Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Alaska commercial seafood industry lost USD 1.8 billion from 2022 to 2023

October 18, 2024 — The Alaska commercial seafood sector’s profitability declined 50 percent from 2022 to 2023, with the industry suffering a USD 1.8 billion (EUR 1.7 billion) loss in the period according to an economic snapshot produced by NOAA Fisheries.

“Commercial fisheries have flourished in Alaska for generations, shaping social structures, cultural identity, and robust local economies. Beyond the economic impacts, the decline of fisheries in the region threatens a way of life, sense of place, community, and identity,” Alaska Fisheries Science Center Economist and lead author of the economic snapshot Steve Kasperski said.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA announces $2M investment to protect Gulf of Mexico’s red snapper

October 17, 2024 — NOAA said Wednesday $2 million provided by the Inflation Reduction Act is being awarded to fisheries partnerships for data collection and modeling to help understand and mitigate climate change impacts.

NOAA is partnering with the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami.

The money will be used to improve scientific data and management decisions regarding the red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.

“This $2 million investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, will boost NOAA’s ability to support red snapper populations by expanding scientific partnerships that improve data collection and help us understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on fisheries in coastal regions nationwide,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement.

Read the full article at UPI

 

ALASKA: NOAA Snapshot Charts Alaska Seafood Industry Losses, Points to Reasons

October 17, 2024 — The health of Alaska’s seafood industry is not, at this moment, particularly good. A new economic snapshot reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries agency (NOAA Fisheries) details a downturn over the past two years. It estimates the Alaska seafood industry suffered a $1.8 billion loss between 2022 and 2023, and the industry saw a 50 percent decline in profitability between 2021 and 2023.

“The Alaska seafood industry is a major contributor to the US seafood sector,” says Robert Foy, director of NOAA’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center. “The social and economic ramifications of Alaska’s losses have reverberated down the West Coast and across the country.”

Higher Costs, Changing Habits, Greater Competition, and Climate Change

Industry changes have resulted in more than 38,000 job losses nationwide and a $4.3 billion loss in total US output, representing the total dollar value of all goods and services produced. The most affected states—Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California—saw a combined loss of $191 million in state and local tax revenues.

Seafood is the top private sector employer in Alaska. For many Alaska coastal communities, fisheries are the primary contributor to their local economy, helping to shape their social structures and cultural identities.

Read the full article at Alaska Business

ALASKA: Alaska’s “Imploding” Fishing Industry Has Shed 38,000 Jobs

October 16, 2024 — Falling revenue and rising costs have hit Alaska’s fishing industry hard, according to a new study by NOAA Fisheries. In an economic review requested by fishermen and processors, NOAA found that profitability dropped by half from 2021-23, and wholesale prices dropped by a quarter in 2022-23. This left the Alaskan seafood industry with a total direct loss of $1.8 billion in 2022-3 and the loss of about 38,000 jobs.

“For many Alaskans the decline of their seafood industry affects their pocketbooks, presents food security concerns, and impacts their way of life, sense of place, community, and identity,” NOAA noted. “In the face of evolving climate-driven impacts to ecosystems and fisheries in the region, these recent market disruptions undermine the capacity of all segments of the seafood industry and associated fishing communities to be resilient and survive in fisheries.”

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

ALASKA: Bering Sea snow crab fishing to resume, but at an ultra-low level to encourage repopulation

October 16, 2024 — After a two-year hiatus forced by low stocks, the Bering Sea snow crab harvest is back on.

The decision to reopen the harvest, announced on Oct. 4 by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, is based on signs of recovery in the crab populations. The official harvest opening was Tuesday.

Signs of recovery are modest, and so is the allowable catch. The harvest is limited to 4.72 million pounds, a level that is a far cry from the 45-million-pound quota used in the 2020-21 season and similarly large quotas in earlier years.

This season’s total allowable catch is the smallest in the history of the fishery, said Mark Stichert, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Kodiak-based management coordinator for groundfish and shellfish harvests.

The department sets catch limits based on information gleaned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service.

As Stichert describes it, the department’s decision to allow a “small, conservative fishery” for snow crab was the product of a careful balancing act.

Read the full article at the Alaska Beacon

 

Observing—Six Things I’ve Learned in a Year

October 16, 2024 —  As a commercial fisheries observer, I get to work hands-on with marine species and collect at-sea data vital to monitoring the health of our oceans. Here are some things I’ve learned in my first year observing.

How to Identify Sharks

Early on, I learned how to identify the sharks we see in the mid-Atlantic. Some were obvious: blue sharks are blue, spiny dogfish have spines and white spots, tiger sharks have stripes, and Atlantic common thresher sharks have a long “whip tail.” Others were less obvious. Sand tiger sharks have jagged rows of massive, pointed teeth. Sandbar sharks are brownish with a tall dorsal fin. Porbeagles have a double keel at the base of their tail.

If I see a shark I don’t recognize, I start with whether it has a ridgeback or not, which narrows the possibilities by half. From there, distinguishing characteristics include color, snout shape, and the position of the pectoral fin relative to the dorsal fin. When in doubt, I take lots of pictures and refer to our issued shark identification field guide. Now I know just because a shark has sharp teeth, doesn’t mean it’s a white shark.

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

Biden-Harris Administration, NOAA announce $2 million for partnerships to support red snapper recovery

October 16, 2024 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration and NOAA announced they will award approximately $2 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds to collect data and improve modeling through partnerships with the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami. These partnerships are critical to NOAA Fisheries’ work to improve scientific data and management decisions for red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico.

Collecting more fisheries data will enable NOAA Fisheries and state partners to better understand and adapt to the impacts of climate change, increase data reliability and adjust management decisions that will support red snapper populations. 

“This $2 million investment, made possible thanks to President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, will boost NOAA’s ability to support red snapper populations by expanding scientific partnerships that improve data collection and help us understand and mitigate the impacts of climate change on fisheries in coastal regions nationwide,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. 

Approximately $1 million of this funding will go to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission to expand the for-hire at-sea program into the western Gulf of Mexico. NOAA Fisheries and the Commission will deploy at-sea samplers in the Louisiana and Texas for-hire fishery, extending the coverage of at-sea data collection programs. This effort will enhance recreational discard data, a key priority for NOAA Fisheries, and for the first time in history all five Gulf states will have active at-sea data collection programs for for-hire fisheries in federal waters.

Additionally, approximately $1 million will be distributed to NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami to develop next-generation surveys using acoustic technology to improve red snapper detection. This research will focus on leveraging advanced technology and artificial intelligence to enhance red snapper surveys and abundance estimates in the Gulf of Mexico. Harnessing the power of advanced technology and artificial intelligence is pivotal to improving the clarity and credibility of fisheries data. 

“NOAA Fisheries’ collaborations with state and academic organizations are a critical part of strengthening scientific rigor and improving data collection for recreational fisheries, leading to more timely and accurate information for managing red snapper and other reef fish,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “Greater data certainty will enable NOAA Fisheries and state partners to better address the effects of climate change on fisheries and fishing communities.”

This funding is part of NOAA Fisheries’ red snapper recovery efforts first announced in October 2023. These investments are part of the historic $3.3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act investments first announced in June 2023, which are focused on ensuring America’s communities and economies are ready for and resilient to climate change.

Visit the Inflation Reduction Act website to learn about current and future funding opportunities.

NOAA Launches Mid-Atlantic Squid Research Cruise

October 15, 2024 — I was onboard the F/V Dyrsten for a 3-day research trip last June to investigate how oceanography affects shortfin squid movement and biology in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. This work is just one component of our center’s cooperative effort with industry to better understand our squid stocks . By pairing oceanographic data with abundance and biomass estimates we hope to provide insight into squid biology and movement.

The data collected on this trip lay the groundwork for the next 2 years of this project. Our goal was to collect a suite of oceanographic and biological data including:

  • Chlorophyll and oxygen isotope water samples using a Niskin bottle
  • Conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth, measured both with instruments deployed from a winch in the stern of the vessel and instruments attached to the headrope of the net
  • Zooplankton samples collected in a ring net
  • eDNA collected using a new technique

Read the full article at NOAA Fisheries 

NOAA recommends funding for bycatch reduction projects

October 11, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries has selected 13 projects it wants to fund in an ongoing effort to reduce the amount of bycatch taken by commercial fishing operations.

The competitive grant program will award a total of USD 2.6 million (EUR 2.4 million) for the 2024 funding around, with the individual awards ranging from USD 74,000 to USD 250,000 (EUR 68,000 to EUR 229,000).

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

ALASKA: Alaska’s seafood industry lost $1.8 billion last year, NOAA report says

October 11, 2024 — A variety of market forces combined with fishery collapses occurring in a rapidly changing environment caused Alaska’s seafood industry to lose $1.8 billion from 2022 to 2023, a new federal report said.

The array of economic and environmental challenges has devastated one of Alaska’s main industries, said the report, issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And the losses extend beyond economics, casting doubt on prospects for the future, the report said.

“For many Alaskans the decline of their seafood industry affects their pocketbooks, presents food security concerns, and impacts their way of life, sense of place, community, and identity. In the face of evolving climate-driven impacts to ecosystems and fisheries in the region, these recent market disruptions undermine the capacity of all segments of the seafood industry and associated fishing communities to be resilient and survive in fisheries now and in the future,” the report said.

Read the full article at Alaska Beacon