Saving Seafood

LOUISIANA: LDWF to begin accepting CARES Act applications for fishermen affected by pandemic

September 10, 2020 — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will soon begin accepting applications for $14.6 million in financial assistance that will be available to Louisiana fishermen and others in the industry who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds are part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Applications open at 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14, and must be submitted online.

To access the application, please visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cares-act-assistance. The application process will be open for a six-week period. The deadline to submit applications is 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 26. Funding allocation is structured so that all applications submitted before the deadline will be considered.

“These federal funds are a great step toward helping our hardworking fishing community start to recover from the terrible financial losses the pandemic has caused their businesses and their families,” said Governor John Bel Edwards. “We will continue working with our federal partners to bring more funding to our fishing community now going through two years of economic hardships.”

LDWF is aware that Hurricane Laura may have adversely impacted many individuals wishing to apply for this program. LDWF will continually assess the application process and make adjustments as necessary.

Read the full story at KALB

Fishermen Help Fishermen Find Relief From Hurricane Laura Disaster

September 10, 2020 — The destructive winds and storm surge of Hurricane Laura are now unwanted memories. Repairing shattered homes, businesses and lives along the storms path in southwestern Louisiana remain the task at hand. To easy the pain fishermen are reaching out to help fishermen.  A truckload of supplies donated by the North Carolina Fisheries Association and True North Seafood has reached Louisiana and being readied to help those in need.

“We received more than 20,000 lbs. of ice, fish and cleaning supplies,” said Frank Randol, treasurer of the Gulf Seafood Foundation and owner of Randol’s Seafood. “The True North Seafood truck was unloaded at a cold-storage unit in Lafayette.   We are in the process of working with the United Way, Second Harvest Food Bank and others to get these supplies into the hands of those that need it most.”

According to Randol everything along the southwestern Louisiana coast is a disaster.  “The hurricane came ashore two weeks ago, but already the attention of the nation has started to shift elsewhere,” he said. “We need to keep the attention focused on the damage in the Gulf, and how it has affected our fishermen because they not only feed their family, but their community and whole country.”

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

Hurricane Laura delivers a blow to Louisiana fishing industry

September 3, 2020 — Location determines the extent of damage for those in the fisheries industry have sustained from Hurricane Laura.
Mark Shirley, aquaculture specialist with the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant, said the farther west you go, the worse it is.

“Most of the fishermen in the Vermilion Parish area were able to move their boats and equipment to higher ground before the storm,” he said. “However, the guys in Cameron were hit really hard.”

Shirley said he was far enough from the east side of the storm that he didn’t receive a lot of damage. He said his lights are on, and he didn’t lose anything in his freezer.

“We have fishermen in areas that escaped a lot of damage who are chipping in to help those in need,” he said. Some of that help includes generators, fuel and other supplies.

Thu Bui, AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant fisheries agent, said fishermen in the lower St. Mary Parish area dodged a bullet with this storm.

“We were really preparing for that big 12- to 18-foot surge of water that was predicted, but thankfully, that didn’t happen,” she said. “We had about 4 to 5 feet in Intracoastal City, but it could have been a lot worse.”

Read the full story at St. Mary Now

NOAA Fisheries revises seafood reporting requirements in wake of Hurricane Laura

September 2, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries has announced revised reporting requirements for federal seafood dealers in portions of both Texas and Louisiana through 5 October in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Laura.

In a bulletin released 31 August, NOAA Fisheries identified several Texas counties and Louisiana parishes that will be under new reporting requirements due to the determination of “catastrophic conditions” existing in the area. Hurricane Laura hit Southwest Louisiana in the morning of 27 August, bringing with it 150-mile-per-hour winds.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Gulf Fishing Family Hurting After Hurricane Laura Destroys Cameron, Wrecks Havoc on Surrounding Area

September 1, 2020 — The Gulf fishing fleet docked at or near Cameron, LA bore the brunt of Hurricane Laura as it roared ashore in the early hours of August 27th as a category four storm. In one area alone, ten of the 15 shrimp boats tied-up sank to the bottom of Bayou Contraband after being ravaged by rough waters and constant winds gusting up to 135 mph.  The Gulf Seafood Foundation is calling upon government officials in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi for an immediate coordinated seafood specific disaster relief effort for fishermen, seafood processors and the extended seafood family.

“We are calling upon both our state leaders and federal representatives to quickly get monetary help for our fishing communities,” said Raz Halli, president of the Gulf Seafood Foundation.  More than 120 miles of Gulf coastline was impacted by the storm, a coastline that is home a variety of commercial fishermen.  Even though Mississippi was not impacted by this storm, we are calling upon their representatives to join our effort because their fisheries still have not received compensation for the fresh water diversion that ravished their fisheries last year.”

Sitting a mere three feet above sea level, Cameron has been an epicenter for hurricanes.  In 2005 Hurricane Rita hit the city, home to just over 6000 residents, with winds clocked at more than 120 mph. Three years later Hurricane Ike leveled Cameron with a 12-foot storm surge.

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

Revised Reporting Requirements for Federal Seafood Dealers in Portions of Texas and Louisiana through October 5, 2020

August 31, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

  • Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane on August 27, 2020.
  • NOAA Fisheries has determined that catastrophic conditions exist in the following Texas counties and Louisiana Parishes:
    • Texas:
      • Orange, Jefferson, Chambers, Harris, and Galveston
    • Louisiana:
      • Saint Tammany, Orleans, Saint Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, Saint Charles, Lafourche, Terrebonne, Saint Mary, Iberia, Vermilion, and Cameron
  • Therefore, for any federally permitted dealer in the affected area who does not have access to electronic reporting, NOAA Fisheries is authorizing, through October 5, 2020:
    • Delayed reporting of trip tickets to NOAA Fisheries; and
    • The use of paper-based reporting forms for red snapper and grouper-tilefish individual fishing quota (IFQ) participants.
    • Dealers are to report all landings through the state trip ticket program as soon as possible.

MORE INFORMATION:

  • Federal dealers in effected areas are released from the weekly reporting requirement of trip tickets to NOAA Fisheries through October 5, 2020, but must report all landings as soon as possible. For questions, contact the Fisheries Monitoring Branch: 305-361-4581.
  • The electronic systems for submitting landings and IFQ information to NOAA Fisheries will continue to be available to all dealers. Participants shall continue to use the electronic systems if it is accessible.
  • NOAA Fisheries has previously provided IFQ dealers the necessary paper forms and instructions for reporting during catastrophic conditions. Paper forms are also available upon request by calling IFQ Customer Service at the phone number listed above or by writing:
            • NOAA Fisheries
              Southeast Regional Office
              Sustainable Fisheries Division
              263 13th Avenue South
              St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505
  • The IFQ program functions available to participants in the geographic area affected by catastrophic conditions will be limited for those using the paper-based system. There will be no mechanism for transfers of IFQ shares or allocation for those using the paper-based system during catastrophic conditions.
  • Assistance in complying with the requirements of the paper-based system will be available via IFQ Customer Service 1-866-425-7627 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern time.
  • Regulations implementing dealer reporting and the IFQ programs provide for delayed reporting and IFQ paper-based reporting in the event of catastrophic conditions. These regulations require NOAA Fisheries to determine when the catastrophic conditions exist, the duration of the catastrophic conditions, and which participants or geographic areas are affected.
  • NOAA Fisheries will continue to monitor and reevaluate the areas and duration of the catastrophic conditions. A subsequent Fishery Bulletin will be published if additional notice is needed.

Hurricane Laura slams southwest Louisiana

August 27, 2020 — Hurricane Laura swept ashore early in the morning of Thursday, 27 August, near Cameron, Louisiana, U.S.A., with 150-mile-per-hour winds, but a storm surge that had been feared to reach 15 to 20 feet appeared to achieve about half that height, according to the state’s Governor John Bel Edwards.

Lake Charles, Louisiana, a center of the Gulf Coast petrochemical industry, suffered heavy wind and water damage as the storm surge pushed up to 30 miles inland from the gulf, funneling through ship channels and the Calcasieu River. Around 10:30 a.m., a large fire broke out at an industrial site just outside the city, prompting a warning from authorities for people to seek shelter.

Read the full story at Seafood Source