Saving Seafood

Offshore wind turbines headed to Virginia; New Jersey launches ‘WIND Institute’

April 24, 2020 — Components for the first two offshore wind energy turbines to be installed in U.S. federal waters departed from Denmark, bound for Nova Scotia and ultimately installation off Virginia, project backers said April 21.

The pair of 6-megawatt Siemens Gamesa will be assembled by Dominion Energy and wind developer Ørsted for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), a pilot project 27 miles offshore for what is planned to become a much larger array on a federal lease east of Virginia Beach.

The foundations, consisting of the turbines’ monopiles, transition pieces and anode cages fabricated by metals manufacturer EEW SPC, were loaded at Rostock, Germany onto the Bigroll Beaufort, a 568-foot Netherlands-flagged flat deck cargo ship. Turbine components were loaded at Esbjerg, Denmark, before the vessel embarked in mid-April. Arrival is expected around April 25 in Halifax, according to commercial vessel tracking services.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NEW JERSEY: Wind Council Releases Report on Plan for NJ WIND Institute

April 23, 2020 — Gov. Phil Murphy’s Wind Council today released a report detailing plans for creating the Wind Innovation and New Development (WIND) Institute. The WIND Institute will serve as a center for education, research, innovation, and workforce training related to the development of offshore wind in New Jersey and the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region.

In August 2019, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order No. 79, establishing a Council for the Wind Innovation and New Development Institute, charged with developing and implementing a plan to create a regional hub for New Jersey’s burgeoning offshore wind industry and build upon the Murphy Administration’s commitment to making New Jersey a national leader in offshore wind. The Council includes representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the Board of Public Utilities, the Department of Education, the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

“Offshore wind is coming to the United States and bringing billions of investment dollars and thousands of jobs along with it,” said Governor Murphy. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not only grow New Jersey’s economy, but also move rapidly toward a clean energy future that puts us on a path to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. The report released today outlines our plans for establishing a WIND Institute that will facilitate workforce development, research, and innovation in New Jersey’s offshore wind industry, ensuring that we take full advantage of this opportunity to grow our economy and create new opportunities for New Jersey workers while protecting our environment.”

To inform its recommendations, the Wind Council assessed the state of the offshore wind industry in New Jersey, conducted a gap analysis of workforce assets in the state, and facilitated discussions with a range of stakeholder groups, including offshore wind industry members, organized labor, four-year colleges and universities, community colleges, vocational technical schools and comprehensive high schools, and fisheries.

Read the full story at New Jersey Business

One month into coronavirus shutdowns, New Jersey fishermen search for new customers

April 9, 2020 — Weeks after the New York region’s fresh seafood market suddenly froze with government-mandated restaurant closings to control coronavirus, fishermen, docks and dealers are slowly finding new ways to get fresh fish to consumers.

“It’s a sustainable, natural, healthy resource,” said Richard Brecka, who owns the Shore Fresh Seafood Market at the Fishermen’s Dock Cooperative in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. “We’ve got 13,000 pounds for tomorrow.”

Brecka’s crew was busily cutting black sea bass Wednesday afternoon, preparing for another open-air seafood sale near the dock, which was hit hard by the late March collapse of New York market prices. The first event April 4 attracted enough of a crowd – maintaining the required 6-foot social distancing among customers – to sell out 300 pounds of scallops in an hour.

“It’s coming back up” as retail customers seek out sources for local seafood, said Brecka. But the retail shop can handle only a portion of what the Point Pleasant fishermen can land during good weather, he added.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NEW JERSEY: Pop-up seafood market at Jersey Shore helps fishermen hurt by COVID-19 restaurant closures

April 7, 2020 — A pop-up wholesale seafood market is helping to keep the fishing industry afloat in an Ocean County municipality.

Point Pleasant Beach’s Shore Fresh Seafood Market is collaborating with the Fishermen’s Dock Cooperative to sell the catch — brought ashore on the docks directly behind the business — on its outdoor patio on Channel Drive.

According to a posting on Shore Fresh Seafood Market’s Facebook page, the new offering is out of necessity.

Read the full story at WHYY

Disruption in the seafood supply chain ripples from empty Philly restaurants to idle N.J. docks

April 2, 2020 — The Monica should be steaming across the open Atlantic right now, cruising 80 miles southeast off the coast of New Jersey over the deep Hudson Canyon on a 10-day hunt for lucrative golden tilefish.

But the Monica’s owner, Dan Mears, had to call his boat back to the Barnegat Light docks after just two days. The COVID-19 pandemic had shuttered virtually every restaurant dining room in the nation. And by the time Mayor Jim Kenney ordered the closure of nonessential businesses for Philadelphia on March 16, the market value for tilefish had dropped by more than 50% overnight. Ernie Panacek, Mears’ seafood wholesaler at Viking Village, told him his catch wasn’t worth the price of diesel, bait, and tackle.

“Never had to do that in 42 years of fishing,” said Mears, 60, the son of a Barnegat Light fisherman, whose own son, Dan Jr., is now the Monica’s captain. “It’s Lent and people should be eating fish right now — but they aren’t. The (crew’s) food is still on the boat. We’re ready to go. But we just have to wait and wait for the word.”

That word — a return to normalcy of some sort — can’t come soon enough for Rodney Dickson, 55, a fish hauler who normally packs the Monica’s catch on ice but who’s spent his days of unemployment walking up and down Long Beach Island like a zombie: “Yesterday I took 22,945 steps and walked 10.9 miles.”

Read the full story at The Philadelphia Inquirer

NEW JERSEY: Commercial fishermen scale back production as market demand plummets

April 2, 2020 — With restaurants only permitted to offer takeout and delivery, and many specialty seafood markets offering limited products or temporarily closing amid the COVID-19 outbreak, commercial fishermen are scaling back operations, too, and they’re feeling the impact.

“It’s scary what’s out there, it really is,” said Ernie Panacek, 69, general manager of Viking Village, a commercial seafood producer in the borough.

“The money that we get comes from those people going out to dinner and going to retail,” he said. “It’s going to be a hardship for a while. No one is going to flip a switch and have it go away immediately. We’re going to feel this for a long time.”

Read the full story at The Press of Atlantic City

Virus Economic Damage to Commercial Fishing Grows Daily

April 2, 2020 — The pulse of Viking Village’s commercial fishing industry this year will greatly depend on how long the coronavirus extends into the coming spring and summer season, local leaders say. But boats are already tied up at the docks.

Viking Village Inc. Commercial Seafood Producers in Barnegat Light sells a large chunk of its catch right now to wholesalers, who last week were still buying product and freezing it, but with restaurants closed down to all but takeout and delivery, the chain is tightened.

“There’s no place to sell them in the restaurants,” said scallop fleet owner Kirk Larson, whose family co-owns Viking Village with the Puskas family. Larson was speaking about metropolitan markets beyond New Jersey as well. Prices paid had also dropped. “We’re selling a few in New York markets, but not as many as we’re catching.

“If it doesn’t get sold at a seafood market, it doesn’t go anywhere, because restaurants are closed. They can sell takeout, but that’s not like when restaurants are full-bore. In summer, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Larson said last week. “There are plenty of stocks to catch; it’s whether we will have a place to sell them.”

Read the full story at The Sand Paper

CARES Act Helps Preserve New Jersey’s Commercial Fishing Industry, Coastal Economy

April 1, 2020 — The following was released by the Garden State Seafood Association:

The recently passed CARES Act provides emergency loans and other forms of relief for American small businesses affected by the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The Act also included over $300 million specifically intended to help the domestic fishing industry, one of the many industries harmed by the ongoing closures necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19.

This federal support is essential for the future of New Jersey’s fishing industry, which is a key part of the state’s coastal economy. According to statistics compiled by the Garden State Seafood Association, New Jersey’s fishing industry landed over $170 million worth of fish in 2018. According to NOAA statistics, 68 percent of what consumers spent on seafood was at food service establishments, like restaurants, rather than in retail sales.

The fishing industry is one of the largest year-round employers and is responsible for thousands of direct and indirect jobs. According to a 2016 paper from NOAA, New Jersey’s seafood industry is the sixth largest in the U.S., and is responsible for 37,127 jobs, $6.2 billion in sales, $1.4 billion in income, and $2.3 billion in value- added impacts.

The industry landed over 190 million pounds of finfish and shellfish in 2018, worth a total of  $170,261,000. Four of the top six commercial fishing ports in the Mid-Atlantic are found in New Jersey. The industry is responsible for significant harvests of Atlantic scallops, monkfish, shortfin and longfin squid, Atlantic mackerel, tunas, swordfish, black sea bass, summer flounder, Atlantic surfclams, and ocean quahogs.

The industry is concentrated at five major coastal ports; Belford, Point Pleasant, Barnegat Light, Atlantic City, and Cape May/Wildwood. The table below illustrates the 2018 landings at three of the ports, and their dollar value.

Read the full release here

Rep. Pallone Statement on House Passage of Third Coronavirus Pandemic Response Legislation

March 31, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ):

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) issued the following statement today after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the third major legislation passed by Congress to respond to the coronavirus pandemic:

“Today, more help is on the way. The CARES Act provides essential assistance to the American people, health care workers, hospitals, small businesses and state and local governments that have been seriously impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.  This legislation provides much needed financial relief to laid-off or furloughed workers through increased and extended unemployment insurance so they will continue to receive a paycheck in the weeks and months ahead. It also puts money in the pockets of struggling Americans, and provides grants and loans to small businesses to help them better weather the ongoing economic storm.

“As the coronavirus pandemic overwhelms our health care workers and hospitals, the legislation includes $100 billion to our hospitals and $16 billion for personal protective equipment and other resources for our courageous health care workers so they can safely treat patients. Health care professionals are on the front lines, and we must continue to work to ensure they are protected and have the resources they need to safely do their jobs.

“I’m pleased that this package contains $300 million in funds specifically designated to help fishing communities who have incurred significant economic losses as a result of this pandemic. In my district in New Jersey, the recreational and commercial fishing industry is vital to our coastal communities up and down the Jersey Shore.

“Finally, I’m glad to see that Democrats were successful in removing a provision in the initial draft of the Senate bill that would have provided a $3 billion bailout to the oil and gas industry. This provision had no place in this legislation.

“The CARES Act takes a significant step in protecting the health of all Americans and providing peace of mind during this time of economic uncertainty, but there is a lot more work to do. In future legislation, we must ensure affordable treatment for all, expand distance learning programs and access to the internet for low-income Americans, protect consumers from price gouging and prevent critical services from being shut off during this crisis.”

The CARES Act includes key provisions that give:

$260 billion in Dramatically Expanded Unemployment Benefits: The bill includes numerous provisions to improve unemployment benefits including providing an additional $600 per week for the next four months, providing an additional 13 weeks of federally funded benefits, and expanding eligibility to include workers in the gig economy and self-employed workers.

Immediate Direct Cash Payments to Lower and Middle-Income Americans:  The bill provides for immediate, direct cash payments to lower-and middle-income Americans of $1,200 for each adult and $500 for each child, beginning to phase out at an annual income of $75,000 for an individual and $150,000 for a household.  These payments will provide individuals with the cash they need right now to survive with much of the economy currently shut down.

Read the full release here

Markey: Aid for fishermen only the beginning

March 30, 2020 — Sen. Edward Markey warned members of the fishing community Saturday that the country was just at the beginning of the coronavirus health crisis.

“These numbers are mounting, the number of cases, and it could go on potentially for a sustained period of time,” Markey said to dozens of fishing industry leaders, state legislators and mayors on a weekend conference call.

“Three hundred million is a great start, but it’s hard to imagine it will go very far,” said Jeffrey Reichle, president of Lund’s Fisheries of Cape May, New Jersey, of the $300 million economic aid package to the fisheries, contained in the $2.2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill signed Friday by President Donald Trump.

Markey said the relief package was a life raft to get them through the immediate crisis period. Congress, he said, was “fully prepared to come back as many times as it takes to make sure we keep all industries afloat in this health care crisis.”

Markey was critical of the Trump administration’s handling of the crisis and how it was affecting businesses such as the $1 billion New England fishing industry. The shortage of virus test kits, and the delay invoking wartime powers to push industries to convert to producing needed supplies such as masks and ventilators, meant they were on uncertain ground in telling them how long it might take to get back to work.

Read the full story at the Cape Cod Times