Saving Seafood

Study Looks at Vulnerability of Eastern Bering Sea Fish, Crab, and Salmon Stocks to Climate Change

September 19, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA scientists and partners have released a Climate Vulnerability Assessment for groundfish, crabs, and salmon in the Eastern Bering Sea. They looked at the potential impacts of changing climate, ocean temperatures, and other environmental conditions on 36 groundfish, crab and salmon stocks. Of these, four rockfish stocks, flathead sole and Tanner crab were determined to be the most vulnerable. Several other fish stocks were seen as potentially more resilient. This is because they may be able to move to areas with more favorable environmental conditions, such as more food and optimum water temperatures for growth and survival.

“Alaska fisheries are really important—they contributed 58% of U.S. landings and 29% of U.S. ex-vessel value in 2016, with the majority of Alaska landings and value obtained from the Eastern Bering Sea shelf,” said Robert Foy, director, Alaska Fisheries Science Center. “In the past few years water temperatures have been much warmer than average making the need for studies like this all the more imperative. Our science both in the field and in the lab is critical to monitor ecosystem changes and provide short-term and long-term forecasts to help commercial, recreational and subsistence communities anticipate and respond to changes that impact their way of life.”

Thirty-four scientists assisted with this stock analysis. They considered the likelihood of exposure to climate change, and the sensitivity and adaptability if exposed.

Researchers used existing information on climate and ocean conditions, species distributions, and species growth and development. They estimated each stock’s overall vulnerability to climate-related changes in the region.

Read the full release here

ALASKA: Warmer waters threaten to make the commercial salmon fishery less predictable

September 18, 2019 — “Unpredictable” is the way salmon managers describe Alaska’s 2019 salmon season, with “very, very interesting” as an aside.

The salmon fishery is near its end, and a statewide catch of nearly 200 million salmon is only 6% off what Alaska Department of Fish and Game number crunchers predicted, and it is on track to be the eighth largest since 1975.

The brightest spot of the season was the strong returns of sockeye salmon that produced a catch of over 55 million fish, the largest since 1995 and the fifth consecutive year of harvests topping 50 million reds. The bulk of the sockeye catch – 43.2 million – came from Bristol Bay, the second largest on record.

It was a roller coaster ride in many regions where unprecedented warm weather threw salmon runs off kilter and also killed large numbers of fish that were unable to swim upstream to their spawning grounds. Many salmon that made it to water faced temperatures of 75 degrees or more in some regions.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Ōra King salmon likened in luxury to Wagyu beef in recent Bloomberg report

September 18, 2019 — Nelson, New Zealand-based company New Zealand King Salmon Co. recently had its brand of net-pen raised king salmon, Ōra King, likened to a luxury item celebrated by chefs the world over – Wagyu beef.

A profile published by media outlet Bloomberg on 13 September declared Ōra King as the “Wagyu beef of the seafood world,” noting the fish’s “strikingly marbled meat” as well as its “sumptuous melt-in-your-mouth texture.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

How Long Before These Salmon Are Gone? ‘Maybe 20 Years’

September 17, 2019 — The Middle Fork of the Salmon River, one of the wildest rivers in the contiguous United States, is prime fish habitat. Cold, clear waters from melting snow tumble out of the Salmon River Mountains and into the boulder-strewn river, which is federally protected.

Read the full story at The New York Times

Salmon Farmers Are Already Transparent About Escapes

September 13, 2019 — The following was released by the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association:

Statements made this week by the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) about the transparency of reporting farmed salmon escapes and the potential risks involved with escapes cannot go unchallenged.

Salmon farmers do not want to lose a single fish. Their fish are their livelihood. When escapes do happen, they are largely a result of extreme weather events. Occasionally escapes are due to equipment malfunction or human error when fish are being handled (i.e. harvesting, fish health inspections). Salmon farmers are already transparent about escapes. When escapes happen, New Brunswick salmon farming companies voluntarily report it to the provincial regulator, who in turn notifies numerous groups, including the ASF, that are members of the NB Aquaculture Containment Liaison Committee. Other members include the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the NB Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, salmon producers, the NB Conservation Council and the NB Salmon Council. The NB Aquaculture Containment Liaison Committee communicates regularly. This week, the group discussed adding other groups on a case-by-case basis that may wish to be informed of an escape for a specific reason.

ASF spokesperson Neville Crabbe stated in the media this week that: “When you have spawning that’s occurring between aquaculture escapees and wild fish, you are wiping away potentially 10,000 years of evolution in a single spawning event.”

We reject that hyperbole. ASF knows full well that farmed salmon are very poorly suited to survival in the wild or reproductive success. Fearmongering about potential evolutionary disaster after a small escape does a disservice to the collaborative efforts between salmon farmers and the members of the NB Aquaculture Containment Liaison Committee. Mr. Crabbe’s comments also conveniently ignore any potential impacts of over 100 years of Atlantic salmon enhancement efforts, including ASF’s own sea ranching project in the 1970s and 80s that saw large releases of a variety of salmon strains into rivers and estuaries.

Salmon farming began – with ASF as a partner – as a way to address the decline of the commercial and recreational fishery for Atlantic salmon. Salmon farming is a responsible, sustainable and innovative means to provide adequate food supply to meet the world’s population growth while helping to reduce the pressure on wild fish stocks. Our farming practices and technology continue to evolve. Fish containment will always be a top priority as will our wild salmon conservation and enhancement efforts. Farmers work with a wide variety of partners, including First Nations, as part of the innovative Fundy Salmon Recovery project that is now seeing inner Bay of Fundy salmon return to one river in Fundy National Park in unprecedented numbers. (fundysalmonrecovery.com)

Groups in Canada, US call for AquaBounty egg boycott

September 12, 2019 — Canadian and U.S. environmental groups are urging the aquaculture and seafood industry to boycott AquaBounty’s Atlantic salmon eggs to eliminate the risk of any accidental mix-ups.

Friend of the Earth U.S., Friends of the Earth Canada, the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), the Council of Canadians – PEI Chapter, Earth Action PEI, Ecology Action Centre (Nova Scotia), The MacKillop Centre for Social Justice (PEI), and Vigilance OGM all expressed concern that “human error could lead to the inadvertent production of GM (genetically modified) salmon in open net-pens and the resultant environmental risk,” they said in a CBAN press release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NPFMC meets in Homer September 30 – October 9

September 10, 2019 — The following was released by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council:

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is meeting in Homer for the first time since July 1983, when Homer-area resident Clem Tillion was then serving as Council chairman. The Council will be in Homer again September 30 through October 9, 2019. Fishery managers, commercial and recreational fishermen, fishing families, and other local and regional stakeholders are all encouraged to attend.

The Council agenda includes an evaluation of modifying halibut bycatch limits in the Bering Sea to take into account halibut abundance, a final action on a proposal to change observer fees for partial coverage fisheries, discussion of potential changes to the Bering Sea cod fisheries, and development of salmon management for the portion of the Cook Inlet fishery access and management that occurs in Federal waters. “We’re excited for the Council back to meet in Homer and to hear directly from the local fishermen and stakeholders that have an interest in Federal fisheries.” – Simon Kinneen, Council Chair.

Read a short summary of each agenda item here.

The Council will be holding its first “Introduction to the Council process” workshop on Tuesday, October 1 from 5:30 – 7pm at the Best Western. “We are reaching out to stakeholders who may not normally have a chance to attend a Council meeting, to provide an opportunity to learn about the process, and how to participate effectively,” notes David Witherell, Executive Director. The Council introductory workshop will also offer a brief outline of what topics are on the agenda so participants can gauge how they might be of interest.

Local stakeholders may also be interested in some of the Council committees that are meeting this week. Monday September 30, from 9-5 at the Best Western, the Council’s Cook Inlet Salmon Committee will be informally discussing progress on federal management of the salmon fishery in the EEZ of Cook Inlet. The Council’s Community Engagement Committee will be meeting Tuesday, October 1 from 8-5 at the Land’s End to develop strategies to improve the Council’s engagement with rural and Alaska Native communities. NMFS is also hosting a Recreational Fishery Roundtable Wednesday, October 2 from 5:30 – 7pm at the Best Western.

All of the Council’s meetings are public, with the exception of executive session. Local input is important and can provide critical insight from those ‘on the water’ who are affected by the Council’s actions. The Council’s meetings and presentations are broadcast through a link on the webpage (www.npfmc.org) and public comment is accepted for every meeting ahead of time through the electronic meeting portal: meetings.npfmc.org. That same meeting portal includes all details, documents and related materials for every meeting.

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