Saving Seafood

Public Information Sessions for Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan Proposed Rule Begin Tonight

January 12, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

We are proposing to amend the regulations implementing the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan to reduce the incidental mortality and serious injury to North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in northeast commercial lobster and Jonah crab trap/pot fisheries to meet the goals of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

To give the public an opportunity to learn about the proposed rule and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, we are holding 4 public information sessions. Everyone is welcome to attend and ask questions about the proposed rule.

See our summary fact sheet for more information on the proposed rule.

Please note, there will be an opportunity to provide comments at our public hearings in February. You may also provide comments online through the Regulations.gov comment portal. The comment due date is March 1, 2021.

Public Information Sessions

To sign up to attend, choose the link for the public information session you want to attend.

The information sessions run from 6:30-9 pm and are designed to orient participants to the documents and the review process, and to answer questions about what the proposed rule and DEIS contain. Public comments will only be accepted if time permits.

We will be opening the sessions at 6 pm for troubleshooting, so please log on early.

The sessions are focused on the proposed requirements for particular areas, though you may attend any session, and ask questions about any area.

If you are unable to attend, you may access a pre-recorded version of the slides to learn more about the rule.

Read the full release here

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford High School to Expand Marine Technology Program

January 11, 2021 — New Bedford High School has landed a $250,000 state grant to build a state-of-the-art Marine Technology Laboratory.

The new facility will prepare students for careers in marine and maritime industries. Skills training will be provided within the school’s Career Vocational Technical Education Program. The Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant was announced by the Baker-Polito administration.

“At a critical time in our Commonwealth, these Skills Capital Grants will increase flexibility and support for schools and educational institutions to launch new programs and help more students develop important technical skills and prepare them for high-demand industries,” Governor Charlie Baker stated.

Read the full story at WBSM

Plea deal reached in bank fraud case involving Massachusetts seafood company bookkeeper

January 11, 2021 — A bookkeeper who embezzled nearly USD 600,000 (EUR 493,204) from her former employer, a New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based fishing and seafood processing company, will spend up to three years in prison under a plea agreement reached with federal prosecutors.

The company Howland embezzled from went unnamed in court papers and the news release. However, online searches associate her with M & B Sea Products Inc. of New Bedford.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Something’s fishy: Recent study discusses harmful consequences of mislabeled seafood

January 8, 2021 — In 2017, Carlos Rafael was sentenced to nearly four years in prison, fined $3 million, and prohibited from ever returning to his job, all because of one thing: fish. Specifically, 800,000 pounds of mislabeled fish.

The fishing magnate, perhaps better known as the “Codfather,” had been caught illegally overfishing American plaice and selling it as haddock in order to avoid paying for larger quotas. Estimated to have caught 10% of the entire annual catch limit, Rafael had done significant damage to the plaice population by the time he was arrested.

Illegal practices like Rafael’s that threaten to endanger or overexploit marine life aren’t entirely uncommon.

As a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) points out, mislabelling doesn’t only mean the wrong species’ name appearing on the wrapper. Information about the seafood’s geographical origin and whether or not it was farmed or wild can also be misrepresented, undermining consumers’ ability to buy from well-managed and sustainable fisheries.

Read the full story at The Daily

Proposal to help young fishermen becomes law

January 7, 2021 — Federal legislation to help mobilize the next generation of commercial fishermen cleared its final hurdle this week, creating a national grant program to identify and train young fishermen in Gloucester and beyond.

The bill, co-authored in the House by Rep. Seth Moulton and signed into law Tuesday by President Donald Trump, addresses the succession void that many traditional fisheries are experiencing as the pipeline of entry-level crew and prospective captains has dried up.

The new law provides $2 million in funding to distribute grants of up to $200,000 to support and enhance local and regional training, education and technology development for entry-level commercial fishermen.

“This important new law creates opportunities that will foster young and beginning fishermen with the education, training, and mentorship needed to overcome the steep financial costs of entering the fishing fleet, allowing them to compete within the industry while fishing in a sustainable manner,” said Robert C. Vandermark, executive director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network.

The legislation had significant bipartisan support in the House and the Senate from representatives of fishing communities throughout the United States, from Cape Ann to Alaska. The Senate passed its version first, with the House following suit in December before the two bills were reconciled.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Massachusetts Delegation Pleased With Additional Fisheries Disaster Funds in COVID Relief Package

January 6, 2021 — A Massachusetts delegation led by Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives William R. Keating (MA-09) and Seth Moulton (MA-08) supported the inclusion of $300 million in national fisheries disaster assistance as part of the $900 billion coronavirus relief legislation.

In the last COVID relief package, the state received 28 million in fisheries assistance via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act.

Read the full story at Seafood News

COVID relief bill includes second round of fishery relief funds

January 5, 2021 — Lawmakers representing the U.S. state of Massachusetts said on Monday, 4 January, they were thankful the USD 900 billion (EUR 732 billion) COVID relief bill – passed late last month and signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump – will include a second round of emergency funding for fisheries.

The latest spending plan sets aside USD 300 million (EUR 244 million) in relief funding for fishermen and others in the industry affected by the pandemic. That matches the amount Congress approved via the CARES Act last spring.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New slow zone to protect right whales off Martha’s Vineyard

January 5, 2021 — The federal government has announced a new slow speed zone designed to protect right whales off New England until the middle of January.

The zone is located south of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and it will be in effect until Jan. 15. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said acoustic gear detected the whales on Dec. 31.

Mariners are asked to go 10 knots or less in the area or avoid it completely. The whales are vulnerable to ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. They number only about 360 in the world.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

More restrictions considered for Massachusetts lobstermen

January 4, 2020 — To protect North Atlantic right whales, regulators want to expand an annual three-month ban on the use of lobstering equipment off Cape Cod Bay to include all Massachusetts waters.

Since 2015, federal regulations have banned the use of lobstering equipment from Feb. 1 until at least April 30 off Cape Cod Bay and beyond, shutting down the local industry for the winter. The goal is to reduce the chances of whales becoming entangled in the gear.

Right whales are common in Cape Cod Bay during late winter and early spring, especially during March and April.

Read the full story at Wicked Local

Senators Markey and Warren, and Reps. Keating and Moulton Commend Inclusion of Additional $300 Million in Fisheries Disaster Assistance in Coronavirus Relief Package

January 4, 2021 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.):

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives William R. Keating (MA-09) and Seth Moulton (MA-08) joined in expressing support for the inclusion of $300 million in national fisheries disaster assistance as part of the $900 billion coronavirus relief legislation that passed at the end of the year. Massachusetts has previously been allocated $28 million in fisheries assistance in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act funding.

“The Massachusetts fishing and seafood industries aren’t just part of the Bay State’s historic and cultural heritage—they are vital contributors to our working waterfronts and coastal economy,” said the Massachusetts lawmakers.“These industries have been severely impacted by the pandemic and economic crisis and deserve to be included in relief efforts. We will continue to fight for this funding to be distributed swiftly and equitably to Massachusetts businesses and then supplanted with the additional support that the fishing and seafood industries need.”

Massachusetts lawmakers, led by Senators Markey and Warren, have championed the allocation of financial aid to fishery participants. In March 2020, Senators Markey and Warren, and Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan called on Senate leadership to include support for the fishing industry in coronavirus economic relief packages. and secured a $20 million USDA procurement of Atlantic seafood. Also in March 2020, Reps. Keating, Richard Neal (MA-01), James P. McGovern (MA-02), and Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08) called on House leadership to include fishing disaster assistance in relief packages.  In April 2020, Senators Markey and Warren led a letter urging the Department of Commerce and NOAA to act swiftly, equitably, and transparently in allocating fisheries disaster assistance funding.  Also in April, Senators Markey and Warren led a letter demanding immediate release of federal guidance on how fishery participants could access the $300 million in CARES Act funds, and identifying bureaucratic inefficiencies that were behind the failure to issue this guidance in a timely manner. In June 2020, Senators Markey and Warren called on Senate leadership to include additional fisheries assistance in the next coronavirus relief package.