Saving Seafood

JACQUELINE SAVITZ: A pause on offshore drilling is a good first step. Let’s make it permanent.

February 3, 2021 — President Joe Biden hit the ground sprinting on his first day of office. On day one he rejoined the Paris Agreement, and now he has announced a pause on offshore oil and gas leasing. It’s exciting to hear the president’s plan to return science to policy decision-making, even advancing his science adviser to a cabinet-level position. These encouraging moves will certainly translate to more effective action on climate.

Oil and gas are killing us. Burning fossil fuels is driving climate change, which is causing a wave of extinction and disasters that devastate property and the environment, and cost human lives. But President Biden has committed to aggressively address the climate crisis, which gives me great hope that we can work together to permanently protect our climate and coasts from offshore oil and gas.

Permanently ending new offshore oil and gas leasing in U.S. waters would prevent the release of a catastrophic amount of greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving ever larger and more intense wildfires, hurricanes and floods. A new report from Oceana estimates that permanent protection against offshore drilling would prevent 19 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and $720 billion in damages to people, property and the environment.

Read the full opinion piece at USA Today

Protect species? Curb warming? Save money? Biden’s big conservation goal means trade-offs

February 3, 2021 — President Joe Biden last week unveiled an ambitious conservation goal, unprecedented for the United States: conserving 30% of the country’s lands and waters by 2030, which would require more than doubling the area of public and private holdings under heightened protections.

Conservation scientists welcomed the so-called 30-by-30 goal, announced in an executive order on climate released 27 January. “The ambition is fantastic,” says ecologist Joshua Tewksbury, interim executive director of the nonprofit Future Earth.

But Biden’s order also raises a thorny practical question: Which swaths of land and sea should be the top targets for enhanced protection or management? The order says the effort should aim for a number of outcomes, including preserving biodiversity, curbing climate change, and even creating jobs and reducing social inequality. But researchers warn that difficult trade-offs lie ahead, because few chunks of territory are likely to provide all of the desired benefits. “The balancing act [will be] the hardest part of this work,” Tewksbury says.

Observers say the Biden administration could make rapid progress and contain costs by enhancing protections for territory already owned by the federal government. “We can make really huge gains on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands,” says Jacob Malcom, a conservation biologist with Defenders of Wildlife. That could mean reducing logging, mining, drilling, and grazing. “There will be vested interests who are not happy about that,” Malcom notes. “So I don’t want to make it seem like it’s going to be easy.” Fishing associations, for example, have already reacted with concern to proposals to ban commercial fishing in 30% of U.S. waters. “Thirty-by-thirty is a campaign slogan, not a scientific proposal,” Robert Vanasse, executive director of Saving Seafood, wrote last year.

Read the full story at Science Magazine

Biden calls for doubling offshore wind power generation by 2030

February 3, 2021 — The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden aims to accelerate development of offshore wind energy, with a new goal to double planned renewable energy production at sea by 2030. The announcement came on the heels of a Biden executive order requiring the U.S. Department of Interior to pause new leasing for oil and gas on public lands.

“The Department will immediately begin a review of processes and procedures to date as it reinvests in a rigorous renewable energy program,” according to a Biden statement issued Wednesday, 27 January.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Commercial fishing associations demand voice in Biden’s conservation planning

February 1, 2021 — Groups representing a variety of fishing sectors and environmental causes have issued responses to U.S. President Joe Biden’s climate plan, which includes a plan to commit 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters to conservation by 2030.

The Seafood Harvesters of America, an association that represents commercial fishing organizations from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico to New England, said it welcomed the Biden administration’s effort to tackle climate change.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

JESSICA HATHAWAY: What you need to know about 30×30

January 29, 2021 — As the Biden administration takes over, I’ve seen quite a bit of hand-wringing among stakeholders in the fishing industry.

Depending on what policies you’re watching closely, that anticipation is coupled with anxiety about what may or may *not* happen next.

While I would never hold my breath for 100 percent buy-in on any policy, I hope we can get a majority speaking in a unified voice around some of the critical pieces of the 30×30 mandates. So here’s my rundown on the key points.

The goal

To commit 30 percent of the nation’s lands and oceans to conservation by 2030, as part of President Biden’s executive order on addressing climate change.

The origin

The way-back machine takes us to a United Nations 2015 Sustainable Development Goal to “conserve at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information.”

The 30×30 language got a jump in 2020 as legislation conceived in California, where it failed to pass. It was dusted off, reformatted and expanded to become part of a suite of sweeping Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization proposals and introduced in the House last fall, titled the Oceans-Based Climate Solutions Act of 2020.

Now it has become part of the Biden administration’s new climate proposals issued as executive orders. If you haven’t heard, the new administration is prioritizing environmental justice. (Before you roll your eyes, note this can and is designed to work out for everyone. Read on.)

What this could mean for the fishing industry is exactly what so many stakeholders have been asking for — a seat at the table. The primary strategy for implementation of this policy is community engagement.

Read the full opinion piece at National Fisherman

US aquaculture lobbying group urges Biden to prioritize local seafood production

January 29, 2021 — Stronger America Through Seafood (SATS), a trade group has emerged to promote aquaculture in the United States, has sent a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, asking that his administration prioritize domestic seafood production.

Specifically, the group has asked that aquaculture be included as part Biden’s oceans and climate policies “as a means to build back a stronger, more resilient America.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Congressman Don Young Introduces Legislation to Block Presidential Attempts to Lock Away Alaska’s Oceans

January 29, 2021 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Don Young (R-AK):

Today, Alaska Congressman Don Young introduced legislation to prevent the future closure of oceans from economic and recreational activity, including resource development and fishing, without the approval of Congress. The introduction of the Marine Access and State Transparency (MAST) Act comes as President Joe Biden breaks modern records for issuing Executive Orders, particularly concerning Alaska.

“The Obama years were rife with massive expansions of executive power, and it has become clear that President Biden has taken a cue from his former boss. President Biden’s first two weeks on the job have broken records for Executive Orders, and we have already seen the President attempt to cripple Alaska’s energy sector and destroy good-paying jobs. Congress must assert its power and keep him from doing the same to our fishing and water recreation industries,” said Congressman Don Young. “I am proud to introduce the MAST Act, which will empower Congress – not the President – to make determinations relating to the designation of marine sanctuaries. This is not just about President Biden, but about future Presidents as well. Expanding marine sanctuaries without proper engagement with local communities, business leaders, and Alaska Native entities could cripple industries and harm the families they support. No President should unilaterally close off even one square mile of land or ocean without first seeking approval from Congress. I will continue working hard to ensure that our state is open for business, and that Alaskans have a seat at the table in future debates over sanctuary designations.”

West Coast Seafood Industry Eager to Discuss Climate Actions

January 28, 2021 — The following was released by the West Coast Seafood Processors Association, the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, and the Oregon Trawl Commission:

On the same day the Biden Administration announced the Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, the fishing and seafood industry welcomed President Biden’s commitment to healthy oceans and inclusion of the industry as a key stakeholder group to discussions about conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.

Fishermen and seafood processors are the backbone of many coastal communities, ensuring the stability of thousands of local seafood jobs coastwide. West Coast fisheries, including groundfish, pink shrimp, Dungeness crab, salmon, albacore tuna and Pacific hake, represent some of the best examples of sustainable fisheries management in the world. They emphasize a transparent stakeholder-driven process through both the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) and state fishery management agencies.

“We appreciate that President Biden has committed to a science-based process with meaningful stakeholder engagement,” West Coast Seafood Processors Association Executive Director Lori Steele said. “Thankfully, our Council process already provides us this very solid foundation. We are looking forward to continuing to work with our Council partners, and we stand ready to engage with the Biden Administration to ensure the long-term health of our oceans.”

Read the full release here

Water Wars Special: How IUU Fishing Increases the Risk of Conflict

January 28, 2021 — Illegal, unreported and unregistered (IUU) fishing, a global issue that many experts attribute to large state subsidies for fisheries, is more than simply an environmental or economic concern. Such activity heightens the risk of conflict at sea.

Most notably, China’s expanding fishing fleet—called the distant-water fishing (DWF) fleet—has precipitated tensions around the world. In 2016, an Argentine naval vessel sank a Chinese fishing boat illegally trawling in its waters, and the Argentine Coast Guard seized another Chinese-flagged vessel in May 2020. The vessel had turned off its identification system, illegally entered the Argentine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) at night, and carried 300 tons of fish in its hold. Similar incidents have occurred in the East China Sea. A South Korean attempt to interdict Chinese IUU fishing turned deadly in 2016, and Seoul recently announced enhanced efforts to seize Chinese fishing vessels illegally operating within its EEZ.

On Jan. 18, the World Trade Organization (WTO) reconvened negotiations for an agreement on fishing subsidies. Such a deal could stabilize global fish stocks, reduce IUU fishing and mitigate a potential source of maritime conflict. But an agreement is unlikely to come easily— geopolitical tensions and conflicting interests among major fishing powers have complicated subsidies negotiations since the 2001 Doha Round.

Four years ago, the WTO set 2020 as the deadline for an agreement to eliminate subsidies that promote overcapacity and IUU fishing. Although negotiators failed to meet the 2020 target, WTO leadership remains optimistic that efforts will prove successful in 2021. However, in a brief for the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Alice Tipping and Tristan Irschlinger outlined several issues that may impede success. The application of “special and differential treatment” for China remains one contentious question, and its resolution implicates maritime security in the South China Sea and beyond.

Read the full story at Lawfare

Biden calls to double offshore wind by 2030; Vineyard Wind seeks permit restart

January 28, 2021 — The Biden administration aims to accelerate development of offshore wind energy, with a new goal to double planned renewable energy production at sea by 2030, even as the Department of Interior pauses any new leasing for oil and gas.

“The Department will immediately begin a review of processes and procedures to date as it re-invests in a rigorous renewable energy program,” according to a statement issued Wednesday as part of President Biden’s latest round of executive orders.

The Jan. 27 announcements on energy policy came two days after developers of the Vineyard Wind project off southern New England announced they are approaching the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management about resuming the permitting process for the 800-megawatt turbine array.

The 30×30 language is included in the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act (H.R.8632) proposed in Congress, drawing strong pushback from both fishermen and marine scientists who warn against broad-brush efforts to declare marine sanctuaries.

“Conserving 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030 is a big deal and we must get it right if it is to be effective. If this initiative is guided by no more than simply what feels good or sounds catchy, we will not get it right,” said Chris Brown, a Rhode Island commercial fisherman and president of the Seafood Harvesters of America in a statement Wednesday. “Much like the Magnuson-Stevens Act, so too must this initiative be rooted in science if it is to be a global gold standard. ‘30×30’ must be science-based, transparent, and stakeholder-driven, while having a watchful eye for fairness, equity, and societal betterment. Our oceans are changing rapidly and we must confront that head on. However, we must allow for science to guide us, not politics.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman