as the recreation industry continues to recover.”

Currently, portable, electronically aerated bait containers are taxed at a rate of 10% if sold assembled, but the parts used to make the containers are taxed at a rate of only 3% when sold separately, according to a news release. The lawmakers supporting the bill argue that this tax rate penalizes small businesses that manufacture bait containers.

“The Sunshine State is the fishing capital of the world,” Crist said in a news release. “As an avid boater and fisherman, I know just how important fishing is to our economy, culture, and way of life. This bill will provide much needed tax relief to Florida’s fishing industry, safeguarding our small businesses, and keeping our economy strong and vibrant.”

Read the full story at Florida Politics

Florida’s Senators, Congressmen Urge Commerce Department to Help Fisheries Hurt by Red Tide

June 4, 2021 — On Wednesday, members of the Florida delegation sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Sec. Gina Raimondo urging that the Department approve Florida’s request for disaster assistance for fisheries that were harmed by severe red tide events that occurred between 2015 and 2019.

Florida’s two U.S. senators–Marco Rubio and Rick Scott–and Republican U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan, Byron Donalds, Carlos Gimenez and Greg Steube signed the letter.

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Secretary Raimondo:

We write to bring your attention to a pending request by the State of Florida for the declaration of a federal fishery resource disaster in response to severe red tide events that occurred between 2015 and 2019.  We respectfully urge you to expeditiously consider the State of Florida’s request, and approve the disbursal of disaster assistance to fishing and seafood businesses that were harmed by the impacts to sea life that were caused by red tide.

On May 24, 2019, the State of Florida submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Commerce to declare a federal fishery resource disaster pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. § 1861a, and the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act, 16 U.S.C. § 4107, in response to the severe red tide events that occurred in the state between 2015 and 2019.  As noted in the initial request, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that 1,300 licensed charter fishermen, 1,700 commercial fishermen, and 273 wholesalers were economically harmed by the impacts of the severe red tide blooms.

Read the full story at Florida Daily

Dan Webster Brings Back the Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act

May 26, 2021 — Last week, U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., introduced a bill for the U.S. Commerce Department to increase regulation on the international shark trade.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced the bill in the U.S. Senate at the end of last month.

Rubio has been pushing the “Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act” since 2018 and he reintroduced it this week.

The bill “would require any country that seeks to export shark, ray, and skate to the US to first demonstrate it has a system of science-based management to prevent overfishing and a prohibition on the practice of shark finning” and ensure other nations “must also receive certification from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that its fisheries management policies are on par with US practices” and modifies the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is co-sponsoring the bill. So are U.S. Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., and Bill Cassidy, R-La.

Read the full story at Florida Daily