Saving Seafood

The U.S. government is buying $40 million worth of pistachios and $70 million of seafood

May 21, 2021 — Pistachios are my favorite nut. I can house a whole bag of those in no time at all. Apparently the American government is into them too, because they’re not buying just a bunch, but a massive amount. During times of crop and product surpluses, the USDA will buy up extra to keep America’s food banks stocked; in 2016, it bought $20 million in cheese. Now, Food & Wine reports, the government is buying up millions of dollars of pistachios, among other delicious bounties.

It’s obvious that COVID-19 has mucked up all sorts of farming supply issues, and plenty of Americans are having a hard time getting by. So the USDA is currently making big buys to help those that produce food and those who need it. Last week the Biden administration announced that the USDA would be purchasing $159.4 million worth of seafood, fruits, legumes, and nuts. Of that, $70.9 million will be spent on seafood, the largest government seafood purchase ever.

“The impacts of COVID-19 reverberated from our farms to our oceans,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “U.S. fisheries and the American seafood industry were dealt a heavy blow…. These healthy, nutritious food purchases will benefit food banks and non-profits helping those struggling with food hardship as the Biden Administration works to get the economy back on track for American families.”

Read the full story at The Takeout

USDA spends $70.9 million on domestic seafood

May 14, 2021 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced today that it will purchase $70.9 million of domestic wild seafood, registering its largest purchase of U.S. seafood to date.

The purchase, made possible under the Agricultural Adjustment Act, is one of many actions USDA is taking to address food insecurity and disruptions in the food system supply chain exacerbated by the pandemic.

The seafood purchases come from a $159.4 million commitment to buying domestic seafood, fruits, legumes and nuts for distribution to a variety of domestic food assistance programs, including charitable institutions.

“The impacts of covid-19 reverberated from our farms to our oceans,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement. “U.S. fisheries and the American seafood industry were dealt a heavy blow. Today, USDA is pleased to make the largest single seafood purchase in the department’s history. These healthy, nutritious food purchases will benefit food banks and non-profits helping those struggling with food hardship as the Biden administration works to get the economy back on track for American families.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

South Atlantic Bite – Newsworthy Notes – May 13, 2021

May 13, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Reminder! – Public Hearing Today for Shrimp Fishery Access Area along Northern Extension of the Oculina Bank Habitat Area of Particular Concern
(Coral Amendment 10)
Today at 5:00 PM

The Council continues to seek public input on a proposed action to establish Shrimp Fishery Access Area in the northern extension of the Oculina Bank Coral HAPC off the east coast of Florida. Register now to attend the hearing via webinar and learn more about the proposed area. The Council will consider the amendment again during its June 14-18, 2021 meeting via webinar.

We’re Upgrading our Website –
Take this limited opportunity to help us better help you!

Looking for the number of black sea bass you can retain or perhaps a map showing the latest coordinates of MPAs off the NC coast? A calendar of upcoming meetings or a video presentation from a public hearing? You’ll find it all on the Council’s website at www.safmc.net.

We’re working to redesign the website to make it easier for you to navigate and provide you with the information you need. The web developers involved in the project have created a quick online activity to better understand how to group content on the website. Please complete the activity by Monday of next week.

Bullet and Frigate Mackerel Acknowledged for Important Role as Prey Species for Wahoo, Dolphin, Blue Marlin and Yellowfin Tuna

Little fish lead to bigger fish. Bluewater fishermen along the Atlantic coast targeting those really big fish understand the importance of prey to the overall well-being of those larger predators. At the request of the Council, Bullet and Frigate Mackerel, two important prey species are now included in the Dolphin Wahoo Fishery Management Plan as ecosystem component species. NOAA Fisheries announced the Final Rule for Amendment 12 earlier this week. The Rule is effective June 9, 2021.

Learn more about the importance of Bullet and Frigate Mackerel and how this designation may help ensure healthy populations for the future.

New Discoveries and Management Decisions in Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program
Report to Congress highlights impressive discoveries, science-informed management decisions and more

Speak of coral reefs and most people imagine tropical waters in the Florida Keys or Hawaii. But deep-sea corals create habitat for countless species off of every coastal state in the country. In the past two years, NOAA and their partners have discovered the most expansive area of deep-sea coral reefs known to date off the U.S. Southeast coast.

These areas offer significant ecological value and support a number of U.S.-managed fishery species. The recently released Report to Congress showcases new accomplishments and scientific discoveries. Learn more about Deep-Sea Coral Habitat. Follow expeditions as they occur and see video and incredible images of areas that may be closer than you think!

Citizen Science Increasingly Informs Ocean Expertise – and Policy

A recent paper in BioScience that includes authors from the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Pew, academia, and NOAA outlines marine citizen science projects that are contributing to conservation and management in the U.S. and elsewhere. Case studies include projects gathering data for fish species as well as others collecting information on sea grasses, coral reefs and other habitat.

This article from Pew highlights the Council’s Citizen Science Program as well as other citizen science efforts and increasing interest in promoting its use to conduct research projects that would not otherwise be possible.

Congressmen file bill to combat IUU fishing, increase SIMP enforcement

May 12, 2021 —  Two U.S. congressmen have filed legislation that would expand the role of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) to include all species, including shrimp.

U.S. Representatives Jared Huffman (D-California) and Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) unveiled the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act on Tuesday, 11 May. The purpose of the legislation is to better connect illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing to forced labor practices in the seafood trade, and to bolster the effectiveness of SIMP.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Federal Waters off Texas Close to Shrimping on May 15, 2021

May 7, 2021 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Key Message:

NOAA Fisheries announces federal waters from 9 to 200 nautical miles off Texas will close to shrimp trawling 30 minutes after official sunset, local time, on May 15, 2021, corresponding to the time Texas closes its state waters to shrimp trawling.

Federal waters off Texas are west of the line (from A to B) shown in the map below.  Fishermen should not use any other division between Texas and Louisiana federal waters, including lines on NOAA Chart 1116A, which is to be used for mineral rights and not for navigation.

Why This Closure Is Happening

The shrimp fishery is closed annually off Texas to allow brown shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size prior to harvest, and to prevent waste of brown shrimp that might otherwise be discarded due to their small size.

The Texas closure ranges from 45 to 60 days.  The closing date is based on catch rates of brown shrimp collected with seine gear by the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, mean length of shrimp collected in April, percent of samples containing shrimp, and periods of maximum nocturnal ebb tidal flow.

Texas will re-open state waters to shrimp trawling based on sampling projections of when brown shrimp will reach a mean size of 112 mm, and when maximum duration ebb tides will occur.  NOAA Fisheries will re-open federal waters off Texas when Texas re-opens its state waters.  Historically, the re-opening has been on or about July 15.  If there is a need to adjust the July 15 date for the re-opening, notification of the revised date will be published in the Federal Register and announced in a subsequent fishery bulletin.

Read the full release here

NFI, FMI partner to standardize seafood buying process

April 29, 2021 — FMI – The Food Industry Association and the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) have teamed up to offer forms designed to standardize the seafood buying process.

The two organizations created fillable forms for retailers and wholesalers to use when sending seafood product specifications to suppliers. The fillable forms allow organizations to indicate their product requirements and enable seafood suppliers to consolidate their communication, FMI and NFI said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

New Seafood Forms Aim to Improve Buyer Process

April 29, 2021 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

NFI and FMI – The Food Industry Association launched new resources designed to standardize the seafood buying process and improve efficiency. Retailers and wholesalers can use these fillable forms when sending seafood product specifications to suppliers. The goal is to streamline and standardize the language and specifications for each seafood species to help suppliers comply and fill orders.

Forms currently exist for shrimp, scallop and snow crab, while additional forms are being developed for salmon (farm-raised and wild-caught) and finfish.

You can access the forms below:

For more information, visit www.AboutSeafood.com.

Oregon pink shrimp season opens amidst pandemic uncertainty

April 8, 2021 — Oregon’s pink shrimp fishery is opening with an inventory surplus and extreme market uncertainty resulting from pandemic-related restaurant closures.

Oregon is home to the world’s largest pink shrimp fishery, with a 30-year average annual harvest of around 30 million pounds. The small shrimp – also known as cocktail shrimp or salad shrimp – have traditionally been sold to the foodservice market.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

FLORIDA: Key Largo Fisheries Credits Power Of Internet Sales With Their Survival

April 6, 2021 — A little more than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, we’re learning what worked well with some businesses to help them survive.

For Key Largo Fisheries, it was their website.

“We shipped a lot of stone crabs, fresh fish, Key West pink shrimp, whole tails, whole lobsters,” said Key Largo Fisheries’ Tom Hill.

Keeping the iconic fishery, market, and cafe in the northern Keys up and running had a lot to do with the internet sales.

“We were fortunate in that we were able to start serving people via the web, an awful lot of people looked at our website, taking lots of orders online,” said Hill.

Boxes of Key Largo Fisheries seafood shipped directly to their clients’ doorsteps which helped them expand.

Read the full story at CBS Miami

New Rules to Protect Turtles From Shrimp Nets Postponed

March 31, 2021 — New rules designed to keep endangered and threatened sea turtles from drowning in some inshore shrimp nets are being postponed, and federal regulators are considering whether to expand the rules, officials said Tuesday.

Coronavirus pandemic restrictions over the past year have limited in-person workshops and training opportunities for fishermen to install escape hatches called turtle excluder devices, or TEDs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. Therefore, the new rules announced in 2019 will take effect Aug. 1 instead of on Thursday.

“The delay … is to allow NOAA Fisheries additional time for training fishermen, ensuring TEDs are built and installed properly, and for responding to installation and maintenance problems when the regulations go in effect,” the statement said.

Six species of sea turtles, all of them endangered or threatened, are found in U.S. waters.

The rule requires the devices on skimmer trawls pulled by boats at least 40 feet (12 meters) long.

NOAA Fisheries is reconsidering whether to require the devices on boats shorter than 40 feet long, “and whether additional rulemaking is currently warranted,” the statement said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at U.S. News