Saving Seafood

Great Wall of Lights: China’s sea power on Darwin’s doorstep

September 24, 2021 — It’s 3 a.m., and after five days plying through the high seas, the Ocean Warrior is surrounded by an atoll of blazing lights that overtakes the nighttime sky.

“Welcome to the party!” says third officer Filippo Marini as the spectacle floods the ship’s bridge and interrupts his overnight watch.

It’s the conservationists’ first glimpse of the world’s largest fishing fleet: an armada of nearly 300 Chinese vessels that have sailed halfway across the globe to lure the elusive Humboldt squid from the Pacific Ocean’s inky depths.

As Italian hip hop blares across the bridge, Marini furiously scribbles the electronic IDs of 37 fishing vessels that pop up as green triangles on the Ocean Warrior’s radar onto a sheet of paper, before they disappear.

Immediately he detects a number of red flags: two of the boats have gone ‘dark,’ their mandatory tracking device that gives a ship’s position switched off. Still others are broadcasting two different radio numbers — a sign of possible tampering.

The Associated Press with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision accompanied the Ocean Warrior this summer on an 18-day voyage to observe up close for the first time the Chinese distant water fishing fleet on the high seas off South America.

The vigilante patrol was prompted by an international outcry last summer when hundreds of Chinese vessels were discovered fishing for squid near the long-isolated Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO world heritage site that inspired 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin and is home to some of the world’s most endangered species, from giant tortoises to hammerhead sharks.

Read the full story from the AP

 

Planet Tracker analyst calls for increased observer coverage on distant-water fleet

August 25, 2021 — If one percent of global fisheries subsidies were redirected to onboard monitoring, the proportion of wild-catch fishing monitored by observers could create a meaningful impact in reducing illegal fishing and bycatch, according to Planet Tracker Financial Analyst Francois Mosnier.

Mosnier, a financial analyst covering seafood companies at the financial think tank, said he believes an additional USD 222 million (EUR 190.2 million) is needed to expand observer coverage to 20 percent across all regional fishery management organizations, which cover the cost of observers through a levy on fisheries. Currently, observers cover just 2 percent of all catches recorded by RFMOs.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Seafood fraudster targeted US Foods, other distributors and restaurants

August 18, 2021 — A man in the U.S. state of Rhode Island has been accused of bilking nearly USD 1 million (EUR 855,000) from major broadliners in the U.S. by fraudulently purchasing seafood from them.

Paul Diogenes, also known as Paul Dejullio, created a fictitious catering company – LePage Catering – in order to obtain credit from US Foods, Performance Food Group, and other distributors to purchase more than USD 831,700 (EUR 711,000) in product. Diogenes bought hundreds of thousands of dollars of lobster, sea bass, shrimp, scallops, filet, ribeye steak, and wild boar, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New US report shows dozens of countries failing to police illegal and unregulated fishing

August 16, 2021 — NOAA has released its annual report to US Congress to combat illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood supply chain.

The report identifies 31 nations and entities for IUU fishing activities and bycatch of protected marine life on the high seas, where nations lack conservation measures comparable to those of the United States.

The report contains several key findings, according to NOAA, including evidence that China, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Senegal and Taiwan all operated vessels engaged in IUU fishing activities between 2018-2020.

Several other countries and blocs, including the European Union, Japan and the Republic of Korea were all identified as lacking a regulatory program comparable in effectiveness to the United States to reduce the bycatch of protected marine life in their fishing operations.

Read the full story at IntraFish

National Fisheries Institute Statement on NOAA’s IUU Report to Congress

August 13, 2021 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

NOAA’s 2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management, released today, is an example of a tool used to effectively fight Illegal Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing.

The report identifies 31 nations and or entities that are either engaged in pirate fishing or not doing enough to stop destructive fishing practices.

Enforcement of rules that deny dubious actors entry to U.S. ports and institute import restrictions are key to successfully rooting out IUU. At the same time, the report lauds countries like Ecuador and Korea for redoubling their efforts to stop IUU fishing in their waters.

NOAA Fisheries’ commitment to cracking down on IUU is on display in this report and should be applauded.

NOAA releases report identifying seven countries engaged in IUU

August 12, 2021 — NOAA has cited seven countries as engaged in IUU fishing, including Mexico, and an additional 29 countries or entities as lacking effective regulatory programs to combat bycatch, including the European Union.

The latest report, the “2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management,” determined that China, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Senegal, and Taiwan all had vessels engaged in IUU fishing activities during 2018-2020. Mexico’s presence on the list makes it the second report in a row where the country has been listed among those engaged in IUU fishing.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NOAA takes strong stand against IUU fishing and harmful fishing practices

August 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, NOAA released the 2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management, identifying 31 nations and entities for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities and bycatch of protected marine life on the high seas, where nations lack conservation measures comparable to those of the United States. In it, NOAA also negatively certifies Mexico for continued IUU fishing activities, meaning Mexican fishing vessels will be denied entry into U.S. ports and Mexico could face import restrictions on fish and fish products.

IUU fishing is a serious global problem that threatens ocean ecosystems and sustainable fisheries that are critical to global food and economic security – putting law-abiding fishermen and seafood producers in the United States and abroad at a disadvantage.

Bycatch (or unwanted catch and discards) can hurt conservation of protected marine life. Nations that do not have regulatory programs to effectively reduce or mitigate bycatch threaten the sustainability of shared ecosystems and living marine resources. Today’s report, and the underlying identification and consultation process, is one of several tools that NOAA deploys to deter and prevent IUU fishing and support effective international marine conservation.

“As one of the largest importers of seafood in the world, the United States has a global responsibility and an economic duty to ensure that the fish and fish products we import are caught sustainably and legally,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, and acting assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. “IUU fishing undermines U.S. fishermen who operate under the strongest fishery management practices and conservation laws, and NOAA will use every tool to make sure all nations follow the same rules.”

The report contains several key findings:

  • China, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Senegal, and Taiwan are identified for having vessels engaged in IUU fishing activities during 2018-2020.
  • Algeria, Barbados, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, European Union, France, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Portugal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, and Turkey are identified for lacking a regulatory program comparable in effectiveness to the United States to reduce the bycatch of protected marine life in their fishing operations.
  • Some nations or entities were identified for both IUU fishing and bycatch activities.

The 2021 Report also announced certification determinations for nations identified for IUU fishing activities in the 2019 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management, following a two-year consultation period where NOAA works with each nation to encourage corrective action. Mexico received a negative certification for IUU fishing activities identified in 2019, which were failing to curb the flow of small vessels fishing illegally in the U.S. waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Failure to remedy these incursions into U.S. waters led to Mexico’s negative certification.

In contrast, Ecuador and the Republic of Korea received positive certification determinations for taking actions to remedy the IUU fishing activities for which they were identified in 2019.

“We are encouraged by the positive steps certain nations took to address the identified IUU fishing practices,” said Alexa Cole, acting deputy assistant secretary for international fisheries, and director of NOAA Fisheries Office of International Affairs and Seafood Inspection. “NOAA is committed to working with each of the 31 nations and entities identified in this year’s report to strengthen their fisheries management and enforcement practices.”

The report illustrates key ways NOAA improves international fisheries management by: developing law enforcement capacity and best practices to combat IUU fishing, supporting the effective management of protected species and shark catch on the high seas, and ensuring a fair market for the U.S. fishing industry.

Read the 2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management.

Alaska captain hit with $1 million fine, six-month sentence for misreporting

August 12, 2021 — A commercial fisherman in Alaska will pay a fine of $1 million and spend up to a six months in prison for misreporting his catch.

Kodiak fisherman James Aaron Stevens was sentenced last week for “knowingly submitting false records concerning the locations and regulatory areas where fish were harvested,” according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, Alaska District.

The attorney’s office announced last August that Stevens had plead guilty to one count of false labeling, which constituted a Lacey Act violation. The false reporting occurred during 26 fishing trips between 2014 and 2017, when Stevens served as the owner and operator of the F/V Southern Seas and the F/V Alaskan Star.

“Specifically, Stevens knowingly falsified International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) logbooks, daily fishing logbooks, Alaska Department of Fish and Game fish tickets, and landing reports to show that fishing gear had been deployed in areas where the vessels did not fish, and omitted areas in which the fish were actually harvested,” the district attorney’s office said. “In addition to his falsified logbooks, the investigation further revealed that Stevens maintained the accurate fishing information in a separate, personal log.”

Stevens falsely reported the harvest of some 903,208 pounds of halibut and sablefish, which added up to around $4.5 million in ex-vessel value and $13.5 million in market value.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NOAA to release report addressing IUU fishing and bycatch in international fisheries

August 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA:

On August 12, NOAA will publish the 2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management. The report identifies nations and entities engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities and bycatch of protected marine life, and announces the certification determinations for nations identified for IUU fishing activity in the 2019 Biennial Report.

The report is a crucial part of NOAA’s work to combat IUU fishing, support effective international marine conservation, and ensure a fair market for the U.S. fishing industry.

WHEN:
Thursday, August 12, 2021
1:00 pm E.T.

WHAT:
Media teleconference with NOAA experts to review findings from the 2021 Biennial Report to Congress on Improving International Fisheries Management.

WHO:
Alexa Cole, NOAA acting deputy assistant secretary for international fisheries and director, NOAA Fisheries Office of International affairs and Seafood Inspection

HOW:
Dial in:

  • Domestic: 888-950-5928
  • International: 1-210-234-0048

Passcode: “NOAA”

US anti-IUU bill would expand SIMP to cover all imported seafood

August 9, 2021 — A recent committee meeting started the discussions on a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California) to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and slave labor in the seafood supply chain.

The bill, H.R. 3075, was covered during a recent meeting of the Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. It would enact the expansion of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) to cover all seafood and seafood products – the program, initiated in 2016, originally included tuna, king crab, blue crab, red snapper, Pacific and Atlantic cod, dolphinfish, grouper, sea cucumber, swordfish, and sharks in its coverage requirements, with shrimp added in 2019.

Read the full story at Seafood Source