Saving Seafood

N.J. fishermen and offshore wind firms learning to coexist

March 7, 2019 — Hunched over a laptop, Jeff Dement pointed to a virtual map showing lease areas for offshore wind off New Jersey’s coast.

He clicked on the legend and added a layer showing where scallop fishing overlaps with potential turbine locations.

“You could do this for days,” said Dement, fish tagging program director for the American Littoral Society, as he gave a tutorial of an online data portal published by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean.

A few anglers gathered behind him inside a conference room in the Ocean County Library, where offshore wind developers and fishers gathered Wednesday evening to discuss how the two groups can lessen proposed wind projects’ disturbance of wildlife.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

MASSACHUSETTS: Governor Baker touts promise of wind power, new technology

March 7, 2019 — New York recently set a long-term goal of generating 9,000 megawatts of energy from offshore wind power, while New Jersey plans to build 3,500 megawatts.

But Massachusetts is seeking to produce just 1,600 megawatts, a target critics say is too modest.

Some environmentalists had hoped that Governor Charlie Baker would announce a loftier goal Wednesday at a forum in Boston about the future of offshore wind power.

Instead, Baker spoke more broadly about his administration’s efforts to bring the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm to the waters off Martha’s Vineyard, a project that could begin by year’s end.

He also spoke about the promise of new battery technology that in a few years could make wind and other renewable energy reliable enough to replace fossil fuels.

“There’s a tremendous amount of momentum and enthusiasm about what’s possible with respect to deep-water wind off the East Coast,” Baker said at the forum, which was organized by the Environmental League of Massachusetts and State House News. “It’s a significant opportunity to dramatically improve our environment and to take literally millions of metric tons of emissions off the grid.”

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

Lund’s adds former Sea Born owner Lang, customer services pro Pimental

February 22, 2019 — Lund’s Fisheries, the Cape May, New Jersey-based squid, scallop and pelagic species harvester, processor and exporter, announced two new additions to its team this week, both with ties to New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Jeffrey Lang, a nearly 30-year seafood veteran who most recently served as the president of Sea Born Products, in New Bedford, has joined the Lund’s sales and marketing squad. He is expected to add a considerable amount of scallop sourcing knowledge while providing retail, wholesale and commodity sales advice.

Lang started Sea Born 18 years ago after working seven years for Seafood Resources, in East Providence, Rhode Island, he told Undercurrent News in an email.

Lund’s also has added Donna Pimental, who it says will be heading a customer service team in New Bedford, while also integrating sales and purchasing with the Cape May corporate office. She “brings a wealth of knowledge in facilitating imports, domestic supply chain logistics and order fulfillment”, the company says.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Environmental groups seek injunction on air gun blasting until lawsuit decided

February 20, 2019 — Eight environmental firms filed for an injunction against the federal government on Wednesday, 20 February, in an attempt to block five companies from conducting seismic air gun blasting in the Atlantic Ocean until a lawsuit on the matter can be settled.

The request comes as the federal government could issue permits for the blasting as soon as 1 March, after NOAA announced in December that five permits could be issued for blasting in the Atlantic Ocean. That would enable companies to begin work, as part of a survey for potential oil and gas drilling, by the end of March.

Last December, the groups filed the lawsuit in a South Carolina federal court seeking to stop the blasting in an area ranging from New Jersey to central Florida. A month later, 16 South Carolina coastal cities, a chamber of commerce and the state’s attorney general filed their own lawsuit to block the permits, claiming the blasting could “destroy coastal fishing industries” in the state.

The two cases have since been combined.

In Wednesday’s filing, lawyers for the environmental groups said they could not reach an agreement that would keep the blasting from starting while the lawsuit worked its way through the court system.

“The harm Plaintiffs seek to prevent will begin as soon as seismic blasting does,” the document stated.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Why North Carolinian boats are fishing off New Jersey’s coast, and how a CSF might help

February 20, 2019 — As the oceans warm in response to climate change, fishing boats in the Mid-Atlantic that focus on only one or two species of fish are traveling more than 250 miles farther north than they did 20 years ago, while others catching a wide diversity of species have not changed fishing location, reported Talia Young, a postdoctoral research associate in ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton.

“In fishing communities, people’s well-being and the environment’s well-being are intricately tied together,” said Young, who is a David H. Smith Conservation Postdoctoral Fellow. “We know that climate change is affecting natural resources. We can see how it is affecting when things are blooming, where species are distributed, and — because fish are mobile — we’re seeing dramatic changes in the distribution of fish in the ocean. But in order to fully understand how climate change is affecting the world we live in, we have to understand how it’s affecting the environment, the animals that live in the environment, and also the people that interact with and depend on those animals.”

The Northwestern Atlantic Ocean, the patch of sea located off the coast of the northeastern United States, is one of the most rapidly warming parts of the ocean. Young was intrigued by the intersection of the ecological effects with the economic ramifications for the people who depend on commercial fishing.

Read the full story at Science Daily

NOAA Fisheries: Making the most of a tough situation

February 14, 2019 —  The longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history started during the holidays when schedules and workloads are typically lighter. But as those initial couple of weeks stretched on, staff became anxious and stress increased due to missed or looming deadlines and missed paychecks. Several staff channeled this emotion into something positive by helping others and continuing to be dedicated public servants. While some staff became new volunteers with local organizations, others dedicated more time to their ongoing community service efforts. However one staff member, Mark Murray-Brown, took this to another level by volunteering with several organizations that serve the Cape Ann community – providing inspiration to fellow staff to volunteer in their communities.

Feeling the need for structure and wanting to do something positive with his unexpected time off, Mark reached out to some friends at The Open Door who immediately put him to work  volunteering with doing a variety of tasks from moving boxes to unloading and organizing supplies to weighing groceries for individuals and families. The Open Door’s main programs are The Food Pantry, which provides emergency groceries to those in need, and Community Meals, which offers free, nutritious meals to those in need of food or companionship. The Open Door was one of the many organizations that offered assistance to federal employees during the furlough. According to Mark, it was especially rewarding to return the favor and volunteer. His efforts inspired other fellow colleagues to volunteer for The Open Door.

Mark also volunteered at The Grace Center preparing breakfast, cooking and serving lunch for approximately 40 – 50 guests, and then meeting and talking with participants. Several years ago, he was part of a team that helped launch the Grace Center among local Churches in Gloucester. It is now located at one facility in Gloucester and serves more than 1,100 individuals yearly who are experiencing homelessness and those at high risk in need of a crisis shelter. Wanting to help this organization during the furlough, Mark introduced himself to their full-time Executive Director and Volunteer Coordinator and was put to work the next day.

Finally, seeing the furlough as an opportunity, a teacher friend of Mark’s asked him to assist her as a visiting educator to her class of approximately two dozen students at a local nursery school. Mark provided a short overview of his job at NOAA and personal background, followed by a lively discussion with the students of their experiences with the ocean and beach. After a short presentation from the BBC Blue Planet 2 documentary, he concluded with a question and answer session. The teachers were so grateful for the visit that they made him a beautiful thank you booklet that includes a section from the students on what they learned.

“I am extremely grateful for these opportunities to volunteer and be able to continue to engage in public service while on furlough,” said Mark. “Specifically to the volunteer coordinators, staff, directors and participants at each organization for being so welcoming and facilitating the process to bring me on board and volunteer so quickly. If I was to find myself in a similar situation again in the future, I would look forward to volunteering again immediately.”

Our thanks go out to Mark and other GARFO staff that volunteered during the furlough for your dedication to public service and for being an inspiration to all of us at GARFO and NOAA Fisheries.

Read the full story from NOAA Fisheries

NEW JERSEY: A tasty look into a thriving industry

February 13, 2019 — Dozens of people visited the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences for one of their Science Saturdays events. This one focused on commercial fishing at Viking Village and it’s thriving scallop industry.

“It is the most healthiest fishery that we have. There’s never been so many scallops off the East Coast ever because of the way they farmed it,” said Karter Larson, assistant manager of Viking Village. “Closed area, open bottom, closed area kind of thing – sort of like farming when you don’t use the land that year.”

There are about 10 scallop boats at Viking Village, Larson says. The scallopers are only allowed to fish a set number of days throughout the year starting in March.

“It’s rough. It’s a rough life, but they bring food to your table, and it’s better than importing from other countries,” Larson said.

NOAA Fisheries indicates New Jersey scallop landings generated more than $123 million in revenue in 2016.

According to Chef John Grifo, the secret to delicious seafood is to make sure not to overcook it.

“Especially with scallops, you want to get a nice, hot pan and get a good sear. When you sear the scallops, what it does is it brings out, caramelizes the sugar in them,” he said.

Visitors had a chance to watch Grifo prepare the Viking Village scallops.

“They’re going to have a lot of amazing flavors in their mouth, you know, because they’re going to have sweet, a little heat, they’re going to have the crunch of the candied bacon,” Grifo said.

Read the full story at NJTV

Congressmen Van Drew and Rutherford Introduce ACEPA

February 11, 2019 — The following was released by the office of Congressman Jefferson Van Drew:

In response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issuing five Incidental Harassment Authorizations (IHAs) which would advance permit applications for seismic air gun blasting off the Atlantic Coast, Congressmen Jeff Van Drew and John Rutherford have introduced the bipartisan Atlantic Coastal Economies Protection Act to prohibit or stop seismic air gun testing in the Atlantic Ocean. Seismic air gun testing is the first step towards offshore oil and gas exploration and a direct threat to the coastal fishing and tourism economies dependent on healthy ocean ecosystems.

Congressman Jeff Van Drew has a history of working to protect the coastal economy and environment. In 2018 during his time in the New Jersey state legislature, he introduced and passed Senate Bill No. 258 which prohibited offshore oil or natural gas exploration, development, and production in state waters. “Our local economy is dependent on fishing, tourism and wildlife watching – the bottom line is offshore oil and gas drilling isn’t worth the risk,” said Van Drew.

“The waters off the East Coast are home to vulnerable mammal populations, military operations, tourist destinations, and a vibrant maritime economy. Allowing seismic testing in the Atlantic is unnecessary and potentially hazardous to the coastal communities that rely on a healthy ecosystem. The U.S. should not jeopardize our coastal economy by expanding seismic testing and offshore drilling, particularly when our energy needs continue to be met,” said Congressman John Rutherford.

Van Drew and Rutherford were joined in the effort by Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ), Joe Cunningham (D-SC), Brian Mast (R-FL), and Donna Shalala (D-FL). The bill was also endorsed by a variety of stakeholders ranging from local chambers of commerce and fisheries organizations to conservation and environmental groups.

Endorsements: Oceana, League of Conservation Voters, Surfrider Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Environment America, Earthjustice, Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, Hands Across the Sand, American Littoral Society, Ocean Conservation Research, Recreational Fishing Alliance, American Sportfishing Association, International Game Fish Association, Center for Sportfishing Policy

Read the release here

Coast Guard makes arrest after boarding fishing vessel in Sandy Hook Bay

February 11, 2019 —  A man wanted on an outstanding warrant out of Union County was apprehended by the Coast Guard aboard a commercial fishing vessel on Friday.

The crew from the 87-foot Coast Guard cutter Shrike boarded the vessel at 1:30 p.m. in Sandy Hook Bay to arrest the suspect, who was a member of the commercial fishing vessel’s crew sought in New Jersey for the “use of dangerous drugs,” the Coast Guard said in a prepared statement.

Read the full story at the Asbury Park Press

NEWSDAY: New York right to angle for fairer fluke catch

February 5, 2019 — The state’s pursuit of fair quotas for New York’s commercial fluke fishery has been its own white whale story.

The hunt has been futile, and it’s lasted for years. Thankfully, officials have not lost their passion for reeling in a sensible solution. We applaud Attorney General Letitia James and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo for filing a lawsuit against the federal government demanding more equitable quotas. The evidence is entirely on New York’s side.

The quotas, set by federal regulators in 1993, were based on flawed and incomplete data that underreported the amount of fluke caught by New York’s commercial fishery in the 1980s. The quotas left New York fishers utterly unable to compete with their peers from other states. New York was allotted 7.6 percent of the entire Atlantic Coast fluke catch. Outrageously, Rhode Island was granted 15.7 percent, New Jersey 16.7 percent, Virginia 21.3 percent, and North Carolina 27.4 percent.

Read the full opinion piece at Newsday