Saving Seafood

MSC Recommends Certification for Gulf of Mexico Menhaden Fishery

June 6, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Gulf of Mexico menhaden purse seine fishery was recommened by independent certification body SAI Global for certification against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fisheries standard.

The two participants that requested to be evaluated for MSC certification are Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries. Omega Protein was recommended for MSC certification as an Atlantic menhaden fishery back in March.

“The recommendation for MSC certification for our Gulf of Mexico operations is a testament to the hard work we’ve put in over many years to conduct responsible operations,” said Bret Scholtes, CEO of Omega Protein. “The fact that both of the nation’s menhaden fisheries have now been recommended for MSC certification should assure customers and the public alike that our products meet the highest standards of sustainability.”

Fisheries must score a minimum of 60 out of 100 in 28 performance indicators in three categories; sustainability of the stock, efforts to minimize environmental impacts and effective management, to earn certification.

In its recommendation, SAI Global highlighted the menhaden fishery for its extensive surveys, monitoring for menhaden stock and the ecosystem, strong management plan and a robust governance and policy framework.

“Sustainable fishing is important for both the environment and for the future of our business,” said Scott Herbert, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Daybrook Fisheries. “MSC certification will help this fishery meet the demand for sustainable products, while continuing to be an economic engine here for years to come.”

A December 2018 benchmark stock assesment of the Gulf menhaden saw that the population is healthy and managed sustainably. The stock faced no overfishing as well.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery gets MSC recommendation

June 5, 2019 — The Gulf of Mexico menhaden purse seine fishery has been recommended for certification against Marine Stewardship Council standards by SAI Global, Omega Protein announced 4 June.

The recommendation means that both U.S. menhaden fisheries – Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico – have gained recommendation for MSC certification. Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries, the two companies that participate in the Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery, requested the evaluation in 2017.

“The recommendation for MSC certification for our Gulf of Mexico operations is a testament to the hard work we’ve put in over many years to conduct responsible operations,” Omega Protein CEO Bret Scholtes said in a release. “The fact that both of the nation’s menhaden fisheries have now been recommended for MSC certification should assure customers and the public alike that our products meet the highest standards of sustainability.”

The Atlantic fishery was recommended for certification back in December, also from SAI Global.

The certification process hasn’t been without objections from competing groups such as recreational fishermen, whale watchers, and environmental nonprofits. The Atlantic fishery, in particular, has seen recreational groups formally object to the fishery gaining MSC certification.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Gulf of Mexico menhaden fishery recommended for MSC; Atlantic hung up

June 5, 2019  — Now both of the US’ big purse seine menhaden fisheries have been recommended for certification by the Marine Stewardship Council, though how fast harvesters and processors are able to start carrying the label remains to be seen.

Omega Protein and Daybrook Fisheries, on Tuesday, announced that the menhaden fishery in the Gulf of Mexico has been recommended for MSC by the independent certification body SAI Global. Stakeholders now have 15 working days to submit formal objections to an independent adjudicator.

Houston, Texas-based Omega Protein, acquired by Canada’s Cooke in late 2017, and Daybrook, an Empire, Louisiana-based wholly owned subsidiary of South Africa’s Oceana Group, both source menhaden from the gulf and requested MSC certification in June 2017.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Omega Protein comes out swinging as magazine questions MSC’s integrity

May 14, 2019 — US firm Omega Protein has come out fighting following a column, published in Sport Fishing Magazine, made claims of impropriety in the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification process of the Atlantic menhaden fishery.

In the editorial, Sport Fishing Magazine “impugns the integrity of both the [MSC] and the Atlantic menhaden fishery,” said Omega Protein. In response to the recommendation by the independent auditor that the menhaden fishery be MSC certified, editor Doug Olander made accusations of impropriety rather than critiquing the fishery, the independent assessment, or the MSC process on its merits, it said.

“MSC certification has always been based on objective criteria, which are evaluated by independent, third-party auditors,” the company said. “The process is entirely transparent, publicly available and easily accessible to [the magazine’s editor, Doug] Olander. If a fishery doesn’t score high enough on the assessment, it isn’t certified. Fisheries can be denied certification, and several fisheries have lost their certification for not maintaining standards.”

Olander wrote that Omega Protein was “buying its way to public respectability”, and looking to “wrap itself in a cloak of respectability by claiming it’s a certified sustainable fishery”. In fact, said Omega Protein, as made clear in the report compiled by the independent auditors, the menhaden fishery does meet the criteria for MSC certification.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Omega Protein: New York menhaden law a ‘feel good’ for environmentalists

April 26, 2019 — Omega Protein says it won’t be hurt by a new law that blocks it from fishing for menhaden in New York state waters in order to preserve the forage fish for whales and other wildlife because it never goes there.

Rather, it’s “feel-good legislation for the environmental community, but it will have zero impact on the company’s operations”, commented Ben Landry, director of public affairs for the Houston, Texas-based division of Canada’s Cooke, when called by Undercurrent News Tuesday for a response.

The legislation passed unanimously, 61-0, by New York’s Senate in February (companion bills S. 2317 and A. 2571) went into effect immediately upon being signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday. The new law, which was sponsored by Democratic senator Todd Kaminsky and assembly member Steve Englebright, prohibits the taking of menhaden with the use of purse seine nets within three miles of the state’s coast.

Because menhaden are sensitive to oxygen levels in the water and can die off by the thousands when large schools become too confined in one area during hot weather, the law allows the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to issue a temporary order to allow purse seiners to reduce the population.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Thousands of dead fish wash up in N.J. river, bay area over weekend

March 18, 2019 — Thousands of dead fish washed up in creeks that are part of the Shrewsbury River estuary in Monmouth County over the weekend after the large school of menhaden were pursued by predatory fish and depleted the oxygen from the shallow water, state environmental officials said.

The adult menhaden, a species in the herring family, were found near boats in docks in Oceanport Creek, Parker’s Creek and Blackberry Bay in Oceanport early Saturday, the state Department of Environmental Protection said Monday. The fish kill numbered in the “thousands and thousands,” Hajna said.

Read the full story at NJ.com

MSC Certification Recommended for Atlantic Menhaden Fishery

March 8, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — SAI Global, an independent certification body, has officially recommended that the Atlantic menhaden purse seine fishery be certified sustainable against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fisheries standard.

In order to receive MSC certification, fisheries are evaluated against 28 performance indicators in three categories: suitability of the stock, minimizing environmental impacts and effective fisheries management. The Atlantic menhaden fishery cored 82.5, 86.0, and 92.2, respectively, in the three categories.

“We’re very pleased with today’s recommendation, which takes us right up to the fish line of the MSC certification process,” said Bret Scholtes, President and CEO of Omega Protein. “As we complete this process, we will continue working collaboratively with independent certifiers and our management partners to ensure a healthy and sustainable fishery.”

As part of the certification process, in addition to their commitment to menhaden’s long-term sustainability, Omega Protein has agreed to work with management partners at the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) on the three sustainability objectives. Omega is supporting the ASMFC’s development of harvest strategy, as well as new rules that take into consideration the ecological role of Atlantic menhaden. They are also working with NMFS to improve the frequency of observer coverage, making sure bycatch and interactions with marine mammals and endangered, threatened and protected species remain at minimal levels.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Read the full report from SAI Global here

Atlantic menhaden purse seine fishery one step closer to MSC certification

March 6, 2019 — The Atlantic menhaden purse seine fishery has been recommended for Marine Stewardship Council sustainability certification by independent certification body SAI Global, following the completion of a review of the fishery.

The announcement is positive news for Houston, Texas-based Omega Protein, which was pursuing the certification. By the review’s standards, the fishery scored an 82.5 for sustainability of the stock, an 86 for minimizing environmental impacts, and a 92.2 for effective fisheries management – surpassing the average score of 80 required for each category.

“We’re very pleased with today’s recommendation, which takes us right up to the finish line of the MSC certification process,” Omega Protein President Bret Scholtes said. “As we complete this process, we will continue working collaboratively with independent certifiers and our management partners to ensure a healthy and sustainable fishery.”

The certification recommendation comes after a wave of heavy opposition from environmental advocates, including The Pew Charitable Trusts, which pushed for and successfully attained cuts to the quota for menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay, one of the main fishing grounds for the species. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council had reduced the quota to 51,000 metric tons (MT) from 87,216 MT.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Read the full report from SAI Global here

 

Cooke another step closer to getting MSC label for Atlantic menhaden

March 6, 2019 — The independent certification body SAI Global on Wednesday officially recommended that the Marine Stewardship Council grant certification to the Atlantic menhaden fishery, the US’ second-largest source of the fish.

The announcement was the expected conclusion following the release of a report by SAI in early December, though a number of environmental advocacy groups had expressed concerns about the harvesting of the important forage fish and were expected to publish critical comment letters.

“We’re very pleased with today’s recommendation, which takes us right up to the finish line of the MSC certification process,” said Bret Scholtes, president and CEO of Omega Protein, the Houston, Texas-based company that initiated the MSC-related review in June 2017.

“As we complete this process, we will continue working collaboratively with independent certifiers and our management partners to ensure a healthy and sustainable fishery.”

The Atlantic menhaden fishery scored well in all three categories (82.5, 86.0 and 92.2), well above the minimum 60, the company noted in a press release. The assessment report compliments the fishery for having a comprehensive fishery management plan and menhaden-specific conservation and management measures in place.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Read the full report from SAI Global here

Fatty Acid Dynamics In The Fish Gulf Menhaden

March 6, 2019 — “Essential fatty acids” are critical to organismal growth and development and, because they cannot be synthesized, they must be obtained through the diet. The role of essential fatty acids have been known to the medical community for decades – these components of the diet play a critical role in human health, growth, and development.

The well known omega-3 fatty acids are one example and are used to reduce the risk of heart disease, pain from rheumatoid arthritis, and depression. Other animals, like fishes, also rely on essential fatty acids for their growth and development, and the importance of fatty acid composition is critical in the success in aquaculture because they play an important role in growth, reproduction, and swimming abilities of fishes.

Omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA have recognized physiological functions and are critical during endogenous and early exogenous feeding. Poor growth and survival may occur without sufficient levels of essential fatty acids. Because these biological precursors are so important to organismal development, we sought to describe the intra-annual changes in the fatty acid composition of Gulf Menhaden. This small fish is termed a “forage fish” because it is thought to be a major prey item, and a major ecological role, to a variety of avian, fish, and mammal predators. The Gulf Menhaden stock also supports the largest commercial fishery in the Gulf of Mexico. This fishery is a called a “reduction” fishery because it converts the live fish to both fish oil and fish meal. Fish oil from Gulf Menhaden is rich in EPA and DHA and is widely used for human consumption. Similarly, the fish meal produced is used in a variety of aquaculture and agriculture applications. The implications of seasonal variation in the characteristics of fish oil and fatty acid composition have implications to the dynamics of the reduction fishery as well as to the predators that rely on Gulf Menhaden. In this work, we describe general and specific characteristics of oil content and fatty acid composition of Gulf Menhaden.

Read the full story at Science Trends