Saving Seafood

FLORIDA: ‘Out of sight, out of mind’: Scientists warn rare Florida reef could be destroyed again

October 7, 2025 — Beneath the surface of the Atlantic, about 15 miles off the coast of Fort Pierce, lies one of the most unique coral reefs in the world — and one of the most fragile.

Known as the Oculina Bank, this 300-square-mile deep-water reef was the first of its kind ever discovered.

But this protected ecosystem now faces potential destruction as federal officials consider reopening parts of it to shrimp trawling after decades of restrictions.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, one of eight federally appointed councils across the country, proposed two amendments this year that would allow commercial shrimp boats to drag massive nets across portions of the reef.

The proposals directly respond to a Trump administration executive order calling for reduced fishing regulations and enhanced economic opportunities for the seafood industry.

Read the full article at WPTV

Gulf of Mexico Swordfish: Lingering covid effects, cheap imports depress market

December 22, 2021 — Low production, the ongoing covid-19 health and economic crisis, and a flood of product from Canada are depressing the U.S. commercial swordfish market in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, according to some industry members.

“Production levels are the lowest they’ve been since the beginning of time,” lamented Scott Taylor, operator of Day Boat Seafood in Fort Pierce, Fla. “There have been no positive developments whatsoever. I have more boats sitting at the dock than I have fishing.”

Taylor cited a litany of hits to the fishery: Covid’s impacts on the restaurant industry which drives U.S. demand for swords; new U.S. government regulations, including gear restrictions and the possible closure by the Biden administration of New England’s fish-rich Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument; a deluge of cheaper product from Canada dumped in U.S. markets recently; rising fuel prices; and a lack of new blood entering the U.S. commercial fishing industry.

Taylor said the average boat price is about $4, which he calls “unsustainable.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

FLORIDA: UF survey assesses coronavirus effect on marine businesses, aims to help industries

April 23, 2020 — A Fort Pierce commercial fishing wholesaler has begun selling freshly caught seafood directly from its boats, docked on the northwest side of the North Causeway.

Walk-up customers can buy fresh snapper, swordfish and yellowfin tuna at discounted rates as long as supplies last each day.

It’s how Day Boat Seafood LLC is adjusting to a drop in demand caused by closed restaurants and fewer dinners being sold by those that remain open for takeout or delivery, said managing partner Scott Taylor.

“Fortunately, we did see some grocery store chains step up to buy more domestically caught seafood, since imported seafood sources have not been able to deliver product,” said Taylor. About 80-90% of seafood bought in the U.S. comes from other countries, he said.

Such effects of the coronavirus pandemic on marine businesses are what a University of Florida research branch is trying to learn about through a new survey open until May 15.

Read the full story at TC Palm

Satellite images show red tide hugging Florida’s Space Coast

October 24, 2018 — Red tide is so widespread that NASA can see it from space, in large colorful plumes that jut off the Space Coast.

Satellite images from this past Saturday, enhanced by a Melbourne Beach marine biologist, show high chlorophyll levels — further evidence of red tide’s scourge here.

Tests last week confirmed high red tide levels in Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach. And beachgoers continue to sense the algae’s airborne toxin in their itchy throats and see its toll in the sporadic dead fish washing up on the beach.

But where red tide flows next is anyone’s guess.

“I am uncertain about the apparent pool off Cape Canaveral, but I heard that red tide has been found off Ponce Inlet, so there is a good chance that the pool off Cape Canaveral is red tide,” Mitch Roffer, a marine biologists and fishing conditions forecaster, said via email.

Roffer used data from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra satellite. He found Saturday’s ocean color imagery showed “pools” of what appears to be chlorophyll stretching off Cape Canaveral, Melbourne, Cocoa and south to Fort Pierce and Port St Lucie.

Read the full story at Florida Today