October 12, 2021 — Frozen and fresh seafood sales reached nearly USD 5.5 billion (EUR 4.8 billion) in sales for the first nine months of 2021, with fresh sales leading the way in dollar and volume growth, according to new data.
Fresh seafood sales spiked 3.9 percent by value and 2.9 percent by volume and frozen seafood sales grew 2 percent by value, but shrunk 2.4 percent by volume through the first three quarters of 2021, according to research firms IRI and 210 Analytics.
October 5, 2021 — Major U.S. hospitality supplier Aramark is committing to increase local seafood sourcing in New England via a partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI).
Coinciding with the start of National Seafood Month, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.-based Aramark said in a press release that all of its higher education, healthcare, and business dining accounts in New England will pursue several local sustainable sourcing goals over the next three years.
September 24, 2021 — The latest in a long line of transportation snags affecting the seafood industry is gridlock at ports in the U.S. state of California, which has created supply chain woes for importers of products from China and other major seafood-supplying nations.
A record-breaking 73 ships were waiting at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach on 20 September, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California, per The Wall Street Journal, with the average wait time for ships to get into Los Angeles extending out to 8.5 days, also a record.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
September 22, 2021 — A new timetable for introducing full import controls for animal-based goods, including seafood products, being imported from the European Union to the United Kingdom has been laid out by the U.K. government.
The revised timings will give businesses more time to adjust to new border control processes, the U.K. government said in a press release. The “pragmatic new timetable” will see full customs declarations and controls introduced on 1 January, 2022, as previously announced, although safety and security declarations will now not be required until 1 July, 2022.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
September 17, 2021 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:
Now in its third year, the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) Ocean Stewardship Fund is open to applications for 2022, offering over £1 million in grants dedicated to support sustainable fishing worldwide. The MSC invites fisheries, scientists, NGOs, and postgraduate students to apply for grants of up to £50,000 each, available across four different strands of funding.
September 16, 2021 — The following was released by the USDA:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it will soon publish Requests for Applications (RFAs) for new grant programs – the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant program and the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant program – to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to the COVID-19 crisis. These grant programs will provide assistance to small businesses in certain commodity areas, including small scale specialty crop producers and processors, shellfish, aquaculture and other select producers, meat and other processors, distributors, farmers markets, seafood facilities and processing vessels. Today USDA released grant forecasts for these new programs to help potential applicants determine their eligibility and to prepare to apply for funding. Approximately $650 million in funding is available for the PRS grants and $50 million is available for SPRS. All of these new programs are funded by the Pandemic Assistance provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
“As the economy continues to gain strength after the Biden Administration’s historic vaccination and economic relief efforts, USDA is working with agricultural and food businesses to ensure they have the resources and tools to thrive in 2021 and beyond,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The funding associated with USDA Pandemic Assistance is meant to serve as a bridge from disruptions associated with the pandemic to longer-term investments to help build back a better food system. Financial relief to these essential producers, distributors, processors and other small agricultural businesses is a critical to get our food system back on track.”
For the PRS grants, eligible entities are detailed in the Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program forecast, USDA-AMS-TM-PRS-G-21-0011. Eligible entities should visit the PRS grant portal at usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov for complete information on the program, including how to obtain a free of charge DUNS Number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) BEFORE applying for this program. On September 23, USDA will issue another announcement indicating that entities may submit their applications through the grant portal; entities will need their DUNS number to submit an application.
For the Seafood PRS grants, USDA will allocate block grant funding to U.S. states and territories based on a formula that considers economic activity as demonstrated through commercial fisheries landings. Eligible entities are state agencies as detailed in the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program forecast, USDA-AMS-TM-SPRS-G-21-0012. The state agency will then provide funds to seafood processing facilities and processing vessels. Seafood processors and processing vessels should apply directly through their State agency; seafood processors and processing vessels should not apply through PRS and should instead contact their state agency for financial assistance once USDA awards funds to states. A listing of state contacts will be made available on the USDA website. Tribal government owned eligible entities may apply directly to USDA, details of which will be developed through tribal consultation in conjunction with Office of Tribal Relations.
Updated information regarding the PRS and Seafood PRS programs will be available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) website: www.ams.usda.gov.
Any grant application submitted after the due date will not be considered unless the applicant provides documentation of an extenuating circumstance that prevented their timely submission of the grant application. Read more in AMS Late and Non-Responsive Application Policy (PDF, 431 KB).
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
September 14, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said will soon dole out USD 50 million (EUR 42 million) in grants via its Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant.
The agency will soon publish requests for applications for the new COVID-19 relief program for seafood processors as well as for its Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program “to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to the COVID-19 crisis,” the agency said in a press release.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
September 13, 2021 –The past year’s decrease in restaurant and wholesale markets, domestically and overseas, made it difficult for Maine fishermen to get a fair price for their catch.
But a charitable seafood program implemented a year ago has helped provide a reliable revenue stream to some small-boat fishermen – while also contributing to food security around the state.
Since last September, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association in Brunswick raised nearly $1 million from grant funding and individual donors to purchase fish directly from fishermen and donate it to local schools, food banks and community groups. To date, the program, called Fishermen Feeding Mainers, has purchased 170,000 pounds of fish, in turn providing 230,000 meals.
Last week, 29,000 pounds of fresh fish were landed at the Portland Fish Exchange, the highest volume Portland has seen in one day since before the pandemic, according to a news release. Of that, the association bought 10,000 pounds to donate for 15,000 meals.
Read the full story at Mainebiz
September 10, 2021 — More than 82 percent of independent restaurant operators say they will likely permanently close if U.S. Congress does not quickly replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), according to a new survey.
Independent restaurant operators from across the country called on members of the U.S. House Small Business Committee to make restaurant relief a priority during a markup of the budget reconciliation package at an Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) press conference on 9 September.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
September 9, 2021 — September is Hunger Action Month, so WPRI 12 and our parent company Nexstar are helping to raise awareness.
Sometimes good can come out of bad. For instance, a new fish distribution program developed during the first few months of the pandemic helps both fishermen and those who need food.
The fishing fleet in Point Judith lost a lot of business due to COVID-19 as restaurants closed or had limited hours. Data from the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island (CFCRI) shows a 30% loss in revenue from 2019 to 2020.
To help, CFCRI secured funding to buy fish from the fishermen. That money came mostly from an anonymous donor.
“Community partners — seven of them across the state — stepped forward and said, ‘we have hundreds and hundreds of people that need food, need meals,’” said CFCRI executive director Fred Mattera.
So a seafood distribution program was born in August 2020 and it continues to this day, supporting fishermen and people who need what they catch.