Saving Seafood

JOHN FIORILLO: Offshore aquaculture has Trump’s backing, but that’s just the beginning

June 9, 2020 — When it comes to unprecedented moments in seafood industry history, May’s executive order from President Donald Trump is certainly near the top.

The needs and desires of the US fishing and aquaculture sectors have traditionally not been the focus of Oval Office inhabitants, making Trump’s May 6 proclamation a truly unique moment.

It’s not uncommon for US presidents to use executive orders to unilaterally pursue policy objectives, but that doesn’t lessen the significance or the potential of Trump’s “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth” decree as far as its impact on the seafood industry, particularly the US aquaculture sector.

While the order seeks to streamline fisheries regulations and promote more fair seafood trade, much of the value of this executive order will be determined by whether the United States evolves into the aquaculture powerhouse it has been threatening to become for nearly 30 years.

Read the full opinion piece at IntraFish

NFI Statement on Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

June 5, 2020 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

The National Fisheries Institute applauds the Trump administration for withdrawing arbitrary fisheries restrictions on the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument off the coast of New England.

We welcome efforts to refocus on fisheries regulation that are transparent, participatory and science-based, and in this case best achieved through the New England Fishery Management Council.

The Magnuson Stevens Act has long provided options for management councils to designate fishing areas and marine habitat for protection. This method includes an opportunity for multi-stakeholder input and a robust review of the applicable science.

Advanced research assessments ensure proper levels of fishing are permitted in designated areas. Simply cordoning off zones on a map to harvesting without regard for the existing, well-constructed system has been duplicative and disadvantaged the men and women who work these fisheries and ultimately consumers.

Seafood sustainability means a commitment to quantifiable science and the communities that depend on American fisheries.

NFI Statement on FDA/USDA Food Safety MOU

May 20, 2020 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

The National Fisheries Institute is pleased to see the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Agriculture Department (USDA) working together to ensure continued food safety during the COVID19 pandemic.

Recognizing that the FDA draws its jurisdiction from the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the USDA regulates via the Federal Meat Inspection Act, it is more important than ever to have these vital agencies communicating and collaborating.  While seafood remains available at grocers and restaurants, we thank the Administration for planning ahead.

NFI members are taking the needed steps to keep our essential workers safe and continuing to provide consumers with healthy seafood. This memorandum of understanding will benefit frontline food safety and help avoid interruptions that might unnecessarily disrupt seafood production.

Trump orders removal of barriers to aquaculture

May 11, 2020 — The Trump Administration has issued an executive order Thursday to remove “outdated and unnecessarily burdensome” aquaculture regulations to promote the competitiveness of American seafood.

The Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth acknowledged aquaculture’s contribution to the U.S. economy and in enhancing the quality of American lives.

It calls for the expansion of sustainable U.S. seafood production through more efficient and predictable aquaculture permitting.

“This demonstrates a clear understanding that safe, authorized aquaculture can have a lasting impact that is not only beneficial to the viability of wild capture stocks but to the economic sustainability of the entire seafood community,” said John Connelly, president of the National Fisheries Institute.

Read the full story at Aquaculture North America

NFI Statement on The President’s Executive Order Regarding U.S. Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth

May 7, 2020 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

Today President Trump highlighted the importance of the U.S. seafood community to America’s economy, heritage, and future. By issuing an Executive Order that recognizes the benefits of American seafood trade and promotes the vital role it plays in the industry’s recovery, he underscored the significance of delicious, high quality U.S. seafood exports.

Continuing work to open essential markets, like the EU to our shellfish or Japan for our Alaska pollock, will help regain the seafood community’s financial footing and grow an industry eager to expand.
 
The President’s order also recognized the importance of enforcing rules that ensure wild caught seafood is legally harvested. Enforcement of such ideas is a shared international responsibility. The U.S. has led the way globally as early adopters of the Port State Measures Agreement, the binding international agreement targeting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. With today’s order, the White House shows a continued commitment to stamping out practices that disadvantage Americans who legally work the water.
 
What’s more, the order calls for a renewed focus on permitting for U.S. aquaculture facilities that is both effective and efficient. This demonstrates a clear understanding that safe, authorized aquaculture can have a lasting impact that is not only beneficial to the viability of wild capture stocks but to the economic sustainability of the entire seafood community.
 
The U.S. seafood community includes more than 1.7 million men and women and $145 billion in sales. Right now family-owned companies in remote coastal towns and large inland cities that catch, portion, ship and serve seafood are suffering. We applaud the President for acknowledging this important sector and the American workers it supports. We thank him for recognizing the needs identified in today’s order and encourage him to continue to remember the entire seafood value chain, including processors and distributors, during America’s recovery.

NFI signs letter requesting liability protection from essential workers

April 17, 2020 — The National Fisheries Institute, along with 31 other associations representing industries from beef to trucking, has signed onto a letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell requesting Congress grant liability protection from lawsuits related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The industries that have signed onto the letter all represent “essential critical infrastructure,” according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The U.S. government has told these companies that they have a “special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NFI Statement on the Rescheduling of Seafood Expo North America

April 3, 2020 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

During a time of such upheaval and uncertainty for all it is exciting that the forward-looking planners at Diversified rescheduled Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America for September 22-24, 2020 in Boston.

There is an old adage that action cures anxiety.  In these anxious times a date-certain allows the global seafood community to begin planning for a new and exciting Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America 2020 where we will all reconnect and look toward the future of seafood sales.  NFI looks forward to working with Diversified to provide a unique opportunity for NFI members and the broader seafood community to plan collaboratively for the future. 
 
We look forward to seeing our members and friends exhibiting in Boston. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy.

SeaShare, food distributors work to keep food supply moving amid COVID-19 pandemic

March 19, 2020 — Seafood producers and foodservice distributors alike have formed partnerships amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to ensure that U.S. residents continue to have a supply of food.

On 19 March, the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) and the FMI-Food Industry Association announced an ad-hoc partnership to help cope with the supply-chain disruptions caused by the ongoing epidemic. The new partnership consists of a matching program, connecting foodservice/broadline distributors with excess capacity – either products, transport services, or warehousing services – to food retailers and wholesalers that need additional resources to meet the rapidly increased demand seen in the retail and grocery industry.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Fake-seafood producers are pushing back against laws requiring accurate labeling

March 18, 2020 — Genetically tweaked salmon that grow three times faster than normal fish. Fillets grown in labs from fish cells. Now plant-based seafoods such as “vegan shrimp,” or “Toona,” are gaining footholds in the marketplace – and confusing customers.

A new study by FoodMinds for the National Fisheries Institute showed that about 40 percent of consumers believed plant-based imitations contain actual seafood. Up to 60 percent thought the products had similar nutritional content as real fish. Still, fake-seafood producers are pushing back against more accurate labeling, claiming without any evidence that customers know what they are getting.

“We have to ensure that the labels are educating people about something as simple as what’s in the package. A lot of these plant-based alternative makers have even suggested that they have the ‘first amendment right’ to call their products whatever they want. And that’s simply not the case,” said Gavin Gibbons, NFI vice president for communications.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

NFI Red Crab Council Remains Committed to Improving Chinese Crab Fishery

March 17, 2020 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

The National Fisheries Institute’s Red Crab Council will continue to fund and support its Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) in China. The comprehensive FIP is focused on improving crab production in Fujian Province, the leading harvesting region in China for red crab.

“For so many reasons the operating climate around red crab, from a trade perspective, is challenging these days,” said Newport International President Anjan Tharakan, the NFI Red Crab Council Chair. “It would be easy to see why companies might say they don’t want to participate in this work right now. But not one company did. This is a committed group.”

The Council’s project partner on the ground in China is Ocean Outcomes (O2), who coordinates with fishery stakeholders, government interests and the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance to keep the FIP moving in the right direction.

The NFI Red Crab Council funds the work by assessing a fee on each of its members based on the number of pounds they import each quarter.

“Like most FIPs, this project has its challenges on the water, but when your primary source of funding off the water is directly dependent on trade volume, and tariffs enter the picture, that makes things even more challenging,” said O2 Founder and Senior Advisor Rich Lincoln. “To be able to continue the work in China with local fishery stakeholders will allow us to build on the momentum we’ve generated and ensure this important FIP remains on track.”

The status of the Fujian Red Crab FIP is updated biannually on fisheryprogress.org. Its 2019 work focused on implementation of catch, biological and effort data collection, harvest strategy evaluation, and lost fishing gear assessment.

The NFI Red Crab Council is the leading precompetitive collaboration effort focused solely on the sustainability of Red Swimming Crab. The Council is committed to collaborating on Red Crab Fisheries Improvement Projects globally.