Saving Seafood

COVID-impacted landings data could have major consequences for Virginia’s menhaden fleet

May 2, 2022 — Action the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is set to take this week regarding menhaden allocations at its annual spring meeting could have a significant impact on some members of the fishery based on how they responded to the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago.

On the agenda for the commission’s Atlantic Menhaden Management Board session on Tuesday afternoon is a discussion about whether to adjust or remove 2020 landings data when considering commercial allocations for future years, which are scheduled to take effect next year. The discussion comes after officials in Virginia proposed a change, citing the impact COVID-19 had on the menhaden fishery in the state.

Virginia has, by far, the largest operation within the fishery. In most years, the state accounts for roughly 80 percent or more of commercial landings. However, that number dipped to 75.7 percent in 2020. While that may not seem to be a significant drop, commissions set catch quotas on fish like menhaden based on historical catch data, so a recent dip in the numbers would impact how much operators can harvest in future years.

Ocean Fleet Services Vice President Monty Deihl said the drop was due to menhaden fishing vessels missing out on 59 fishing days due to fishing crews dealing with the coronavirus. And even that number doesn’t truly reflect the situation that Ocean Harvesters, which operates vessels for Omega Protein under the management of Ocean Fleet Services, endured two years ago.

“We had boats that were 15 hours away from our dock, and we hadn’t even started fishing yet,” Deihl recalled. “If a crew member came up with a fever and symptoms, the captain had to turn the boat all the way back around and come back. We couldn’t count that as a COVID day because the boat was away from the dock.”

Compounding the issue for Ocean Harvesters was the fact that each crewmember was needed in order to operate the vessel and harvest menhaden safely.

As a large company with a union workforce, Deihl said Ocean Harvesters had to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to the letter. That included quarantining crew members for days until test results came back negative. Smaller operators and family run outfits, Deihl said, had an easier time working in those guidelines and still fish.

Last year was a different story for Ocean Harvesters, thanks to the development of effective COVID-19 vaccines. Deihl said 100 percent of the company’s crew members got their shots.

“COVID was just as bad in the summer of 2021 as it was in 2020 as far as in the communities, but we never lost one single fishing day for COVID,” he said.

It appears fishery officials understand the situation. In a memo earlier this month, the Atlantic Menhaden Plan Development Team (PDT) told the management board that it recommended removing the 2020 data from allocation consideration and adding the 2021 totals, which are expected to be finalized later this year, in its place.

The memo stated that other options are on the table, but the PDT advised that they would either push implementing the new allocations beyond 2023 or rely on old data.

“By adding 2021 to the time series, it would alleviate the concerns the PDT has with only dropping 2020 data by allowing an additional year of data in the analysis that better reflects current fishing activity,” the memo stated.

But there’s still a chance the Atlantic Menhaden Management Board could opt against that recommendation and factor 2020 data into future allocations. Deihl said that could have a tremendous negative impact on jobs.

Ocean Harvesters and Omega Protein operate out of Reedville, Va., a rural community at the neck of the Chesapeake Bay 75 miles east of Richmond. The menhaden plant in the small town employs about 260 workers, and Deihl said a similar number of people work as contractors.

A reduction in allocation by as little as 3 or 4 percent could impact dozens of workers. And while that may not seem significant, Deihl pointed out it could be devastating in a small community like Reedville.

“They already had to fight through COVID, being quarantined and all that,” he said. “When you’ve worked there 20 or 30 years, and your family has worked there for three or four generations, and you lose a job to another state, it just seems extremely unfair.”

 

Restrictive Louisiana Menhaden Legislation Would Have Major Costs; New Report Details Fishery’s Economic Value

May 2, 2022 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

A bill introduced in the Louisiana State Legislature earlier this month would enact harsh restrictions on menhaden fishing within the three miles from shore comprising the state’s waters. Now a new economic report, funded by the Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS), shows the economic importance of the Gulf menhaden fishery to Louisiana and Mississippi, illustrating how devastating such legislation could be to coastal communities.

Produced by Thomas J. Murray and Associates and led by a respected former Virginia Institute of Marine Science economist, the report shows that over two-thirds (67.7 percent) of the overall Gulf menhaden catch coastwide occurs within three miles of shore, generating $285 million in economic output. Menhaden fishing in these state waters supports 1,400 jobs, according to the report. Overall, the Gulf menhaden fishery generates $419 million in economic output and supports 2,059 jobs.

Louisiana HB1033 would cap landings within three miles of the Louisiana coastline at 260,000 metric tons (MT), which proponents of the bill acknowledge is likely too low. Additionally, the bill would impose progressively harsher catch limits closer to shore, capping landings at 104,000 MT or 5,250 sets between one and two miles from shore, and 52,000 MT or 2,650 sets within one mile of shore. According to the Murray and Associates report, the fishery made over 25,000 sets within one mile of shore between 2015-2019, and another 29,000 sets between one and three miles from shore.

Despite attempts at further regulation, the Gulf menhaden fishery is already being sustainably managed. The most recent stock assessment found that the species is not overfished nor is overfishing occurring. Since 2019, the Gulf menhaden fishery has been certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council.

“This report demonstrates that these proposals would likely cause real economic harm to not just the menhaden fishery, but to the coastal communities that rely on it,” said Ben Landry, Director of Public Affairs at Ocean Harvesters, which operates a fleet of menhaden fishing vessels. “Severely restricting our fishermen in state waters is both damaging and unnecessary.”

The report looked at the direct, indirect, and induced impacts of the fishery, which is one of the largest in the region. To get a complete picture of the fishery’s economic footprint in Louisiana and Mississippi, the report considered the value of menhaden landings themselves, income generated from fishing, employment activity, and business and tax revenues.

Using landings and employment data provided by the fishery, as well as a statistical model to estimate economic impact, the report found $260 million in direct economic output. It found an additional $45 million in indirect economic output from interactions with other economic sectors that rely on the menhaden fishery and marketing related industries. It found $115 million in induced “third wave” output from increased household expenditures on goods and services throughout the region thanks to the fishery. And it found $25 million in state and local business taxes generated by the fishery.

The report further broke down impacts based on where menhaden were caught relative to shore. The single largest portion of the fishery’s economic impact occurred within one to three miles of shore, with $147 million in output coming from those areas, supporting 719 jobs.

SCEMFIS is partially funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation as part of its Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers program.

Read the full release at Accesswire

 

House backs limits on Louisiana’s biggest fishery, but pogie bill faces tough path in Senate

April 29, 2022 — A bill that would put the first substantial limits on Louisiana’s biggest but least-regulated commercial fishery cleared the state House of Representatives this week but could face fierce opposition in the Senate.

House Bill 1033 would cap the menhaden catch in Louisiana waters at 573 million pounds per year and require menhaden fishing vessels to report daily locations and catch amounts to the state.

The menhaden industry has avoided regulation in Louisiana while other Gulf of Mexico states have tightened rules, enacting catch limits and fishing exclusion zones to protect the many species that depend on the pencil-length fish for food.

The measure passed by a wide margin – 75 to 22 – on Wednesday but the industry has more allies in the Senate, said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Joseph Orgeron, a Republican from Larose. Last year, another bill aimed at limiting the menhaden industry passed the House but died amid negotiations in a House-Senate conference committee. A Senate vote on the bill has yet to be scheduled.

Read the full story at Nola.com

Pogie bill would put the first-ever limits on Louisiana’s biggest catch

April 25, 2022 — A bill that would put the first substantial limits on Louisiana’s largest but least-known commercial fishery could improve the health of the Gulf of Mexico but cripple the economies of some coastal communities.

House Bill 1033 would cap the menhaden catch in Louisiana waters at 573 million pounds per year – an amount that far exceeds the state’s combined annual catch of shrimp, oyster, crab and crawfish but falls far below the unrestricted hauls the menhaden industry has enjoyed for decades.

The bill would also require menhaden fishing vessels to file daily reports on catch amounts and locations, creating a level of accountability that the bill’s proponents say has been sorely lacking.

“We owe it to our coast, our state and ourselves to understand and manage this fishery properly,” David Cresson, CEO of the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana. “Right now we don’t and it’s not.”

Still, industry officials say the bill could force the closure of the state’s two menhaden processing plants, putting hundreds of people out of work in areas with few other job prospects.

“This bill is going to close us down in a couple years, and it’s going to have a direct impact on Plaquemines Parish,” said Shane Treadaway, a fleet manager for Daybrook Fisheries in Empire.

Read the full story at Nola.com

Maine lawmakers approve bill to limit number of pogie-fishing licenses

April 14, 2022 — Under a bill passed by the Maine Legislature on Wednesday, the state’s pogie fishery will be closed to all fishermen in 2023 except current license holders who meet certain criteria.

To be eligible, fishermen must have held a license to fish for pogies in at least two of three years from 2019-21, and have landed 25,000 pounds in at least one of those years. Those who have the required license history but have not yet met the landings requirement have until the end of 2022 to harvest 25,000 pounds.

Pogies, also known as menhaden, have returned to state waters in large numbers over the past few years. As herring landings have dwindled, many lobstermen have switched to pogies for bait. At the same time, lax licensing requirements have lured others to enter the pogie fishery.

But the fishery has a regional quota, set by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which is up for reassessment next month. State officials are concerned that the rules will be changed in ways that will limit the amount harvested from Maine coastal waters and estuaries. If the fishery remained open to additional licenses, that would mean less would be available for each fisherman, threatening the bait industry.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald

Newcomers may find themselves shut out of Maine’s pogie fishery

February 11, 2022 — The number of Maine fishermen who can catch menhaden — more commonly called pogies in Maine — could soon be limited to only those who have historically gone after the increasingly important baitfish.

The state Department of Marine Resources submitted a proposal to the state legislature that would, starting in 2023, only allow fishermen to obtain commercial menhaden licenses if they’ve held the license in one of the last six years and caught at least 25,000 pounds of pogies during one of those years.

The bill, which was heard by a legislative committee earlier this week, has sparked a debate over who should be allowed to catch the small, oily fish.

Menhaden are schooling fish that can be found up and down the east coast. Maine lobstermen have started to rely on them as bait in the last few years as herring quotas have been cut and some have invested in expensive gear to fish for them themselves.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

 

NOAA, menhaden industry study turtle interactions

January 20, 2022 — Working with the Gulf of Mexico menhaden fleet, NOAA researchers are working on a methodology for learning about potential sea turtle interactions with purse seines, using a combination of at-sea observers, drones and electronic monitoring cameras on menhaden boats.

One of NOAA’s Gulf Spill Restoration projects – funded by the BP natural resources damage settlement stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion – the turtle study began in 2020 and conducted field trials with industry vessels over five days in October 2021, according to a NMFS summary Jan. 19.

Typically deployed in teams of menhaden steamers with 40-foot seine boats, the fleet harvests menhaden for processing into pet, aquaculture and livestock feeds, fertilizer and fishing bait. In the Gulf of Mexico that brings the possibility of protected sea turtles showing up in nets, but “there isn’t a strong understanding of if and when sea turtles are caught,” according to NMFS.

The project is developing methods for observing those fishing operations to better understand turtle interactions, and to identify how the industry can take voluntary measures to reduce and avoid those occurrences.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

SCEMFIS: New Survey Will Help Fill Gaps in Menhaden Count in New England, Mid-Atlantic

January 14, 2022 — The Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS) highlighted a new project that will look to count a population of menhaden that could help inform not only a local New Jersey fishery but other fisheries in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region.

A team from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries are on the verge of launching a winter population survey of menhaden, specifically off the coast of New Jersey, SCEMFIS said.

That area is home to a growing winter bait fishery but because there hasn’t been much work to survey the population that far north, there is not a strong enough count of how many fish are in that area.

The survey, which will launch from Cape May, New Jersey, will use sonar equipment to estimate the number of menhaden schooling in the area, and will collect additional information to estimate age, size, and weight, data that will be important for managing the fishery, per SCEMFIS.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Growing fishery? NOAA to work on winter survey of menhaden off N.J. coast

January 14, 2022 — The surprising news last weekend was not just the striped bass bite on the Ocean County beaches, but the numbers of menhaden off the coast here in January. NOAA has also taken notice of the baitfish and is collaborating on a survey of their winter population here.

The researchers that are working on it are from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s (UMCES) Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, in collaboration with NOAA Fisheries. The winter population survey of menhaden will specifically look at the menhaden spending the season off the coast of New Jersey.

According to the Science Center for Marine Fisheries in Virginia which released a statement on the survey, the researchers believe New Jersey is home to a growing winter bait fishery but there have been few attempts to survey menhaden this far north and there is currently not a good count of how many menhaden are in the area. Data is also lacking on measurements like age and weight compositions.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press