Saving Seafood

U.S. Fishing and Seafood Industries Saw Broad Declines Last Summer Due to COVID-19

January 19, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The U.S. fishing and seafood sector generated more than $200 billion in annual sales and supported 1.7 million jobs in recent years. It experienced broad declines in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 public health crisis, according to a new NOAA Fisheries analysis released today. While losses vary by sector, by region and by industry, data and information from this report may help businesses and communities assess losses and inform long-term recovery and resilience strategies.

According to analysts, COVID-19 protective measures instituted in March across the United States and globe contributed to an almost-immediate impact on seafood sector sales. There was a strong start to the year, with a 3 percent increase in commercial fish landings revenue in January and February. However, revenues declined each month from a 19 percent decrease in March to a 45 percent decrease by July. This translates to a 29 percent decrease across those 7 months, as compared to 5-year averages and adjusted for inflation.

Restaurant closures, social distancing protocols, and other safety measures also contributed to losses in other sectors of the seafood economy. By the end of second quarter 2020, 78 percent of aquaculture, aquaponics, and allied businesses reported COVID-19 impacts with 74 percent experiencing lost sales. The analysis noted outdoor seating at restaurants in warm months and a pivot to direct delivery at some supermarkets provided an outlet for some aquaculture sales. Also, the recreational charter/for-hire fishing industry was completely shut down in the spring with some phased reopenings in the early summer. The new analysis contains regional snapshots to help industries understand local impacts to key fisheries.

The protective measures that shuttered restaurants also impacted charter fishing operations. Charter operations were completely shut down in most coastal states beginning in mid-March, with phased re-openings starting in May. NOAA Fisheries estimates that in the Southeast, charter revenues relative to the preceding 3-year period fell 72 percent in March through April due to local and state COVID-related closures and protocols. In May-June, revenue was down 4.5 percent as businesses began to re-open. In contrast, charter operations in Alaska and Hawaiʻi, which rely heavily on out-of-state tourism, continue to experience severely depressed sales due to the sharp decrease in tourism. Hawaii is estimated to have lost 99 percent of charter trips between April and July. In addition, many fishing tournaments have been postponed or cancelled. About 50 fewer Atlantic HMS tournaments registered this year compared to 2019. Hawaiʻi sportfishing tournaments have been similarly impacted.

“In the coming months and years, scientists and economists will work to obtain a more complete picture of COVID-19’s impact on U.S. seafood and the Blue Economy. It is our hope that this initial analysis provides a foundation that the industry researchers and planners can draw upon as they plan for the future,” said NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Chris Oliver.

Read the full release here

Nearly all Alaska and West Coast fishermen badly hurt by pandemic, survey indicates

January 19, 2021 — The single biggest hit to fishermen from the COVID-19 virus is lower dock prices, according to Alaska and West Coast harvesters, and 98% said their businesses have been badly bashed by the pandemic.

That’s based on survey results compiled by Ocean Strategies, a public relations firm that focuses on fisheries that helped profile the Pacific region for a larger federal study.

Nearly 400 fishermen responded to the short, confidential survey launched last November, said senior consultant Hannah Heimbuch of Kodiak.

“NOAA uses any information they collect on economics to report to Congress on how the industry is being impacted, the major trends they are seeing, and then that informs the decisions that Congress or other government agencies might make in response to those trends,” she said.

In the survey, 82% said fishing is their primary source of income and 91% said their revenues have decreased by 15% -100% since January of 2020. A whopping 70% said they stopped fishing last year; 65% stopped for three months or less.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Two New Vessel Slow Zones Off Nantucket and New York City to Protect Right Whales

January 19, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

There are now 6 Slow Zones in effect.

NOAA Fisheries announces two new Slow Zones (voluntary vessel speed restriction zone) to protect right whales.

On January 15, 2021, observers with the NOAA aerial survey team detected an aggregation of right whales 15nm southeast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.

Also on January 15, 2021, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Atlantic City buoy and New York Bight buoy acoustically detected the presence of right whales 34nm SE of New York, New York.

Both the southeast of New York City Slow Zone and the southeast of Nantucket Island MA Slow Zones are in effect through January 30, 2021.

Mariners, please go around these areas or go slow (10 knots or less) inside these areas where right whales have been detected.

Slow Zone Coordinates:

Southeast of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, January 15-30, 2021

41 25 N
40 44 N
069 28 W
070 21 W

and

Southeast of New York City, New York,  January 15-30, 2021

40 41 N
40 01 N
073 03 W
073 55 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

NOAA Fisheries report reveals COVID-19 impact on US seafood industry

January 15, 2021 — A report issued by NOAA Fisheries on Friday, 15 January, 2021, shows that COVID-19 had a devastating impact on the country’s commercial fishing and recreational charter operations during the first seven months of 2020.

No U.S. region was spared, as the data shows regional landings revenue since last March fell across the board. Hawaii experienced the worst decline at 42 percent, with the Southeast reporting a 29 percent drop.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Draft Biological Opinion on 10 Fishery Management Plans Released for Feedback

January 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, we shared our draft Biological Opinion that examines the effects of 10 fishery management plans on threatened and endangered species in the Greater Atlantic Region and also examines the effects of the New England Fisheries Management Council’s Omnibus Essential Fish Habitat Amendment 2 on these species. The purpose of sharing the draft Opinion is to allow interested parties, including the New England Fishery Management Council, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, to provide feedback on the Biological Opinion.

We are accepting feedback on the draft Biological Opinion until February 19, 2021. For more information, please read our information bulletin.

Send feedback (or questions) to: nmfs.gar.fisheriesbiopfeedback@noaa.gov

New Vessel Slow Zone East of Atlantic City to Protect Right Whales

January 15, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces a new Slow Zone (voluntary vessel speed restriction zone) East of Atlantic City, New Jersey.

On January 14, 2021,  observers aboard Fugro Enterprise detected the presence of right whales 23 nm East of Atlantic City, New Jersey. The East of Atlantic City Slow Zone is in effect through January 29, 2021.

Mariners, please go around this area or go slow (10 knots or less) inside this area where right whales have been detected. Slow Zone coordinates:

39 47 N
39 07 N
073 31 W
074 22 W

See the coordinates for all the slow zones currently in effect.

Read the full release here

California Harbor Porpoises Rebound After Coastal Gillnetting Stopped

January 14, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Harbor porpoises have rebounded in a big way off California. Their populations have recovered dramatically since the end of state set-gillnet fisheries that years ago entangled and killed them in the nearshore waters they frequent. These coastal set-gillnet fisheries are distinct from federally-managed offshore drift-gillnet fisheries. They have been prohibited in inshore state waters for more than a decade. The new research indicates that the coastal set gillnets had taken a greater toll on harbor porpoise than previously realized.

The return of harbor porpoises reflects the first documented example of the species rebounding. It’s a bright spot for marine wildlife, the scientists write in a new assessment published in Marine Mammal Science.

“This is very good evidence that if we can eliminate the deaths in fishing nets, marine mammal populations can come back in a big way,” said Karin Forney, a research biologist with NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center who is based in Monterey Bay.

The State of California managed set-gillnet fisheries for white seabass and halibut in coastal waters off central California beginning in the 1930s. Before the 1980s, there was little solid information about the impacts of coastal set-gillnets on protected species such as marine mammals and seabirds. Harbor porpoises were vulnerable to this coastal fishery because they frequent shallow inshore waters where the nets were historically set.

The scientists estimated, based on a combination of data, that as many as 300 harbor porpoises per year may have been killed in California’s coastal set-gillnet fisheries during the 1980s. One 1994 study (PDF, 4 pages) confirmed the deaths of more than 50 harbor porpoises in Monterey Bay alone, with the authors speculating that the true number was far higher.

Read the full release here

Distribution and Abundance of Forage Fish in Arctic and Sub-Arctic Waters Affected by Warming Ocean Conditions

January 14, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Pelagic or forage fish species are an important source of food for marine predators in the eastern Bering Sea. This group of fish includes capelin, Pacific herring, juvenile chum salmon, juvenile pink salmon, juvenile sockeye salmon, and walleye pollock during their first year of life.

A new study by scientists at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center shows variable effects on species distribution and abundance. It looked at several warm periods from 2002–2018 when ocean temperatures were warmer than average for four or more consecutive years.

Previous studies by NOAA Fisheries documented a northward shift in age-0 pollock, juvenile salmon, herring, and capelin during the 2002-2005 warm period relative to the 2006-2011 cool period in the eastern Bering Sea.

“However, this is the first study to look at temperature-related changes in the distribution and biomass (total average weight of all fish) of pelagic fishes over multiple warm periods,” said Ellen Yasumiishi, researcher, Alaska Fisheries Science Center and lead author for the study. “Studies like this are also important for understanding factors that may affect juvenile salmon and age-0 pollock growth, development and ability to reach maturity. As adults these fish are targeted by commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries in Alaska.”

Read the full release here

Reminder: NOAA Seeks Bycatch Reduction Projects

January 14, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The NOAA  Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program provides funding to support applied management projects and activities to reduce bycatch. Bycatch reduction is a top priority for NOAA Fisheries, as outlined in our National Bycatch Reduction Strategy.

There are four high-priority areas for the Fiscal Year 2021:

  • Developing innovative and effective technologies
  • Improving understanding of post-release mortality
  • Developing techniques to reduce interactions between fishing gears and corals, sponges, and other structure-forming invertebrates
  • Addressing international bycatch issues

For more information and to apply, see our funding opportunity notice.

Pre-proposal deadline is January 21, 2021

Is climate change impacting fish along the NC coast?

January 14, 2021 — Twenty scientists from 13 institutes around the world now report that 2020 brought the highest ocean temperatures since 1955. The study was published Wednesday in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.

While it is important that we continue to monitor the warming of the ocean temperatures, it is also important to understand the potential impacts that warming temperatures could mean for fisheries along the North Carolina coast.

I sat down with Dr. Rebecca Asch, a professor at East Carolina University, to discuss recent research led by one of her graduate students, Christopher Thaxton, in collaboration with NOAA to take a close look at fish larvae (juveniles) in Beaufort and the pattern changes happening due, in part, to warming water temperatures. Data has been collected on the amounts of fish larvae in this area since 1986 and they took a look at 10 species, including the American Eel, Pinfish, Croaker, and Flounder.

Read the full story at WRAL