Saving Seafood

Top 10 list of most-consumed seafood species in US revealed

May 17, 2022 — Consumption of seafood per capita among American consumers sunk slightly in 2020 compared to 2019, due in large part to the disruptions wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) recently-released top 10 list.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) latest Fisheries of the United States report – which NFI uses to compose its routine top species breakdown – found that Americans consumed 19 pounds of seafood per capita in 2020, down from the 19.3-pound average tallied in 2019.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

US fishing haul fell 10% during first pandemic year

May 13, 2022 — America’s commercial fishing industry fell 10% in catch volume and 15% in value during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, federal regulators said Thursday.

The 2020 haul of fish was 8.4 billion pounds, while the value of that catch was $4.8 billion, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. The early months of the pandemic posed numerous challenges for the U.S. fishing industry, which has remained economically viable despite the difficult year, NOAA officials said.

“It was fishery closures, boats not going out due to COVID, border closings due to COVID, lots of disruption in the flow of goods and services,” said Michael Liddel, NOAA’s commercial fishery statistics branch chief.

NOAA made the announcement as it unveiled its “Status of the Stocks” report, which provides details about the health of the nation’s commercial fishing industry.

The report said there were 51 fish stocks on the federal government’s “overfished list” in 2021. That list includes stocks that have been depleted by excessive fishing and the number was an increase of two from the previous year.

Read the full story from the Associated Press

 

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May 13, 2022 — To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are highlighting some of our colleagues who contribute to NOAA Fisheries’ core missions every day. Learn more about more about their career journeys, why they became scientists, their day-to-day jobs, and what Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month means to them.

Meet Kilali Ala’ilima Gibson, Oʻahu Marine Wildlife Response Coordinator

Kilali is an Oʻahu marine wildlife response coordinator. Her job is to coordinate a team to respond to issues with Hawaiian monk seals, whales, dolphins, and occasionally sea turtles. A lot of that is connecting with native and local communities to learn more about some of those hot spot areas where issues may often occur. She spent most of her childhood in the ocean surfing, scuba diving, and paddling in Hawaiʻi and she knew that she wanted to work in a profession where she could focus on protecting her marine ecosystem for the next generation to enjoy.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

 

U.S. fish stocks continue era of rebuilding and recovery

May 12, 2022 — The following was released by NOAA:

Today, NOAA released the 2021 Status of Stocks report, highlighting the efforts to rebuild and recover U.S. fisheries by providing a snapshot of the more than 460 stocks managed by NOAA Fisheries. In addition, NOAA issued an update to the Fisheries of the United States report, which provides details about the economic impacts of fisheries, and tracks annual seafood consumption and the productivity of top fishing ports.

In 2021, U.S. fisheries held steady with more than 90% of stocks not subject to overfishing, and 80% with population sizes sufficient to be considered not overfished. The number of stocks on the overfishing list held steady at 26, and the number of overfished stocks slightly increased to 51, up from 49. Data also reveals that in 2020, seafood landings in the U.S. were down 10% — likely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic — and overall seafood consumption had slightly decreased from the previous year, to 19 pounds per person.

A stock is on the overfishing list when the annual catch rate is too high. A stock is on the overfished list when the population size of a stock is too low, whether because of fishing or other causes.

“NOAA’s annual Status of Stocks report shows that the United States continues to be a global leader in sustainable fisheries management, as we work to understand how climate change is affecting fisheries and the communities that this sector supports,” said Dr. Rick Spinrad, NOAA Administrator. “The report demonstrates that we remain on track to maximize marine fishing opportunities while ensuring long-term ecological and economic sustainability in our changing world.”

This year’s report also featured the first-ever assessment of the Atlantic blacktip shark. NOAA Fisheries determined the stock is not subject to overfishing, not overfished and is above the sustainable level. Assessing stocks for the first time significantly contributes to the science-based information used to set appropriate management measures.

“Maintaining sustainable fisheries contributes significantly to the U.S. economy and helps meet the growing challenge of increasing our nation’s seafood supply,” said Janet Coit, NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator. “This year, improved methodologies, updated stock assessments and innovative tools and approaches provided new information to inform fisheries management in the face of climate change.”

For the first time, Fisheries of the United States data is now available via a new interactive web portal, which includes a detailed historic record of economic analysis of seafood consumption, landings totals and imports and exports of fishery products in the U.S. This portal will allow for more frequent updates throughout the year to improve data sharing and collaboration.

In April, NOAA Fisheries also shared a new tool to better track the location and movement of marine fish and invertebrate species in U.S. waters, which may be shifting in response to changing ocean conditions. This resource facilitates decision-making about fishery management and science, and increases overall knowledge of species distributions for stock assessments.

Sustainable U.S. fisheries play an important role in the nation’s economy, providing opportunities for commercial, recreational and subsistence fishing, and sustainable seafood for consumers. By ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks, NOAA Fisheries strengthens the value of U.S. fisheries to the economy, communities and marine ecosystems.

US seafood landings in 2020 hit hard by COVID-19, NOAA Fisheries reports

May 12, 2022 — A pair of fishery status updates released by NOAA Fisheries on Thursday, 12 May, 2022, have revealed the profound impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the U.S. fishing industry, which experienced double-digit percentage decreases in landings and value.

According to an update made to NOAA Fisheries’ “Fisheries of the United States 2020” report, U.S. fishermen reported 8.4 billion pounds of landings for 2020, down 10.4 percent from 2019. The value of those products was reported at USD 4.8 billion (EUR 4.63 billion), down 14.6 percent from the year before.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

NOAA ruling on red grouper catch in the Gulf announced

May 10, 2022 — The commercial allocation of the Gulf of Mexico red grouper catch will shrink starting June 1 while the recreational sector’s share will increase.

NOAA Fisheries announced the final rule under Amendment 53 on May 2, allocating 59.3 percent of the annual catch to the commercial sector (down from 76 percent) and increasing the recreational allocation from 24 percent to 40.7 percent.

But there’s a twist. The day after NOAA announced the new commercial allocation reduction, it proposed a slight increase in total annual catch limit for red grouper in the Gulf from 4.26 million pounds to 4.96 million pounds (gutted weight), including a boost in the commercial catch limit from 2.53 million pounds to 2.94 million pounds.  The recreational catch limit would rise from 1.73 million pounds to 2.02 million pounds.  The agency is accepting public comment through May 18.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Maine’s struggling Atlantic herring fishery gets boost from NOAA disaster assistance

May 9, 2022 — NOAA Fisheries has awarded Maine $7,191,787 to provide disaster assistance for the state’s struggling Atlantic herring fishery. NOAA Fisheries will work with the Maine Department of Marine Resources to administer these funds.

“The drastic reduction in Atlantic herring quotas has caused significant losses in primary income and threatened job security for many in the herring industry,” said Senator [Susan] Collins, in a news release. “Given the unstable status of our Atlantic herring fishery, and its role in supporting Maine’s iconic lobster industry, I advocated for the State of Maine’s commercial fishery failure declaration request.  This financial assistance provided through the designation is crucial to the survival of Maine’s Atlantic herring fishery.”

Read the full story at the Penbay Pilot

Maine’s lobster industry in danger: Lobstermen sound alarm as new rules go into effect

May 6, 2022 — Local lobstermen recently asked members of the community to help them in their fight against new federal rules they fear could drive a harpoon through their industry.

At issue is the federal government’s plan that aims to protect the North Atlantic right whale by reducing the risk to them by 98% by the year 2030, according to materials presented to selectmen for their meeting on April 28.

Chris Welch, the chair of the town’s Government Wharf Committee and a board member of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, discussed the MLA’s lawsuit challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service’s plan, which he described as flawed and detrimental to his industry and the local economy.

“We must hold the government accountable for failing to use the best scientific information possible,” Welch said.

Read the full story at the Portsmouth Herald

Endangered Hawaiian monk seal population highest in decades

May 6, 2022 — The population of endangered Hawaiian monk seals has surpassed a level not seen in more than two decades, according to federal officials.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials this week said that the seal population has steadily increased over the past two years.

Officials estimated the population has grown by more than 100 from 2019 to 2021, bringing the total from 1,435 to 1,570 seals. Monk seals live only in Hawaii, including the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands where most of the animals are found.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are all within Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, the largest protected marine area in the United States and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Michelle Barbieri, the lead scientist at NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, said the count shows that conservation efforts have been helping. The group travels across the archipelago to provide treatment and rescue to animals in trouble.

Read the full story from the Associated Press

 

Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance: Statement on Red Grouper Quota Instability

May 5, 2022 — The following was released by the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance:

On Monday, May 2, 2022, NOAA Fisheries published a Final Rule for Reef Fish Amendment 53, which reduced the commercial sector’s allocation of the red grouper quota from 76% to 59.3%.

Yesterday, on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, NOAA Fisheries published a Proposed Rule to Modify Red Grouper Catch Limits that would, if implemented, slightly increase red grouper catch limits based on a new interim analysis (IA) that indicated a slight improvement in the health status of red grouper since 2019.

While a positive step, this latest action doesn’t fix the damage caused by Amendment 53.  In fact, exacerbates it.

Without the reallocation under Amendment 53, commercial fishermen should be receiving 76% of the new proposed 4.96 million pound annual catch limit (ACL) – which would have been an approximately 600,000 pound increase from the 2021 quota.  Instead, under the two actions NOAA Fisheries took this week, commercial fishermen will be limited to a 2.94 million pound ACL and 2.79 million pound Annual Catch Target (ACT).  This reduction represents a significant loss in commercial fishing access, millions of dollars in lost revenue to commercial fishing families, and hundreds of thousands fewer grouper servings available for the seafood-consuming public.

Furthermore, this new 2.79 million pound quota is still 210,000 pounds less than the quota level commercial fishermen were operating under prior to Amendment 53.

In reality, commercial fishermen have lost even more than that.  Reallocation to the recreational sector under Amendment 53 increases dead discards and commercial fishermen are forced to fish under a reduced catch limit to cover those discards.  So commercial fishermen are penalized twice: first by the reallocation, and second by lower overall catch limits to offset increased recreational discards.  In essence, commercial fishermen now have a smaller piece of a smaller pie as a result of Amendment 53.  If the allocation remained 76% commercial, fewer red grouper would be thrown overboard dead, and the catch level increase under the IA would be even larger than what is in this Proposed Rule.

Simply put – Amendment 53 is the “gift” that keeps on taking.  Commercial fishermen were penalized in Amendment 53 through a reduction in quota and now they are on the hook for subsidizing an even greater amount of recreational dead discards that could undo the progress this stock has made since 2019.  The proportional losses through Amendment 53 will carry on in perpetuity as the recreational sector wastes more red grouper by throwing them overboard dead.

The forthcoming slight quota increase, while generally a positive sign for the red grouper population, does not restore the commercial quota to the level it was in recent years and falls far short of what the commercial sector and seafood consumers would have access to without the reallocation from Amendment 53.

To be clear – we will give credit where credit is due, and we want to thank NOAA Fisheries for conducting this rapid IA in response to repeated concerns by commercial fishermen about the years-long process translating the results of a stock assessment into management, and the need for more real-time data collection and science-based decision making.

But this marginal quota increase does nothing to solve the fundamental reallocation and recreational mismanagement problems (dead discards, lack of census-based reporting) that landed us here in the first place.