Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Sea Share steadily expands donations of fish to the needy

July 18, 2016 — The decades long “bycatch to food banks” program has grown far beyond its Alaska origins.

Today, only 10 percent of the fish going to hunger-relief programs is bycatch — primarily halibut and salmon taken accidentally in other fisheries. The remainder is first-run products donated to Sea Share, the nation’s only nonprofit that donates fish through a network of fishermen, processors, packagers and transporters.

Sea Share began in 1993 when Bering Sea fishermen pushed to be allowed to send fish taken as bycatch to food banks — instead of tossing them back, as required by law.

“Back then, that was the only thing that we were set up to do, and we are the only entity authorized to retain such fish. It became a rallying point for a lot of stakeholders, and from that beginning we’ve expanded to the Gulf of Alaska, and grown to 28 states and over 200 million fish meals a year,” said Jim Harmon, Sea Share director.

Some seafood companies commit a portion of their sales or donate products to Sea Share. Vessels in the At-sea Processors Association have donated 250,000 pounds of whitefish each year for 15 years, which are turned into breaded portions. Sea Share’s roster also has grown to include tilapia, shrimp, cod, tuna and other seafood products.

Over the years, Sea Share has ramped up donations in Alaska, where halibut portions from Kodiak fisheries are used locally, in Kenai as well as being flown to Nome and Kotzebue, courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard. A new freezer container has been stationed at the Alaska Peninsula port of Dillingham, holding 8,500 pounds of fish, and several more are being added to hubs in Western Alaska, Harmon said.

“I think we’ll probably do 250,000 pounds in the state this year,” he added.

Read the full story at the Alaska Dispatch News

Flavor gives Mississippi wild-caught shrimp competitive advantage

July 8, 2016 — BILOXI, Mississippi — Better flavor gives Mississippi wild-caught shrimp a competitive advantage over imported and pond raised shrimp, experts say.

Dave Burrage, Mississippi State University Extension Service fisheries specialist, said in a news release Thursday consumers who participate in blind taste tests tend to prefer the taste of wild-caught Gulf shrimp over that of pond-raised, imported products.

“Fresh Gulf shrimp get their distinctive flavor from their natural diet, as opposed to the artificial feed given to shrimp raised in captivity,” Burrage said. “If you have ever stood on the beach where waves are breaking and smelled the salt mist in the air, that is what fresh shrimp taste like.

“Mississippi shrimpers have no trouble selling all they catch, as shrimp continue to be the leading seafood item consumed in the U.S.,” he said.

Ben Posadas, Extension seafood marketing specialist at the Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, said imported shrimp comprise about 90 percent of the total supply in the United States.

“Imports of shrimp have led to the continued decline in shrimp prices over time, since imported shrimp are cheaper,” Posadas said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at GulfLive.com

Canada’s fish stocks poorly tracked — report

June 30, 2016 — As the federal government prepares to make major decisions about whether or not to expand access to clam and shrimp stocks in Atlantic Canada, a group of marine researchers are urging better tracking and more accountability for one of the country’s most valuable resources.

The Canadian chapter of international ocean conservation organization Oceana recently completed the most comprehensive public study ever conducted on the state of Canada’s fish stocks. But, according to Halifax-based marine biologist and report co-author Susanna Fuller, it wasn’t easy.

“It should not be that hard to find management decisions, whether or not something has a management plan, and the state of a stock, and it is hard right now,” she said.

Compiling the report often came down to calling individual scientists to get the data required, Fuller said, and some data wasn’t available at all — they were only able to get information on 125 of the 165 stocks they looked at.

“It’s shocking that in Canada you can’t find anywhere a list of all the fisheries in Canada that is publicly available” she said.

“When you compare that to the U.S., all that information is online. You can find it, it’s easy, and there’s an obligation in the U.S. that they actually have to report to Congress on how the fish stocks are doing.”

Read the full story at the Herald News

NC commercial, recreational fishermen saw record harvests in 2015

June 22, 2o16 — North Carolina commercial and recreational fisherman reeled in record harvests last year.

Milder weather allowed fishermen to work longer, harvesting more shrimp and hard blue crab in the latter months, according to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.

Shrimp landings increased by 94 percent — the highest since 2008. November 2015 shrimp landings increased by 307 percent from November 2014. Hard blue crabs also increased by 23 percent to 31 million pounds.

“We had the best spring shrimp we’ve ever had,” said Phil Guyer, owner of Coastal Seafood and Propane in Leland. “In fact, we saw shrimp in March and our hometown shrimper said that they’ve never caught shrimp in March. We had a really good year.”

While shrimp and crab harvest flourished, other species in the top five — spiny dogfish, summer flounder, Atlantic croaker — plummeted.

Recreational fishermen caught an estimated 10.2 million fish in 2015, 6.8 percent more seafood than in 2014. Fishermen also released 6 percent more fish in 2015 than in 2014.

Similarly, coastal recreational fishing in 2015 also increased substantially. Dolphin, yellowfin tuna, cobia and wahoo were the top five recreational species harvested. Dolphin catches increased by 132 percent, while wahoo rose by 66 percent and cobia rose 62 percent.The increase in dolphin, wahoo and cobia is likely due to the decline of yellowfin tuna harvests, which was down 10.7 percent last year, Marine Fisheries stated in a news release.

Read the full story at the StarNews Online

North Carolina shrimp was a really big deal

June 19, 2016 — Rested, ready and eager to get going after what some people down this way refer to as “white gold,” owners and operators of a large fleet of boats will be shoving off from various coastal points … in search of the wily shrimp that are now beginning to move in commercial quantities in State-controlled waters.

The shrimpers, who run into the hundreds, are quite naturally hopeful as they prepare to sally forth into the sounds and coves after the shrimp that usually find ready markets to the north as well as in the Tar Heel State. …

Numerous buyers, especially from the New York area, are always on hand to buy the bulk of the the shrimp catch. The shrimp that go to northern markets are iced and rushed northward on trucks.

Read the full story at The Post and Courier 

NOAA recommends millions in grants to study salmon, cod, shrimp, lobster

June 14, 2016 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced its support for more than USD 11 million (EUR 9.8 million) in recommended grants to study or improve the nation’s fisheries as part of its Saltonstall-Kennedy grant competition.

The grants, which still must be approved by the NOAA Grants Management Division and the Department of Commerce’s Financial Assistance Law Division, and are contingent upon adequate funding availability, include projects in seven categories: aquaculture, fishery data collection, bycatch reduction, climate change adaptation, marketing, socio-economic research and territorial science.

All areas of the United States, including overseas territories, have projects that have been recommended.

In Alaska, they include a proposed University of Alaska, Fairbanks study of halibut bycatch management (USD 297,995, EUR 264,877) and an Alaska Department of Fish and Game analysis of pink salmon productivity (USD 249,998, EUR 222,222).

Read the full story at SeafoodSource.com

Regulators revisit chance of reopening Maine shrimp fishery

June 9, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Interstate fishing regulators are revisiting the possibility of reopening Maine’s shuttered shrimp fishery, which has been closed due to factors stemming from warming oceans.

Maine shrimp were once a popular seafood item in New England, but regulators shut the fishery down in 2013 when catch cratered.

Scientists say warming ocean temperatures are inhospitable for the shrimp, and make it difficult for their populations to recover.

Fishery managers with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission are opening up the possibility of new regulations to manage the fishery. Fishery Management Plan Coordinator Max Appelman says new regulations would address issues such as overcapacity in the fishery.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at NBC Bangor

SEA TO TABLE: Fixing a Broken System

June 9, 2016 — The US exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the ocean is the world’s largest, and American fishery management is the world’s best. Yet more than 90% of all seafood consumed in the US is imported, and more than 75% is one of only four species: shrimp (mostly farmed in Asia), salmon (mostly farmed in Chile), tuna (almost all canned), and whitefish (mostly tilapia farmed under the most dubious conditions).

Wild fishing is the last true hunting on earth. Seafood is universally considered the healthiest protein. With the waters surrounding America’s traditional wild fishing communities blessed with dozens of abundant, sustainable, healthy and delicious species, why don’t Americans accept the incredible gifts bestowed on them?.

Americans are accustomed to cheap protein. Corn, soy and wheat are government subsidized and provide artificially low cost feed to industrial meat production. That means cheap meat for consumers, but at a frightening cost to the environment, small farmers, animal welfare, and human health.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a worldwide scourge, and last year’s AP investigative report shone a light on rampant seafood slavery. Harvesting fish illegally without any labor cost is an excellent business model for cheap imported seafood.

Meanwhile traditional American fishing communities have struggled under the stringent but essential US fisheries management policies that have brought our fisheries back from the brink to the rebuilt status of today. We owe it ourselves to reward domestic fishermen for their gallant efforts.

Read the full opinion piece at the Huffington Post

Louisiana anglers catch too much shrimp with cast nets, LDWF says

May 26, 2016 — Four South Louisiana residents caught more than their recreational limits of shrimp using cast nets, and hid the haul at a nearby residence to avoid detection by authorities, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Department enforcement agents on Saturday cited Tony Bella, 28, of Bourg, Percy Michel, 28, of Thibodaux, Necole Hello, 32, of Thibodaux, and Courtney Boquet, 26, of Bourg, for possessing over the legal limit of shrimp and intentional concealment of seafood.

Read the full story at the New Orleans Times-Picayune

Future of Gulf of Maine shrimp fishery up for discussion

May 26, 2016 — PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Interstate fishing regulators will meet to discuss what New England’s shuttered coldwater shrimp industry should look like if it reopens.

The little pink shrimp, Pandalus borealis, were popular as a grocery store item and with restaurants until regulators shut the fishery down in 2013. Scientists say warming ocean temperatures have made New England waters inhospitable for shrimp.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section will meet in Portsmouth on June 3 to discuss how much participation the fishery might be able to sustain if it reopens. The board will also consider the possibility of limiting entry into the fishery.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Times