Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: The future of fish is frozen: How the seafood industry is adapting to COVID-19

May 18, 2020 — Jared Auerbach first saw the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in early January, when seafood orders from Boston’s Chinatown — and Chinatowns across the country — slowly stopped coming in.

At first, the founder of Red’s Best, a Boston-based seafood distributor, wasn’t too worried.

“The second week of March, we were down about 20 percent,” he said. “Things were starting to get a little weird. We got through the weekend and I lost some sleep over the weekend, but I felt good.”

On March 17, restaurants in Mass. were ordered to shutdown, and Auerbach, who founded Red’s Best in 2008, saw his business fall out from under him as he made the difficult decision to furlough the vast majority of his staff. For someone who spent years intently focused on balancing the supply of the sea with the demand of the public — many of them restaurant chefs — he now wondered: “What’s our contingency plan?”

Read the full story at Boston.com

Blue Harvest believes it’s time again to look at locally sourced and processed seafood

May 15, 2020 — The following was released by Blue Harvest Fisheries:

Did you know that approximately 80% of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported?  Most of the imported seafood comes from China, and much of the rest from other developing countries in Asia and Latin America. By comparison, of all the other types of food consumed in the U.S., only 13% is imported.

We believe it’s time to take another look at local, sustainable groundfish from New England. Why?

SHORTER, SAFER SUPPLY CHAIN AND SMALLER CARBON FOOTPRINT

Locally harvested and processed seafood usually travels through fewer steps in the supply chain to get to your plate. Meanwhile, imported seafood travels great distances by air travel and generates far greater carbon emissions along the way. Seafood that is locally caught, processed and shipped has a substantially smaller carbon footprint.

For instance, Blue Harvest’s groundfish are harvested by our own vessels from local fisheries off the New England coast. These fisheries are all near our processing plant in New Bedford, MA and the major shipping facilities of nearby Boston. Not only does this provide for a short, sustainable supply chain, but it also allows us to maintain tight control over every step of the supply chain process. This meticulous management ensures our products meet the highest standards for quality and safety.

STRONGER LOCAL COMMUNITIES

When you support local harvesters and processors, you also help support an entire industry of small local businesses and suppliers. A strong commercial fishing industry helps keep our local economies strong and our communities healthy and vibrant.

HEALTHIER, SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES

U.S. fisheries are among the best managed in the world. Blue Harvest’s vessels target underfished and underutilized groundfish from MSC-certified sustainable fisheries in the New England waters of Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine, which are some of the most closely monitored and tightly regulated fisheries in the U.S.

Blue Harvest is also MSC Chain of Custody Certified. The Standard ensures an unbroken chain of custody and that our certified seafood is identifiable, segregated and traceable.

HEALTHIER, BETTER TASTING SEAFOOD

Many seafood products from China or Europe have been twice frozen and/or treated with additives. While this helps reduce costs, it may also change the natural flavor and texture of the fish. Blue Harvest groundfish are once frozen and processed without any additives. And all our groundfish are processed in our own, modern waterfront plant located in New Bedford, MA.

Learn more about our amazing New England fishery and Blue Harvest products here, and follow us on Facebook for our latest updates!

‘A risk for the future’: How warming oceans are disrupting America’s seafood supply

May 13, 2020 — Recorded temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean are increasing at an “alarming” rate, according to one scientist, and forcing fisherman to confront a seafood industry primed for disruption.

Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts recorded 2017 as the warmest year on record for water temperatures in the Northeast. Glen Gawarkiewicz, a senior scientist at the institution, said 2019 was equally “disturbing,” adding that over the past seven years, water temperatures off southern New England have increased by nine degrees Fahrenheit, faster than any region outside of the Arctic.

“The ocean is changing pretty rapidly,” Gawarkiewicz said. “Typically temperature variations might be two degrees Fahrenheit there, and fish are probably sensitive at about one degree Fahrenheit there. So it’s almost an order of magnitude more that you normally need to get some kind of change.”

Read the full story at Yahoo Finance

Atlantic Herring Area 1A 2020 Effort Controls

May 13, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Atlantic Herring Management Board members from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts set the effort control measures for the 2020 Area 1A (inshore Gulf of Maine) fishery for Season 1 (June-September).

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. In October 2019, the Atlantic Herring Management Board implemented seasonal allocations for the 2020 fishery which allocates the Area 1A sub-ACL between June-September (72.8%) and October-December (27.2%).

Days Out of the Fishery

  • Landing days will be set at zero from June 1 until the start of the fishery on July 19 in Maine and July 20 in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
  • Vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category A permit that have declared into the Area 1A fishery may land herring four (4) consecutive days a week. One landing per 24 hour period. Vessels are prohibited from landing or possessing herring caught from Area 1A during a day out of the fishery.
    • Landings days in Maine begin on Sunday of each week at 6:00 p.m. starting July 19.
    • Landing days in New Hampshire and Massachusetts begin on Monday of each week at 12:01 a.m. starting July 20.
  • Small mesh bottom trawl vessels with an Atlantic herring Limited Access Category C or Open Access D permit that have declared into the fishery may land herring five (5) consecutive days a week.

Weekly Landing Limit

  • Vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit may harvest up to 240,000 lbs. (6 trucks) per harvester vessel, per week starting July 19 in Maine and July 20 in New Hampshire and Massachusetts

At-Sea Transfer and Carrier Restrictions

The following applies to harvester vessels with an Atlantic herring Category A permit and carrier vessels landing herring caught in Area 1A to a Maine, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts port.

  • A harvester vessel may transfer herring at-sea to another harvester vessel.
  • A harvester vessel may not make any at-sea transfers to a carrier vessel.
  • Carrier vessels may not receive at-sea transfers from a harvester vessel.

Fishermen are prohibited from landing more than 2,000 pounds of Atlantic herring per trip from Area 1A until July 19 or 20, 2020, depending on the state. Landings will be closely monitored and the fishery will be adjusted to zero landing days when the seasonal period quota is projected to be reached.

For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at mappelman@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

The announcement, including motions from yesterday’s days out meeting, can be found here –http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/5ebc0a0eAtlHerringDaysOutMeasures_May2020.pdf

MASSACHUSETTS: Executive order calls for reducing aquaculture regs

May 12, 2020 — Around the same time last week that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released $300 million in coronavirus aid to the seafood industry, President Donald Trump issued an executive order “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth.”

The major reasons given to issue the executive order were familiar objectives of the administration: reduce our dependence on imported seafood by decreasing the regulatory burden on fishermen and the aquaculture, while creating a level playing field with other countries.

“The Fisheries Survival Fund has long supported efforts to revise and streamline unnecessary regulations, an effort that is more important now than ever,” spokesman John Cooke wrote in a statement.

Trump ordered each of the country’s regional fishery management councils to submit a prioritized list of recommended actions to reduce regulatory burdens on fishermen and increase production within six months. But the Trump administration already asked NOAA and the New England Fishery Management Council three years ago to develop a list of unnecessary and duplicative regulations, which has already been submitted, and it may be much harder to find the regulatory fat this time around.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times

Massachusetts fishing industry in line for $28 million in federal aid

May 11, 2020 — Massachusetts will receive $28 million in fisheries assistance under CARES Act allocations announced Thursday by the federal government, and efforts are ongoing to deliver more aid to an industry that officials say has been hit hard by impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross allocated $300 million in nationwide assistance, saying the Trump administration “stands with the men and women working to provide healthy and safe seafood during this uniquely challenging time.”

The fisheries support 1.7 million jobs and generate $200 billion in annual sales, he said. Only Alaska and Washington, which are each in line for $50 million in aid, received larger allocations than Massachusetts. Maine received the fifth largest allocation, at $20.3 million.

A senior NOAA Fisheries official said the funds will be disbursed “quickly and effectively.”

Spending plans will be developed by NOAA Fisheries working with interstate marine fishery commissions, and the plans must describe the main categories for funding, including direct payments, fishery-related infrastructure, and fishery-related education to address direct and indirect COVID-19 impacts.

Read the full story at WWLP

Fishermen cast for new customers amid coronavirus pandemic

May 11, 2020 — Massachusetts’ commercial fishing industry is finding new ways to stay afloat as the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered restaurants and halted seafood shipments, shaking up the normal course of business and leaving fishermen looking for customers to buy their seafood.

“We had a wholesale business and like the stock market, we were up, up, up and dependable — and then all of a sudden it went away,” said Nick Giacalone, who with his brothers owns the Fisherman’s Wharf Gloucester.

Restaurant closures amid the pandemic and the grounding of hundreds of planes that typically carry local seafood to overseas markets have decimated the demand globally and threatened to send prices crashing. It’s a sobering reality that has led many fishermen and related industries to tap an obvious but previously neglected market: Direct-to-consumer sales.

Up in Gloucester, haddock, pollack, scallops and lobsters arrive by the thousands of pounds at Giacalone’s Fisherman’s Wharf. The company entered retail sales for the first time last month as it looked to move its product and help the fishing boats it works with stay in business.

Read the full story at the Boston Herald

USDA to purchase Massachusetts seafood

May 11, 2020 — Members of the all-Democratic Massachusetts congressional delegation are pushing to include more East Coast seafood in purchasing agreements funded by the federal Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

They applauded a U.S. Department of Agriculture decision last week to include Atlantic seafood in so-called Section 32 program food purchases made available in part by the $2.2 trillion CARES Act approved in late March.

Massachusetts officials said the federal program has historically overlooked East Coast seafood, but has agreed to purchase $20 million in Atlantic haddock, pollock, and redfish to help East Coast seafood producers.

Congressman William Keating said the purchases “will not only help to support our fishing industry during these trying times, but will also provide highly nutritious, sustainable food for families in need across the nation.”

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton added, “Fishermen are hurting. Things were already tough because of the trade war and they got a lot tougher when restaurants closed because of the pandemic. Government’s strength is measured by its ability to serve the people it represents. I hope this brings new business and peace of mind to America’s fishermen.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

 

Lund’s Fisheries Supports President Trump’s Order Promoting American Seafood

May 8, 2020 — The following was released by Lund’s Fisheries:

Jeff Reichle, Chairman of Lund’s Fisheries, Inc., issued the following statement on President Trump’s “Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth”:

Lund’s Fisheries has been in business since 1954; I myself have been with the company since 1974. This is the first time in my memory that a sitting President has taken the time and initiative to recognize the hard work and value of this country’s fishing industry and its importance in feeding Americans.

Fishermen are notoriously independent people, seldom looking for help, and most often overlooked by their government. It is refreshing, to say the least, that the President has chosen to recognize our industry in this time of national crisis.

We at Lund’s Fisheries are extremely grateful to this Administration for this recognition and Executive Order. With 5 processing companies employing over 300 people in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California, we are ready to continue to meet the country’s needs during this crisis.

We are especially grateful to hear that the Administration will help us with trade barriers and inequities in our international import/export business. Far too often trade barriers have been put in place by foreign nations against our products with no pushback from the U.S. government. We cannot thank the President enough for his tough negotiations on these matters, and look forward to working with his Administration on these issues following his welcomed announcement yesterday.

We further look forward to working with the Administration to ensure that the commercial wild fishing industry is able to stay healthy and vibrant without being impeded by the installation of wind turbines on historical fishing grounds. We hope that the opening sentence in section 1, which states “America needs a vibrant and competitive seafood industry to create and sustain American jobs, put safe and healthy food on American tables, and contribute to the American economy” will include safeguarding this historic industry by ensuring that our ability to produce seafood into the future will not be lost in a rush to produce subsidized wind energy at any cost.

Senators Markey and Warren, and Reps. Moulton and Keating React to $28 Million in Fisheries Disaster Aid for Massachusetts

May 8, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.):

Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced its plan for distributing $300 million of fisheries disaster funds appropriated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. NOAA announced that each fishing state, territory, and tribe would receive a maximum allocation of $50 million and a minimum allocation of $1 million. Massachusetts received $28 million, the third-highest award. In 2018, $647.2 million of seafood was landed in Massachusetts, the second-highest amount of seafood landed in any state. For 19 consecutive years, New Bedford has been the highest grossing port in the country. Massachusetts is second to only California with more than 87,000 jobs in the commercial fishing and processing industry and 10,000 jobs in the recreational fishing industry

“The $28 million in aid for Massachusetts should only be the beginning. With Massachusetts’s position as home to the highest grossing port in the country, additional aid will be needed to address and match the critical role the Commonwealth plays in our fishing economy,” said Senator Markey. “While the amount allocated for Massachusetts is lower than anticipated and requires explanation, it will help out struggling fishermen who are suffering during the pandemic. I will continue to fight for more support for this historic and robust industry in upcoming coronavirus relief packages.”
 
“Massachusetts fishermen were struggling long before the pandemic hit, and this much-needed relief is an important first step toward keeping our fishermen and their families afloat as they confront this crisis and grapple with the economic slowdown it has brought to the fishing community,” said Senator Warren. “This allocation will be helpful to our fishermen during this difficult time, and I’ll keep fighting alongside my delegation partners to support the fishing and seafood industry.”
 
“Like all small businesses, the men and women of the Commonwealth’s fishing industry have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rep. Keating. “This disaster assistance will begin to assist the industry as they recover from the effects of the pandemic, and I will continue to fight in the House as we look to further aid the fishing industry and the thousands of Massachusetts families it supports in the coming months.”  
 
“Fishermen are hurting. Things were already tough because of the trade war and they got a lot tougher when restaurants closed because of the pandemic,” said Rep. Moulton. “Government’s strength is measured by the ability to serve the people it represents. I hope this brings some peace of mind to the state’s fishermen.”
 
The Massachusetts lawmakers, led by Senator Markey, have championed the swift, equitable, and transparent allocation of financial aid to fishery participants and secured a $20 million USDA procurement of Atlantic seafood. On April 29, Senators Markey and Warren led a letter demanding immediate release of federal guidance on how fishery participants can access this $300 million in CARES Act funds, and identifying bureaucratic inefficiencies that were behind the failure to issue this guidance in a timely manner. On April 2, 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. On March 23, 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. Also on March 23, Rep. McGovern led Chairman Richard Neal (MA-01), James P. McGovern (MA-02), and Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08) in calling on House leadership to include fishing disaster assistance in relief packages.