Saving Seafood

Mass. Seafood Collaborative calls for sanctions on Russian fish imports

March 8, 2022 — The Boston-based Massachusetts Seafood Collaborative, which has several Gloucester members, is calling for sanctions to take a bite out of Russian fish imports because of the war in Ukraine.

The collaborative, which counts the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association as a member, said that in 2021, the U.S. imported $4 billion worth of Russian fish for processing, leading directly to jobs and paychecks for Massachusetts residents.

“Though Russia blocks imports of American fish,” the collaborative said, “our commitment to free trade and open markets allowed this one-sided relationship to bear fruit. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia has forced our industry — and our nation — to decide between our ideals and our wallets.”

The collaborative called on elected officials to immediately sanction Russian fish exports into the U.S.

It was unclear what this would mean for Gloucester.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

MASSACHUSETTS: House approves plan to expand offshore wind

March 4, 2022 — The Massachusetts House of Representatives on Thursday approved a plan to expand offshore wind power to meet the state’s renewable energy needs, but the move faces pushback from Gov. Charlie Baker who says it will drive up consumer costs.

Commercial fisherman also are increasingly raising alarms about the rapid expansion of offshore wind power, warning it could make fertile grounds off-limits.

The legislation, approved by a 144-12 vote, calls for accelerating the development of offshore wind by changing how the state procures the energy, creating tax credits for offshore wind companies and setting environmental and fishing industry requirements for offshore wind projects, among other changes.

The bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D-Franklin, said the changes if approved would help position Massachusetts as “the Saudi Arabia of wind.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Feds institute ’emergency’ lobster closure to protect right whales

March 3, 2022 — The federal government will close an additional 200 square miles off the coast of Massachusetts to lobster and Jonah crab fishing in April to protect endangered right whales.

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is closing the area on an “emergency” basis, without taking public comment — a move that frustrates lobstermen already contending with extensive fishing restrictions.

Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association Executive Director Beth Casoni said she recognized that the “wedge” of federal water is particularly dangerous for right whales.

“If there’s an entanglement of serious injury or mortality attributed to the American lobster fishery, it’s not going to be good for anyone, anywhere,” she said.

But Casoni said she was worried by NOAA closing the waters through an emergency order.

Read the full story at WBUR

Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America drops mask mandate

March 3, 2022 — Diversified Communications, the organizer of the 2022 Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, will no longer require attendees to the wearing of masks to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

The city of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. – the host venue for the expo – will drop its indoor mask mandate beginning Saturday, 5 March, though masks will still be required on public transportation and in health care settings. Seafood Expo North America is scheduled to take place Sunday, 13 March through Tuesday, 15 March, 2022 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Massachusetts vs. Alaska fish fight over Russian imports

February 24, 2022 — A proposal by Alaska’s two U.S. senators to ban seafood imports from Russia has met resistance in the form of Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass.

On Feb. 9 , Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, both R-Alaska, filed S.3614, the U.S.-Russian Federation Seafood Reciprocity Act, which seeks to respond to Russia’s embargo of American fish and other seafood products that was put in place after the U.S. with a reciprocal ban.

Sullivan sought to have the bill approved in the Senate by unanimous consent. However, Markey objected to the bill, saying it could create unintended consequences for U.S. seafood importers.

“I have heard from seafood processors in my home state with concerns about potential sudden effects of a new immediate ban on imports on their workforce, including hundreds of union workers in the seafood processing industry,” said Markey. “And that would be right now.”

Sullivan noted that Massachusetts processors handle a large amount of Russian pollock, and suggested that product could be sourced from Alaska instead.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Boston lifts COVID-19 vaccine mandate, SENA follows suit

February 24, 2022 — The city of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. announced it has lifted a mandate requiring proof of vaccination for certain indoor spaces, which includes the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the host location of the 2022 Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America.

The city first announced a vaccine requirement for indoor spaces in December, as part of the city’s “B Together” initiative. The mandate resulted in a proof of vaccination requirement for the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and a vaccine requirement for attending the expo.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

MASSACHUSETTS: $1.1M in pandemic aid headed to state’s seafood industry

February 22, 2022 — A more than $1.1 million boost from the federal government will help the seafood industry in Massachusetts weather and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $1,104,725 from the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program will provide relief for local seafood processors and processing facilities, said U.S. Sens. Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren in announcing the award last week.

The federal money will be distributed by the state Division of Marine Fisheries. It plans to award the money to applicants for improving workplace and worker safety measures, facilitating market pivots, retrofitting facilities, transportation, worker housing and medical services.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times

Lawmakers eye grants to fund innovation to save right whales

February 22, 2022 — Lawmakers from Massachusetts and New Jersey want to set up a new grant program to help develop technology that assists in saving a rare species of whale from extinction.

The North Atlantic right whale numbers less than 340 and faces threats from collisions with large ships and entanglement in fishing gear. They are the subject of numerous new fishing rules designed to improve their chances of survival.

Read the full story from the Associated Press

 

New England council considers leasing proposal for scallop fishery

February 18, 2022 — Dozens of permit-holders and vessel owners, some of whom manage large-scale commercial fishing operations, have backed amending regulations in New England’s scallop fishery to allow leasing — a proposal that concerns the New Bedford Port Authority, smaller fishing fleets and some shoreside businesses.

Current regulations in the limited access scallop fishery allow one permit per vessel, which entitles a vessel to a certain number of days at sea, as well as a given number of access area fishing trips. A leasing program could enable a permit-holder (and his or her vessel) to lease and fish additional days or trips from another permit.

Supporters of leasing say it will improve efficiency and cut operational costs in the scallop fishery, which brings hundreds of millions of dollars in landings to New Bedford annually. For example, permit-holders could retire old vessels and save on repair costs without losing allocations, or lease in the event a vessel breaks down.

But the New Bedford Port Authority, along with some of the city’s shoreside business and scallop fishermen, according to their attorney, cite concerns that leasing could lead to further consolidation of the fishery to the detriment of smaller fleets and businesses.

Though the Scallopers Campaign, which has recently led the effort behind leasing, has promulgated certain program ideas, the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), would start with a blank slate and develop its own leasing program if it votes to proceed in September.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Light

Federal lawmakers want to save the North Atlantic right whale

February 18, 2022 — One of New England’s most critically endangered species is getting some love from federal legislators.

On Thursday, Congressional Democrats introduced a bill focused on saving the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, would start a new grant program, making $15 million available each year for the next decade to projects that can reduce the risks of entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes.

North Atlantic right whales live almost exclusively along the eastern coasts of the United States and Canada. Many spend time in late winter and early spring feeding in Cape Cod Bay.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe