Saving Seafood

Rhode Island’s fishing industry received support through federal grants

November 24, 2021 — U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse alongside Congressman Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced Tuesday a designation of fishery failure from the U.S. Department of Commerce for the Rhode Island fishing industry, specifically the Rhode Island’s Atlantic herring fishery.

A 2019 assessment showed that herring population is in a dramatic decline, with 2019 reporting less than a fifth compared to their 2014 harvest. Herring are a key bait fish used in both commercial fishing and lobster industries.

Read the full story at NBC6

 

The Town Dock Makes Domestic Squid Sourcing Public on Ocean Disclosure Project

September 28, 2021 — The following was released by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership’s Ocean Disclosure Project:

Rhode Island-based seafood company The Town Dock is become the latest company to participate in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP).

The Town Dock is a family-owned calamari supplier based in Point Judith, Rhode Island in the US. The company published an ODP profile containing a list of its domestically sourced wild-caught calamari, alongside information on the environmental sustainability of those sources. Listed are The Town Dock’s Longfin Inshore Squid (Doryteuthis peallei) and Northern Shortfin Squid (Illex illecebrosus), the only two squid species in the world to be MSC-certified sustainable.

“We are participating in the Ocean Disclosure Project because we continue to seek ways to demonstrate and underscore the importance of sustainably caught seafood. As a provider of the only two certified sustainable squid species, we saw this as an opportunity to become a resource for those interested in supporting sustainable fishing practices,” said Ryan Clark, president and CEO of The Town Dock.

“We’re pleased to have The Town Dock join ODP. We hope this partnership inspires others and showcases the importance of practicing sustainable fishing and transparency of sourcing,” said Tania Woodcock, project manager for the Ocean Disclosure Project.

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) started the ODP in 2015 to provide a valuable resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 38 other companies, including major retailers and suppliers from around the world, have participated.

The Town Dock’s full ODP profile can be viewed at: https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/the-town-dock 

Rhode Island Announces Second Round of COVID Fisheries Funding

September 21, 2021 — The Rhode Island Congressional Delegation and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced that commercial fishing and charter/for hire businesses, qualified aquaculture operators, seafood processors, and dealers are eligible to apply for an additional $255 million in assistance funding provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 on September 16.

This funding will support activities authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

DEM’s Division of Marine Fisheries is administering this second support round. According to the state government, commercial fishing, commercial aquaculture, seafood processors/wholesale (dealers), and charter/for-hires – may be eligible for assistance in the form of direct payments if they can quantify direct and indirect COVID-19 losses.

Read the full story at Seafood News

 

Feeding America: Seafood distribution program benefits fishermen, people in need

September 9, 2021 — September is Hunger Action Month, so WPRI 12 and our parent company Nexstar are helping to raise awareness.

Sometimes good can come out of bad. For instance, a new fish distribution program developed during the first few months of the pandemic helps both fishermen and those who need food.

The fishing fleet in Point Judith lost a lot of business due to COVID-19 as restaurants closed or had limited hours. Data from the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island (CFCRI) shows a 30% loss in revenue from 2019 to 2020.

To help, CFCRI secured funding to buy fish from the fishermen. That money came mostly from an anonymous donor.

“Community partners — seven of them across the state — stepped forward and said, ‘we have hundreds and hundreds of people that need food, need meals,’” said CFCRI executive director Fred Mattera.

So a seafood distribution program was born in August 2020 and it continues to this day, supporting fishermen and people who need what they catch.

Read the full story at WPRI

 

Adverse impacts to commercial fishing from South Fork wind project, report says

August 20, 2021 — “Moderate to major” impacts on commercial fishing would be expected with construction of the planned South Fork offshore wind energy project south of Rhode Island, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s final environmental impact statement.

“These impacts would occur due to the increased presence of offshore structures (cable protection measures and foundations) that could reduce fishing access and increase the risk of fishing gear damage/loss,” the report states. “The extent of adverse impacts would vary by fishery and fishing operation due to differences in target species, gear type, and predominant location of fishing activity.”

Some for-hire recreational fishing operators could see long-term opportunities for fishing near turbines, when construction of towers and their rock scour protection creates an artificial reef effect to attract some species, the report notes.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Seafood fraudster targeted US Foods, other distributors and restaurants

August 18, 2021 — A man in the U.S. state of Rhode Island has been accused of bilking nearly USD 1 million (EUR 855,000) from major broadliners in the U.S. by fraudulently purchasing seafood from them.

Paul Diogenes, also known as Paul Dejullio, created a fictitious catering company – LePage Catering – in order to obtain credit from US Foods, Performance Food Group, and other distributors to purchase more than USD 831,700 (EUR 711,000) in product. Diogenes bought hundreds of thousands of dollars of lobster, sea bass, shrimp, scallops, filet, ribeye steak, and wild boar, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Study: Wind farm could have ‘major’ impacts on commercial fishing

August 17, 2021 — Development of the South Fork Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island would have an overall “major” adverse impact on commercial fishing, according to a newly released federal study.

Impacts to commercial fishing include navigational hazards from potential collisions, loss of fishing grounds and impacts from construction and operation, according to a final environmental impact statement released Monday by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

The study found that impacts to other categories studied such as the potential impacts to air and water quality, marine mammals and bats, were negligible to minor, with many offset by the benefits of wind energy in combating climate change.

The overall “major adverse impact” on commercial fishing reflects the finding that some “commercial fisheries and fishing operations would experience substantial disruptions indefinitely even if remedial action is taken,” the study said.

But it’s not just the turbines that will impact fishing operations, BOEM found, saying that impacts of climate change and fishing itself present greater threats to the industry.

BOEM “expects that regulated fishing effort and climate change will continue to be the most impactful impact-producing factor[s] controlling the sustainability of commercial and for-hire recreational fisheries in the area,” the study said.

Read the full story at Newsday

Warming R.I. marine waters force iconic species out, disrupt catch limits

August 9, 2021 — For generations, winter flounder was one of the most important fish in Rhode Island waters. Longtime recreational fisherman Rich Hittinger recalled taking his kids fishing in the 1980s, dropping anchor, letting their lines sink to the bottom, waiting about half an hour and then filling their fishing cooler with the oval-shaped, right-eyed flatfish.

Now, four decades later, once-abundant winter flounder is difficult to find. The harvesting or possession of the fish is prohibited in much of Narragansett Bay and in Point Judith and Potter ponds. Anglers must return the ones they accidentally catch to the sea.

Overfishing is easily blamed, and the industry certainly bears responsibility, as does consumer demand. But winter flounder’s local extinction isn’t simply the result of overfishing. Sure, it played a factor, but the reasons are complicated, from habitat loss, pollution and energy production — i.e., the former Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, Mass., pre-cooling towers, when the since-shuttered facility took in about a billion gallons of water daily from Mount Hope Bay and discharged it at more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Read the full story at The Westerly Sun

Study Reveals Right Whales Use Area Intended for Wind Energy

August 2, 2021 — Areas off the coast of Massachusetts slated for wind energy projects have also shown to be new areas of import for the endangered Right Wales.

Survey data collected over the last decade shows increased number of whales travelling through the Massachusetts and Rhode Island wind energy areas.

Whales were identified by distinctive markings found in aerial photos.

The study showed about a third of the population making significant use of the area.

Reproductive female use of the area is also of high importance as one of the reasons for the declining numbers that the species has faced is a reduction in calving rates.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Rhode Island’s Warming Marine Waters Force Iconic Species Out, Disrupt Catch Limits and Change Ecosystem Services

August 2, 2021 — For generations, winter flounder was one of the most important fish in Rhode Island waters. Longtime recreational fisherman Rich Hittinger recalled taking his kids fishing in the 1980s, dropping anchor, letting their lines sink to the bottom, waiting about half an hour and then filling their fishing cooler with the oval-shaped, right-eyed flatfish.

Now, four decades later, once-abundant winter flounder is difficult to find. The harvesting or possession of the fish is prohibited in much of Narragansett Bay and in Point Judith and Potter ponds. Anglers must return the ones they accidentally catch to the sea.

Overfishing is easily blamed, and the industry certainly bears responsibility, as does consumer demand. But winter flounder’s local extinction isn’t simply the result of overfishing. Sure, it played a factor, but the reasons are complicated, from habitat loss, pollution and energy production — i.e., the former Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, Mass., pre-cooling towers, when the since-shuttered facility took in about a billion gallons of water daily from Mount Hope Bay and discharged it at more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

The climate crisis, however, is likely playing the biggest role, at least at the moment, by shifting currents, creating less oxygenated waters and warming southern New England’s coastal waters. These impacts, which started decades ago, have and are transforming life in the Ocean State’s marine waters. The changes also impact ecosystem functioning and services. There’s no end in sight, as the type of fish and their abundance will continue to turn over as waters warm.

Rhode Island’s warming water temperatures are causing a biomass metamorphosis that is transforming the state’s commercial and recreational fishing industries, for both better and worse. The average water temperature in Narragansett Bay has increased by about 4 degrees Fahrenheit since the 1960s, according to data kept by the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography.

Locally, iconic species are disappearing (winter flounder, cod and lobsters), southerly species are appearing more frequently (spot and ocean sunfish) and more unwanted guests are arriving (jellyfish that have an appetite for fish larvae and, in the summer, lionfish, a venomous and fast-reproducing fish with a voracious appetite).

Read the full story at EcoRI