Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: US Senator Elizabeth Warren urges NOAA, DOC to keep fishing permits in New Bedford

October 18, 2018 — United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) sent a letter 15 October to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration urging both organizations to keep 42 federal fishing permits in the town of New Bedford.

NOAA has called for the permits revocation in the wake of the Carlos Rafael, or “Codfather,” case. Rafael is currently serving a 46-month prison sentence for his role in quota and tax evasion schemes in New Bedford, which included misreporting hundreds of thousands of pounds of groundfish catches.

Most recently, NOAA has issued a 51-page superseding charging document related to the case that would increase the civil penalties associated the case from USD 1 million (EUR 867,000) to USD 3 million (EUR 2.6 million).

In the letter, Warren calls on the organizations to punish Rafael, not New Bedford.

“He pleaded guilty to crimes associated to this case, and is rightly in jail, but many innocent people are also paying the price for his crimes,” Warren wrote. “These permits cover a significant portion of the ground fish industry and have an economic footprint that goes far beyond fish landings.”

New Bedford’s landings, and economy, were both impacted heavily by a lengthy ban on all groundfishing that NOAA enacted in the wake of the quota misrepresentation. A blanket ban on all 60 sector IX vessels lasted through to July of this year, sending landings into sharp decline.

That economic impact, which is harming many businesses in New Bedford, is why the permits should stay, Warren said.

“Millions of dollars of regional economic activity depend on Mr. Rafael’s permits remaining in the City of New Bedford,” she wrote. “An innocent community should not be collateral damage for one business’s crimes.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Scallops seized, captain arrested in New Bedford

October 18, 2018 — A scallop vessel that landed in New Bedford on Oct. 10 had its catch seized and the boat’s captain arrested, according to Massachusetts Environmental Police.

The vessel reportedly contained 150 pounds of scallops concealed within a beverage cooler and the captain was found to be in possession of Oxycontin without a prescription.

On Oct. 10, a Massachusetts Environmental Police officer conducted a commercial permit inspection aboard the scallop vessel in New Bedford. The vessel was found to be permitted federally but did not possess a valid commercial permit to land scallops in Massachusetts.

The officer then requested the captain display his catch of scallops to ensure compliance of the federally permitted possession limits. The captain presented the officer with the vessel’s allowable catch of 600-pounds. Upon further inspection of the vessel, the officer located an additional 150-pounds of scallops concealed within a beverage cooler, authorities said.

The catch was seized and the vessel captain was subsequently arrested for failure to display fish/catch upon demand.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Warren Urges Dept. of Commerce, NOAA to Ensure Carlos Rafael Fishing Permits Remain in New Bedford

October 17, 2018 — The following was released by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.):

United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today sent a letter to the Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to request that they do everything in their power to ensure that the 42 federal fishing permits held by disgraced fishing magnate Carlos Rafael remain in the Port of New Bedford.  The federal permits, which cover a significant portion of the ground fish industry and have an economic footprint that goes far beyond fish landings, are currently at risk of being revoked and distributed elsewhere under a civil administrative case brought by NOAA against Mr. Rafael.

Last year, Carlos Rafael, a New Bedford fishing magnate, pled guilty to 28 federal charges related to the management of his company, including falsifying fish quotas, mislabeling fish, conspiracy, and tax evasion. In a civil case filed in January 2018, NOAA called for the revocation of 42 federal fishing permits held by Mr. Rafael.

In her letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Acting NOAA Administrator Benjamin Friedman, and Chris Oliver, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at NOAA, Senator Warren expressed serious concern about the devastating impact that removing the permits-which support many unaffiliated businesses and jobs that were not part of Mr. Rafael’s operation-from New Bedford would have on the regional economy.

“Millions of dollars of regional economic activity depend on Mr. Rafael’s permits remaining in the City of New Bedford,” wrote Senator Warren.  “An innocent community should not be collateral damage for one business’s crimes.”

The senator’s letter also emphasized the importance of the groundfish industry to the Massachusetts economy as a whole and noted that New Bedford already has the experienced workforce, infrastructure, and proud tradition to best utilize and maximize the economic benefits of the groundfish industry.

“It is critical for the city and South Coast region that these permits and allocations remain in the port of New Bedford, and in the hands of law-abiding fishing families and businesses,” Senator Warren continued. “Removing these permits from New Bedford would do lasting damage to families and businesses that have already suffered greatly through no fault of their own.”

The senator requested that the agencies take any and all available actions within their discretion to ensure that these critical fishing permits remain in New Bedford.

Read the full letter here

MASSACHUSETTS: Warren again calls for Rafael’s permits to stay in New Bedford

October 17, 2018 — Elizabeth Warren repeated a call she voiced last year by sending another letter to NOAA regarding Carlos Rafael’s federal fishing permits.

The Massachusetts senator addressed her two-page letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, acting NOAA Administrator Benjamin Friedman and assistant Administrator for Fisheries Chris Oliver and asked that NOAA keep the 42 permits the agency is targeting in its civil action in New Bedford.

“These permits cover a significant portion of the ground fish industry and have an economic footprint that goes far beyond fish landings,” the letter reads.

Warren sent a letter to NOAA last October, too, echoing the same sentiment.

NOAA filed a superseding civil action last month. In it NOAA sought to revoke the operator permits of 17 of Rafael’s captains. It also listed more than $3 million in fines. The move built on a civil action first filed in January where NOAA targeted Rafael’s permits.

Warren said in the letter that the permits support many innocent third-party businesses such as fish auctions, seafood processors, gear suppliers, ice providers, welders, engine mechanics and restaurants.

“The Port of New Bedford is vital to the economic health of the region and the federal government has a duty and responsibility to not cause significant economic harm to this community,” her letter read. “Removing these permits from New Bedford would do lasting damage to families and businesses that have already suffered greatly through no fault of their own. I urge you all to do everything that is necessary to ensure that does not happen.”

Even before NOAA’s civil action, politicians and organizations have argued for the final destination of the permits. Mayor Jon Mitchell and the City Council have individually sent letters to NOAA asking that Rafael’s permits remain in New Bedford. Last week, Councilor-at-Large Brian Gomes brought a written motion on the topic to the Council Chambers.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

MAFMC to Host Workshop Addressing Law-Enforcement Issues in For-Hire Fisheries

October 11, 2018 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council will host a workshop November 13-14 (Law Enforcement/ For-Hire Workshop) to identify issues related to law enforcement in for-hire fisheries and sale by recreational anglers of tilefish and tuna and to develop potential solutions. Specifically, the workshop will address:

  1. Operator versus angler (client) responsibility for fisheries violations that occur on for-hire vessels and law enforcement options for addressing these.
  2. Issues related to the sale of fish by private recreational anglers (particularly golden tilefish and tunas) focusing on the need for vessels selling fish to comply with U.S. Coast Guard requirements and/or Federal permits that allow for the sale of fish.

Recommendations coming from this workshop will be presented during the Council’s December meeting for formal discussion. Operators of for-hire vessels and private vessels fishing for tuna or tilefish along the Atlantic who may have encountered these issues may want to participate. State and federal fisheries law enforcement, as well as operators of for-hire vessels and private vessels fishing for tuna or tilefish along the Atlantic who may have encountered these issues, may want to participate.

The workshop is open to the public and free to attend but pre-registration is requested to ensure adequate meeting facilities. For more information and to register, visit http://www.mafmc.org/workshop/law-enforcement-for-hire-workshop.

Questions? Contact Andrew Loftus, (410) 295-5997, aloftus@andrewloftus.com.

Women highlight their roles in industry through film competition

October 9, 2018 — In 2017, WSI, the International Association for Women in the Seafood Industry, launched a competition to encourage women to video their experiences in the workplace and tell their stories. The aim was to increase awareness about their role in the industry and to recognize the value they bring to it.

According to WSI Founder and President Marie Christine Monfort, encouraging women to star in their own films was an uphill struggle at first, but gradually, the entries began to trickle in. Monfort said she was so impressed with the quality of the films – and the growing enthusiasm of women for a voice – that WSI decided to run the competition again this year, with a EUR 1,000 (USD 1,162) prize for the winner and EUR 500 (USD 581) for second and third place.

The resulting 15, four-minute films, which are available on the WSI website, give a powerful and fascinating insight into a variety of women’s roles and their thoughts and feelings about the world of fishing, fish farming, processing, retailing, and marketing.

“We were delighted with the breadth of the entries, which went some way towards showing the variety of work that women are doing within the seafood industry,” Monfort told SeafoodSource. “A lot of effort is being put into tackling illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing around the world, but we see WSI’s mission as tackling IIU – invisible, ignored, and unrepresented women.”

Monfort explained that one in every two seafood workers is a woman, yet women are over-represented in the lowest-paid and lowest-valued positions, with very few in leadership positions.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Japan, Peru using cutting-edge technology to combat IUU fishing

October 2, 2018 — Japan and Peru, two of the world’s biggest players when it comes to seafood, are hoping to crack down on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in their exclusive economic zones through increased use of cutting-edge technology.

A key player in both countries’ efforts is the Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization with the goal of “advancing sustainability of the oceans through increased transparency.” Its mapping platform, which can be found on the GFW website, allows anyone to view or download data and investigate global fishing activity in near real-time, for free. GFW was founded in 2015 through a collaboration between Oceana, SkyTruth, and Google.

Global Fishing Watch’s tracking of automatic identification system (AIS) messages from ocean-going boats is now being used to fight illegal transshipment inside and near Japan’s exclusive economic zone. GFW recently signed onto a collaboration with the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA) and the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong to investigate IUU fishing and strengthen transparency and governance of fisheries within the region.

To detect pairs of vessels meeting at sea, GFW and analysts at SkyTruth and Google applied machine learning algorithms to more than 30 billion automatic identification system (AIS) messages from ocean-going boats to find tell-tale transshipment behavior, such as two vessels alongside each other long enough to transfer catch, crew, or supplies. AIS is a collision avoidance system that constantly transmits a vessel’s location at sea. These transmissions are collected by satellite receivers and delivered to GFW for automated processing. Nearly all refrigerated cargo vessels carry AIS and those ships receiving fish can be identified and their activity plotted on the map.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

We can help you fight fish fraud – for starters, buy local

October 1, 2018 — The path most of the seafood imported into the United States travels from its source to the consumer is long in terms of distance, complicated in terms of the number of middlemen and women and transformative because whole fish become fillets, shrimp become scampi and crab become cakes.

Seafood fraud happens when somewhere along the way, the fish, shellfish and their parts get intentionally mislabeled, swapped out or plumped up for the seller’s gain. In the massive international seafood market – some estimates value it at $130 billion – seafood fraud happens a lot.

In 2013, the seafood industry watchdog group Oceana found that one-third of the 1,200 seafood samples it tested were mislabeled.

In 2015, an INTERPOL–Europol investigation reported that fish traded internationally was the third highest risk category of foods (alcohol and red meat beat it out) with the potential for fraud. And Oceana’s most recent study in Canada last year revealed that 44 percent of 382 seafood samples tested from five Canadian cities did not meet the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s labeling requirements.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Feds say few commercial fishing trips are monitored

September 27, 2018 — Federal officials revealed Wednesday that most of the New England fishing cooperatives that catch cod, haddock, flounder and other groundfish failed to meet the minimum standards for having observers on their boats.

Known as sectors, these cooperatives are groups of fishermen who come up with their own fishing plan and enforcement measures to manage their shares of the overall quota.

National Marine Fisheries Service regional administrator Michael Pentony sent letters to 14 of 19 sectors informing them that they were below the required 15 percent of their trips accompanied by fishery monitors and federal observers. Ten sectors were below 10 percent. Observers count and identify the fish caught and discarded, which helps scientists estimate impacts on fish populations.

“We are not trying to point fingers or lay blame,” Pentony told the New England Fishery Management Council at their meeting Wednesday, calling it a systemic problem.

“This report illustrates in bold type the core failure that has left the New England groundfish fishery in crisis: it is essentially unmonitored,” Johanna Thomas, director of the Environmental Defense Fund, wrote in an email. “This is not fair to fishermen, who need to have trust that decisions on their fishing activity is based on good information, and who need to know that there is a level playing field, that everyone is playing by the rules.”

Conservation Law Foundation senior attorney Erica Fuller said her organization has advocated for 100 percent observed trips either by humans or onboard cameras.

“Understanding budget constraints, NMFS should do everything in its power to get effective coverage that can provide accurate data and rebuild overfished stocks,” Fuller said.

The outcry for better observer coverage was especially intense following the arrest and conviction of New Bedford fishing mogul Carlos Rafael, known as “The Codfather,” who was able to illegally catch, process and sell fish, escaping detection for many years.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

City leaders angered by US government action against former Rafael captains

September 26, 2018 — A recent action by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to punish 22 captains of fishing vessels owned by convicted New England fishing mogul Carlos Rafael crosses the line, believe some important figures in the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, the South Coast Today reports.

Last week NOAA filed a 51-page superseding charging document that added 20 of Rafael’s ship captains to the list of the two previously charged with violating a long list of fishing-related regulations. It seeks the revocation of 17 of the captains’ operator permits.

The captains have 30 days to request modifications to the charges against them, administrative hearings to challenge the charges, or additional time to respond.

NOAA’s latest move, which also includes increasing civil money penalties from about $1 million to $3m, builds on a civil action filed in January.

Rafael began serving a 46-month sentence in November after pleading guilty in March 2017 to operating a long-running scheme through which he submitted falsified records to the federal government to evade federal fishing quotas.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News