Saving Seafood

Brad Warren & Julia Sanders: Washington’s Initiative 1631 will help fight ocean acidification

November 2, 2018 — We write today to announce our support for Washington’s Initiative 1631. As businesses who rely on healthy fisheries for a significant portion of our income, we believe this is a well-designed policy that offers us – and our customers – the best possible chance against an uncertain future fraught with the threats of changing ocean conditions.

It’s become clear that our fisheries need a lifeline. Here in Washington, we are experiencing the worst ocean acidification anywhere in the world. Research has firmly established the cause of this problem: emissions from burning coal, oil and gas mix into the ocean, altering its chemistry. The consequences loomed into headlines a decade ago when the oyster industry lost millions and nearly went out of business during the oyster seed crisis. Temporary and limited adaptation measures in hatcheries are keeping them in business, but in the rest of the oceans, fisheries that put dinner on billions of tables are at risk. Here in the Northwest, harvests are already being eroded and even shut down by the effects of unchecked carbon emissions.

The “warm blob,” an unprecedented marine heatwave off the West Coast, reached its height in 2015 and caused mass fatalities. In the Columbia River, a quarter-million salmon died. The largest recorded toxic algae bloom shut down the Dungeness crab fishery for months. The food web crashed, and marine creatures were spotted farther north than ever before. Sea surface temperatures never returned to their previous norm, and new research indicates another blob is forming.

Summers have become synonymous with a smoky haze from wildfires causing poor visibility and poor health – this summer the National Weather Service warned even healthy adults in some Washington areas to stay indoors due to hazardous air quality. At the same time, our iconic orca whales are starving from a lack of Chinook salmon. The Chinook in turn are suffering from a lack of the zooplankton that juveniles eat.

Research has made it clear that some of our most lucrative fisheries are vulnerable to ocean acidification: king crab, Dungeness crab, and salmon. Scientists also warm that combining stressors – like warming with ocean acidification – makes survival in the ocean all the more precarious.

Read the full op-ed at Seafood Source

 

West Coast Fisheries Worried El Nino Likely to Return in 2018-19

August 31, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — As salmon and tuna seasons wind down and Dungeness crabbers start thinking about the winter fishery on the West Coast, some wonder: Will El Niño return?

Recent news articles have reported a 70 percent chance of warm waters in the equatorial Pacific will affect the West Coast.

On land, that could mean a dry winter coming after a summer and fall in which smoke from wildfires filled the skies in the West. On the ocean, it could mean warmer waters that may temporarily disrupt an environment that is accustomed to cooler waters. Some fisheries could benefit months or years after an El Niño. Others — some the most commercially important — may have difficult seasons ahead.

“In summary, there is ~60 percent chance of El Niño in the Northern Hemisphere [of] fall 2018 (September-November), increasing to ~70 percent during winter 2018-19,” the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center wrote in an El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Discussion earlier this month.

However, each El Niño and warm water period is different and creates effects to varying degrees. The extreme warm water period in 2015-16, “The Blob,” proved disastrous to Dungeness and rock crab fisheries because harmful algal blooms thrived. It also hampered the ocean survivability of coho salmon. In years past, pink shrimp populations plummeted but then bounced back after El Niño events.

“When El Niño is developing … short-term fluctuations in the near-surface winds [in the Pacific] can have substantial effects,” Emily Becker wrote on a Climate.gov blog in early August. “A period of weaker trade winds can help build El Niño’s warmer surface waters, while a period of stronger trade winds can cool the surface and impede El Niño’s growth. It appears that the trade winds are currently weakening, and may continue to do so through the next week, likely helping push things in the El Niño direction.”

Weather forecasters caution that making any predictions beyond a week to 10 days is uncertain. The Climate Prediction Center will make its next El Niño report and update in mid-September.

This story originally appeared on Seafood News, it is republished here with permission.

 

NEFMC Scallop Meetings – Weather UPDATE: Webinar Option Now Available

March 20, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council: 

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning with hazardous conditions for a large part of the Northeast region.

The New England Fishery Management Council’s Scallop Advisory Panel and Scallop Committee meetings will be held on schedule.  However, since the storm is posing travel complications for many attendees, the Council has added a webinar option for remote access to both meetings.

WHEN AND WHERE:  The meetings will be held in Providence, RI at the Hotel Providence.

WEBINAR:  Register for the webinar HERE.

HOW THIS WORKS:  Participants who join the webinar will be in “mute” mode. In order to speak, click the “raise your hand” symbol, and you will be unmuted when the chairman calls on you.

Read the release in its entirety here.

 

WEATHER UPDATE: NEFMC Program Review, Tuesday, March 13 modifications

March 12, 2018 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

IMPORTANT WEATHER UPDATE – COUNCIL PROGRAM REVIEW

Due to the incoming winter storm, the New England Fishery Management Council will provide an opportunity for members of the public to speak remotely via webinar during scheduled public comment periods on Tuesday, March 13 during the first day of the Council Program Review.  Here’s what you need to know.

WHEN AND WHERE:  The Council Program Review is scheduled to take place March 13-16, 2018 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Boston Logan Airport. Panel members will be arriving in advance of the storm, and the review meeting will proceed on schedule.

WHAT HAS CHANGED:  The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the first day of the meeting, which will make travel difficult for members of the public who were planning to attend in person. Therefore, the New England Council is expanding the webinar option to accommodate remote public comments during the storm. At present, this option will be available only on Tuesday, March 13.

HOW WILL THIS WORK:  In order to provide remote comments, please follow these steps:

  • Register for the webinar at Council Program Review webinar. This is essentialsince the meeting is not set up to accommodate telephone comments.
  • Review the agenda, which contains specific blocks of time when public comment will be accepted by subject matter. Visit agenda and meeting materials.
  • Email Council Deputy Director Chris Kellogg at ckellogg@nefmc.org. The Council is requesting that members of the public provide advance notice of their intent to comment in order to facilitate scheduling.
  • When the time comes to comment, click on the webinar’s “raise your hand” symbol so the webinar administrator knows you are ready. Program Review Chairman Dan Hull will call on individual commenters who are in the queue. When your name is called, your connection to the meeting will be unmuted so you can speak.  Please limit comments to three minutes or less.

WEBINAR PROBLEMS:  Email Chris Kellogg at ckellogg@nefmc.org if you experience problems with the webinar during the meeting.

FIND OUT MORE:  Additional details about the meeting are available at Council Program Review Information Page.

 

Commercial Fishermen Across the Country Support Barry Myers to Lead NOAA

Fishermen Praise AccuWeather CEO for “Proven Record of Success”

December 13, 2017 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities:

Representatives of 71 commercial fishing companies and organizations and 31 fishing vessels from around the country have signed a letter urging the Senate to confirm Barry Myers’ appointment to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The letter of support, produced by Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities, was delivered late last month to members of the Senate Commerce Committee and Senators representing the states of the letter’s signers.

Mr. Myers currently serves as chief executive officer of the weather forecasting company AccuWeather. He was nominated to serve as the next NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere by President Donald Trump on October 11, and participated in a Senate confirmation hearing November 29.

“As CEO of AccuWeather, Mr. Myers has a proven record of success, working alongside scientists,” the fishing groups wrote. They praised his work as a fellow at the American Meteorological Society and a recipient of the prestigious AMS Leadership Award. They also complimented Mr. Myers for his service on an environmental working group of NOAA’s Science Advisory Board, under presidents from both parties.

The letter points out that, despite employing some of the nation’s best scientists, NOAA has been “plagued with ongoing mismanagement,” including abuse of power and misuse of funds at NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement; accuracy and credibility issues with NOAA’s collection and use of fisheries data; and long-running budget and hiring issues at the National Weather Service.

In light of these many issues, the fishing groups wrote, “While science remains one of the most vital elements of NOAA, new leadership with strong proven managerial experience is needed to right the ship after years of mismanagement.”

The groups also cited two experts in the field who have called for improved management at NOAA. David Titley, former NOAA COO under President Obama and a professor of meteorology at Penn State, said, “I think Barry would bring very practical, pragmatic expertise and management acumen to NOAA.” Cliff Mass, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington, said, “No NOAA Administrator has been willing to make the substantial, but necessary, changes,” and speculated that someone from the private sector might bring a “fresh approach.”

The letter was signed by fishing groups representing 15 coastal states: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington.

 

Why Does Barry Myers Make Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz Nervous?

Barry Myers is Trump’s nominee to head NOAA but the Hawaii senator says he is a “questionable choice.”

October 19, 2017 — WASHINGTON — Hawaii relies heavily on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — in some ways, for its very safety.

NOAA, which oversees the National Weather Service, is the agency that helps predict and anticipate hurricanes, tsunamis and dangerous floods, issuing warnings that help people prepare or get out of the way.

But in this case, it’s President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the agency, a business executive from Pennsylvania, who is causing a political storm.

Barry Myers, chief executive officer of AccuWeather, a private weather and data services company based in State College, Pennyslvania, has been named by Trump to serve as U.S. Commerce Department Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, a job traditionally held by biologists and climate scientists. This position is usually also called the Administrator of NOAA.

Brian Schatz, Hawaii’s senior senator, has been one of the most vocal critics of the nominee, calling Myers a “questionable choice.”

Myers, the brother of the meteorologist who started the family-owned firm, has a background in business and law. He is definitely not a scientist, as he made clear at a congressional hearing last year.

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat

Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross, testifies before House Appropriations Committee

May 30, 2017 — Those watching Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross testify before the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies on the president’s budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 may at times have been able to anticipate his answers.

As the secretary fielded questions from worried Democrats regarding agencies and programs the White House proposed to eliminate or to drastically cut, his responses remained consistent. Whether answering queries about the elimination of the Sea Grant Program, the Minority Business Development Agency, or the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program, Secretary Ross was unwavering in his answer that tradeoffs had to be made to fund the administration’s priorities, “and with the big increases in defense and military and national security, cuts have to be made somewhere.”

Secretary Ross did highlight two areas of focus within NOAA: weather research and fisheries. He referenced the agency’s prioritization of weather research at the National Weather Service and the National Environmental Satellite and Data Information Service. When Chairman John Culberson (TX-7) pressed the secretary on how he would reduce the $30 billion price tag for the three biggest weather satellite programs over the next 15 years, Secretary Ross shared the complexities of the issue, from the dangers of “catastrophic failure” to the need for forecast accuracy and reliability to bulk buys and problems in the private sector. He praised the agency, saying they had done “a pretty good job balancing all of these variables.”

Mr. Ross also highlighted the role of fisheries, saying he’s “obsessed with the problem that we have a $13 billion … trade deficit, in fish and fish product … so that’s one of the areas we’re going to be focusing very much on.” Representative Steven Palazzo (MS-4) raised a controversial issue, asking the secretary about the shortened three-day season for recreational red snapper fishers in Gulf waters. Secretary Ross pledged he would request the underlying data the agency used to make the decision and would work “to balance the needs of the recreational [fishers] with the needs of the commercial [fishers].”

Both sides of the aisle acknowledged the critical importance of the Department of Commerce to the U.S. How the department could continue to successfully function to support our nation’s economy, workforce, and national security with the cuts proposed in the president’s budget request remains an open question.

Read the full story at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership

Trump’s budget cuts rattle nerves in Alaska

March 17, 2017 — Massive cuts could be in store for the agencies and people who provide the science and stewardship to preserve and protect our planet.

The budget proposed by President Donald Trump that starts in October puts on the chopping block the agencies and staff in charge of fisheries research and management, weather forecasting, satellite data tracking and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Trump called the cuts a tradeoff to “prioritize rebuilding the military” and to help fund the border wall with Mexico.

The Washington Post broke down a White House memo to the Office of Management and Budget last week that showed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would lose 26 percent of its budget; its satellite data division would lose 22 percent of its current funding.

The National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Weather Service would each face a 5 percent cut.

Read the full story at the Alaska Journal

Portland Press Herald: NOAA budget cuts would have high cost for Maine

March 10, 2017 — Though funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration amounts to less than one-half of 1 percent of discretionary federal spending, it pays outsize dividends for Maine. The people at the center of our state’s $700 million commercial fishing industry depend on NOAA’s weather forecasts, research and fisheries management services. A proposal to slash the agency’s budget is a short-sighted move that would save pennies now only to forfeit dollars later.

The White House plan, first reported last week in The Washington Post, would roll back NOAA’s budget by 17 percent. Among the targeted programs are the National Marine Fisheries Service and National Weather Service, which each would see 5 percent cuts; the satellite division, which would face a 22 percent reduction in funding, and the Sea Grant program, which would be abolished.

None of this is good news for Maine’s marine sector. National Weather Service wind and wave height forecasts are essential to fishermen. So is the research conducted by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which guides decisions about where, how and when to fish and enables fishermen to build business plans around their catch. What’s more, the steep reductions in the satellite division’s budget would deprive the weather and fisheries management offices of data that are crucial to their mission, compounding the harm done by the relatively small direct cuts to the programs themselves.

Read the full opinion piece at the Portland Press Herald

NOAA cuts proposed by Trump could cut jobs in South Mississippi

March 7, 2017 — The agency whose satellite photographs alert Coast residents of approaching hurricanes could see deep budget cuts, putting jobs and programs in South Mississippi in jeopardy.

The Washington Post reports it obtained a four-page budget memo which shows the Trump administration is seeking to cut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration budget by 17 percent.

Even deeper cuts are proposed for fiscal year 2018, which starts Oct. 1, for NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. It would lose $126 million, or 26 percent of its funds under the current budget. NOAA’s satellite data division would lose $513 million, or 22 percent, the report says.

These programs have staff working at Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, along with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the National Weather Service, which both face 5 percent cuts.

The National Data Buoy Center, headquartered at Stennis under the National Weather Service, maintains a network of buoys that serve all U.S. coastal states and territories. They are used by the weather service supercomputers to produce computer-generated model forecasts of the atmosphere and climate used by recreational boaters, commercial interests and the U.S. military. The NDBC also is responsible for tsunami stations around the world.

NOAA has been at Stennis since the early 1970s and employs more than 250 federal employees and contractors, according to the NOAA website.

These early numbers frequently change during budget negotiations between the federal agency and the White House, and later between Congress and the administration, the article says. The budget figures cited by the Washington Post are part of the Office of Management and Budget’s “passback” document, and are a key part of the annual budget process during which the administration instructs agencies to draw up detailed budgets for submission to Congress.

NOAA representatives at Stennis declined comment on the budget report.

Many of these cuts are for agencies that study climate change. The budget proposal would eliminate the $73 million Sea Grant program that supports coastal research through 33 university programs, among them the University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State, Jackson State and University of Mississippi.

Read the full story at The Sun Herald