Saving Seafood

Mills, Collins Call On Federal Government To Provide Disaster Assistance To Maine Herring Industry

July 24, 2020 — Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins are calling on the federal government to provide disaster assistance to the state’s herring industry in the wake of what they call the fishery’s failure.

The herring population off New England’s coast has nosedived in recent years, and federal regulators have drastically reduced commercial catch limits by more than 80 percent. That has driven prices for the vital food-chain fish ever higher, and sent lobstermen scrambling for alternatives to what had been their go-to bait.u.s.

Earlier this month Mills asked the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to formally declare the regional fishery a failure, and this week Collins backed her up. In her letter, Collins says it is unclear how the industry will survive without immediate financial assistance.

Read the full story at Maine Public

Status Quo Effort Controls Maintained for the 2020 Atlantic Herring Area 1A Fishery for Season 1

July 23, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (Commission) Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts met via webinar on July 23rd, and decided to maintain status quo effort control measures for the 2020 Area 1A fishery for Season 1 (June 1 – September 30). Current effort controls for the 2020 Area 1A fishery are detailed in M20-50 which is available on the Commission’s website (click here).

The Area 1A sub-annual catch limit (ACL) is 2,957 metric tons (mt) after adjusting for the research set-aside, the 30 mt fixed gear set-aside, and the fact that Area 1A closes at 92% of the sub-ACL. The Board allocated 72.8% of the sub-ACL for Area 1A to Season 1 (2,152 mt). The Maine fishery began Sunday, July 19 (6:00 pm), and the New Hampshire/Massachusetts fishery began Monday, July 20 (12:01 am). Landings will be closely monitored and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landings days when 92% of the Season 1 quota is projected to be reached.

The Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts are scheduled to reconvene via conference call to review fishing effort on:

  • Friday, July 31, at 8:30 – 10:00 am
  • You can join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone at the following link:https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/924867957. If you are new to GoToMeeting, you can download the app ahead of time (click here) and be ready before the meeting starts. The meeting will be using the computer audio (VoIP), but if you are joining the webinar from your phone only, you can dial in at +1 (646) 749-3122and enter access code 924-867-957 when prompted.

If it is decided that this meeting is not needed, it may be canceled. Please contact Max Appelman, FMP Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740 for more information.

PPP loans helped buoy Maine’s lobster industry through the spring

July 22, 2020 — Maine lobster businesses, both large and small, received emergency funding through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program to help them survive the economic crisis wrought by the coronavirus’ global spread this spring.

The lobstering sector was the top recipient in Maine of forgivable PPP loans of less than USD 150,000 (EUR 130,000), with around USD 14.9 million (EUR 12.9 million) offered to 1,358 Maine lobstermen, according to the Portland Press Herald. But the average loan to lobster fishermen was USD 10,900 (EUR 9,400) each, a total that won’t help many survive the season if low dock prices and weak export markets continue, according to Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

1 in 3 Maine lobstermen lands federal pandemic loan

July 20, 2020 — Maine lobstermen reeled in more small federal emergency loans under the Paycheck Protection Program than members of any other industry in Maine, with about one out of every three commercial lobstermen landing one, but the average loan was barely large enough to cover a month’s worth of bait at the height of the summer fishing season.

About $14.9 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, loans of less than $150,000 have been handed out to 1,358 Maine lobstermen, according to an analysis of newly released U.S. Small Business Administration data. That puts lobstermen ahead of full-service restaurants, real estate offices, beauty salons and home builders, which rounded out the top five Maine industries receiving small PPP loans.

But the high participation rate didn’t net Maine lobstermen a lot of money, with the average small PPP loan to lobster fishermen working out to be just $10,900 each, data show. By comparison, full-service restaurants got $53,500. Home builders, $30,000. It didn’t get better when the loans got bigger: Only two lobstering companies got large loans of more than $150,000.

“A lot of people got very small loans that helped in the short term, at the start of the crisis, but now the crisis is dragging on and lobstering season hasn’t even really started,” said Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association. “Ten grand is nice if you’re struggling, but not enough if you’re suffering.”

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

MAINE: Fish For Everyone to celebrate local seafood

July 17, 2020 — The Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries is sponsoring a week-long seafood celebration on the Blue Hill peninsula and the island from August 1-7, Paul Anderson, executive director, has announced.

The festival, dubbed the Fish for Everyone: A Seafood Celebration, has two tracks, according to Bobbi Billings, MCCF’s administrative director.

On one track, the MCCF will donate money to local nonprofits such as the Healthy Island Project, the Island Nursing Home, the Tree of Life and Island Food pantries. They can then buy local seafood with it, Billings said. On August 6, the nursing home will serve lobster and crab rolls and HIP will hold a seafood picnic for Salt Air Seniors.

On the second track, MCCF is encouraging local seafood dealers and restaurants to serve locally sourced seafood, and it will help promote those activities through social media and print, Billings said. A brochure will list where people can buy locally sourced seafood.

Read the full story at the Penobscot Bay Press

MAINE: Microplastics are harming the Gulf of Maine’s baby lobsters, study finds

July 14, 2020 — A study by scientists at a marine research laboratory indicates that plastic pollution in the Gulf of Maine likely is creating problems for the lobster population.

Researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay examined how microplastics — pieces of plastic broken down into tiny particles — affect lobster larvae in the gulf. They found that lobster larvae, which float in the water column and typically are found in shallow water, get fibers caught under their shells and sometimes ingest particles.

The issue of pollution in the Gulf of Maine, where millions of pounds of lobster fishing gear is deployed each year, has environmental and economic implications for Maine. The commercial statewide lobster harvest in 2019 alone accounted for more than $485 million in fishing revenue in the state, nearly three-quarters of all of Maine’s fisheries landings value that year.

The study, published in the scientific journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, showed young larvae are more likely to get microplastic fibers trapped under their shells that protect their gills, and were the least likely to survive heavy concentrations of microplastics. Older larvae had less fiber accumulation under their shells but were shown to ingest the plastic, which could pose health consequences as they get older.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

Seafood stimulus: Cash flow and connections for rising stars

July 9, 2020 — From two corners of the seafood sector this week came new projects to encourage industry exploration and expansion. Bristol Seafood and the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers each paved the way for new funding streams to promote the U.S. seafood sector’s diversity and growth.

Bristol Seafood announced it opened an office at the New England Ocean Cluster in Portland, Maine, and founded sponsorship of a program to support under-represented blue economy entrepreneurs.

Inclusion in the Blue Economy will provide dedicated workspace at the New England Ocean Cluster House as well as mentorship opportunities for entrepreneurs, focusing on women, people of color, and individuals from non-marine industries who are passionate about building responsible marine-related businesses.

“Innovation and inclusion are two essential parts of our culture,” said Peter Handy, Bristol Seafood’s president and CEO. “Our presence at the New England Ocean Cluster and our sponsorship to support under-represented entrepreneurs aligns with our mission to make seafood America’s favorite protein.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Summer flounder: good news on quota, but waiting for restaurants’ return

July 7, 2020 — The $25.2 million East Coast market for summer flounder — although a reliable bread-and-butter fish — has faced ups and downs in quotas over the years.

The 2020 commercial quota is 11.53 million pounds, while the recreational harvest limit is 7.69 million pounds. The highest percent of commercial allocation goes to Virginia (21.32 percent) and North Carolina (27.44 percent) while Delaware, Maine and New Hampshire have the smallest allocations.

Anecdotally, in the last few years, the price per pound for jumbo summer flounder (4 pounds or larger) decreased, with some vessels getting around 50 cents less per pound for jumbos compared to smaller sizes. As market conditions have shifted relative to quotas over the past few years, there is some speculation that markets prefer smaller product that fits better on a plate.

Now 2020 is the first full year with higher quotas for the fishery — but with the covid-19 crisis and its impact on markets globally, it remains to be seen if quotas will be fully utilized.

“It’s going to be very hard to predict summer flounder landings for 2020 at this point. Last year, the quotas were revised upward by about 50 percent, based on the new stock assessment, but that change wasn’t implemented until midyear,” says Kiley Dancy of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council staff.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Bristol Seafood adds office in New England Ocean Cluster

July 7, 2020 — Bristol Seafood has opened an office in the New England Ocean Cluster (NEOC) in Portland, Maine, U.S.A.

Additionally, Bristol Seafood has provided a founding sponsorship to create Inclusion in the Blue Economy, a new program to support underrepresented blue economy entrepreneurs by providing dedicated workspace and mentorship opportunities to women, people of color, and individuals from non-marine industries who are passionate about building responsible marine-related businesses.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Kingfish Maine files its first permit application for proposed RAS

July 7, 2020 — Kingfish Maine, a subsidiary of Kats, the Netherlands-based The Kingfish Company, will formally file its first pre-permitting application for its proprietary land-based aquaculture facility in Jonesport, Maine.

The Maine Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (MEPDES) application is “one of the more critical permits required for the operation of a land-based farming facility,” according to the company.

Read the full story at Seafood Source