Saving Seafood

China threatens tariffs on US lobsters as business booms

June 18, 2018 — A set of retaliatory tariffs released by China on Friday includes a plan to tax American lobster exports, potentially jeopardizing one of the biggest markets for the premium seafood.

Chinese officials announced the planned lobster tariff along with hundreds of other tariffs amid the country’s escalating trade fight with the United States. China said it wants to place new duties on items such as farm products, autos and seafood starting on July 6.

The announcement could have major ramifications for the U.S. seafood industry and for the economy of the state of Maine, which is home to most of the country’s lobster fishery. China’s interest in U.S. lobster has grown exponentially in recent years, and selling to China has become a major focus of the lobster industry.

“Maine’s lobster industry is an irreplaceable piece of our state’s economy that supports thousands of jobs and entire coastal communities,” the state’s congressional delegation said in a statement. “Just two weeks ago, the Maine delegation heard directly from our state’s lobster industry about the economic hardship a trade war with China would cause them.”

The delegation — Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Independent Sen. Angus King; Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree and Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin — said they plan to outline their concerns to federal trade officials.

“Hopefully cooler heads can prevail and we can get a solution,” said Matt Jacobson, executive director of the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative. “It’s a year round customer in China. This isn’t good news at all.”

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Regulators want reports from lobstermen to fill ‘giant black hole of data’ on offshore fishery

June 18, 2018 — The National Marine Fisheries Service wants all Maine lobstermen who haul traps in federal waters to share their fishing data.

Currently, only lobstermen who fish for something else, such as groundfish, must share their data with federal authorities, but the service wants to start collecting better data on the growing offshore fishery. It has announced its plan to draft a new rule that will require all those who lobster in federal waters to report exactly when, how and where they fish.

“There is a giant black hole of data when it comes to the offshore lobster fishery, which appears to be growing and changing fast,” Peter Burns, a National Marine Fisheries Service fishing policy analyst, said on Friday. “Lobster is so important, not just in Maine, but in New England, too. We need more data to better understand this lucrative fishery and protect it.”

The proposal has a long way to go before it could go into effect, requiring two rounds of public hearings and approval from the highest level of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The first round of public comments must be submitted by July 16. If the agency decides to move ahead, it would solicit public comment one more time. The process could take up to a year.

If the rule is implemented, it would affect roughly 1,000 Maine lobstermen who fish offshore in federal waters but don’t currently have to submit a report, Burns said. About 2,000 federally licensed lobstermen, mostly from Maine, already report the trips because they hold some other federal fishing license, Burns said. About 4,000 Maine lobstermen hold commercial licenses to fish in state waters.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

US considers upping reporting requirements for lobster harvesters

June 18, 2018 — The US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is seeking comment on changes that would increase reporting requirements for US lobster harvesters, including a requirement that federal lobster permit holders report on catches for each fishing trip.

The changes are part of Addendum XXVI to Amendment 3 of the Interstate Fisheries Management Plan for American Lobster, which has been approved by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, NOAA explained in a statement issued this week. They would “improve the scope and type of data collected in the lobster fishery in order to improve stock assessments, assess potential impacts of wind farms, and better assess interactions with marine mammals,” the agency said.

The changes are not yet in a proposed rule and “would be completed through a separate, future rulemaking,” the agency clarified.

Other recommendations for reporting requirements include having NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service collect data on where, when, and how long fishermen are fishing and expanding the agency’s offshore biological sampling program.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Climate Change May Be Creating A Seafood Trade War, Too

June 15, 2018 — One of the grand challenges that I find as a climate scientist is conveying to the public the “here and now” of climate change. For many people, it is still some “thing” that seems far off in time or distance from their daily lives of bills, illness, kids, and their jobs. Ironically, climate change touches each of those aspects, but the average person does not often make the connections. People eat seafood and fish, but most people will not make any connections between tonight’s dinner of flounder, lobster or mackerel to climate change as they squeeze that lemon or draw that butter.

A new Rugters University study caught my eye because it is a good example of a “here and now” impact. Climate changes is causing fish species to adjust their habitats at a more rapid pace than the how the world policy’s allocate fish stocks. Many species of flounder, lobster, mackerel and crab are migrating to find colder waters as oceans warm.  The study suggests that such shifts may lead to international conflict and reductions in fish supply. Seafood is a pawn in the trade chess game.

Researchers at Rutgers University say that an obsolete and out-dated regulatory system has not kept pace with how the ocean’s waters are warming and shifting fish populations. I actually wrote a few years ago in Forbes about how warming waters were shifting crab populations in the North Pacific and was affecting fishers as well as one of my favorite TV shows, The Deadliest Catch. This new study published in one of the top scientific journals in the world, Science, has provided new insight that has implications for our food supply and potential international conflict.

Read the full story at Forbes

NOAA eyes expanding reporting rules for lobstermen

June 14, 2018 — Federal fishing managers are asking for comments about potential changes to the way the U.S.’s lucrative lobster fishing industry is monitored.

The American lobster fishery is based in New England and is worth hundreds of millions of dollars every year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is looking to craft new rules about the way fishermen report their catch.

The NOAA is considering a recommendation to require all federal lobster permit holders to report on catches for each fishing trip. It’s also looking at expanding its own offshore sampling program.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at Boston.com

Author Christopher White asks, is it ‘Boom or Bust for Maine’s Greatest Fishery?’

June 11, 2018 — Christopher White’s new book, “The Last Lobster: Boom or Bust for Maine’s Greatest Fishery?” landed on our desk with an ominous thump a couple of weeks ago. We called him in Santa Fe, where he’s living, to ask about how he reported his book (especially as an out-of-stater), what he finds to be optimistic about, and the role climate change plays in the future of lobstering. He also confessed to scheduling an interview at his favorite restaurant on Vinalhaven specifically for the lobster.

POP-UP STORY: White has written five books. The most recent were about fishermen (“Skipjack,” the story of the last days of a particular kind of wooden boat used for commercial fishing, specifically oyster dredging) and disappearing glaciers (“The Melting World”). For this book, he deliberately sought out a story that combined both those interests. “I looked for a story about how commercial fishing was affected by climate change. The first one that popped up on the map was the Gulf of Maine and lobstering.”

TEEN YEARS: Maine wasn’t new to White; he’d come to the state as a teenager. “I spent a lot of time in Maine, not only on the coast but at Rangeley and Lake Moosemeguntic.” He’s also a sailor, and he crewed on small boats as a young man as well. “I crewed from Camden to Vinalhaven, for example.” When he arrived in Maine to start reporting, “it was very interesting to go some of the places that I had visited at 16.” An old favorite was Vinalhaven, where he revisited his deep affection for the Harbor Gawker. “I conducted an interview there just so I could have lunch.” (The family that owned it for 40 years sold it, and a new restaurant, The Nightingale, is in the midst of opening.)

Read the full story at The Portland Press Herald

As potential trade wars loom, lawmakers step up to protect Maine lobster

June 4, 2018 — Lobster has a way of bringing people together – particularly Mainers.

The prized crustacean’s magnetism was on full display on Friday, 1 June, when the state of Maine’s four congressional representatives convened in Portland, Maine, U.S.A., with a group of U.S. federal trade officials to start a dialogue about the economic importance of the state’s USD 1.5 billion (EUR 1.2 billion) lobster industry.

Concerns that Maine lobster could become a casualty in international trade wars spurred U.S. senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. representatives Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin to come together for the closed-door trade meetings, which were organized by the Maine Lobster Dealers Association (MLDA).

“This is an incredibly unique opportunity for all of us to have the entire delegation from Maine here in Maine, all under one roof, working together for a really important, common goal,” said Annie Tselikis, who serves as the association director for MLDA, during a press conference at Portland’s DiMillo’s on the Water restaurant, before the delegation moved into their private session with the trade contingent.

“You almost never see all four of us together,” King said. “That’s an important statement in itself.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Lobster industry taking a hit as a result of rules protecting right whales

April 30, 2018 — New rules off the coast of New England are designed to protect endangered right whales, but as a result, the lobster industry is taking a hit.

Some lobstermen say they’re losing thousands of dollars.

For David Hobson, it’s a way of life. He’s been a commercial fisherman for 30 years, but for three months out of the year, he can’t catch lobsters due to the fishing ban in Cape Cod Bay to protect the endangered right whales.

“The business doesn’t just stop on February 1, it continues on. Bills keep rolling,” said Hobson.

Losing out on thousands of dollars, he took a part-time job to make ends meet.

Read the full story at WFXT

 

ASMFC February/March issue of Fisheries Focus Now Available

April 3, 2018 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The February/March 2018 issue of Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file//5ac2a81dFishFocusFebMarch2018.pdf.

Inside this issue:

Upcoming Meetings

page 2

From the Executive Director’s Desk

Adapting Fisheries Management to Changes in Species Abundance and Distribution Resulting from Climate Change

page 3

Species Profile

Cobia

page 4

Comings & Goings 

page 7

2017 Annual Report Now Available

page 7

Fishery Management Actions 

American Lobster & Jonah Crab

page 8

Science Highlight

Cooperative Research Seeks to Fill In Data Gaps to Support Fisheries Science and Management Efforts

page 9

Proposed Management Action

American Eel

page 11

ACCSP

ACCSP Announces FY2018 Funding Awards

page 11

On the Legislative Front

page 12 

Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus.

 

John Bullard: Lobster industry must lead on right whales

April 2, 2018 — A number of events over the past two weeks have probably gotten the full attention of the US lobster industry and increased pressure for it to take the lead in fighting the potential extinction of the North Atlantic right whale.

In response to the deaths of the endangered whale, including 12 in Canada last year, Canada has imposed new restrictions on ship speeds and snow crab fishing, as well as earmarked $1 million more annually to help free marine mammals from fishing gear.

In addition, survey teams on Saturday ended their aerial search for right whale calves off the southeastern US coast. For the first time since the spotters began their survey, in 1989, they recorded zero births this calving season. Last year only five births were recorded, well below what used to be the average of 15 per year. Last year there were 17 confirmed right whale deaths. Already this year, a 10-year-old female, who was just entering her breeding years, died after becoming entangled in fishing gear. She was discovered off Virginia.

There are only about 450 North Atlantic right whales, including about 100 breeding females. Females used to give birth every three to four years. Now they give birth only every eight years, if at all. Photographic evidence suggests that about 85 percent of right whales show signs of entanglement in fishing gear, which affects the whale’s fitness and is likely one of the reasons for the longer breeding cycle.

The $669 million lobster industry must assume a leadership role in solving a problem that it bears significant responsibility for creating. Entanglements occur in other fixed-gear fisheries, but the number of lobster trawls in the ocean swamps the other fisheries.

Read the full opinion piece at the Boston Globe