Saving Seafood

A giant warm-water mass—similar to ‘the blob’—could wreak havoc on West Coast marine life

September 9, 2019 — You might remember the blob.

Not the 1958 sci-fi movie, but the giant mass of warm water that formed in the Pacific Ocean in 2013 and continued to spread until 2015. It wreaked havoc on the West Coast marine ecosystem and dampened salmon runs.

Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have identified another expanse of warm water and say this marine heatwave could rival the blob. The impact on sea life could be devastating.

Ocean surface temperature maps show the warm mass stretching from Alaska to California. It currently “ranks as the second-largest marine heatwave in terms of area in the northern Pacific Ocean in the last 40 years, after ‘the Blob,'” according to NOAA.

Read the full story at SF Gate

NAFO Consultative Committee Meeting September 16 in Gloucester MA

September 9, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries is holding a public meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultative Committee.

NAFO is a regional fisheries management organization that coordinates scientific study and cooperative management of the fisheries resources of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, excluding salmon, tunas/marlins, whales, and sedentary species (e.g., shellfish).

This meeting will help to ensure that the interests of U.S. stakeholders in the fisheries of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean are adequately represented at the Annual Meeting of the Organization.

Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Consultative Committee members and all other interested U.S. stakeholders are invited to attend.

Meeting Details

Date: September 16, 2019

Time: 1 pm – 3:30 pm EST

Location: Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

Questions?

If you would like information about webinar access or have other questions about this meeting, please contact Moira Kelly, Regional Office, 978-281-9218

Scientists Discover Three New Viruses That Infect Endangered Salmon

September 5, 2019 — Scientists from the University of British Columbia, Fisheries and Ocean Canada, and the Pacific Salmon Foundation have discovered three new viruses that infect endangered Chinook and sockeye salmon – including one that was previously thought to only infect mammals.

These fish are considered to be ‘keystone species’ – meaning they have a disproportionately large impact on their ecosystem, making them a high priority for conservation. However, populations of both Chinook and sockeye salmon have been declining in the Pacific Northwest for the last three decades despite increased fishing regulations.

Researchers believe viruses may be part of the cause of the salmon declines. To date, most research on salmon-infecting viruses has focused on the piscine orthoreovirus, or PRV. PRV can cause ‘Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation Disease’ (HSMI) in Atlantic salmon, devastating farmed stocks. However, PRV does not have the same disease-causing effect on Chinook and sockeye salmon.

Read the full story at Forbes

Sea Mix brand CEO: MSC certification is only path forward for Chinese market

September 3, 2019 — Chinese consumers are increasingly interested in sustainability, according to Song Peng, the CEO of Qingdao Beiyang Jiamei Aquatic Products Co. Established in 2009, the firm distributes seafood to supermarkets and online markets in China under the “Seamix” brand, using the marketing slogan “Food safety, responsibility, sustainability.” The firm’s imports include Arctic shrimp, cod, salmon, Ecuadorian shrimp, and Greenland halibut. SeafoodSource talked to Song about the firm’s marketing strategy for certified sustainable products. 

SeafoodSource: When and how did you discover the MSC certification program?

Peng: We started as a processor and then entered the domestic market. In 2010, we started to process MSC-certified cod and haddock for the European and American markets. We are now the leading supplier of MSC products in China market in terms of SKUs [stock keeping units].

Read the full release here

New plan targets salmon-eating sea lions in Columbia River

September 3, 2019 — More than 1,100 sea lions could be killed annually along a stretch of the Columbia River on the Oregon-Washington border to boost faltering populations of salmon and steelhead, federal officials said Friday.

The National Marine Fisheries Service said it’s taking public comments through Oct. 29 on the plan requested by Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Native American tribes.

The agency says billions of dollars on habitat restoration, fish passage at dams and other efforts have been spent in the three states in the last several decades to save 13 species of Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Read the full story at The Seattle Times

ALASKA: Pink salmon payout

August 28, 2019 — Applications should now be in the hands of Alaska salmon fishermen and processors hurt by the 2016 pink salmon fishery failure.

NOAA Fisheries last month approved $56.3 million in relief funds at Kodiak, Prince William Sound, Chignik, Lower Cook Inlet, South Alaska Peninsula, Southeast Alaska, and Yakutat.

Funds are being distributed by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC).

Salmon permit holders who show losses from the pink bust will split $31.8 million based on average dockside values over even years from 2006 to 2014.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

California sails toward biggest salmon harvest in years

August 26, 2019 — Trolling off the California coast, Sarah Bates leans over the side of her boat and pulls out a long, silvery fish prized by anglers and seafood lovers: wild king salmon.

Reeling in a fish “feels good every time,” but this year has been surprisingly good, said Bates, a commercial troller based in San Francisco.

She and other California fishermen are reporting one of the best salmon fishing seasons in years, thanks to heavy rain and snow that ended the state’s historic drought.

It’s a sharp reversal for chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, an iconic species that helps sustain many Pacific Coast fishing communities.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Trump escalates US-China trade war with tariff increases

August 26, 2019 — Soon after China moved on 23 August to raise tariffs on USD 75 billion (EUR 67.4 billion) of U.S. goods, U.S. President Donald Trump retaliated with another increase to tariffs on Chinese goods.

China’s escalation of its tariffs on U.S. goods hit the seafood industry once again, increasing the tariffs on salmon, lobster, pollock, cod, squid, crab to 35 percent, exempting raw material for processing and re-export. The previous tariffs already had a significant impact on some sectors of the seafood industry – lobster exports from Maine to China plunged 84 percent after the tariffs took effect.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Mowi faces difficult decision on conceptual “Egg” salmon cages

August 23, 2019 — Mowi is considering dropping plans for a futuristic method of salmon farming.

Along with Hauge Aqua, Mowi has developed an ovaloid-shaped conceptual design, termed “The Egg,” which floating, self-supported, and closed salmon-farming cage that is described as “escape-proof.” The enclosure is designed to limit interaction between the farmed salmon on the inside and the wild salmon on the outside, and would prevent sea lice because it pulls in ocean water from 26 meters, which is a depth where the parasites are unable to exist, according to Marine Harvest.

Read the full story at Seafood Source