Saving Seafood

Norway’s deadly algae bloom may be waning, government says

June 3, 2019 — A deadly algae bloom that has killed nearly eight million Atlantic salmon being farmed in northern Norway appears to be dispersing, according to the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries.

The bloom, first reported in mid-May, has killed 3.8 million farmed salmon in the Nordland area, the equivalent of 6,400 metric tons, and four million salmon in Troms, or 6,820 metric tons, according to Norway’s Fiskeridirektoratet. Affected companies include Ballangen Sjøfarm, Ellingsen Seafood, Mortenlaks, and Nordlaks in Nordland and South Rollerfish, Northern Lights Salmon, Kleiva Fish Farm, Gratanglaks, Nordlaks, and Salaks in Troms.

“It may seem that blooming is on the way down. Generally lower numbers of algae are recorded, the cells are smaller in size and there are observations suggesting that the bloom/species is less harmful,” the directorate wrote in a 2 June update. “As reported in recent days, there have been high concentrations of algae without causing fish to die. It may happen that the algae bloom up again in smaller areas.”

Many salmon-farming companies in northern Norway have transferred their fish to locations less likely to be affected by the algae bloom. Cermaq, Nordlaks, Ellingsen Seafood, and Nordnorsk Stamfisk have moved fish and broodstock out of Nordland, while Lerøy had issued a notice that it was considering moving fish out of Troms, but delayed its decision as local water conditions improved.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Maine’s Atlantic salmon prognosis remains grim despite all-time low harvest and more adult returns to North American rivers

May 31, 2019 — On Thursday, as national delegations prepare to meet in Norway to discuss Atlantic salmon conservation, there’s a mixed bag of news for those who are passionate about salmon and salmon angling.

The headline on an Atlantic Salmon Federation press release, in fact, sounds downright cheery, as it announces that harvest of the fish in the North Atlantic is at an all-time low, and adult returns to North American rivers increased from 2017 to 2018.

That’s the attitude the ASF is taking heading into the annual meeting of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization, at least.

In an accompanying report, “State of the North American Atlantic Salmon Populations,” a more sober picture begins to emerge.

According to that report, salmon returns to U.S. rivers in 2018 met only 3 percent of the conservation limit for fish that had spent two winters at sea. And what’s a “conservation limit?” That’s defined as the number of spawning adults below which populations are unable to sustain themselves, and begin to decline.

And that pretty much defines the Atlantic salmon situation here in Maine; the fish is listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Fishing for Atlantic salmon here is not allowed, and the population that does exist is almost entirely dependent on the annual stocking of hundreds of thousands of hatchery fish.

In 2018, according to the ASF, the Penobscot had 480 large salmon and 289 small salmon return. That run of 769 fish was lower than 2017’s 849 returning salmon.

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News

Mowi CEO: GSI will continue to be a game-changer

May 30, 2019 — The Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) recently published its annual Sustainability Report, providing six years of data across 14 indicators for more than half of the global salmon industry. The report identified a number of key trends within the salmon farming sector and its membership, including:

  • A 50 percent decrease in the use of sea lice treatments, coupled with a 120 percent increase in the use of non-medicinal methods – due both to technological advancements and best-practice sharing;
  • The amount of fishmeal and fish oil in feed has reduced by 17 percent and 9 percent, respectively, resulting in an overall 11 percent decrease in the sector’s use of marine ingredients;
  • Farmed salmon continues to be one of the most eco-efficient forms of animal protein production, with the lowest carbon footprint, lowest feed conversion ratio, and lowest land-use;
  • More than 620,000 metric tons (MT) of salmon farmed by GSI members are now certified to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard. Coming from over 185 farms worldwide, this represents almost 60 percent of their total production.

In an interview with SeafoodSource, Alf-Helge Aarskog, CEO of Mowi and co-chair of GSI, explained how the group’s collaborative endeavors and focus on transparency will continue to drive improved sustainability across the industry for a long time to come.

SeafoodSource: Has GSI achieved what you hoped it would over the past six years, and what have been its defining moments so far?

Aarskog: Having been involved in the GSI since it began in 2013, I am very pleased with how far the group has come. There is still a lot for us to work on, but in only six years to see the progress the industry has made in improving its transparency, focusing more on its sustainability challenges, and the speed at which we have approached the ASC standard, I think it is well beyond what any of us expected.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

4 years after California’s largest dam removal project, how are the fish doing?

May 28, 2019 — Four years ago, construction crews with huge jackhammers tore apart a 10-story concrete dam in the wooded canyons of the Carmel River, between the Big Sur hills and the beach front town of Carmel.

The destruction of the San Clemente Dam, which had blocked the river since 1921, remains the largest dam removal project in California history. It’s still early, but one of the main goals of the project seems to be on track: The river is becoming wilder, and struggling fish populations are rebounding.

“We don’t want to do the touchdown dance yet, but so far things are looking good,” said Tommy Williams, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who has monitored the Carmel River’s recovery. “It’s just amazing how fast these systems come back. Everything is playing out like we thought.”

Removal of the century-old dam is being watched closely around the country as a potential model for how to demolish other aging, dangerous and obsolete dams and restore rivers to a natural state not seen in generations.

The 106 foot-tall dam had been located 18 miles up river from Monterey Bay. In 2016, the first year after it was removed, researchers found that no steelhead trout, an iconic type of rainbow trout listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, swam past its former site to a tagging location seven miles upriver. By 2017, seven steelhead had made the trip. Last year, the count was 29. So far this year, 123 steelhead have traveled upriver.

“We’re seeing progress. I’m surprised that it has been happening in such a short time,” said Aman Gonzalez, who managed the dam removal project for California-American Water, the company that owned it.

Read the full story at The Chicago Tribune

It’s Time to Be Honest about Seafood

May 28, 2019 — Demand for seafood is increasing across the globe, and the United States is no exception. Aquaculture, or aquatic farming, is increasingly meeting this demand and now supplies just over 50 percent of all seafood globally. In fact, it has been one of the world’s fastest growing food sectors for years.

The U.S. is the largest importer of seafood in the world, and some of Americans’ favorites—including shrimp, salmon and tilapia—are predominantly farmed these days. Yet, we contribute less than 1 percent of the world’s total aquaculture production. This means we rely heavily on other countries to satisfy our appetites for seafood.

If the U.S. does not increase its domestic production of farmed shellfish, seaweed and finfish, the divergence between what we consume and what we contribute to the global seafood market will continue to widen. This gap may make it harder for our seafood diets to be sustainable. It also means the U.S. won’t have a hand in shaping the standards or economies that contribute to the seafood sector as a whole in the future.

A brand-new bill that proposes a moratorium on commercial permits for marine finfish aquaculture facilities in U.S. waters could serve to widen this gap, and it represents another divergence: between public wariness about domestic aquaculture operations and the science showing aquaculture’s potential for sustainable growth.

While wild-caught fisheries have hit “peak fish” domestically and globally, with limited potential for additional sustainable growth, there is mounting scientific evidence that the U.S. could dramatically increase domestic aquaculture production and do so sustainably, as we did with our fisheriesbefore they peaked. And this growth does not have to come at the cost of our wild-caught fisheries or other priorities for our oceans, especially under careful management and planning.

Read the full story at Scientific American

Port of Seattle would sink without Alaska’s fisheries

May 24, 2019 — If not for Alaska’s fisheries, the Port of Seattle would not be what it is today.

How important is Alaska to its bottom line?

An economic report released this month by the Port of Seattle reveals that Seattle is home  to about 300 fishing vessels and of those, all but 74 make their fishing living in Alaska. The Seattle-based boats harvest Alaska pollock, Bering Sea crab, flounders, salmon and many other high value species, and they vary in size from huge, 150 crew catcher-processors to much smaller seiners and trawlers.

In 2017, fishing vessels that moored at one of Seattle’s three terminals and operated in the Alaskan fisheries generated gross earnings of more $455 million, or nearly half of the gross earnings from Alaska’s fisheries. That represented 44% of all gross earnings from the North Pacific fisheries.

Boats fishing in Puget Sound and other Washington areas earned $26.6 million at the Seattle docks.

An estimated 7,200 jobs were directly associated with commercial fishing at the Port of Seattle in 2017. Of that, 5,100 jobs were on fishing vessels, of which all but just 200 operated in Alaska fisheries.

Read the full story at Alaska Fish Radio

Salmon studies: North Pacific project trawls for data, funding

May 24, 2019 — “I like to say to people that after 100 years of research, we know a lot about salmon. But what we need to know most, we mostly don’t know,” said fisheries scientist Richard Beamish following the first International Year of the Salmon expedition this year. “We can’t forecast how a changing ocean ecosystem is going to affect salmon.”

Beamish, who organized the expedition and is an emeritus scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, British Columbia, is seeking $1.5 million from governments, the private sector and nonprofit organizations for a 2020 expansion. The program’s researchers would like to carry the program into 2021 to continue their work on North Pacific salmon stocks and climate change.

The 2019 expedition, which was a signature project of the program, kicked off in February with an international winter salmon study in the deepest regions of the Gulf of Alaska. The 2020 expedition would put two Russian trawlers on the water to expand the work of a pilot 25-day single-vessel survey that ran early this year in the Gulf of Alaska.

A bigger survey is in the works for 2021. It would involve five ships surveying the entire North Pacific Ocean. The cost of that project is estimated at $10 million.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Millions of Salmon in Norway Killed by Algae Bloom

May 24, 2019 — About eight million farmed salmon have suffocated in northern Norway over the past week as a result of persistent algae bloom, an industry body estimated on Thursday, a blight that some experts suggest has been aggravated by climate change.

Norway is a dominant producer of farmed salmon, and the economic impact of the bloom is significant.

A statement from the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries estimated the amount of salmon lost at 11,600 metric tons, worth about 720 million kroner, or more than $82 million. An industry group, the Norwegian Seafood Council, suggested the total could be much higher.

“Preliminary numbers point to eight million dead fish — corresponding to 40,000 metric tons of salmon that won’t reach markets,” Dag Sorli, a spokesman for the council, said in an email on Thursday. He put the value of the losses at 2.2 billion kroner.

Read the full story at The New York Times

Washington Congressional Democrats Voice Opposition to Mining in Upper Skagit River Watershed

May 23, 2019 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Marie Cantwell (D-WA):

Today, nine members of the Washington congressional delegation, led by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voicing opposition to a proposed mine in the headwaters of the Upper Skagit River in British Columbia due to its potential impact on Washington state.

Those signing include: U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray and U.S. Representatives Suzan DelBene (WA-1), Rick Larsen (WA-2), Derek Kilmer (WA-6), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Kim Schrier (WA-8), Adam Smith (WA-9), and Denny Heck (WA-10).

“We write in opposition to a proposed mining development in the Upper Skagit River Watershed in British Columbia, Canada,” the members of Congress wrote. “This proposed mine in the Skagit River headwaters could negatively impact Washington state’s tourism and recreation economy, the public health of citizens, and our state’s cultural and natural resources, including economically and ecologically valuable fish populations that are dependent upon the health of the transboundary watershed.”

Imperial Metals, a British Columbian mining company, has submitted a proposal to conduct exploratory copper and gold mining operations on unprotected land in the Upper Skagit River Watershed. However, copper is highly toxic to salmon, and concerns have been raised that heavy metals from mining could pollute the river, harming fisheries as far downstream as Puget Sound and threatening recreation on the Skagit River.

The “Treaty Between the United States and Canada Relating to the Skagit River and Ross Lake, and the Seven Mile Reservoir on the Pend d’Oreille River,” ratified on December 14, 1984, resolves disputes related to hydropower electric generation at the Ross Dam and includes the British Columbia-Seattle Agreement, which preceded the ratification of the Treaty.

In their letter, the members highlighted one primary component of the Treaty: the protection of wilderness, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities in the Skagit River Watershed – goals that are undermined by the mining proposal.

“Mining in the Upper Skagit River Watershed could be detrimental to the Endangered Species Act-threatened fish and other sensitive wildlife populations, such as salmon and orca. This watershed provides over 30 percent of the freshwater flowing into Puget Sound and supports a diverse fish and wildlife population that are of local, regional, and national importance, including the largest population of threatened steelhead and Chinook salmon in Puget Sound and the largest run of chum salmon in the contiguous United States,” the members continued.

The full text of the letter can be found below. 

May 22, 2019

Secretary Pompeo,

We write in opposition to a proposed mining development in the Upper Skagit River Watershed in British Columbia, Canada. This proposed mine in the Skagit River headwaters could negatively impact Washington state’s tourism and recreation economy, the public health of citizens, and our state’s cultural and natural resources, including economically and ecologically valuable fish populations that are dependent upon the health of the transboundary watershed.

The Skagit River flows from its headwaters in British Columbia through the North Cascades National Park and Mt. Baker Snoqualmie Forest to Puget Sound. Imperial Metals Corporation has applied for a permit to conduct mineral exploration for up to five years in an area known as the “donut hole”—a vast acreage of unprotected land surrounded by the Skagit Valley Provincial Park and the E.C. Manning Provincial Park located at the headwaters of the Skagit River.

On December 14, 1984, the “Treaty Between the United States and Canada Relating to the Skagit River and Ross Lake, and the Seven Mile Reservoir on the Pend d’Oreille River” was ratified. The Treaty resolved disputes related to hydropower electric generation at the Ross Dam and included the British Columbia-Seattle Agreement, which preceded the ratification of the Treaty. A primary component of the Treaty and the Agreement is the protection of wilderness, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities in the Upper Skagit River Watershed. We believe that this proposed exploration undercuts the spirit of the Treaty and the Agreement.

Mining in the Upper Skagit River Watershed could be detrimental to the Endangered Species Act-threatened fish and other sensitive wildlife populations, such as salmon and orca. This watershed provides over 30 percent of the freshwater flowing into Puget Sound and supports a diverse fish and wildlife population that are of local, regional, and national importance, including the largest population of threatened steelhead and Chinook salmon in Puget Sound and the largest run of chum salmon in the contiguous United States.

Additionally, the proposal names copper—a metal highly toxic to the native salmon—as a targeted goal of this mining. The potential for releases of copper and other heavy metals would pollute waters downstream. This would pose a substantial human health risk to the State of Washington, City of Seattle, and the Tribes dependent upon this watershed. It also threatens Washington state’s outdoor recreation economy, which generates 201,000 jobs, $26.2 billion in consumer spending, and $7.6 billion in wages and salaries.

We believe mineral development in the Upper Skagit River Watershed undermines the intent of the Treaty and the Agreement and places in jeopardy the cooperation we have shared with Canada on the protection of the Watershed for 35 years. For these reasons and those outlined above, we call your attention to this imperative issue.

Read the full release here

Essential Fish Habitat Consultation Protects Crab and Salmon from Mining Operations in Alaska

May 23, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) recently released for public comment a General Permit for Floating Mining Operations in Alaska State Navigable Waters, including marine waters. The permit includes new measures to protect red king crab and salmon which migrate through Norton Sound and into rivers to spawn. NOAA Fisheries reviews public notices and offers expertise to the USACE for the conservation of living marine resources.

Floating mining operations use a dredge in nearshore waters to ‘vacuum’ up gravel and sand substrates which are then sifted to retain gold. The new protections restrict mining operations during certain spring and summer months when juvenile red king crab settle to the seafloor. Mining operations will also be restricted in waters deeper than 30 feet and within one nautical mile of stream mouths to avoid areas where salmon concentrate.

An Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) consultation with NOAA Fisheries is required whenever a federal agency authorizes, funds, or undertakes activities in an area that will affect EFH. Together, the agency and NOAA determine how best to conduct the coastal activity while supporting fish habitat and minimizing or avoiding environmental damage. The science conducted through this consultation helped USACE make management decisions; balancing mining and fishery interests in the Norton Sound.

In recent years, researchers and scientists from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and the Alaska Fisheries Science Center used regular baseline sampling, analysis, monitoring, and new side-scan sonars technologies to inform studies on the benthic environment and red king crab in Norton Sound. Results showed that habitats deeper than 30 feet of water take more time to recover, while shallower habitats are routinely disturbed by natural events and recover quickly. Surveys also showed that crab larvae settle in nearshore substrates. These findings were used to better inform managers with the most recent science for the EFH consultation process.

NOAA Fisheries has provided USACE with EFH conservation recommendations relating to suction dredging operations in Norton Sound since 1999.

Read the full release here