Saving Seafood

New Jersey commercial fishing operations counting on relief funds to stay in business

May 15, 2020 — The Garden State Seafood Association is hoping the $11 million recently allocated to New Jersey’s seafood industry as part of the coronavirus stimulus law will prepare it for reopening.

“The money should go to those businesses that have a proven negative impact from the COVID pandemic and should be used to help keep as many fishing businesses in operation as possible,” Scot Mackey, the Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) Government Affairs director based in Trenton, told The Center Square.

Mackey said he hopes the funds can be distributed to impacted businesses soon, especially to commercial docks.

Read the full story at The Center Square

GSSA Thanks White House for Supporting American Fishermen

May 8, 2020 — The following was released by the Garden State Seafood Association:

Yesterday, President Trump signed an Executive Order to increase domestic seafood production, address unfair seafood trade practices, and ensure that the seafood industry is able to meet the country’s current food needs. The Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) thanks the Administration for recognizing our nation’s vibrant fishing industry and keeping it competitive.

“We would like to thank President Trump for promoting American seafood, and the hard work that our fishermen do to provide the nation with essential protein,” said Scot Mackey, Director of Government Affairs for the Garden State Seafood Association. “The best seafood is American-made, from sustainably harvested fish and scallops to locally farmed oysters. This order will help the industry weather the current crisis and come back stronger.”

GSSA is grateful for efforts to create a more level international playing field for seafood. The U.S. has some of the strictest and most sustainable seafood management in the world. Combined with illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing worldwide, and trade barriers from other countries, U.S. fishermen are often at an unfair disadvantage. This order takes steps to combat IUU fishing, and address unfair international trade practices.

The Administration also recognizes the tremendous potential of U.S. aquaculture, which here in New Jersey means our growing farmed oyster industry. The Administration’s order looks to build on that potential by addressing current restrictions in the aquaculture permitting process. By streamlining this process and eliminating unnecessary barriers, the Administration is setting up U.S. aquaculture for a promising future.

About the Garden State Seafood Association

The Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) advocates on behalf of New Jersey’s fishermen and fishing communities. Through closely monitoring regulatory developments, actively participating in the management process, and sharing the latest fisheries news and information with our members, GSSA holds our leaders accountable to the concerns and priorities of New Jersey’s hard working, historic fishing industry.

CARES Act Helps Preserve New Jersey’s Commercial Fishing Industry, Coastal Economy

April 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Garden State Seafood Association:

The recently passed CARES Act provides emergency loans and other forms of relief for American small businesses affected by the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The Act also included over $300 million specifically intended to help the domestic fishing industry, one of the many industries harmed by the ongoing closures necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19.

This federal support is essential for the future of New Jersey’s fishing industry, which is a key part of the state’s coastal economy. According to statistics compiled by the Garden State Seafood Association, New Jersey’s fishing industry landed over $170 million worth of fish in 2018. According to NOAA statistics, 68 percent of what consumers spent on seafood was at food service establishments, like restaurants, rather than in retail sales.

The fishing industry is one of the largest year-round employers and is responsible for thousands of direct and indirect jobs. According to a 2016 paper from NOAA, New Jersey’s seafood industry is the sixth largest in the U.S., and is responsible for 37,127 jobs, $6.2 billion in sales, $1.4 billion in income, and $2.3 billion in value- added impacts.

The industry landed over 190 million pounds of finfish and shellfish in 2018, worth a total of  $170,261,000. Four of the top six commercial fishing ports in the Mid-Atlantic are found in New Jersey. The industry is responsible for significant harvests of Atlantic scallops, monkfish, shortfin and longfin squid, Atlantic mackerel, tunas, swordfish, black sea bass, summer flounder, Atlantic surfclams, and ocean quahogs.

The industry is concentrated at five major coastal ports; Belford, Point Pleasant, Barnegat Light, Atlantic City, and Cape May/Wildwood. The table below illustrates the 2018 landings at three of the ports, and their dollar value.

Read the full release here

Coronavirus NJ: Fishing coalition seeks $4B in federal aid to cover lost restaurant sales

March 26, 2020 — Commercial fishing industry members say they’re trying to stay afloat while the demand for fish dwindles as restaurants are reduced to take-out only amidst the coronavirus health crisis.

Saving Seafood, a national coalition of seafood harvesters that includes New Jersey members, is now turning to the federal government for $4 billion in financial help.

“We have to manage our expectations right now. This is a national issue and it’s not going to be solved in a day or two,” said Greg DiDomenico, executive director of the Garden State Seafood Association, a commercial trades group that’s also a part of the Saving Seafood national coalition.

The coalition reports that more than two-thirds of the $102.2 billion that consumers paid for U.S. fishery products in 2017 was spent at food service establishments, as opposed to home consumption.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

Saving Seafood Coalition Members Thank Rep. Jared Huffman for Fisheries Listening Sessions

January 8, 2020 — The following was released by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities:

Members of Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities (NCFC) would like to thank Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA) and the members of the House Natural Resources Committee for their work in 2019 hosting their series of listening sessions on the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). NCFC members from across the country have participated in the sessions, bringing the concerns of the fishing industry directly into the MSA reauthorization process. NCFC looks forward to continue working with the Committee on MSA in 2020.

The listening sessions, which began in October with two days of hearings in Northern California and continued with additional hearings in Seattle and Baltimore, are gathering input on the state of U.S. fisheries from fishermen and other stakeholders. At each stop, fishermen have shared with the committee how current fisheries management is working—and how it can be reformed.

  • In Arcata, California, Wayne Heikkila, Executive Director of the Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA) discussed funding and science issues, as well as the need to distinguish between fish stocks that are actually experiencing overfishing and those that are depleted due to other causes. WFOA is a non-profit association representing albacore troll-vessel owners and supporting businesses in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.
  • In San Francisco, Mike Conroy, founder of West Coast Fisheries Consultants, discussed the need for better science to help fill data gaps, and how increased collaboration with the industry could help address this shortcoming.
  • In Seattle, Lori Steele, Executive Director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association (WCSPA) told the committee about the need for additional flexibility in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, while still honoring the Act’s conservation goals. The hearing also discussed how to meet the long-term needs of fishing communities, especially in the face of climate change. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, WCSPA members are shore-based processors of fish and shellfish in Washington, Oregon and California.
  • In Baltimore, Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director of the Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) informed the committee on key successes protecting forage species and adopting protections for critical coral habitats in the Mid-Atlantic. He raised concerns over the impacts of overly precautionary approach to the MSA has led to underfishing of fish stocks. Specifically, he noted that risk-adverse management has led to unpredictable quotas, stemming from fluctuating estimates of scientific uncertainty. GSSA represents fishing industry members who sustainably harvest seafood from New Jersey’s inshore & offshore waters.

“We have been testifying since 2009 on the unintended consequences of the 2006 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,” said Greg DiDomenico. “As part of these hearings we’ve provided the Chairman with 10 years worth of written testimony so that we can finally fix these issues in the next update to MSA.”

NEW JERSEY: Legislature Succumbs to Humane Society’s Misinformation Campaign Against Sustainable Shark Fishing

November 25, 2019 — The following was released by the Garden State Seafood Association:

The Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) is disappointed with the passage of Assembly Bill A4845/S2905 today, which would prohibit the possession, sale, or trade of legally harvested shark fins in New Jersey.

The U.S. Humane Society and environmental organizations have been pursuing this anti- conservation legislation for many years. The bill prohibits the sale and trade of shark fins under the guise of stopping “shark finning.” The commercial sector and U.S. fisheries passed a law nearly 20 years ago making shark finning and the sale of those fins illegal across the country and in all U.S. territorial waters.

GSSA is certain that existing federal laws prevent any sale of illegal shark fins in New Jersey.

“All this legislation does is to penalize legitimate, hard working fishermen of the state,” said Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director of GSSA. “Instead of acknowledging the leadership of our commercial industry, which operates a globally-recognized sustainable shark fishery, those supporting this legislation will penalize New Jersey fishermen, forcing them to discard a natural resource for no purpose.”

“This legislation rewards illegal poachers in underdeveloped and less-regulated nations by removing sustainable harvested fins from the world market,” said Scot Mackey, Legislative Agent for GSSA. “It will only increase the value of the fins these poachers will continue to harvest, while preventing our well-managed and sustainable shark fisheries from utilizing the whole animal.”

NEW JERSEY: Safety Trainings for Commercial Fishermen Coming to Cape May

October 3, 2019 — The following was released by the Garden State Seafood Association & the Fishing Partnership Support Services:

Two free safety trainings for commercial fishermen will be offered soon at a convenient Cape May location.

Safety and Survival Training will be on Thursday, Oct. 17, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Two Mile Landing, 1 Fish Dock Rd., Wildwood Crest. Drill Conductor Training will be held at the same location on the next day, Friday, Oct. 18, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A team of certified marine safety instructors will lead both programs. Lunch will be provided on both days.

The trainings are made possible by a federal grant to Fishing Partnership Support Services, a Massachusetts-based non-profit dedicated to the health, safety and economic security of commercial fishermen and their family members. The organization has been conducting safety trainings in the northeast for nearly a decade.

Safety and Survival Training will cover:

  • Man-overboard procedures
  • Onboard firefighting
  • Emergency communications
  • Flood and pump operation
  • Survival suits
  • Life raft deployment and boarding
  • Basic first aid

Drill Conductor Training prepares and certifies fishermen to conduct emergency drills at sea, as federal regulations require monthly drills on commercial fishing boats operating more than three nautical miles beyond the U.S. coast. Emergency situations addressed in this training include: man overboard, fire, damage control, and abandon ship. There will be an emergency procedures class in the morning and practice drills aboard a docked vessel in the afternoon.

As a pre-requisite for Drill Conductor Training, fishermen need to have taken the Safety and Survival Training within the previous 12 months.

“Every emergency at sea is a potential threat to life and limb,” said Ed Dennehy, director of safety training for Fishing Partnership Support Services. “Through hands-on training, we demonstrate and instill the best ways to deal with all kinds of emergencies. This knowledge can save a fisherman’s life or enable a fisherman to save the life of a fellow crew member.”

Walk-ins are welcome on the day of each program, but pre-registration is strongly recommended. Fishermen may register online by going to the Upcoming Programs and Services section of the FPSS website, www.fishingpartnership.org or by calling Morgan Eldredge at 508-237-9402.

Providing support to the trainings are the U.S. Coast Guard and the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership, an organization representing all gear and geographic sectors of the Massachusetts fishing industry.

Congressman Jeff Van Drew Fights for Jersey Fishermen, Introduces Bipartisan Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization

July 11, 2019 — The following was released by the Office of Congressman Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ):

Today, Congressman Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ) and Congressman Don Young (R-AK) introduced the H.R. 3697, the Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery and Conservation Management Act – landmark fisheries management and conservation legislation first written by Congressman Young in 1975. The Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) was last reauthorized in 2006.

Congressman Van Drew said, “Fisheries have long been the lifeblood of the South Jersey economy and culture. Our marine resources support the largest commercial and recreational fisheries in the Atlantic Coast, contributing more than $2.5 billion very year to our state’s economy. The Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act ensures that we have healthy fisheries, keep anglers in the water and keep fishermen fishing.”

“Alaska’s seafood industry is one of the primary drivers of our state economy, and for over forty years, the Magnuson-Stevens Act has allowed our fishermen, processors, and coastal communities to thrive,” said Congressman Young. “In 1976, I was proud to fight for our Nation’s fishermen alongside my dear friend Rep. Gerry Studds (D-MA) as we first drafted this bipartisan legislation, and in the years since, I have been proud to continue to partner with my Democratic colleagues to keep our fisheries healthy. As the nature of our ecosystem and fishing industry changes, we must ensure our laws are updated to keep pace in an evolving world. I am pleased to work across the aisle with Congressman Jeff Van Drew (D-NJ), industry leaders, and stakeholders in Alaska and throughout the country to update this important law. Future generations must have access to our ocean’s renewable resources. Simply put, sustainability is not a partisan issue – I have always valued having bipartisan support for this critical legislation and have incorporated input from diverse groups and interests into this bill. Our reauthorization takes important steps to protect one of our most important renewable resources, and ensures that generations of fishermen to come can earn a living by putting sustainable seafood on the tables of families across the country. I will be working diligently to ensure that our bipartisan MSA reauthorization crosses the finish line and is ultimately signed into law.”

According to Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries in Cape May “the NJ commercial fishing industry is grateful for the leadership and bipartisan efforts of Congressman Van Drew and for his commitment to productive fisheries and a prosperous industry achieved through quality science and sound management.”

“The Garden State Seafood Association has been advocating for MSA reform since 2009. We sincerely hope that Congressman VanDrew will receive the support he deserves from all of the national recreational and commercial fishing groups,” said Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director of the Garden State Seafood Association.

“Mr. Young and Mr. Van Drew are well versed on the current Magnuson-Stevens bill and how it penalizes fisherman while stocks are healthy. Thanks to both of these great fishery issue leaders for taking on the challenge of pragmatic Magnuson reform,” said Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance.

This legislation tailor’s federal fishery management actions to give Regional Fishery Management Councils the proper tools and flexibility to manage their fisheries effectively. The bill specifically:

• Affords flexibility by allowing Councils to base fishery stock rebuilding timeframes on science rather than the one-size-fits-all approach;
• Increases transparency in science and management by allowing the public to play a greater role in the development of science and Fishery Management Plans;
• Gives stakeholders a voice in the management process and requires the Secretary of Commerce to develop a plan for implementing cooperative research with fishermen and outside groups; and
• Seeks to further improve the science and data on which Councils base their management, including key provisions relating to the collection of data from the recreational saltwater fishing industry.

This bill passed the House of Representatives in the 115th Congress with bipartisan support.

Read the release at Congressman Van Drew’s website

Read about Congressman Jared Huffman’s Magnuson-Stevens listening tour here

NEW JERSEY: Anglers Conservation Network Wrongly Attacks NOAA for Determination on Alewife and Blueback Herring

June 24, 2019 — The following was released by the Garden State Seafood Association:

On Tuesday, June 18, 2019, NOAA announced they found that no populations of alewife or blueback herring (collectively referred to as “river herring”), or any of the four alewife distinct population segments (DPS) and three blueback DPSs along the east coast of the United States were either in danger of extinction nor likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. Therefore, they determined that listing any of those species under the Endangered Species Act as either threatened or endangered is not warranted at this time.

Almost immediately, the Anglers Conservation Network responded on Facebook, asking the hypothetical question, “What do you do when the federal agency in charge of sustainability fails to not only recognize, name and correctly manage a vital forage fish? [sic].”

They accused NOAA of failing “to do its duty” and of letting “commercial fishing lobbyists carry the day.” They also asked their followers and readers to “please learn more about what the current administration is doing to America.”

This determination had nothing to do with any appointees of the Trump Administration. For the status review of alewife and blueback herring, NOAA formed a team composed of career scientists from NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The team members have scientific expertise in river herring biology/ecology and/or expertise in population ecology or fisheries management. Their report was reviewed by three independent external experts and by NOAA Fisheries staff.

The team members are:

  • Robert Adams – New York Department of Environmental Conservation
  • Michael Bailey – USFWS, Central New England Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
  • Ruth Haas-Castro – NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
  • Kiersten Curti – NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Fisheries Science Center
  • Ben Gahagan – Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries
  • Ed Hale – Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife
  • Tara Trinko Lake – NOAA Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
  • Bill Post – South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Not a single team member is an appointee of the Trump Administration. The team members were not contacted by, nor did they interact with, “commercial fishing lobbyists” during their work on the determination. Their work was rigorous, with the final report totaling 167 pages.

The Anglers Conservation Network has a long history of opposing legal, well-managed U.S. forage fisheries. In a case argued by Roger M. Fleming of EarthJustice that failed on appeal in 2016, the Angler’s Conservation Network sued then Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, stating that NOAA unlawfully neglected to manage stocks of river herring and shad in the Atlantic Ocean from New York to North Carolina. The court found that NOAA rationally considered the status of river herring stocks, the fact that they are managed by the Atlantic coastal states where these fish breed, and greatest threats to their populations, including dams and barriers.

NOAA has created a program of bycatch caps in the Atlantic herring and mackerel fisheries to help conserve the stock. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to work with its partners in the states to improve habitat for these stocks. Far from “fail[ing] to do its duty,” as Anglers Conservation Network claims, NOAA has been proactive in helping to restore these important stocks.

Read the full release here

New Jersey shark fin ban bill: Assembly to vote today on measure to protect sharks

March 25, 2019 — The New Jersey Assembly will vote on a bill today that will prohibit the selling, trading, distribution or possession of any shark fin that has been separated from a shark prior to its lawful landing.

The bill passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee last Monday after already having passed the Senate. If it clears the assembly, it will go to Gov. Murphy to sign into law.

Assemblyman John Armato D-Northfield, one of the bill’s primary sponsor told the Asbury Park Press they’re trying to “get out in front of” shark finning.

Fishing industry members here say the bill will hurt local fishermen not involved in the illegal trade and punishes the wrong people.

“It’s a clear attempt to discourage the industry from participating in sustainable shark fisheries. The industry is monitored, regulated, observed, managed under rigorous scrutiny and this legislation could care less,” Greg DiDomenico, president of the Garden State Seafood Association, said.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press