Saving Seafood

Despite Ukraine invasion, the U.S. and Russia are still working together to solve salmon mysteries

March 3, 2022 — Tensions continue to simmer between Moscow and Washington in the wake of Russia’s invasion of  Ukraine.

In many respects, the divide between East and West is deepening: Oil companies are canceling partnerships with Russian firms. State legislators are calling for the state’s sovereign wealth fund to dump Russian investments. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the U.S. would close its airspace to Russian aircraft.

But the United States and Russia are continuing to work together on at least one issue: salmon.

There’s a map scattered with orange, green, blue and red dots spanning most of the North Pacific above 46 degrees latitude.

Read the full story at KRBD

Seaweed, salmon and sablefish win big in Alaska seafood competition

March 2, 2022 — The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation celebrated its final round of prizes for the annual Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition in Juneau Thursday, Feb. 24.

The contest for new value-added products made from Alaska seafood is designed to propel product development that diversifies markets, improves utilization and reduces fish waste.

The winners will now head to Boston for Seafood Expo North America’s Seafood Excellence Awards in March.

“For the first time, we are especially proud to say that three of the Symphony’s first place winners are in the top 10 finalists in the Seafood Excellence Awards, a national competition,” said Julie Decker, executive director of the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, based in Wrangell. “This demonstrates that the Alaska seafood industry is a national leader in product innovation and that the Alaska Symphony of Seafood is an excellent path to a national stage.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

Paper finds hotter, drier conditions negatively impact salmon spawns

March 2, 2022 — A new paper published 15 February in Fisheries Magazine confirms that salmon spawns fared worse in hotter, drier conditions.

The new paper, “Premature Mortality Observations among Alaska’s Pacific Salmon During Record Heat and Drought in 2019,” found salmon had higher spawning success in glacier and snow-fed streams than in rain-fed streams in hot, dry conditions.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Cooke gets two wins, advancing Salish Fish steelhead project in Washington

March 1, 2022 — Cooke Aquaculture Pacific has won two victories allowing its plan to farm steelhead in the U.S. state of Washington to advance.

In a unanimous, 9-0 decision, the Washington Supreme Court upheld a decision by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to allow Cook to convert its idle Atlantic salmon net-pen farms to raise steelhead. The move was precipitated by Washington’s ban on farming of non-native species in its waters.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

NOAA Biological Opinion Concludes Marine Finfish Aquaculture Has No Adverse Impact on Salmon, Orcas, and Other Native or Endangered Species in Puget Sound

March 1, 2022 — The following was released by the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance:

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service has released a biological opinion regarding marine finfish aquaculture in Puget Sound, finding little to no negative impact on native species such as endangered salmon, Orcas, or their habitat.

The NOAA analysis was initiated in October of 2018 to analyze the effects of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of the Washington Department of Ecology’s Sediment Management Standards regarding marine finfish rearing facilities.

In its analysis, NOAA found that EPA’s approval:

  • Is “not likely to jeopardize the continued existence” of Puget Sound (PS) and/or Georgia Basin (GB) species, including Chinook salmon, PS steelhead, Hood Canal summer-run chum, PS/GB yelloweye rockfish, or PS/GB bocaccio.
  • Is “not likely to result in the destruction or adverse modification of the designated critical habitats for any of the listed species.”

In response to this opinion, the Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA), which advocates for the sustainable production of aquatic foods in the Pacific region, is calling on regulators and policymakers to follow the science in making key decisions regarding marine aquaculture in Washington waters.

Native Steelhead trout grown in Washington State by Cooke Aquaculture Pacific. Photo Credit: Cooke Aquaculture

“After years of meticulous research and study, the scientists at NOAA have concluded, with full scientific certainty, that net-pen aquaculture in Puget Sound is safe for the environment and safe for the endangered species that live in these waters,” said Jim Parsons, NWAA President. Parsons is also CEO of Jamestown Seafood.

“This study, along with the recent unanimous Washington Supreme Court decision upholding Cooke Aquaculture Pacific’s permit to raise native steelhead in Puget Sound, finally puts to rest one of the biggest myths of all: that fish farming has a negative impact on endangered Chinook salmon and Orcas,” Parsons said.  “As aquatic farmers, we depend on a healthy ecosystem to grow a range of aquatic food products–from steelhead trout to black cod to oysters, clams, mussels, and sea vegetables—instead of importing these foods. Sustainable aquaculture not only produces the nutritious, affordable food our world needs, but it also benefits working families in our rural communities.”

Parsons added: “Given the current world situation, it’s time for Washington to lead the way in delivering fresh, locally produced, seafood to consumers throughout the Pacific Northwest and the United States. We encourage our leaders to rely on science rather than politics or claims made by certain anti-aquaculture activist groups in making key decisions about the future of aquatic farming and the Blue Economy in Washington.”

Leo DiCaprio, Jeff Bezos, Blake Griffin part of Wildtype’s USD 100 million funding round

February 23, 2022 — Cell-based salmon start-up Wildtype announced on Wednesday, 23 February, it had raised USD 100 million (EUR 88 million) in its latest funding round.

San Francisco, California, U.S.A.-based Wildtype, which is creating sushi-grade cell-cultivated salmon for fine dining restaurants, said investments in the funding round came from Bezos Expeditions, S2G Ventures Oceans and Seafood Fund, Robert Downey Jr.’s FootPrint Coalition, Cargill, actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio, and several prominent chefs and professional athletes. Private equity firm L Catterton led the funding round.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Glaciers’ retreat could open new Alaska salmon habitat

February 22, 2022 — Melting glaciers in the U.S. state of Alaska and the Canadian province of British Columbia could open up new habitat for Pacific salmon – conceivably almost equal to the length of the Mississippi River – by 2100, under one scenario of “moderate” climate change.

But, on balance, a warming climate will continue to take a negative toll on salmon populations on the U.S. Pacific coast.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

March 2022 Briefing Book available online (March 2022 PFMC meeting)

February 18, 2022 — The following was released by the Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC or Council) and its advisory bodies will meet March 8-14 in a hybrid format with the Council and its salmon Advisory Bodies meeting in San Jose, California with live streaming and remote participation options. All other ancillary meetings will be held by webinar only. The Council is scheduled to address issues related to salmon, groundfish, highly migratory species, Pacific halibut, ecosystem, and administrative matters.

Briefing materials for the hybrid format Council meeting are available on the Council’s March 2022 briefing book webpage. .

For further information:

•Visit the March 2022 briefing book webpage

•Please contact Council staff

•See the March 2022 Council meeting webpage

 

Aldi’s motion to dismiss lawsuit alleging deceptive sustainability claims denied

February 17, 2022 — U.S. Superior Court for the District of Columbia Judge Heidi Pasichow has rejected a motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging Aldi had been deceptive in its claims of sustainability for its fresh Atlantic salmon products.

Filed in January 2021, the lawsuit alleges Aldi’s use of the phrase “Simple. Sustainable. Seafood.” on its Atlantic salmon products “leads consumers to believe that the salmon was farmed in accordance with high environmental and animal welfare standards, but in reality, the salmon are sourced unsustainably,” Toxin Free USA, which is suing Aldi, said in a new press release. GMO/Toxin Free USA is a nonprofit that advocates against the use of GMOs, synthetic pesticides, and other toxins in food products. Its complaint describes the net-pen farms in Chile, the source of some of the salmon sold by Aldi, as using an “ecologically dangerous method” of salmon production in which thousands of fish are crowded into cages or pens.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

While Chignik fishermen wait on 2018 relief funds, some look beyond the fishery to survive

February 16, 2022 — Aloys Kopun sat in the small harbormaster’s office in Chignik Bay last July as a few boats gently bobbed in the harbor’s turquoise water.

“When we were fishing like we normally fished here, the whole harbor was always plump full,” he said. “As you can see, now, we had hardly nobody in here. And everybody’s gone tendering or went to other areas to fish, or some of them went broke.”

Kopun fished in Chignik, on the Alaska Peninsula, for decades before becoming the summer harbormaster.

He said the harbor used to be so full that it had a waiting list for boats to dock there. But last summer, it was almost empty. Significantly fewer boats have returned since the Chignik sockeye run failed in 2018. Fishermen who depend on the salmon closed out that season without making a paycheck.

Read the full story at Alaska Public Media