Saving Seafood

Oceana Issues Statement On Netflix’s ‘Seaspiracy’ Documentary

March 29, 2021 — As compelling as Netflix’s new “Seaspiracy” documentary is, the issues raised in it regarding commercial fishing aren’t quite that cut-and-dried, according to the folks at Oceana.

The ocean advocacy organization issued a statement when the film was released on March 24th. It reads:

“Today, Netflix released a new movie titled Seaspiracy that features passing references to Oceana and a brief excerpt from what was a two-hour interview with a former employee, who was one of Oceana’s key leaders in winning policy victories against illegal fishing.

“To set the record straight, what Oceana campaigns for and focuses on is increasing ocean abundance through policy victories that put in place science-based fisheries management in national waters, where most of the world’s fish are caught. We are already campaigning in countries that account for 28% of the world’s catch. The science is clear: This country-by-country approach can help the oceans rebound dramatically and feed a billion people a healthy seafood meal each day. We can save the oceans and feed the world.

“We believe people have the right to choose what they eat, and we applaud those who make personal choices to improve the health of our planet. However, choosing to abstain from consuming seafood is not a realistic choice for the hundreds of millions of people around the world who depend on coastal fisheries – many of whom are also facing poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. Oceana campaigns to save the oceans for both the people who depend on them and to protect the marine animals (and other forms of life) who live in them.

Read the full story at Deeper Blue

Oceana, NRDC call for expansion of Seafood Import Monitoring Program

March 8, 2021 — Marine sustainability non-governmental organization Oceana public on 3 March calling for the expansion of the U.S. Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) and for mandatory full-chain traceability requirements for all seafood sold in the United States.

The report, “Transparency and Traceability: Tools to Stop Illegal Fishing,” criticizes the current limitations of SIMP, in that the law currently applies to just 13 types of imported seafood and traces them to the U.S. border, not beyond. Extending SIMP to cover all seafood species sold in the United States, and requiring that all be covered by full-chain traceability from boat to plate, would reduce species mislabeling and help in the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Oceana said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Rally urges stakeholders to demand better protections for North Atlantic right whales

February 12, 2021 — Oceana hosted a Save the Whales Rally on Tuesday that aimed to support anyone hoping to speak up in favor of better protections for the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

The federal government is seeking stakeholder comments about ways to reduce the risks that fishing gear in oceans pose to the whales. During the rally, Oceana staff offered background information, advice and tools to provide input on how and why to better protect the species, which is currently in its calving season off the coast of Georgia and northern Florida.

“North Atlantic right whales come down to the offshore waters of Georgia, north Florida and sometimes even South Carolina — many of them every winter — to have their calves and then they travel in the spring back all the way up into the North Atlantic into the Northeastern U.S. and Canadian waters,” said Paulita Bennett-Martin, Oceana’s field representative for Georgia campaigns. “And so they really come down here for the winter as our return visitor to seek warmer water, safe water, to have their calves. It’s a really exciting time of the year for us that love these whales, as we count the calves that are born every year. And unfortunately sometimes we also count the losses as well.”

The upcoming comment period is a chance to help the whales get on a path of recovery, said Gib Brogan, a senior fisheries manager for Oceana.

Read the full story at The Brunswick News

NOAA Taking Input On New Right Whale Rules

February 11, 2021 — The public can weigh in this month on a federal plan aimed at saving critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Researchers estimate that fewer than 375 right whales are still alive. Their leading causes of death are getting hit by ships or tangled in fishing gear, especially long vertical lines such as those used in lobstering. Getting tangled in lines and dragging fishing gear through the ocean exhausts and stresses out the whales, and can cause serious injuries and infections.

So the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has proposed new fishing and lobstering rules to prevent entanglements.

But Gib Brogan with the environmental group Oceana said this week that the plan isn’t good enough.

Read the full story at GPB

Oceana, Earthjustice File Suit Again Over NMFS Anchovy Rules on West Coast

February 4, 2021 — Call it a vicious circle. Maybe a vortex from which it seems there is no escape. Maybe it’s quicksand.

Regardless, Earthjustice and Oceana are, for the third time, suing NMFS over the central subpopulation of northern anchovy on the West Coast. NMFS published new anchovy catch limit regulations on Dec. 31, 2020; the conservation groups said those regulations, again, were insufficient.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Platform Launches to Connect Small-scale Fishers From Across the Globe

February 3, 2021 — A number of conservation NGOs and partners launched the Small-Scale Fisheries Resource and Collaboration Hub (SSF), an online platform looking to boost small-scale fisheries governance and community development.

The SSF Hub is launching ahead of the annual U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s Committee on Fisheries meeting. Oceana also explained the Hub is also a response to the FAO’s Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (or SSF Guidelines) to support the livelihoods of small-scale fishers and fishing communities.

Read the full story at Seafood News

JACQUELINE SAVITZ: A pause on offshore drilling is a good first step. Let’s make it permanent.

February 3, 2021 — President Joe Biden hit the ground sprinting on his first day of office. On day one he rejoined the Paris Agreement, and now he has announced a pause on offshore oil and gas leasing. It’s exciting to hear the president’s plan to return science to policy decision-making, even advancing his science adviser to a cabinet-level position. These encouraging moves will certainly translate to more effective action on climate.

Oil and gas are killing us. Burning fossil fuels is driving climate change, which is causing a wave of extinction and disasters that devastate property and the environment, and cost human lives. But President Biden has committed to aggressively address the climate crisis, which gives me great hope that we can work together to permanently protect our climate and coasts from offshore oil and gas.

Permanently ending new offshore oil and gas leasing in U.S. waters would prevent the release of a catastrophic amount of greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving ever larger and more intense wildfires, hurricanes and floods. A new report from Oceana estimates that permanent protection against offshore drilling would prevent 19 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and $720 billion in damages to people, property and the environment.

Read the full opinion piece at USA Today

Oceana takes government to court again over anchovy limits

February 2, 2021 — Oceana continues to challenge the U.S. government over federal catch limits on anchovy the organization claims ignore scientific advice.

In a statement on Monday, 1 February, the environmental conservation group announced it has filed two legal actions to support what it calls “science-based management” of the northern anchovy stock. The organization has taken NOAA Fisheries to court over anchovy catch limits multiple times over the past few years, and alleged in 2019 that it had failed to protect the anchovy stock in Northern California.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Poll: Americans say seafood should not be caught using slave labor, illegal fishing

January 28, 2021 — The following was released by Oceana:

Oceana today released the results of a nationwide poll finding that Americans overwhelmingly support policies to end illegal fishing and seafood fraud. Included among the key findings, 89% of voters agree that imported seafood should be held to the same standards as U.S. caught seafood. Additionally, 81% of voters say they support policies that prevent seafood from being sold in the U.S. that was caught using human trafficking and slave labor. 83% agree that all seafood should be traceable from the fishing boat to the dinner plate, and 77% support requirements for all fishing vessels to be publicly trackable.

“American consumers shouldn’t have to worry if their seafood was caught illegally or fished using forced labor. All seafood sold in the U.S. should be safe, legally caught, responsibly sourced and honestly labeled,” said Beth Lowell, Oceana’s deputy vice president for U.S. campaigns. “It’s clear that Americans want and need to know more about the seafood they’re eating. President Biden and his administration have an opportunity to lead in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing while leveling the playing field for American fishers and seafood businesses while protecting consumers. It’s a win for everyone.”

Key findings among registered voters include:

  • 87% agree that seafood caught using human trafficking and slave labor should not be bought or sold in the U.S.
  • 92% agree that consumers should be confident in the seafood they eat, including that it is safe, legally caught, honestly labeled and responsibly sourced.
  • 90% agree that seafood mislabeling is unfair for honest fishers, suppliers and restaurants that honestly label their seafood.
  • 75% want to know more about the seafood they eat, including what fish it is and where and how it was caught.
  • 60% say they are willing to pay more to ensure their seafood was not caught illegally.
  • 87% agree that the government needs to do more to ensure that consumers are purchasing properly labeled seafood.
  • Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly agree that the government needs to do more to protect consumers and to implement policies that end illegal fishing. The findings show strong bipartisan agreement on all major issues and policies that address ending illegal fishing.
    • Eight in ten Republicans (79%) and Democrats (83%) support ensuring all seafood in the U.S. is legally caught.
    • 91% of Democrats and 85% of Republicans agree that the U.S. Government needs to do more to ensure that consumers are purchasing properly labeled seafood.
    • Eight in ten Democrats (82%) and Republicans (77%) support requirements for fishing vessels to be publicly trackable.
    • 84% of Republicans and 85% of Democrats agree that seafood should be traceable from the fish boat to the dinner plate.
    • 89% of Democrats and 87% of Republicans agree that seafood caught using human trafficking and slave labor should not be bought or sold in the U.S.

“Americans overwhelmingly agree that consumers should be confident in the seafood they eat, including that it’s safe, legally caught, honestly labeled and responsibly sourced,” said Lowell. “Unfortunately, current policies don’t go far enough to prevent illegally caught seafood from entering the U.S. market. But the solutions are simple and widely supported – all fishing vessels should be publicly trackable, and all seafood should be traceable from the boat (or farm) to the dinner plate. Now is the time to finally remove the U.S. from inadvertently supporting the worldwide web of illegal fishing, slave labor and human trafficking. These are issues that Americans on both sides of the aisle agree upon, and President Biden should build on the efforts of previous administrations to stamp out illegal fishing once and for all.”

According to Oceana, illegal fishing poses one of the greatest threats to our oceans. It is estimated that up to 30% of the seafood caught worldwide is a product of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, valued from $25 to $50 billion annually. In the United States, up to 90% of the fish consumed is imported, with up to one-third of wild-caught imports being sourced from IUU fishing. IUU fishing can include fishing without authorization, ignoring catch limits, operating in closed areas, and fishing with illegal gear or for prohibited fish or wildlife. These illicit activities can destroy essential habitat, severely deplete fish populations, and threaten global food security. These actions not only contribute to overfishing, but also give illegal fishermen an unfair advantage over those that play by the rules. It also undermines the responsible management of commercial fishing and ocean conservation.

Forced labor and human rights abuses are also commonly associated with IUU fishing. IUU fishing is a low-risk, high-reward activity, especially on the high seas where a fragmented legal framework and lack of effective enforcement allows it to thrive. In 2018, the federal government required catch documentation and traceability for seafood at risk of illegal fishing and seafood fraud, but the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) currently only applies to 13 types of imported fish and only traces them from the boat to the U.S. border. In 2019, Oceana released the results of a seafood fraud investigation, testing popular seafood not covered by SIMP and found that 1 in every 5 fish tested nationwide was mislabeled. Seafood fraud ultimately hurts honest fishermen and seafood businesses that play by the rules, masks conservation and health risks of certain species, and cheats consumers who fall victim to a bait-and-switch.

The national online poll, conducted by the non-partisan polling company Ipsos, surveyed 1,005 American adults from across the U.S. between December 11 and 14, 2020, and found widespread bipartisan support for policies aimed at increasing transparency and seafood traceability.

Oceana is campaigning to stop illegal fishing, increase transparency at sea, and require traceability of all seafood to ensure that all seafood is safe, legally caught, responsibly sourced and honestly labeled.

View the full polling results here.