Saving Seafood

Federal bureau, US Army Corps of Engineers look to support more offshore wind energy

June 23, 2021 — Two federal agencies are partnering to pursue more offshore wind energy along the Atlantic Coast, though much of North Carolina’s coastline doesn’t seem to be involved.

Meanwhile, state officials are pursuing similar plans.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued an announcement June 14 they’ve entered into an agreement to support planning and reviewing renewable energy projects on the outer continental shelf. The partnership is made in an effort to pursue President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14008, which commits to creating 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.

In an action mirroring President Biden’s executive order, Gov. Roy Cooper issued June 9 his own executive order, E.O. 218. According to a press release from his office, the order highlights “North Carolina’s commitment to offshore wind power.”

“Offshore wind power will help North Carolina create jobs and generate economic development while helping us transition to a clean energy economy,” Gov. Cooper said in the release. “North Carolina’s national leadership in clean energy and manufacturing, plus our highly trained workforce, create a strong business environment for offshore wind supply chain and manufacturing companies.”

BOEM public information officer Stephen Boutwell said in an email June 15 to the News-Times the bureau is “in the planning stages for potentially issuing additional wind leases offshore (of) North and South Carolina.”

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

NC Gov. Cooper Sets Ambitious Goal For Offshore Wind Energy By 2040

June 10, 2021 — Gov. Roy Cooper has set ambitious goals for wind energy off the North Carolina coast over the next two decades as part of his plan to fight climate change by shifting away from fossil fuels.

The governor on Wednesday signed Executive Order No. 218, which calls for developing 2.8 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 and 8 gigawatts by 2040. If that happens, the governor said that would power 2.3 million homes by 2040.

The order also calls for a new task force, “NC TOWERS, for “N.C. Taskforce for Offshore Wind Economic Resource Strategies.” Its job would be to advise offshore wind projects.

The state currently has no offshore wind farms and only one major land-based wind project — the 208-megawatt wind farm Avangrid Renewables built for Amazon in Pasquotank and Perquimans counties in eastern North Carolina. Avangrid is also studying a potential 200-square-mile wind farm 27 miles off Kitty Hawk, on the Outer Banks.

Wednesday’s order is designed to help speed up Cooper’s 2018 Executive Order No. 80. That order and the governor’s Clean Energy Plan called for developing wind energy as one way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and shift the state to what the governor calls a “clean energy economy.”

Read the full story at KFAE

Cooper urges Trump administration to include North Carolina in offshore oil drilling moratorium

September 16, 2020 — Governor Roy Cooper said he’s reached out to President Donald Trump and his administration to include North Carolina in the recently announced moratorium on offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic Ocean.

Last week, Trump extended a ten-year moratorium on offshore oil drilling for South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, but did not include North Carolina in the executive order.

“I am deeply concerned and disappointed that you did not include North Carolina in the moratorium,” Cooper wrote in a letter to President Trump on Tuesday. “Offshore drilling threatens North Carolina’s coastal economy and environment and offers our state minimal economic benefit. Accepted science tells us that there is little, if any, oil worth drilling for off North Carolina’s coast, and the risks of offshore drilling far outweigh the benefits.”

Read the full story at WECT

NORTH CAROLINA: Walking Fish keeps seafood moving inland despite outbreak

May 13, 2020 — While the novel coronavirus outbreak has closed many dine-in restaurants, a local community-supported fishery is still providing a link between commercial fishermen and their inland customers.

Walking Fish is a community-supported fishery based in Beaufort. This type of fishery is based on the community-supported agriculture model in which members of the fishery purchases shares of seafood caught by participating commercial fishermen. The seafood is then delivered to the fishery’s members. In Walking Fish’s case, the seafood is delivered on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on the type of membership.

Walking Fish coordinator Debra Callaway said May 6 that even with restrictions and Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive order requiring social distancing, Walking Fish has continued to make its regular deliveries to pickup locations in Raleigh and Durham Thursday afternoons.

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

Fishermen, seafood dealers work through industry changes due to outbreak

March 19, 2020 — With restaurants in North Carolina closed to dining in and fishing charters losing reservations, commercial fishing is feeling the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order Tuesday closing restaurants and bars to dine-in service. Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidance recommending people avoid large gatherings and to practice social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As a result, commercial fishermen, including for-hire and charter fishermen, have been “significantly impacted,” according to N.C. Fisheries Association President Glenn Skinner.

The NCFA is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the state seafood industry. Mr. Skinner, who is also a commercial fisherman, said in an email to the News-Times Wednesday the association hopes “that representatives in Raleigh and (Washington) D.C. keep the fishermen in mind as they assess the impacts of this unprecedented event.

“Restaurant closures across the country have eliminated many of the markets for N.C. seafood,” Mr. Skinner said. “While it’s too early to predict the long-term impacts, it appears they will be devastating if the current situation continues for any length of time.”

Mr. Skinner said for-hire and charter fishermen are also “feeling the pinch” from the outbreak. He said clients have been canceling fishing trips booked in advance.

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

$7.7M Secured for North Carolina Fisheries Assistance

March 4, 2020 — Gov. Roy Cooper has secured $7.7 million in federal fisheries disaster assistance, part of a $65 million appropriation by Congress for fishery disasters nationwide in 2019, his office announced Friday afternoon.

State fisheries experts will work with federal fisheries authorities to create a spending plan for the $7.7 million once more details on the timing of the grant funds is finalized by the federal government.

When Hurricane Florence hit in September 2018, the storm poured 3 feet of rain on Eastern North Carolina over a four-day period, causing widespread flooding that disrupted fishing and destroyed boats, gear, and buildings critical to fishing businesses.

The 2019 Hurricane Florence Fisheries Damage Assessment report states that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries estimated $38 million in damages to vessels and business and $56.5 million in lost revenues.

Read the full story at Coastal Review Online

Dorian’s deluge: Carolinas batten down for battering

September 6, 2019 — The death toll in the Bahamas rose to 23 as the eye of Hurricane Dorian moved off of South Carolina’s Cape Romain, near Myrtle Beach. At 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Sept. 5, the storm was headed NNE with sustained winds of about 110 miles per hour, according to NOAA.

The hurricane was expected to bring an intense storm surge with heavy rainfall, high winds and tornadoes to the Carolinas before moving up the coast to lash the Northeast with bands of rain throughout the weekend.

Dorian’s hit comes almost exactly one year after Hurricane Florence came ashore near Wilmington, N.C., close to the South Carolina border.

On Thursday, the storm had knocked out power for about 250,000 customers in South Carolina, and about 360,000 residents of the state had evacuated. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency for all 100 counties in his state. Fishermen throughout the Carolinas were busy removing gear from the water as Dorian beat down on the Bahamas over the weekend.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

North Carolina streamlines shellfish aquaculture permit process

July 31, 2019 — North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper recently signed into law Senate Bill 648, the Support Shellfish Aquaculture program, which establishes new large-scale leasing rules and a newly streamlined permitting process.

The “enterprise” areas proved to be one of the key reasons why this year’s effort on aquaculture was successful. The House passed Senate Bill 648, Support Shellfish Aquaculture, on June 12 in a 116-0 vote. In early May, the Senate approved the bill in a 47-0 vote, according to local press reports.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NORTH CAROLINA: Fisheries panel raises concerns about proposed flounder reduction

May 31, 2019 — The Carteret County Marine Fisheries Advisory Board convened for the first time since February of last year to discuss what they feel is a misguided attempt to save the southern flounder population.

At the end of the Wednesday meeting at the county administration building, board members decided to send a letter to Gov. Roy Cooper and other state figures.

At issue is a portion of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan.

Amendment 2 of the plan recommends a 62% reduction in catch of southern flounder the first year, followed by a 72% reduction the following year.

The first year begins this fall.

Members of the county advisory board feel the proposed reduction is too stringent and would place an undue burden on commercial fishermen in the county and throughout the state.

The letter mentions the importance of southern flounder fishing to the area’s economy.

“These proposed reductions will have devastating impacts to the fishing economies of Carteret County,” reads a portion of the letter the panel plans to send to the governor’s office. “The Division of Marine Fisheries and the (Marine Fisheries Commission) have decided to pursue an accelerated timeline for adoption of Amendment 2 to adopt substantial reductions in commercial and recreational harvest and have chosen fishing reduction goals that are not practicable or reasonable when considering the economic impacts, biology of southern flounder, management history and possibly environmental conditions.”

Read the full story at the Carteret County News-Times

North Carolina fishermen getting $11.6 million in Hurricane Florence relief funding

April 8, 2019 — North Carolina commercial fishermen will soon get a second round of checks as part of $11.6 million being distributed by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries under the Hurricane Florence Commercial Fishing Assistance Program.

For this round, 1,002 checks totaling $7,231,500 are going to fishermen to help compensate for October and November harvest reductions due to Hurricane Florence.

“When the storm hit, coastal communities suffered tremendous damage to homes, businesses, schools and their entire economy,” Governor Cooper said. “Helping the commercial fishing industry recover is critical for the people and places who rely on it for their livelihood, and these funds are an important boost.”

The program is designed to help make up for losses to the state’s nearly billion-dollar commercial fishing industry due to the storm and is part of a package of Hurricane Florence relief efforts Governor Cooper signed into law on December 3, 2018.

The first round of checks to fisherman went out in February and included 678 checks totaling more than $3.2 million to help compensate fishermen for reductions in the September harvest.

Distribution of the money is based on reported commercial fishing landings in September, October, and November 2018 as compared to the same months in 2015, 2016, 2017. The state collects records of all marine fish and shellfish sold at North Carolina docks.

Read the full story at WNCT