Saving Seafood

Brouhaha brewing over fish monitoring

January 27, 2020 — The New England Fishery Management Council is set to resume action on the contentious groundfish monitoring amendment next week, but the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition is questioning whether the council is rushing its own process and operating with incomplete information.

The council, scheduled to meet for three days next week in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, will return Wednesday to the arduous task of completing Amendment 23, which will set monitoring levels for vessels operating within the Northeast multispecies groundfish fishery.

Those monitoring levels ultimately will dictate the magnitude of monitoring costs the industry will bear in future fishing seasons. The current draft of the amendment includes four alternatives that call for groundfish monitoring coverage levels of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%.

The council, which has been working on the amendment for nearly three years, faces two pivotal tasks on Wednesday: It must approve a full range of monitoring coverage alternatives and it must approve a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and accompanying analyses in advance of sending both out for public comment.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Two Fatal Fishing Accidents in One Week off New England

January 24, 2020 — The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating two fatal fishing accidents in a week off the U.S. East Coast – a sinking that claimed the lives of two fishermen off Maine and a man-overboard resulting in loss of life off Nantucket

Two fishermen were found dead in the water off the coast of Portland, Maine on Thursday after the Coast Guard responded to a distress signal from the fishing boat Hayley Ann. 

At about 1230 hours on Thursday, the USCG received an EPIRB distress signal from the Hayley Ann. Two helicopters from Air Station Cape Cod and one fixed-wing aircraft responded to the scene at a position about 45 miles off the coast of Portland. At about 1350 hours, they spotted an empty life raft and two bodies face-down in the water, according to local media.

Read the full story at The Maritime Executive

Legit Fish planning strategic partnership with Thermagenix’s Fast Fish ID

January 24, 2020 — Legit Fish, a Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based company offering traceability and ERP solutions for the seafood industry, is planning a strategic partnership with Thermagenix – a company that has invented a fast DNA test system for seafood.

The partnership, according to Legit Fish founder and CEO Michael Carroll, will increase the already rigorous traceability the company’s system has by adding on a biological component. The goal is to have the same traceability software that tracks species, gear type, amount, catch location, and more include the additional information that’s more quickly obtained by Thermagenix’s

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Surveys Collect Data Year-Round on Marine Life along U.S. East Coast

January 24, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

While the weather outside may be frightful this time of year, Northeast Fisheries Science Center researchers continue collecting data from planes, ships, and underwater.

Many of the studies are part of the Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species, or AMAPPS. This multi-year program is funded by NOAA, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Navy. Researchers put information about abundance, distribution, ecology, and behavior of protected species—from whales, dolphins, and seals to marine turtles and seabirds—into an ecosystem context. This helps resource managers with conservation measures and decision-making.

Aerial Surveys

NOAA Fisheries scientists and colleagues from state and non-profit organizations conducted aerial surveys in the Northeast region through December 2019. Flights will resume on February 1. The focus is on right whale sightings in and near Nantucket Shoals, where many whales have been aggregating recently. We will also survey other areas where right whales were seen in the past.

Two recent aerial surveys used NOAA Twin Otter aircraft. The Northeast center’s aerial whale survey team conducts one based at Air Station Cape Cod. Center staff and colleagues from other marine research organizations conducted a survey specifically for AMAPPS last fall, based at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

AMAPPS surveys moved to southeast U.S. waters off Florida and Georgia in early December and will continue there through the end of January 2020.

Read the full release here

Coast Guard investigating fisherman overboard from New Jersey boat, found dead when brought to New Bedford

January 24, 2020 — Details are few about the loss of a commercial fisherman who reportedly went overboard off the coast of Nantucket and wasn’t recovered until some 40-50 minutes later. The name of the fisherman hasn’t been released yet and it is not known if he was local.

The fisherman was reported by the U.S. Coast Guard to have gone overboard from the Lady Brittany, a clammer, some 50 miles off the coast of Nantucket on Jan. 21 before sunrise.

Lt. Jordan Ortiz, the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Detachment Supervisor for New Bedford, said a call was received on Jan. 21 at 5 a.m. for a person in the water. He said the crew was able to recover the fisherman and the Lady Brittany then traveled to Sea Watch International in New Bedford where the fisherman was found to be dead. He would not confirm whether the fisherman had died prior to being recovered and would only say that the incident is being actively investigated.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Blue Harvest still waiting for NOAA approval to acquire Rafael vessels

January 23, 2020 — The US’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has yet to give New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Blue Harvest Fisheries the approval it needs to acquire 15 groundfish vessels and their related skiffs and permits from Carlos Rafael, CEO Keith Decker told Undercurrent News on Wednesday.

“At this point we do not have NOAA’s approval,” he said, adding that he believes it is the last thing needed before announcing completion of the deal.

Undercurrent asked Decker for a status report on the agreement when it caught up with him here on the sidelines of the National Fisheries Institute’s Global Seafood Market Conference where he is one of more than 400 attendees. Look for many more details from our exclusive interview soon.

As first reported by Undercurrent, Blue Harvest, a US scallop and groundfish supplier backed by Bregal Partners, a New York City-based private investment firm, struck a deal in November that would have it pay $19.3 million to obtain a substantial part of former fishing mogul Rafael’s fleet in New Bedford. The agreement promises to give Blue Harvest millions of pounds of quota of Atlantic cod, haddock, plaice, redfish, hake, flounder and pollock.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair Set for Feb. 8 in New Bedford

January 21, 2020 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair:

A non-profit organization dedicated to the health, safety and economic security of commercial fishermen is planning a free, day-long special event to celebrate, support and serve New Bedford-area fishing families.

Fishing Partnership Support Services will host a New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair on Saturday, Feb. 8, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Kilburn Mill, 127 W. Rodney French Blvd. 

Said J.J. Bartlett, president of Fishing Partnership Support Services, “We will be celebrating fishermen and all that they mean to the great city of New Bedford and to the entire Southcoast in terms of heritage, culture, community spirit and economic impact.   

“Commercial fishing is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry in Massachusetts, accounting overall for more than 90,000 jobs.  Nowhere is fishing larger than here: New Bedford is the top value port in the country.  We often hear people celebrate this economic prosperity as a statistic; we want to focus attention on the fishermen and families behind the statistics.”

The Feb. 8 event will have programs and activities on healthy living, pediatric nutrition, enrolling in health coverage plans, massage, mindfulness, the hands-on healing art of Reiki, vaccinations, substance abuse education, Narcan training, and more. 

For children, there will be costumed characters, a reading corner, games, dancing, a photo booth, coloring and other activities. 

The first 25 persons through the door will receive a $25 Visa gift card, with a one-per-family limit.  A free raffle will be conducted every 30 minutes from 11:00 o’clock on. 

The buffet lunch will feature foods from multiple, various cultures, reflecting the diversity of the New Bedford community.  Coffee, tea, water and soft drinks will be available all day.

Twelve local non-profits that collaborate with Fishing Partnership Support Services will have representatives on hand to present information and answer questions on their objectives and services. See list of participating organizations at end.

Also providing support for the event is the Massachusetts Fishermen’s Partnership, an organization of commercial fishermen’s associations from all gear and geographic sectors of the Massachusetts fishing industry.

The New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair, Bartlett emphasized, is “for fishermen and their families – the partners, children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of fishermen.”

He said, “We’re providing a reason for fishing families to come together on a Saturday in winter and have fun, share stories and experiences, and partake of some delicious food in a relaxed setting. Togetherness, we believe, can be a powerful antidote to the stresses and strains that every fishing family is subjected to.”

Workplace injury and mortality studies consistently show that commercial fishing is among the most dangerous occupations in the U.S. and the world.  The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, recently reported that, in 2018, fishermen suffered on-the-job fatal injuries at a rate exceeded only by loggers.

The history of New Bedford well illustrates this tragic reality.  Hundreds of New Bedford fishermen have perished at sea through the years, with the latest fatalities occurring on Nov. 24 when three men died in the sinking of the “Leonardo” off Martha’s Vineyard. 

“As independent workers and small business owners, fishermen don’t have a human resources department,” Bartlett said, “which is why Fishing Partnership Support Services has developed into the fishing community’s human resources provider.  We help fishermen take care of things like health care coverage, safety training, immunizations and financial planning so that they can get back to doing what they do best, fishing.”

Fishing Partnership Support Services moved its longtime local office in 2019 to the historic heart of New Bedford.  “We’re now on Bethel Street in the same building as the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and just down the street from the Seaman’s Bethel,” Bartlett noted. “Everyone should feel free to drop by and talk with one of our community health navigators anytime they’re in that area.”

More information on the New Bedford Fishing Community Celebration & Health Fair and Fishing Partnership Support Services may be found at: fishingpartnership.org

New England Ocean Cluster creating collaborative model to advance blue economy

January 17, 2020 — For the past five years, the New England Ocean Cluster has been without the collaborative working space that the model thrives on, but that’s soon going to change.

The New England Ocean Cluster is based on the Iceland Ocean Cluster, and both locations share the same mission: To connect various entrepreneurs, businesses, artists, and other talented individuals in a collaborative space to enhance the region’s seafood industry. The cluster model is intended to bring together industries that, without it, may have had no reason to collaborate or connect.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New Bedford scallop boat launches in Alabama with a “positive energy bow”

January 17, 2020 — Lars Vinjerud II can’t stop growing his fisheries and seafood business.

“I’m lucky,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of good people working for me.”

Vinjerud’s company, Fleet Fisheries in New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A., has 14 boats in the scallop, lobster, and longline fisheries, and branches in seafood marketing, a machine shop, and more boats scheduled for construction.

Read the full story from National Fisherman at Seafood Source

Investigating the Effects of Ocean Acidification on Atlantic Sea Scallops

January 16, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

On a gray December day, students, faculty, and NOAA scientists packed Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s aquaculture lab. They worked shoulder to shoulder to answer high-stakes questions. The eight-week experiment, led by NOAA research chemist Shannon Meseck, was the first to directly measure the response of juvenile Atlantic sea scallops to ocean acidification.

Modeling studies have projected the effects of ocean acidification on the sea scallop fishery, but these analyses depended on data collected from other shellfish species. “Research is beginning to show that shellfish have species-dependent responses to ocean acidification. This experiment will give more definitive results that can be used to determine the effects on the fishery,” explained research chemist Matt Poach.

Partnering with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy

The project required coordination between NOAA’s Milford Lab and the Academy, including many trips shuttling people, samples, and algal cultures between Cape Cod and Connecticut. Students at the Academy—called cadets—cared for the animals, grew algae to supplement their diet, and took frequent water samples.

While the research team conducted similar experiments on surfclams and oysters at the Milford Lab, raising sea scallops requires cooler temperatures and oceanic, rather than estuarine, conditions.

“The location of the Academy on Buzzards Bay was ideal for sea scallop experiments because of the availability of pumped, unfiltered seawater in the right temperature and salinity range,” noted Milford Lab Director Gary Wikfors.

Research chemist George Sennefelder and technician Dylan Redman built two ocean acidification exposure systems at the Milford Lab. They also designed and built a smaller system to fit the Academy’s aquaculture lab.

The lab sits by the dock, in the shadow of the training vessel TS Kennedy. “The Aquaculture and Marine Sciences Laboratory is a surprisingly adaptable space for hard science,” observed Professor William Hubbard, who headed up the partnership for the Academy. “Seawater, electricity, aging pipes, and New England weather challenge the lab, but NOAA easily installed their customized system and it runs well.”

Read the full release here