Saving Seafood

FLORIDA: Groups urge federal government to cancel a permit for proposed fish farm off the Sarasota coast

June 14, 2023 — What could become the nation’s first deep water aquaculture facility in federal offshore waters was first proposed in 2019 and would be located about 45 miles off Sarasota in the Gulf of Mexico.

When the Environmental Protection Agency first issued Ocean Era a permit in 2020, the Hawaii based company said it would construct a certain type of pen to cultivate almaco jack, a longfin yellowtail fish.

But in May, the company amended the plan, which includes a change in the design of the fish pen. They also said they would now grow red drum, which is one of the fastest-growing species of fish.

Cris Costello, of the Sierra Club of Florida, says the changes are an almost literal bait and switch.

Read the full article at WUSF

FLORDIA: Post-Hurricane Ian: Funding Rejected for Florida Fishermen

May 26, 2023 — Florida fishermen all around the state are on the edge of their seats, hoping to gain some good news about the fishing industry’s future. Those in Lee County are furious that the federal agency NOAA Fisheries has rejected DeSantis’ fishery disaster request.

In late September 2022, Hurricane Ian destroyed nearly all of Lee County, which led to mass destruction of the fishing industry within and around Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Sanibel Island, and Pine Island Sound. The western side of Florida has been devastated by the damage that Ian had caused. On October 15, 2022, Governor DeSantis was joined by fishing captains from southwest Florida to show his support for the fishing industry’s road to recovery.

To get the fishing industry back on its feet, DeSantis requested the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to issue a federal fisheries disaster. The request would have provided federal funding to allow offshore, nearshore, and inshore fisheries to rebuild. “Florida’s fisheries are vitally important to the State’s economy through their impact on commercial and recreational fishing and tourism,” DeSantis stated in his official request.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

FLORIDA: ‘On the verge of being gone’: Commercial fishermen furious feds rejected DeSantis’ fishery disaster request

May 26, 2023 — Hurricane Ian destroyed nearly all of Lee County’s commercial fishing industry, but the feds denied Gov. DeSantis’ fishery disaster request.

Shocked, bewildered, frustrated, and abandoned are all adjectives ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska heard from commercial fishermen to describe a recent decision by NOAA to deny Gov. Ron DeSantis’ request to declare a federal fisheries disaster.

Are bad policies and poorly written federal statutes to blame? Or does it boil down to politics? That depends on who you ask. But, commercial fishermen across the state are sounding the alarm about the future of the commercial fishing industry and whether seafood that comes fresh from Florida can survive.

“This industry is really on the verge of being gone,” Casey Streeter said.

Streeter’s fish house on Matlacha was destroyed during Hurricane Ian, and his home in St. James City.

Read the full article at ABC News

Redfish, bluefish, no fish: Climate change threatens traditional fishing waters

May 17, 2023 — The chances of climate change causing significant disruption to saltwater fisheries are pretty high, according to a NOAA Fisheries climate vulnerability assessment that’s on its way to finalization.

All of the species examined, with the exception of the Atlantic sturgeon, are at a very high level of exposure to elements of climate change and many have a high sensitivity to those changes, like the gag grouper, goliath grouper, horseshoe crab, and each of the brown, pink and white shrimp species.

Red snapper, notably, has a moderate sensitivity.

“This is the most significant thing — these are the potential for species distributions to change by low, moderate, high and very high (probabilities),” said Roger Pugliese, a habitat and ecosystem scientist with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC).

He presented at the SAFMC Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Management Advisory Panel (AP) meetings this week.

Read the full article at Florida Politics

DeSantis announces record 70-day Gulf red snapper season

May 7, 2023 — Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a record 70-day-long Gulf red snapper recreational season.

This will be the longest combined season since the state assumed control of red snapper. It includes both a 46-day summer season and a 24-day fall season.

Gulf red snapper season is a favorite among Florida fishers, and often brings fishers from across the country.

Read the full article at Fox 4

 

Giant belt of smelly seaweed will soon invade Gulf Coast shores

March 27, 2023 — A huge belt of sargassum, a seaweed that originates in the Sargasso Sea, is anticipated to wash up on shores in Florida, states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean islands this summer.

A report by the University of South Florida’s Optical Oceanography Lab determined that more than 24 million metric tons of sargassum has collected in the Atlantic as of June 2022, one of the largest amounts in history. USA today reports visitors to Florida, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico might encounter the sargassum as massive amounts of smelly, brown seaweed washed ashore.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Federal red snapper rules advance toward approval despite criticism

March 9, 2023 — New federal regulations on red snapper are on their way to final approval, and neither the people voting for the plans nor federal officials have much faith in them.

The Snapper-Grouper Committee of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC) shepherded along Amendment 35, which is part of the SAFMC’s efforts to reduce overfishing of red snapper. Final approval is expected later in the week, despite its unpopularity among some Council members and from NOAA Fisheries.

“Bottom line for me is I don’t think (Amendment) 35 does anything for us,” NOAA Fisheries Regional Administrator Andy Strelcheck said at the SAFMC’s quarterly meetings on Jekyll Island, Georgia.

“I don’t think it’s a solution, I think it’s just going to create more anger with anglers, I think it’s ultimately not addressing the crux of the problem, which is, obviously, reducing discards and trying to shift discards to landed catch.”

The committee’s options at this point in the process were either to approve a proposal that significantly reduced catch limits, or approve one that shut down the fishery altogether, with the exception of those with exempted fishing permits.

Read the full article at Florida Politics

With deadline looming, environmental groups push Florida to oppose expanding Gulf drilling

December 19, 2022 — To win support from West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin for its climate-fighting Inflation Reduction Act earlier this year, the White House included a perk for the oil and gas industry: expanded new drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico.

Now environmental groups in Florida want Gov. Ron DeSantis to fight to kill the deal. The deadline for states to submit comments is later this month.

“Governors have a unique role in influencing policy at federal agency level. They’re really strong, highly regarded stakeholders,” said Hunter Miller, the senior Florida field representative for the ocean conservation nonprofit Oceana. “So that’s where we need Governor DeSantis to really step up.”

Read the full article at WLRN

FLORIDA: Florida requests fisheries disaster declaration for Hurricane Ian, but could be in for a wait

December 12, 2022 — Fishing captains in the U.S. state of Florida and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are requesting a federal fisheries disaster declaration in the wake of Hurricane Ian – even as the state is still waiting on a determination on its request for a disaster declaration for Hurricane Sally in 2020.

DeSantis sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo – which oversees NOAA Fisheries – requesting a disaster declaration in the wake of Hurricane Ian, a category 4 hurricane that devasted the fishing industry along Florida’s coast in September 2022. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has so far provided over USD 3.3 billion (EUR 3.1 billion) in federal grants, disaster loans, and flood insurance payments to both the state of Florida and Florida households, but that aid is not directed to Florida’s fisheries.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FLORIDA: Tool rule could lay path toward longer South Atlantic red snapper seasons

December 5, 2022 — Under the banner of a little going a long way, hopes are a proposed rule requiring reef fishers to maintain a barotrauma tool on board could reduce the incredible numbers of dead discards throughout the South Atlantic region, something that is of particular effect on the recreational red snapper fishery.

The rule, proposed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff at the recent meetings in Panama City, would apply to Florida state waters. Barotrauma mitigation tools are already required in federal waters.

Generally the rule addresses descending devices and venting tools. Between the two types, staff feel it makes sense to let fishers in state waters decide which works better for them.

Read the full article at Florida Politics