Saving Seafood

The information age is starting to transform fishing worldwide

May 19, 2022 — People in the world’s developed nations live in a post-industrial era, working mainly in service or knowledge industries. Manufacturers increasingly rely on sensors, robots, artificial intelligence and machine learning to replace human labor or make it more efficient. Farmers can monitor crop health via satellite and apply pesticides and fertilizers with drones.

Commercial fishing, one of the oldest industries in the world, is a stark exception. Industrial fishing, with factory ships and deep-sea trawlers that land thousands of tons of fish at a time, are still the dominant hunting mode in much of the world.

This approach has led to overfishing, stock depletions, habitat destruction, the senseless killing of unwanted by-catch and wastage of as much as 30 percent to 40 percent of landed fish. Industrial fishing has devastated artisanal pre-industrial fleets in Asia, Africa and the the Pacific.

Read the full story at Greenbiz.com

 

The Blue Revolution: how technology helps reduce overfishing

May 3, 2022 — As older fishing fleets retire, new technologies help to create a more sustainable solution for an industry historically averse to change. The Blue Revolution, the new book from Nicholas P. Sullivan, tells that story.

Published last April, The Blue Revolution – Hunting, Harvesting, and Farming Seafood in the Information Age, dedicates 272 pages to tell the story of a long and worrisome problem for the world’s oceans, with few answers: overfishing.

In his new book the author reveals how while other industries have embraced technology, using anything from artificial intelligence to drones to become more efficient, “commercial fishing, one of the oldest industries in the world, is a stark exception. Industrial fishing, with factory ships and deep-sea trawlers that land thousands of tons of fish at a time, are still the dominant hunting mode in much of the world.”

There is hope, though, according to the author. Nicholas P. Sullivan writes that “many of the global fish stocks are at a dangerous tipping point, some spiraling toward extinction. But as older fishing fleets retire and new technologies develop, a better, more sustainable way to farm this popular protein has emerged to profoundly shift the balance.”

The Blue Revolution tells the story of the recent transformation of commercial fishing: an encouraging change from maximizing volume through unrestrained wild hunting to maximizing value through controlled harvesting and farming. Entrepreneurs applying newer, smarter technologies are modernizing fisheries in unprecedented ways. In many parts of the world, the seafood on our plates is increasingly the product of smart decisions about ecosystems, waste, efficiency, transparency, and quality.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

The information age is starting to transform fishing worldwide

April 14, 2022 — People in the world’s developed nations live in a post-industrial era, working mainly in service or knowledge industries. Manufacturers increasingly rely on sensors, robots, artificial intelligence and machine learning to replace human labor or make it more efficient. Farmers can monitor crop health via satellite and apply pesticides and fertilizers with drones.

Commercial fishing, one of the oldest industries in the world, is a stark exception. Industrial fishing, with factory ships and deep-sea trawlers that land thousands of tons of fish at a time, are still the dominant hunting mode in much of the world.

Fishing with data

Changes in behavior, technology and policy are occurring throughout the fishing industry. Here are some examples:

  • Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit, monitors and creates open-access visualizations of global fishing activity on the internet with a 72-hour delay. This transparency breakthrough has led to the arrest and conviction of owners and captains of boats fishing illegally.
  • The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability, an international business-to-business initiative, creates voluntary industry standards for seafood traceability. These standards are designed to help harmonize various systems that track seafood through the supply chain, so they all collect the same key information and rely on the same data sources. This information lets buyers know where their seafood comes from and whether it was produced sustainably.
  • Fishing boats in New Bedford, Massachusetts – the top U.S. fishing port, based on total catch value – are rigged with sensors to develop a Marine Data Bank that will give fishermen data on ocean temperature, salinity and oxygen levels. Linking this data to actual stock behavior and catch levels is expected to help fishermen target certain species and avoid unintentional bycatch.

The ocean’s restorative power

There is no shortage of gloomy information about how overfishing, along with other stresses like climate change, is affecting the world’s oceans. Nonetheless, I believe it bears emphasizing that over 78% of current marine fish landings come from biologically sustainable stocks, according to the United Nations. And overharvested fisheries often can rebound with smart management.

For example, the U.S. east coast scallop fishery, which was essentially defunct in the mid-1990s, is now a sustainable US$570 million a year industry.

Read the full story at The Conversation

Mid-Atlantic Council to Hold Public Hearings on Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding Amendment

April 13, 2022 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council is seeking public input on a proposed amendment to rebuild the Atlantic mackerel stock. Comments may be submitted at any of five public hearings to be held between April 25 and May 2, 2022 or via written comment through May 9, 2022.

A 2021 stock assessment found that Atlantic mackerel was overfished and that overfishing was occurring. Although a rebuilding plan was implemented in November 2019, the 2021 assessment found that the stock was unlikely to rebuild as anticipated. The stock size increased 180% between 2014 and 2019 but was still less than a quarter rebuilt. In response to this updated information, the Council is developing a new rebuilding plan.

The Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding 2.0 Amendment contains five rebuilding alternatives projected to rebuild the stock within 10 years. Potential management measures include commercial quotas, recreational bag/possession limits, a 3-inch commercial minimum mesh requirement, and permitting clarifications. The action would also set specifications and a river herring and shad cap for 2023. Please see the Overview of Rebuilding Alternatives and Public Hearing Document for additional information about the alternatives considered in this amendment. A video presentation will be available on the amendment page by Monday, April 18.

Public Hearing Schedule

1.New Bedford, MA – Monday April 25, 2022, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., Fairfield Inn and Suites – 185 MacArthur Drive, New Bedford, MA 02740, (774) 634-2000

2.Plymouth, MA – Tuesday April 26, 2022, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn – 4 Home Depot Drive, Plymouth, MA 02360, (508) 830-0200

3.Portsmouth, NH – Wednesday April 27, 2022, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Urban Forestry Center – 45 Elwyn Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801, (603) 431-6774

4.Brunswick, ME – Thursday April 28, 2022, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m., Curtis Memorial Library (Morrell Meeting Room) – 23 Pleasant Street, Brunswick, ME 04011, (207) 725-5242

5.Webinar – Monday, May 2, 2022, 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aid should be directed to Shelley Spedden, (302) 526-5251, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

Written Comments

Written comments may be submitted through May 9, 2022 by any of the following methods:

•Online: https://www.mafmc.org/comments/mackerel-rebuilding

•Email: jdidden@mafmc.org (use subject “Mackerel Rebuilding”)

•Mail to: Chris Moore, Ph.D., Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, 800 North State Street, Suite 201, Dover, DE 19901. Mark the outside of the envelope “Mackerel Rebuilding.”

Documents

•Public Hearing Document

•Overview of Rebuilding Alternatives

For more information, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org (also 302-526-5254) or visit the Atlantic Mackerel Rebuilding Amendment page.

New research shows that 85% of coral reef fish studied are overfished

February 10, 2022 — A new study led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science has found concrete evidence that more than 85 percent of the grouper and snapper studied are overfished as a direct result of increasing human demand for seafood.

The research team analyzed 30 years of population data for 15 coral reef fish species central to South Florida’s commercial and  using their length-based risk analysis (LBRA) framework.

They found that three out of the five grouper species, all eight snapper species, and two grunts analyzed were below the 40 percent minimum spawning potential ratio, a regulation necessary to sustain fish populations.

Read the full story at Phys.org

 

CFI-CF launches global knowledge competition to combat overfishing

January 25, 2022 — The Coastal Fisheries Initiative’s Challenge Fund (CFI-CF) has launched the Global Knowledge Competition (GKC) to find innovative solutions addressing overfishing in coastal fisheries in four countries: Cabo Verde, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Peru.

The competition is asking for coalitions or individual organizations to create approaches that promote sustainable use and management of fish stocks through the coordination of fisheries, communities, and seafood industry stakeholders in the four countries. Winners of the competition will receive public recognition by the World Bank and other partners and will gain access to services to refine their solutions to aid future implementation. Both winners and runners-up will be able to share their solutions with the seafood industry and investors.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

World fish stocks are in worse state than expected, study says

November 22, 2021 — The world’s fish population is in a dire state, with about half of assessed stocks being overfished, according to a study backed by Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest.

The rate of depletion is worse than previous estimates of just over a third, Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation said in a report Sunday. A tenth of fish stocks worldwide is now on the brink of collapse, reduced to 10% of their original size, the study shows.

The findings are based on 48% of the total global catch for which there’s sufficient data, according to the report. The other half lacks information to say if they are sustainable or not. More than 1,400 stocks were assessed from 142 countries.

Read the full story at Bloomberg

 

Report finds China becoming more secretive about its fishing subsidies

October 29, 2021 — A new study prepared for campaign group Oceana suggests 85 percent of China’s subsidies to its fleet are harming the sustainability of fish stocks.

The report, “China’s Fisheries Subsidies Propel Distant-Water Fleet,” found that while China has reduced its fuel subsidies to the distant-water fleet, it is becoming more secretive about releasing data on direct and indirect subsidies to fishing firms.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Conference Tackles Overfishing In The World’s Oceans

October 12, 2021 — Protecting the world’s oceans and its resources could be coming closer to reality as countries gather this week in China for the United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity.

Nations are expected to start keeping promises to protect 30% of the world’s oceans, including implementing or pledging support for the implementation of more Marine Protected Areas around the world.

The conference, to be held in Kunming, China starting Monday, follows a collective pledge from more than 100 countries to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. Climate change was a major theme during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September, and the goal remains lofty though conservationists remain hopeful.

The global Marine Protected Area Atlas that covers some 18,000 MPAs shows just 2.7% of the ocean is fully or highly protected from fishing impacts. A previous goal of protecting 10% by 2020 was missed.

And though it was expected that some nations would up their MPA coverage, management was still an issue, according to University of Hawaii marine researcher Alan Friedlander.

Friedlander was among a group of marine experts who called for more effective management strategies — a blueprint for future MPA management — as there was a broad range of interpretations and “not all MPAs are created equal.”

Management was of equal importance to designation, he said.

“It’s a big difference between what’s strongly protected and what’s declared protected,” said Friedlander. “We really need to have strong protection if the goal is biodiversity.”

Read the full story at the Honolulu Civil Beat