September 9, 2019 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to eat raw yellowfin tuna steaks from several Kroger stores after some consumers became ill with scombroid poisoning.
On 4 September, the FDA became aware of multiple scombroid poisoning cases in individuals who consumed tuna steaks purchased from three separate Kroger retail locations in Ohio, the agency said in a press release.
November 2, 2018 — The United States government refused entry of hundreds of pounds of invasive Chinese mitten crabs in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A., earlier this month.
While conducting a routine inspection of incoming Chinese freight at a local express consignment facility, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agricultural specialists noted x-ray anomalies in 16 shipments, which were labeled as clothing.
They discovered thousands of live Chinese mitten crabs, destined for residences in New York.
November 18, 2016 — SANDUSKY, Ohio — There’s a tiny new creature in Lake Erie that’s not supposed to be there.
And the shipping industry that carries cargo in the Great Lakes says it’s being unfairly blamed for the uninvited guest.
Citing a report from scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, an industry trade group is arguing that it’s unfair to blame freighters for the introduction into western Lake Erie of Thermocyclops crassus, a tiny invertebrate plankton that has been found in western Lake Erie near Toledo.
“The best current evidence does not point to ballast water discharges in the past decade as the most likely reason for the recent discovery of T. crassus,” says a fact sheet issued by the Lake Carriers Association. “However, without any supporting scientific data or research to back their claims, the National Wildlife Federation and the Alliance for the Great Lakes have been quick to blame ballast water, particularly recent discharges from foreign vessels, as the vector of introduction.”
As the Sandusky Register reported on Nov. 2, scientists from Cornell University doing research aboard a U.S. EPA boat announced finding the creature in small numbers. While it’s considered non-native, it’s not known yet whether the creature will reproduce in large numbers and become a nuisance, allowing it to obtain “invasive species” status.
May 17, 2016 — U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rob Portman (R-OH), co-chairs of the Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking, sent a letter to the president today asking that he expand a proposed rule on seafood traceability.
“We welcome the Administration’s proposed rule on seafood traceability as a further step in combatting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and seafood fraud,” the Senators wrote. “However, we remain concerned that the steps outlined will not adequately address these problems and do little to confront human trafficking within the seafood supply chain.”
The letter urged the Administration to ensure the final version of the rule enhances enforcement requirements on the high seas to prevent human trafficking on vessels, expands seafood traceability to all species, and strengthens tracking requirements beyond the first point of entry into U.S. commerce.
“As a world leader, the U.S. must do all within its power to provide adequate safeguards against illegal and exploitative seafood supply chains,” the Senators concluded.
January 25, 2016 — When John Kasich tells you that he is a skilled executive, believe him.
Governor Kasich met with several New Hampshire fishermen on 8 January. David Goethel, owner and captain of the 44-foot fishing trawler Ellen Diane, is suing NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) for bureaucratic overreach and has explained his position in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. Governor Kasich read the op-ed and as a result requested the meeting.
This was not a campaign stop. Nobody took names for a mailing list; nobody handed out bumper stickers. The governor was there to learn and to help.
The impromptu get-together was held indoors in the fish-processing bay at the Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative in Seabrook, N.H. The aroma of fish guts filled the air, reminding me of my school-day summers working on the fish pier in Gloucester.
There were several fishermen present – a small several, as years of government assistance have driven many from the business. The governor listened to them as they expanded their complaints beyond the scope of Mr. Goethel’s lawsuit. I couldn’t hear well, as the non-campaign stop lacked an audio system.
After a few minutes, Governor Kasich said, “OK, can I speak now?” and then went on in a loud but conversational tone to outline what needs doing. First and foremost, he said, get your congressional representatives involved. Have them write letters, forceful letters, to the executive branch. Get the powerful congressional leaders involved, Republicans and Democrats, like Senator Schumer among the latter group.
The fishermen told the governor that there had been several congressional letters in their behalf; all apparently fell on deaf ears. There are currently two letters relative to Mr. Geothel’s lawsuit sent to Dr. Sullivan, the head of NOAA, in early January. One was signed by nine senators and several House members from the five seacoast New England states. The other was from the tenth senator of the region, the obsequious Edward Markey.
Read the full story at American Thinker
January 13, 2016 — It takes a lot to bring Democrats and Republicans together on any issue in these days of heightened, highly partisan politics. It seems, however, that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has done the trick.
Sixth District U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and 16 of his fellow New England congressmen — 12 Democrats, four Republicans and an independent — united last week to call on the agency to delay or call off its plans to force fishing vessel permit holders to pay to have someone looking over their shoulder as they work.
The so-called onboard monitoring program, where a federal observer rides along on fishing trips, is estimated to cost about $710 per day, per vessel. And NOAA expects fishermen to foot the bill. It’s an additional expense — the very definition of an unfunded mandate — that could put permit holders out of business for good.
As Hampton, N.H., fisherman David Goethel asked John Kasich during the presidential candidate’s visit to Seabrook last week, “Can anyone in this room afford to spend $710 a day to drive to work, to have your own personal state trooper by your side to make sure you don’t go 66 on Interstate 95? (NOAA’s) own economists tell them that fishermen can’t afford it, and their answer is, basically, ‘tough.’ We shouldn’t have to sue our own government, but we have to because they’re not being held accountable.”
Goethel is suing the federal government over the monitoring plans. Kasich called the idea of forcing fishermen to pay for monitors “ridiculous” and “absurd.”
Goethel would seem to have allies — in spirit, at least — in the region’s congressmen. Their letter to NOAA Administrator Kathleen D. Sullivan urged the agency to delay shifting costs for the program to fishermen until a more efficient, less expensive plan is devised.
Read the full editorial at Gloucester Daily Times
January 9, 2016 — SEABROOK, N.H. — It’s been tough going for fishermen in recent years, but yesterday the local fishermen’s co-op managed to reel in a big catch — a candidate for president swung by to listen to their concerns and offer help.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich spent about an hour talking with members of the Yankee Fishermans Co-op. Of the dozen or so presidential hopefuls canvassing the Granite State on the eve of its primary, the Republican is the only one so far to come to the co-op. The Route 1A fishing business is the last remaining fishing coop in the greater Newburyport area — most of the fish caught off the local coastline are landed there and sent to market.
For fishermen, the predominant issue is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA for short. The agency regulates the fishing industry, and fishermen have long complained that it uses bad science and a heavy hand to enforce regulations that are putting many of them out of business.
Fisherman David Goethel of Hampton expressed his frustration with NOAA’s monitoring program, which requires that fishermen pay $710 a day to have a person serve onboard their fishing vessels as the government’s eyes and ears. Goethel is suing NOAA over the issue, arguing it is an unfair financial burden.
Read the full story at the Daily News of Newburyport
November 9, 2015 — Legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives to reform the H-2B seasonal guest-worker program. H.R. 3918, the Strengthen Employment and Seasonal Opportunities Now Act also known by its acronym the SEASON Act, will reform the guest-worker program used by American employers to hire foreign workers for temporary and seasonal work, such as forestry, seafood processing, and other industries.
Introduced by House Small Business Committee Chairman Steve Chabot from Ohio, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, Congressman Andy Harris of Maryland, and Congressman Charles W. Boustany, Jr., MD of Louisiana, the SEASON Act is designed to bring needed reforms to the H-2B program in order to protect American workers, help U.S. employers who play by the rules hire seasonal guest-workers, save taxpayer dollars, and ensure the H-2B program is truly a temporary, seasonal guest-worker program.
“New regulations for the H-2B visa program issued by the current Administration are increasing the red tape and creating higher costs for the small and seasonal businesses using the H-2B program,” said Gulf Seafood Institute member Frank Randol, owner of Randol’s Restaurant and a shellfish processor who depends on guest-worker labor. “Many of our Gulf seafood processing plants were unable to open in 2015 due to a lack of labor. The industry will struggle to survive if they have a second year without these workers. This legislation is desperately needed.”
Read the full story at Gulf Seafood Institute
September 17, 2015 — The following was released by NOAA:
NOAA Fisheries Announces $3 Million in Funding to Restore Habitat in Great Lakes
NOAA has selected three projects, through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), totaling $3 million, to restore habitat in severely degraded areas of the Great Lakes
Funded projects are in Michigan and Ohio. They will benefit a variety of important local fish stock, including important spawning and nursery grounds for muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, largemouth bass, yellow perch, channel catfish, and bullhead. This funding builds on years of investment in the Great Lakes to restore waterways threatened by poor water quality, contaminated fish, and other environmental concerns.
NOAA’s Restoration Center targets habitat conservation where it’s needed it most. We provide funding and technical guidance to restore coastal habitat nationwide. In the Great Lakes, we focus on restoring the most degraded environments–designated “Areas of Concern”–as well as reversing the environmental damages resulting from oil spills, and chemical releases.
“Great Lakes communities deserve a clean and healthy environment and these projects will help restore Great Lakes Areas of Concern,” said Pat Montanio, Director of NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation. “This work shows how the GLRI is making a difference for communities across the region.”
NOAA’s investment in the effort to restore aquatic habitat is part of a long-term effort to rebuild fisheries, many of which have declined from habitat loss, over-fishing and climate change. Recent successes show that restoring habitat is a way not only to stop the decline of fish populations, but also to regrow them to historic high numbers.
Funded Projects:
Maumee River Wetland Restoration at Penn 7 Project
Toledo, OH ($175,000 awarded to the City of Toledo)
Funding will support initial site characterization and feasibility study on the lower Maumee River to determine the restoration potential of 15.2 acres of emergent coastal/floodplain wetland habitat at the Penn 7 property site.
Rouge River – Henry Ford Estate Dam Fish Passage and
Habitat Restoration Design Project
Dearborn, MI ($350,000 awarded to the Alliance of Rouge Communities)
Experts will determine the appropriate design to hydrologically reconnect 50 miles of the Rouge River and 108 additional miles of its tributaries to the Great Lakes system. Once implemented, this project will improve fish and wildlife habitat to promote healthy populations of desirable native fish, wildlife and bottom-dwelling organisms within the Rouge River Watershed.
Detroit River – Stony Island Habitat Restoration Project
Detroit, MI ($415,605 awarded to Friends of the Detroit River)
This is a multi-year project supporting the restoration of approximately 3,000 linear feet of habitat shoals, creation and protection of 50 acres of backwater habitat within Stony Island. This implementation project is a major step in completing a habitat re-construction among the islands in the lower part of the Detroit River.