Saving Seafood

For New England lobstermen, resilience in ‘a season of uncertainty’

August 13, 2020 — “Gimmie a Hulla” motors across the glassy harbor, backed by the silhouettes of trees and the rocky shoreline. Yvonne “Beba” Rosen is heading out to haul her lobster traps at 5:30 a.m., as she does five days a week, April through November.

This is a tough season so far for Ms. Rosen, but over her 15 years of lobstering off Vinalhaven, Maine, she’s always been a better fall fisherman, she says. This season is like no other – the lobsters are slow to appear, but more than that, the coronavirus has caused trade to plummet and tourists to stay home.

Ms. Rosen squints into the sun, now sitting just above the horizon, and half shouts over the guttural diesel engine. “Tourists come to Maine to eat lobster. That’s what they do,” she says grimly, hands on the wheel.

Without the regular influx of tourists, and with restaurants across the country closed entirely or open with limitations, lobstermen in Maine and Cape Cod have gotten creative to keep operating their boats, exercising the resilience for which the industry is known.

A slow spring is not unusual, although this one was difficult because “markets were really feeling the brunt of the supply chain,” says Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association.

Read the full story at The Christian Science Monitor

Florida Keys Spiny Lobster Fishermen Start Make-or-Break Season

August 11, 2020 — Commercial spiny lobster season officially started Friday under the less than optimal conditions and this season could be make or break for some fishermen in that fishery.

The Keys are the epicenter of the the country’s spiny lobster fishery, and it is the most lucrative commercial fishery in the Keys, generating for than $35 million a year directly to the local economy.

Read the full story at Seafood News

LARRY BARKER: Lobstering restrictions will hurt much more than Maine’s fishermen

August 11, 2020 — Maine’s lobster industry is threatened by “a perfect storm” as it faces a crippling lack of demand because of both the pandemic and the China trade war, and a cascade of impacts from the development of government-mandated restrictions seeking to protect the endangered right whale. All Mainers should be aware of how political pressure to reverse the decline of right whales is affecting our fishermen, bringing with it disastrous ripple effects that will affect tens of thousands of livelihoods across our treasured state. Despite Maine’s stellar track record in protecting right whales, this battleground recently resulted in the loss of a sustainability certification, which means loss of even more markets for Maine lobster.

The Maine lobster industry is the backbone of our coastal communities from Portland to Eastport. Machias Savings Bank has been one of Maine’s leading sources of financing for this industry for decades and we understand that as the industry ebbs and flows, so do the economies of Maine’s coastal communities.

Since the 1990s, Maine lobstermen have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the protection of whales by making significant changes to how they fish, consistently adhering to whale-protection standards, participating in discussions of best practices to ensure whale safety and being actively involved in the development of new materials and techniques that are safer for whales. According to data collected by the National Marine Fisheries Service, no right whale deaths or serious injuries have ever been documented in Maine lobster gear. I have many good friends who are lobster fishermen. My son is a lobster fisherman. I have asked many of them about this issue and not only have they never had a right whale tangled in their gear, they have never seen a right whale while tending their gear in Maine!

Read the full opinion piece at the Portland Press Herald

Right whales pose more problems for Maine lobster industry

August 10, 2020 — Last month, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, violated federal environmental protection laws several years ago when a “biological opinion” it issued failed to give adequate consideration to the risk the lobster fishery posed to endangered right whales. 

On Monday, the Maine lobster industry was back in federal court in Washington, D.C., as the judge began the hearing testimony on what remedies he should impose to bring the fisheries service, and the lobster fishery, into compliance with those laws. 

At risk for Maine fishermen is the continued use of lobster traps marked by vertical buoy lines. 

Read the full story at the Mount Desert Islander

Concert Held on Water to Help Maine Fisherman Who Still Need Your Help

August 4, 2020 — Last Sunday, a concert fundraiser was held off the coast of Chebeauge Island to help raise money for lobstermen that are suffering due to the pandemic according to newscentermaine.com. Brilliant idea really, a concert held on the water to maintain social distancing. Fishing for lobster is not just a job, it’s a calling for many Maine residents. It’s a way of life for many families in the area.  With restaurants closed and restrictions put on imports, the lobstermen and their families are suffering greatly during this pandemic.  Some are not even fishing at this time. Others are working hard only to see the prices for lobster fall so low that it cost more to go get the lobster than saying home.

Crystal Canney is with the Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage Foundation and tells newscentermaine.com that fishing for lobster in Maine is ‘iconic’ and a large part of the state’s economy. Fishing is not just a job for these families; it is a way of life.  One lobsterman at the concert told newscentermaine.com “Price is down but the industry pulling together to pull through it.  It’s what the coast of Maine does.” I must admit, there are so tough, yet supportive people in Maine.

Read the full story at WOKQ

MSC suspends Maine lobster fishery certification

August 4, 2020 — The Maine Certified Sustainable Lobster Association (MCLSA) has announced that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the Maine lobster fishery has been suspended due to a recent decision on a federal court case.

The case, the Center for Biological Diversity v. Ross, found that the National Marine Fisheries Service failed to include an “incidental take statement” for the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale. As a result, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found that the U.S. lobster fishery is in violation of the Endangered Species Act.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Concert at sea will raise money for Maine’s lobster industry

July 29, 2020 — An organization that supports fishermen is holding a socially distanced concert on the sea to raise money for Maine’s lobster industry.

Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage Foundation is holding the concert on the waters of Casco Bay on Aug. 2. The band Turd Pollock is volunteering to play the show from a float on the water.

Boaters are invited to drop anchor on the southeast side of Chebeague Island, organizers said. The event will also be live streamed on Facebook from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Bangor Daily News

Florida Delegation Want Commercial Fisherman Across State Included in USDA’s Lobster Relief Program

July 27, 2020 — This week, the Florida congressional delegation, led by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., urged U.S. Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue to include Florida’s commercial fishermen in the lobster relief program announced by President Donald Trump on June 24.

The program addresses harm to the United States lobster industry caused by steep tariffs imposed by the Chinese government.

Besides Rubio, other signers of the letter included U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and U.S. Reps. Dan Webster, R-Fla., Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., Donna Shalala, D-Fla., Brian Mast, R-Fla., Francis Rooney, R-Fla., Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., Neal Dunn, R-Fla., Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., Bill Posey, R-Fla., Darren Soto, D-Fla., Ross Spano, R-Fla., and Al Lawson, D-Fla.

Read the full story at Florida Daily

ASMFC Schedules Peer Review for American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment for August 10-14, 202

July 27, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Lobster Benchmark Stock Assessment will be peer-reviewed on August 10-14, 2020 via webinar. The assessment will evaluate the status of American lobster stocks along the U.S. Atlantic coast and inform the management of this species. The peer review is open to the public, except for discussion of confidential commercial landings data and the Peer Review Panel’s final deliberations, when the public and all other workshop participants will be asked to exit the webinar. Webinar space is limited to 25 participants, so please contact Tina Berger at tberger@asmfc.org if you are interested in listening in on the webinar.

Please note the draft assessment report and the peer review report will not be made publically available until mid-October as part of the American Lobster Management Board’s meeting materials, since neither report is considered final until they are accepted by the Board for management use.

It’s anticipated that the benchmark assessment and peer review report will be considered by the American Lobster Management Board in October. A copy of the peer review agenda can be found at – http://www.asmfc.org/files/Meetings/AmLobsterAssessmentReviewWorkshopAgenda_August2020_1.pdf.

For more information, please contact Tina Berger, Director of Communications, at tberger@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

NOAA: Lobsters will look for cooler water

July 24, 2020 — Cape Cod is known for its lobsters as much as for its oysters and quahogs. But it’s getting too warm in these waters for the tasty crustacean.

Researchers have projected significant changes in the habitat of commercially important American lobster and sea scallops on the Northeast U.S. continental shelf. They used a suite of models to estimate how species will react as waters warm, and it suggests that American lobster will move further offshore and sea scallops will shift to the north in the coming decades, a recent statement from NOAA Fisheries warned.

Findings from the study were published recently in Diversity and Distributions. They pose fishery management challenges as the changes can move stocks into and out of fixed management areas. Habitats within current management areas will also experience changes — some will show species increases, others decreases, and still others no change.

“Changes in stock distribution affect where fish and shellfish can be caught and who has access to them over time,” said Vincent Saba, a fishery biologist in the Ecosystems Dynamics and Assessment Branch at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and a co-author of the study.

Read the full story at Wicked Local