Saving Seafood

Research reveals strongest predictors of menhaden growth in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic

April 9, 2020 — New research suggests that large-scale environmental factors influence the size of one of the ocean’s most abundant forage species. Recently, scientists from LSU, NOAA, the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science evaluated large-scale ecosystem dynamics influencing growth of menhaden in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. They found that anthropogenic influences affected menhaden in the Atlantic more than in the Gulf, where environmental factors were the more dominant predictors of growth.

Menhaden are used primarily for the production of fishmeal and , and small quantities are used for bait. According to NOAA’s 2018 Fisheries of the United States report, menhaden ranked number two by volume, after Alaska pollock, on the list of major U.S. domestic species “landed,” or caught and brought to port. More than 1.5 billion pounds of menhaden were landed in that year. Menhaden ranked number 10 by value of the landings, totaling more than $160 million. In addition to their commercial value, menhaden are critically important components of their food webs.

According to Steve Midway, lead author and assistant professor in LSU’s Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, “They’re sort of the classic forage species—meaning they provide a really important link in marine food webs. They are not exerting any kind of population pressure on any other fish species because they’re not eating any other fish species. But, other fish species eat them. So, they support the higher levels of the food web and ecosystem.”

Read the full story at PHYS.org

Reminder: Historic Shipwreck Avoidance on Stellwagen Bank

April 9, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries, in conjunction with NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, requests that vessels avoid shipwreck sites on southern Stellwagen Bank within the Sanctuary by keeping gear 400 feet away from each of the site locations listed below.

We recognize that fishermen want to avoid shipwrecks to ensure the safety of the crew and because of the risks of damaging their gear when the gear gets hung up on a wreck or other objects on the ocean floor.  Hanging up on a wreck can also cause serious damage to shipwrecks that have historical significance.

For more information read the permit holder bulletin posted on our website.

Read the full release here

Whale strandings may be sign of recovery

April 8, 2020 — A die-off of several hundred gray whales last year might, in fact, represent a promising future for the creatures, according to an expert in marine mammals.

According to NOAA Fisheries, there were 215 gray whale strandings on the Pacific coasts of the United States, Canada and Mexico during 2019, which the administration classified as an unusual mortality event, defined as “a stranding that is unexpected, involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population and demands immediate response.” A previous gray whale mortality event in 1999 saw an even higher number of strandings.

Bruce Mate has researched marine mammals for more than 50 years and is the former director and endowed chair of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University.

He said the gray whale population had been reduced to between 1,000 and 2,000 animals by 1900 due to commercial whaling. The 20th century brought protections against over-exploitation of whales, first through the League of Nations and, later, by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. The United States also protected them though the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, all of which helped reduce risks for the population.

Read the full story at the Newport News Times

Saving Seafood Urges Industry to Comment on NOAA’s Emergency Rule Regarding Observer Waivers

April 8, 2020 — On March 27th, NOAA Fisheries published an Emergency Rule regarding the circumstances by which observer coverage would be waived.

In the opinion of a number of our Saving Seafood coalition members, the emergency rule does not provide sufficient protections to ensure the health and safety of the captains and crew of commercial fishing vessels.

The conditions proposed for the waivers leave an opportunity for continued observer coverage. Many of our members feel at this time a permanent waiver should be granted for 90 days. State and Federal entities have made it perfectly clear that serious precautions should be taken to control the spread of this virus.

Given the inherent nature of the fishing industry, close quarters on fishing vessels and the potential spread of the virus to entire crews, and their families, many of our members believe the cost is too great.

Please use the Federal Register notice to submit comments and share your personal experience and concerns.

In addition, the emergency rule indicates that some of the observer training and requirements may be waived to make sure there is sufficient personnel available to act as observers.

We encourage industry members to provide your own thoughts on that topic, as you have all had your own experience with the observers.

Comment on the emergency rule here

NOAA seeks pandemic input to plan for future

April 7, 2020 — It might be difficult to fathom while we reside in the belly of the beast, but information being compiled by NOAA on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the U.S. commercial seafood industry could improve the agency’s response in future natural disasters and economic crises.

NOAA said it has assembled a team of experts from a variety of disciplines throughout the agency — including economists and social scientists — to collect and analyze data on how the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 are impacting the U.S. commercial seafood industry, from harvesters straight up through the supply chain.

The agency is looking for stakeholders — both wild harvest and aquaculture — to relate their personal experiences from within the grip of the pandemic. Those stories, the agency said, could help frame NOAA’s future responses to disasters.

“We are interested in learning about the virus’s impacts on their employees, their business, the businesses they support and the broader supply chain,” NOAA said in the statement accompanying the announcement of the team’s formation. “Stakeholders interested in sharing information on the effects of COVID-19 on their businesses can submit that information to NMFS.COVID-19@noaa.gov.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

New State of the Ecosystem Reports Document “Big Picture” Around Fishing

April 7, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Two newly issued reports provide a snapshot of the Northeast U.S. Shelf Ecosystem. They look at everything from phytoplankton production at the bottom of the food web to the fishery harvests at the top. One report focuses on Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine the other on the waters of the Mid-Atlantic Bight. These are the three major regions within the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem.

These annual reports are part of a larger, ongoing NOAA-wide initiative. It provides a consistent national approach to managing ecosystems that is flexible enough to accommodate regional needs. This Integrated Ecosystem Assessment approach is intended to help resource managers integrate physical, biological, economic, and social components of ecosystems into their decision-making. This will help them to balance trade-offs and determine which approaches are more likely to achieve their desired goals. The 2020 State of the Ecosystem Reports inform the New England and the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils.

“This approach has helped give the council structure with specific steps to define what our management goals and objectives are, figure out how we can address them, and understand what that means for areas such as economics,” said Brandon Muffley, a fishery management specialist at the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

The State of the Ecosystem reports were produced by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, with additional collaborators from academic research institutions, non-profit organizations, and state agencies.

Read the full release here

Feds extend waiver on monitors for some East Coast fisheries

April 7, 2020 — The federal government has extended a waiver on the requirement for at-sea monitors for some East Coast fisheries.

Fishing boats often carry human observers, or at-sea monitors, to gather data that is important to the management of fisheries. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the rule is waived in some northeastern U.S. fisheries until at least April 18.

NOAA said in a statement that it will “continue to evaluate the need for further extensions of this waiver on a weekly basis.” The waiver is a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Bangor Daily News

NOAA GARFO Office Helping Fishermen Sell Direct to Consumers

April 6, 2020 — The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is changing the way that many people do business—including fishermen. The NOAA Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office sent out a bulletin on Friday to remind fishermen that they not only remain fully staffed and operational, but are available to help them get the appropriate permits that they need.

News stories have been circulating about groups of fishermen working together to bring fresh seafood right to consumers. This not only provides a healthy and delicious protein for consumers, but helps local fishermen who are struggling to offload the product. It’s completely legal—with the right paperwork. As the GARFO bulletin explains, a federal permit is required to sell catch directly to consumers. Some states also have additional permit and reporting requirements. But even if a state has waived their requirements for direct sales, “federal regulations still apply to federal permit holders.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

Senator Collins Calls for Swift Release of $300 Million to Support Fishermen During COVID-19 Pandemic

April 6, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Susan Collins (R-ME):

U.S. Senator Susan Collins wrote to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, urging him to quickly release the $300 million for assistance to fishermen and related businesses that was included in the Phase 3 coronavirus emergency package.  As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins worked to ensure that this critical relief provision was inserted in the final legislation.

“The seafood and aquaculture industries are experiencing severe financial harm from disruptions to supply, demand, and labor caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who make their livelihoods harvesting, transporting, processing, distributing, and preparing the bounty of our oceans have incredibly complex and inter-reliant business models,” said Senator Collins.  

“I am pleased that, as a result of my and other coastal state members’ advocacy, the Assistance to Fishery Participants provision was included in the CARES Act to provide relief that is targeted specifically for these iconic and essential engines of Maine’s economy,” Senator Collins continued.  “It is critical that the $300 million in fishery-related assistance reach those who need it expeditiously in order to manage this period of uncertainty and emerge as strong as before.”

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be responsible for releasing this funding.  Senator Collins requested that:

  • NOAA work with regional fisheries management commissions to distribute the funds to coastal states;
  • Each state is given reasonable flexibility to distribute money in the ways that will best benefit fishermen and their communities;
  • NMFS use comparative methods and averages that span multiple years—as is common with other fisheries disaster calculations—to allocate funding; and
  • NMFS continue to move quickly to get relief funds out to the states, and require states to submit a spending plan to achieve accountability.

Click HERE to read Senator Collins’ letter to Secretary Ross.