Saving Seafood

AQUAA Act reintroduced in US Senate

June 8, 2023 — U.S. lawmakers are making yet another attempt to pass the Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture (AQUAA) Act, a bill that would establish national standards for offshore aquaculture and streamline development.

First introduced in 2018, the legislation has gone through multiple iterations as lawmakers push for a comprehensive framework that encourages aquaculture operations in federal waters. The bill would make NOAA the lead federal agency on marine aquaculture, create a more uniform permitting system for offshore aquaculture in federal waters, and build a grant program to incentivize aquaculture innovation.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Enforcement Uncovers Multiple Illegal Seafood Export Operations

June 7, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

On May 23, 2023, Jiu Fa Chen, was sentenced to 5 years probation and a $100,000 fine for falsely labeling and exporting foreign-bought spiny lobsters as “Products of the U.S.A.” Chen’s company, AIFA Seafood Incorporated, was sentenced to 5 years probation and a $250,000 fine. It is now subject to rigorous compliance measures for all future business activities. In addition, Elite Sky International Incorporated, was recently sentenced to a $250,000 fine and similar compliance measures. It was running the same illegal labeling scheme as AIFA Seafood.

“These individuals and companies intentionally misrepresented their lobster to be something that it’s not—a product of the United States,” said Manny Antonaras, Assistant Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Southeast Division. “Fishermen and seafood producers who play by the rules deserve to be competitive in global markets. We work hard to help create an even playing field where domestic fishermen can market their American-caught products proudly around the world.”

AIFA Seafood’s illegal activity was first detected through compliance checks performed under the Seafood Import Monitoring Program. An additional anonymous letter detailed elaborate schemes to illegally import spiny lobster to the United States. They would then be illegally exported to China under the false “Product of the U.S.A.” label.

Through a joint undercover operation, we identified that AIFA Seafood had imported lobster from Haiti to its facilities in Florida. The imported lobster were repackaged into boxes labeled “Live Florida Spiny Lobster Product of USA” and illegally exported to China. In total, 5,900 pounds of lobster were illegally exported under this scheme with an estimated retail market value of over $206,500. The investigation uncovered a similar scheme by Elite Sky International to falsely label, and export more than 63,000 pounds of foreign lobster imports as products of the U.S.A. They also shipped more than 5,600 pounds of shark fins falsely labeled as “Frozen Fish.”

When seafood companies deliberately mislabel and misrepresent U.S. seafood exports, they disadvantage honest fishermen. The reporting and records requirements of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program are critical to protecting law-abiding fishermen and seafood producers’ competitiveness in global markets.

These cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. They were made possible through close collaboration between:

  • NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement
  • NOAA’s Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce
  • U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

To report suspected seafood violations, contact NOAA’s Law Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964.

2023-2024 Monkfish Research Set-Aside Project Recommendations

June 7, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The selected projects will investigate monkfish research priorities developed by the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. NOAA Fisheries expects the awards to generate approximately $300,000 to fund the research projects.

In the Monkfish RSA program, researchers compete for funding through a federal grant competition managed by NOAA Fisheries. No federal funds support the research. Instead, the program awards RSA days at sea that are “set-aside” annually for use in compensation fishing to fund the program.

For more information about these awards and the Monkfish RSA Program, please contact Ryan Silva.

Both projects responded to one of the Councils’ highest monkfish RSA research priorities: Research to develop a standardized catch per unit effort (CPUE) index for the commercial directed monkish gillnet fishery to be used for stock assessment purposes.

Due to the common goal for the projects, and intended application of the research results, NOAA Fisheries and the grant recipients will coordinate closely to help ensure efforts are complementary, and likely to support monkfish stock assessments.

Institution: Cornell Cooperative Extension Association of Suffolk County

Principal Investigators and Collaborators: Emerson Hasbrouck and Scott Curatolo-Wagemann, CCE; Patrick J. Sullivan, Ph.D., Cornell University; Suresh A. Sethi, Ph.D., Alaska Pacific University; Bonnie Brady, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association.

Title: Addressing Monkfish Management Needs by Developing a Standardized Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) Time Series.

Project summary: This project will collect and analyze fishery dependent and independent data to inform the development and utilization of an integrated statistical estimation procedure that will determine a standardized CPUE time series. This can be used to estimate the relative abundance of the stock for improved monkfish stock assessment and management purposes.

Institution: Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance, Inc.

Principal Investigators and Collaborators: Melissa Sanderson and Aubrey Church, CCFA; Steven Cadrin, Ph.D., UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science & Technology.

Title: Incorporating Fishermen’s Knowledge into a Standardized Catch Per Unit Effort Index for the Commercial Monkfish Gillnet Fishery.

Project summary: This project seeks to develop standardized CPUE indices for the commercial directed monkfish gillnet fishery for use in stock assessments. Investigators will work collaboratively with the commercial monkfish fishing industry throughout the region to elicit expertise on monkfish CPUE, obtain fishery dependent data, and develop CPUE standardization for contribution to upcoming monkfish stock assessments.

Reward Available for Information About Death of Juvenile Hawaiian Monk Seal at ʻŌhikilolo

June 7, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries: 

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to a civil penalty or criminal conviction in the March 2023 death of juvenile Hawaiian monk seal RQ76, or Malama. The monk seal, which is protected under federal law, was found dead at ʻŌhikilolo, between Keaʻau Beach Park and Mākua Valley, on Oʻahu.

“We’re asking for help from anyone who may have seen or heard anything related to the killing of this endangered animal which is not only a violation of federal law but a hateful act against all the people who call Hawaiʻi their home,” said Frank Giaretto, Deputy Special Agent in Charge with NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, Pacific Islands Division.

Anyone with information should contact NOAA’s Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964. To report a dead, injured, or stranded marine mammal, call the Pacific Islands Region Marine Mammal Response Network at (888) 256-9840.

The monk seal was first investigated at the scene by our partners at the Hawai‘i Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement. Hawaiʻi Marine Animal Response recovered RQ76 and transported the seal to a NOAA facility for post-mortem examination. Initial results indicated the seal died of severe blunt-force trauma. Furthermore, after consulting with national experts, the suspected cause of death was determined to most likely be an intentional killing.

The Hawaiian monk seal is one of the most endangered seal species in the world. They are native to the Hawaiian archipelago—found nowhere else in the world—and are protected under the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Hawai‘i law. The monk seal population has been in decline for six decades, but numbers have been increasing over the past 10 years due in part to NOAA’s and partners’ recovery efforts.

Biden-Harris Administration announces $2.6 billion framework through Investing in America agenda to protect coastal communities and restore marine resources

June 6, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Today, the U.S. Department of Commerce unveiled a $2.6 billion framework to invest in coastal resilience through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). As part of the President’s Investing in America Agenda this initiative will support communities and people on the frontlines of climate change, dedicating nearly $400 million specifically for Tribal priorities and benefiting coastal and Great Lakes communities nationwide with an emphasis on environmental justice. Additional investments from the IRA will improve weather and climate data and services, support the Biden-Harris Administration’s America the Beautiful conservation initiative, and strengthen NOAA’s fleet of research airplanes and ships that are used to study and collect data about the ocean and atmosphere. 

“Under President Biden’s leadership, we are making the most significant direct investment in climate resilience in the nation’s history,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “As part of our more than $2.6 billion investment in regional coastal resiliency and conservation projects, we will be dedicating $390 million directly to Tribal priorities for habitat restoration and bolstering fish populations, and supplying crucial funding to ensure our coastal communities are better prepared for the effects of climate change.”

The historic $2.6 billion investment in climate resilience and coastal communities will help ensure communities, especially Tribes and vulnerable populations, have the resources and support needed to prepare, adapt and build resilience to weather and climate events as well as strengthen workforce development, marine resources, nature-based solutions, conservation, regional partnerships and Tribal priorities. The IRA funds will complement the investments already outlined in the nearly $3 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding, including the $562 million in Climate-Ready Coasts awards announced in April.

“This massive investment will go a long way in helping NOAA prepare communities for natural disasters and more effectively address the environmental and economic impacts to help millions recover from these events,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary Don Graves. “It’s no mistake that NOAA finds its home in the Commerce Department, where we remain fully committed to its mission.”

The $2.6 billion in climate investments will support coastal communities’ resilience to changing climate conditions through funding and technical assistance for capacity building, transformational projects that help protect communities from storms and flooding, the creation of quality climate-related jobs and improved delivery of climate services to communities and businesses. These programs include:

  • Climate Resilience Regional Challenge ($575 million): NOAA will fund a new competitive grant program that will invest in holistic, collaborative approaches to coastal resilience at regional scales. This will include two funding tracks: Regional Collaborative Building and Strategy Development, and Implementation of Resilience and Adaptation Actions. Details will be available in early summer.
  • Tribal Priorities ($390 million): NOAA will provide funding specifically for tribes to support habitat restoration, fish passage, capacity building, science, fish hatcheries and Pacific salmon. A summary of Tribal comments can be found here.
  • Climate-Ready Fisheries ($349 million): NOAA will support projects to conserve fisheries and protected species in coastal regions around the country. This work will enable NOAA to build dynamic fisheries management systems that incorporate climate and ecosystem environmental data to support management decisions.
  • Ocean-Based Climate Resilience Accelerators ($100 million): NOAA will fund a new competitive business accelerator program to fill a critical unmet market need. These accelerators will support businesses with coastal and ocean-based resilience products and services related to NOAA’s mission as they navigate commercialization pathways. These businesses will help communities prepare for, adapt to and build resilience to changing climate conditions. Details will be available in early summer. NOAA will also advance existing resilience-related funding opportunities, through programs such as the National Oceanographic Partnership Program and Ocean Technology Partnership program.
  • Climate-Ready Workforce ($60 million): NOAA will meet the emerging and existing needs of employers by placing workers in high quality jobs that enhance climate resilience. Funding will also aid training and support services that will help American workers advance their careers and implement climate resilience efforts within public and private sectors. Details on this new competition will be available in early summer. 

The framework for the $2.6 billion also includes additional funding for high-quality project applications received through BIL competitions, non-competitive funding for the Integrated Ocean Observing System, support for marine and Great Lakes sanctuary designations, Technical Assistance to states, localities, tribes, and other partners and funding for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. The second round of BIL Climate-Ready Coasts Notices of Funding Opportunities are expected this summer.

“We are investing in America and empowering communities to understand and take action to address their risks to climate change and ensure they continue to thrive now and in the future,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “We can’t do it alone and look forward to engaging partners, building resilience and supporting conservation with this funding.”

The IRA allocated $3.3 billion to NOAA, including the initiatives described above and $200 million that will support improvements in NOAA’s climate and data services, including: 

  • Creating industry proving grounds to collaboratively research, develop and test tailored climate data products and services for the private sector, including the insurance, reinsurance and health industries.
  • Funding, improving, and expanding existing NOAA programs that advance climate information, services and adaptation capacity and build equitable climate resilience such as the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS), the Climate Smart Communities Initiative (CSCI), Climate Adaptation Partnerships/Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (CAP/RISA), the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and others.
  • Improving forward-looking projections, data assimilation, numerical weather prediction skill and models in order to improve the prediction of climate and weather extremes on oceans and ecosystems, and delivering climate projections needed to inform decision making.
  • Expediting the assessment and development of next generation Phased Array Radar capabilities to make severe weather warnings more accurate.  

NOAA’s remaining IRA funding will also support critical infrastructure improvements for NOAA facilities that are essential to NOAA’s mission, including:

  • The Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington.
  • The Sandy Hook Lab in New Jersey.
  • Piers in Newport, Rhode Island, and Charleston, South Carolina.
  • Construction of two charting and mapping research vessels, as well as critical mid-life repairs for NOAA Fisheries survey vessels.
  • High-performance computing capacity.
  • Acquisition of a second G550 ‘hurricane hunter’ aircraft.
  • Facilities projects at multiple national marine sanctuaries, including at the Monterey Bay, Stellwagen Bank, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale, Greater Farallones, Mallows Bay and Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuaries.

Tracking Climate-Driven Shifts in Fish Populations Across International Boundaries

June 6, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

As the ocean warms, marine fish are on the move—beyond their traditional habitats and across international boundaries. Understanding these patterns of movement is essential to predicting change and managing climate-resilient fisheries.

A new collaborative NOAA Fisheries study looks at patterns of movement by multiple fish species across the entire Bering Sea shelf over decades. Alaska Fisheries Science Center scientists collaborated with Russian scientists to combine data from the eastern, western, and northern Bering Sea shelf. An innovative analysis distilled dominant patterns of fish movement over time from these data. The research advances our understanding of how the ecosystem is responding to climate change.

“International collaboration is likely going to become increasingly important for sustainable management of Bering Sea fisheries,“ said study lead Lukas DeFilippo, NOAA Fisheries Alaska Fisheries Science Center. “As fish move into new habitats, we need to take a broader scale approach to monitoring to support sustainable fisheries management .”

Tautai O Samoa joins with governor and others opposing proposed sanctuary designation

June 6, 2023 — Members of locally-based, Tautai O Samoa Longline and Fishing Association, have joined ASG officials and others in the community in voicing their opposition to the proposed sanctuary designation of the Pacific Remote Island Areas — a move that would expand Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument.

“The closure of these fishing grounds will cause a trickle-down effect and have an impact that reaches farther than the proposed Pacific Remote Island Marine National Monument expansion,” wrote the group’s president Krista Haleck in a May 24 comment letter to the U.S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“The actions and impacts cannot be looked at in isolation,” said Haleck, who pointed out that the expansion of the already expanded Marine National Monument throughout the Pacific “will be detrimental” to the US Purse Seine Fleet and negatively impact American Samoa’s economy including the American Samoa-based U.S Longline fishing fleet.

Read the full article at Samoa News

Courts threaten to sink federal fishery monitoring

June 5, 2023 — NOAA’s plans to force fishermen to pay for their own surveillance hit a brick wall in 2023, and the Supreme Court could force more big changes to how the federal government keeps tabs on the state of U.S. fisheries.

While the agency has long relied on human observers and electronic tracking devices, many in the fishing industry who regard the monitoring as too expensive and an invasion of their privacy have sought relief in the courts — and so far this year, they’re winning.

NOAA suffered a major blow in February when a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Louisiana threw out a rule that would have required charter boats in the Gulf of Mexico to be equipped with electronic monitors to report fish catches. Fishermen complained that the devices would cost them as much as $3,000 per boat.

Read the full article at E&E News

NOAA hearing underscored opposition to marine sanctuary plan

June 5, 2023 — The public hearing in American Samoa about U.S. plans to expand a Pacific marine sanctuary has failed to assuage fears of tuna cannery job losses and further economic decline in the territory, according to workers, business owners and political leaders.

After a decade of lobbying by the Hawaii-based Pacific Remote Islands Coalition, the U.S. government earlier this year said it could double the size of the protected area around uninhabited U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean, making more ocean area off-limits to fishing fleets.

But the proposal has been greeted with dismay in American Samoa, where residents fear a heavy blow to the economically crucial tuna industry. Dozens of placard-wielding employees of the StarKist cannery in American Samoa protested outside a recent hearing held in Pago Pago by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees protected marine and coastal areas.

“I have seven children between the ages of two and 17, they are all in school, and I have been supporting my family working for StarKist Samoa,” Tanielu Malae, the sole breadwinner for his family, said at the May 25 hearing. “Do the people in Hawaii that made this proposal know what it is like for people like us that did not have proper education if we lose our jobs.”

American Samoa’s Lieutenant Governor, Talauega Eleasalo Ale, who said he was at the hearing as a resident rather than representing the territory’s government, made an emotional appeal to “brothers and sisters” in Hawaii.

Read the full article at Samoa News

River Herring are Using Habitat Reopened by Bloede Dam Removal

June 3, 2023 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

In 2018, NOAA and partners removed Bloede Dam from the Patapsco River, opening up miles of free-flowing habitat to migratory species. A recent study has shown river herring are using the habitat upstream of the former dam. This news highlights the importance of dam removals in NOAA’s work to support migratory fish.

NOAA and partners have been monitoring the Bloede Dam site since before its removal to see how reopening the river would affect fish migration. Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have been using environmental DNA, or eDNA, to monitor for the presence of river herring. Fish and wildlife constantly shed scales, tissue, and other bits of genetic material into the surrounding environment. Researchers can collect a water sample, analyze the eDNA found in it, and identify which species have recently visited a location.

A recent study published in PLOS ONE found eDNA evidence of alewife and blueback herring (collectively known as river herring) using the reopened habitat. In the 4 years prior to the dam removal, no river herring eDNA was detected upstream of the Bloede Dam site. After its removal, eDNA from both species was detected in the reopened habitat. The likelihood of detecting the eDNA of alewife upstream of the Bloede Dam site increased from 0 to 5 percent, and from 0 to 13 percent for blueback herring. In addition to eDNA evidence, biologists with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources recorded two adult river herring—one alewife and one blueback herring—upstream of the Bloede Dam site in 2021.