July 26, 2021 — U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California) announced on Monday 26 July, 2021, that he introduced a reauthorization bill for the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the federal law that oversees fishery management in the United States.
In a statement, Huffman said it’s time for a new reauthorization of the landmark legislation because of changes within the industry and the challenges it faces.
July 16, 2021 — The following was released by the Seafood Nutrition Partnership:
The National Seafood Council Task Force, with the support from the Walton Family Foundation, is announcing the launch of a scholarship program to open up more opportunities for small- and medium-sized seafood businesses to participate in this important initiative to develop a holistic consumer marketing and education campaign. To be representative of the entire seafood supply chain, the Task Force is seeking nominations for seafood business leaders whose annual company revenue is less than $20 million.
Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) is incubating the National Seafood Council (NSC) and launched the National Seafood Council Task Force in April 2020 to provide advice and input into the formation of a NSC. As recommended by NOAA’s MAFAC, an industry-led, federally-supported NSC will help build a more resilient seafood sector, improve public health, and foster a healthier planet. The NSC will establish one unified voice for the seafood industry at a time when it is needed most.
June 29, 2021 — I am writing on behalf of the Maine chapter of Native Fish Coalition regarding the recent proposal by the state to allocate $20 million from the American Rescue Plan to update and modernize Maine’s fish hatcheries.
Native Fish Coalition (NFC) is a nonpartisan, grassroots, donor-funded, all volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to the conservation, preservation, and restoration of wild native fish. Founded in Maine, we also have chapters in Alabama, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and West Virginia with members, partners, volunteers, supporters and followers.
When it was announced that Maine’s hatchery system will receive $20 million from the American Rescue Plan, it was stated: “At the core of Maine’s fisheries is Maine’s state hatchery system.” This is a gross misrepresentation of what Maine’s fisheries are, what makes Maine unique, and why people come to Maine to fish.
June 29, 2021 — China’s seafood market has been a jumble of mixed signals, with import volumes recovering but prices remaining soft.
In a recent financial update, Singapore-based high-end seafood restaurant chain Jumbo Seafood announced its intention to open more restaurants in China, after posting a strong performance in mainland China in the first five months of 2021. The company currently operates restaurants in five Chinese cities, but had pulled back from expansion in China due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 5, 2021 — More than 60 leading seafood organizations have signed a letter to congress to support appropriations to resurrect the National Seafood Council in the United States.
The letter has been delivered to members of Congress, with a request that appropriations be made to support a national seafood marketing campaign, as recommended by NOAA’s Marine Fisheries Advisory Council (MAFAC). The initial request is for USD 25 million (EUR 20.8 million) to fund the marketing efforts, according to the Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP).
February 9, 2021 — Norway’s seafood exports fell by a double-digit percentage in January 2021 compared to 2020, largely the result of ongoing downturns related to COVID-19.
Norway exported NOK 8.1 billion (USD 941.5 million, EUR 786.1 million) worth of seafood products last month, some 16 percent or NOK 1.6 billion (USD 185.8 million, EUR 155.3 million) less than it sold to overseas markets in January 2020, with reduced demand for salmon accounting for much of the downturn. Reduced exports of trout and fresh cod compared to the record month of January 2020 also contributed to the lower earnings.
January 6, 2021 — Despite the ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Norwegian seafood exporters managed to have a near-record year of sales.
Norway exported 2.7 million metric tons (MT) of seafood products worth NOK 105.7 billion (USD 12.6 billion, EUR 10.2 billion) last year, the second-highest trade value ever achieved by the Scandinavian country, falling just 1 percent short of 2019’s record.
December 21, 2020 — Following a yearlong tour and eight listening sessions at fishing ports on every coast of the country, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) introduced a draft reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act with Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii) on Friday, Dec. 18.
The Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act was enacted in 1976 and last reauthorized in 2006.
The new draft leads with consideration for the effects of climate change on wild fisheries, but also includes:
“This draft includes important and timely updates to the MSA as well as provisions to strengthen communities and support those whose lives and livelihoods depend on healthy oceans and fisheries,” said Reps. Huffman and Case in a statement on the draft. “With the growing impacts of climate change, difficulties due to the ongoing pandemic, and rapidly evolving needs in fisheries management and science, amending and reauthorizing the MSA remains a top priority. We’re looking forward to the next phase of this process and receiving constructive commentary to inform and shape the bill’s introduction next year.”
November 20, 2020 — A national coalition of seafood industry and commercial fishery stakeholders is mobilizing against congressional legislation that would exclude commercial fishing from wide swaths of the nation’s fisheries.
The House bill, filed in late October by U.S. Rep. Raul Grivalja of Arizona, seeks to use “marine protected areas” to ban all “commercial extractive use” across 30% of the nation’s exclusive economic zone by 2030. The closures would be part of the so-called “30×30” strategy to conserve 30% of ocean habitat worldwide by the 2030 target date.
In a letter to Grivalja, more than 800 fishing stakeholders, including the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition, framed the conservation-fueled proposal as an undermining threat to the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and an assault on the economic viability of fishing communities from New England to Alaska.
“Members are the commercial fishing industry are very concerned about the attempt to undermine the Magnuson Act via these proposed pieces of legislation,” said Jackie Odell, executive director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition.
September 30, 2020 — Fishing organizations including the Northeast Seafood Coalition are concerned about the potential of universal at-sea monitoring requirements for commercial groundfish vessels the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) is currently mulling.
The Coalition, the Associated Fisheries of Maine and other Northeast organized seafood sectors have raised issues about the cost and effectiveness of the monitoring expansion. Groups submitted public comments on the NEFMC’s Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fisheries Management Plan, which deals with changes to the monitoring requirements, the Coalition explained in a press release.