Saving Seafood

Omega Protein opens fundraising for Hurricane Laura-stricken Cameron

September 17, 2020 — Omega Protein is working with the Cameron Lions Club to raise money for Cameron Parish, La., residents, devastated when Hurricane Laura came ashore Aug. 27 with 150 mph winds.

Cameron was for decades a homeport for Omega’s menhaden catcher vessels, and the company on Tuesday set up and will contribute to a GoFundMe campaign to pay for relief and recovery efforts in the community.

Menhaden companies were a big part of the local economy for 65 years, and Omega had a fishing facility there from the mid-1960s until the end of 2013.

“Cameron was a wonderful home for us for nearly half a century,” said Ben Landry, director of public affairs for Omega Protein. “Even though we no longer operate in Cameron, the people there are still our friends and neighbors, and we will not turn our back on them during their time of need.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Outer Banks seafood sent to Louisiana as part of Hurricane Laura relief

September 16, 2020 — More than 11,000 pounds of Outer Banks shrimp and fish is going to help with storm relief in Louisiana, another area known for seafood and devastating hurricanes.

The North Carolina Fisheries Association coordinated the effort with companies in Wanchese, Grantsboro, Washington, N.C., and Hampton, Va., to gather and ship 11,225 pounds of seafood, including more than 2,000 pounds of shrimp and nearly 9,000 pounds of filleted flounder and other fish, said Jerry Schill, government affairs director for the fisheries organization, in an email.

The seafood shipment was part of a relief effort to help those affected by Hurricane Laura.

“Hurricanes hit the Atlantic and Gulf coasts on a regular basis so we need to have the infrastructure in place and do what we can, just as they would do the same for us,” Schill said.

Read the full story at  The Virginian-Pilot

La. Dept. of Wildlife and fisheries to host live session online to address CARES Act fund questions

September 16, 2020 — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will discuss and answer questions about the $14.6 million in federal funding it has received to help the state’s fishing community suffering financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic during its bi-monthly live social media series “Conservation Conversations.”

The program will highlight information on applications and qualification issues for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act benefits. LDWF began accepting applications for the funds on Monday, September 14.

“Conservation Conversations” will be available on Facebook, live at noon, Wednesday, September 16, by visiting: www.facebook.com/ldwffb/live_videos, according to LDWF. Viewers can submit questions about the session’s topic in real-time.

Read the full story at KATC

Omega Protein Spearheads Cameron, Louisiana Relief Efforts After Former Company Home Hit Hard By Hurricane Laura

September 16, 2020 — ABBEVILLE, La. — The following was released by Omega Protein:

Omega Protein is partnering with the Cameron Lions Club to raise money for Cameron Parish, Louisiana, which was devastated by Hurricane Laura at the end of August. Omega Protein has set up and will contribute to a GoFundMe campaign, which will raise funds to be used in relief and recovery efforts for the community.

The Gulf menhaden fishery was a mainstay in the Cameron Parish business community for over 65 years. Omega Protein operated a fishing facility there from the mid-1960s through the end of 2013.

“Cameron was a wonderful home for us for nearly half a century,” said Ben Landry, Director of Public Affairs for Omega Protein. “Even though we no longer operate in Cameron, the people there are still our friends and neighbors, and we will not turn our back on them during their time of need.”

All funds raised from the GoFundMe campaign will go directly to the Cameron Lions Club and their charitable organization, the Cameron Educational and Charitable Endeavors Inc., to help with cleanup and recovery from the hurricane.

Omega Protein is working to share its GoFundMe campaign with employees across the Cooke, Inc. family of companies to help spur awareness of the damage to Cameron Parish, and raise money from across North America for relief efforts.

“Cameron Parish has sustained incredible damage from this storm,” said State Representative Ryan Bourriaque, whose District 47 includes all of Cameron Parish. “But with the help of good neighbors like Omega Protein and the generosity of people everywhere, we’ll rebuild this community and get it back on its feet.”

The Cameron Lions Club was founded in 1944, and has served charitable causes in and around Cameron Parish for over 75 years. Its initiatives include promoting higher education through academic scholarships, the Louisiana Lions Camp for children with special needs, the Keep Louisiana Beautiful campaign, help with community hearing and vision needs, and an annual fishing festival.

On August 27, the Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall on Cameron, Louisiana near peak intensity, with sustained winds of 150 mph. It was the strongest hurricane to strike Louisiana since 1856.

Support Cameron Parish, Louisiana here

SEAN HORGAN: The new fad diet

September 15, 2020 — Here’s a good story out of the South: As you might imagine fishermen in Louisiana and along the Gulf of Mexico have had a terrible time of it through the late summer, with tropical storms and hurricanes tearing up the landscape, disrupting fishing and adding to the general misery of life in the time of pandemic.

In North Carolina, the North Carolina Fisheries Association and True North Seafood decided to help their fishing friends in Louisiana by sending a truckload of supplies down to the bayou.

“We received more than 20,000 pounds of ice, fish and cleaning supplies,” Frank Randol, treasurer of the Gulf Seafood Foundation and owner of Randol’s Seafood, told Gulf Seafood News. “We are in the process of working with the United Way, Second Harvest Food Bank and others to get these supplies into the hands of those that need it the most. We need to keep the attention focused on the damage in the Gulf, and how it has affected our fishermen because they not only feed their families, but their communities and whole country.”

You may have noticed that we’ve had a slew of stories in the past few weeks on the various federal and state programs to financially assist fishermen and others in the seafood industry that have been crushed economically by the ongoing pandemic or had markets disappear because of retaliatory trade tariffs from U.S. trade partners. It’s a pretty confusing landscape right now, so we hope we helped clear up some of the details.

Last week, we wrote that the state Division of Marine Fisheries had finally mailed out the applications to commercial fishermen for funds allocated by Congress in the CARES Act. The state got $28 million in all to help mitigate the economic damage to its seafood industry from the COVID-19 pandemic, and commercial fishermen will split $11.8 million of that haul.

We mentioned the completed applications are due Oct. 10. What we didn’t mention — because the information was not available until after the story went to press — was when the successful applicants might expect to see their slice of the loot. Now we know.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

LOUISIANA: LDWF to begin accepting CARES Act applications for fishermen affected by pandemic

September 10, 2020 — The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will soon begin accepting applications for $14.6 million in financial assistance that will be available to Louisiana fishermen and others in the industry who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds are part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Applications open at 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14, and must be submitted online.

To access the application, please visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cares-act-assistance. The application process will be open for a six-week period. The deadline to submit applications is 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 26. Funding allocation is structured so that all applications submitted before the deadline will be considered.

“These federal funds are a great step toward helping our hardworking fishing community start to recover from the terrible financial losses the pandemic has caused their businesses and their families,” said Governor John Bel Edwards. “We will continue working with our federal partners to bring more funding to our fishing community now going through two years of economic hardships.”

LDWF is aware that Hurricane Laura may have adversely impacted many individuals wishing to apply for this program. LDWF will continually assess the application process and make adjustments as necessary.

Read the full story at KALB

Fishermen Help Fishermen Find Relief From Hurricane Laura Disaster

September 10, 2020 — The destructive winds and storm surge of Hurricane Laura are now unwanted memories. Repairing shattered homes, businesses and lives along the storms path in southwestern Louisiana remain the task at hand. To easy the pain fishermen are reaching out to help fishermen.  A truckload of supplies donated by the North Carolina Fisheries Association and True North Seafood has reached Louisiana and being readied to help those in need.

“We received more than 20,000 lbs. of ice, fish and cleaning supplies,” said Frank Randol, treasurer of the Gulf Seafood Foundation and owner of Randol’s Seafood. “The True North Seafood truck was unloaded at a cold-storage unit in Lafayette.   We are in the process of working with the United Way, Second Harvest Food Bank and others to get these supplies into the hands of those that need it most.”

According to Randol everything along the southwestern Louisiana coast is a disaster.  “The hurricane came ashore two weeks ago, but already the attention of the nation has started to shift elsewhere,” he said. “We need to keep the attention focused on the damage in the Gulf, and how it has affected our fishermen because they not only feed their family, but their community and whole country.”

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

LOUISIANA: Trump administration moves forward with Gulf fish farming plan despite court decision

September 9, 2020 — Floating cages with fish by the thousands may be popping up in the Gulf of Mexico after all.

President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing ahead with a controversial plan to start an offshore aquaculture industry in the Gulf despite a federal appeals court ruling last month that appeared to block it.

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans decided on Aug. 3 that the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration does not have the authority to set rules for offshore fish farms. Environmental and commercial fishing groups celebrated the decision, calling it a landmark victory in a long battle to prevent aquaculture in federal waters.

But NOAA and other federal regulators say the ruling won’t halt plans they are carrying out in accordance with an executive order Trump signed in May that aims to remove regulatory barriers impeding aquaculture. The Trump administration says offshore fish farming will broaden markets for the seafood industry and help meet growing demand for fish.

Read the full story at NOLA.com

Hurricane Laura delivers a blow to Louisiana fishing industry

September 3, 2020 — Location determines the extent of damage for those in the fisheries industry have sustained from Hurricane Laura.
Mark Shirley, aquaculture specialist with the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant, said the farther west you go, the worse it is.

“Most of the fishermen in the Vermilion Parish area were able to move their boats and equipment to higher ground before the storm,” he said. “However, the guys in Cameron were hit really hard.”

Shirley said he was far enough from the east side of the storm that he didn’t receive a lot of damage. He said his lights are on, and he didn’t lose anything in his freezer.

“We have fishermen in areas that escaped a lot of damage who are chipping in to help those in need,” he said. Some of that help includes generators, fuel and other supplies.

Thu Bui, AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant fisheries agent, said fishermen in the lower St. Mary Parish area dodged a bullet with this storm.

“We were really preparing for that big 12- to 18-foot surge of water that was predicted, but thankfully, that didn’t happen,” she said. “We had about 4 to 5 feet in Intracoastal City, but it could have been a lot worse.”

Read the full story at St. Mary Now

NOAA Fisheries revises seafood reporting requirements in wake of Hurricane Laura

September 2, 2020 — NOAA Fisheries has announced revised reporting requirements for federal seafood dealers in portions of both Texas and Louisiana through 5 October in response to the damage caused by Hurricane Laura.

In a bulletin released 31 August, NOAA Fisheries identified several Texas counties and Louisiana parishes that will be under new reporting requirements due to the determination of “catastrophic conditions” existing in the area. Hurricane Laura hit Southwest Louisiana in the morning of 27 August, bringing with it 150-mile-per-hour winds.

Read the full story at Seafood Source