Saving Seafood

Lund’s Fisheries Announces New Hires as Part of New Investments in Consumer Brands

January 12, 2021 — The following was released by Lund’s Fisheries:

Lund’s Fisheries is excited to announce the hiring of four new senior executives and two additional sales and marketing staff.  The hires are the company’s latest investment in sustainable seafood production and marketing through its Lund’s Fisheries and Sea Legend brands.

“These new hires, in our sales, cold storage/logistics and quality assurance departments, are key to the company’s focus on continued growth of its production capacity and sales of innovative seafood products in the retail and food service sectors,” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries.

Joining the company are Mark Fratiello as its new Director of Sales and Marketing, Mike Wallace and John Fee as National Business Development Managers, Federico Sehringer as Compliance Officer and Quality Assurance Director, Joshua Farinella as Director of Compliance and Quality Assurance, and Gene Taormina as General Manager at Shoreline Freezers, located in Bridgeton, New Jersey.

Mark comes to Lund’s with an extensive sales background, including 10 years of experience in seafood sales and marketing.  In his role at Lund’s, Mark will lead the company’s seasoned sales team, comprised of Jeff Miller, Mike Wallace, Rick Marino and John Fee, to grow their fresh and frozen scallop, calamari, shrimp, finfish and value-added lines, working with a national broker to drive national sales to broadline distributors, restaurants, wholesale distributors, and retail.

“I’m excited to be with a company that’s looking to expand its reach in volume, sales channels, and infrastructure,” said Mark Fratiello. “It’s great to get in on the ground floor to help build the brands, and create new opportunities for the company to grow.  Lund’s investments in vessels and shoreside infrastructure provide an incredible foundation to build successful national seafood programs and bring consumers direct to the source.”

With its Lund’s Fisheries, Seafood Market and Sea Legend brands, Lund’s Fisheries is already a leading provider of sustainable, wild-caught sea scallops, calamari and finfish; the company harvested over 75 million pounds of seafood last year alone. Atlantic sea scallops and East Coast squid fisheries are certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, which is an important selling point for consumers in a market increasingly interested in sustainability.  Additionally Lund’s is one of just a few domestic processors that clean calamari domestically, and offers customers products that have been both caught and processed in the U.S.

“Onboarding a national broker with a company that has more than 65 years of vertically integrated seafood experience is an exciting time in my career and a great opportunity to achieve Lund’s Fisheries strategic goals,” said Mike Wallace.

“I am happy to be associated with Lund’s, a company focused on sustainable fishing practices and centrally located in the Mid Atlantic, and geared towards producing the highest quality seafood for the food service industry,” said John Fee.

Federico and Joshua will be part of an expanded quality assurance team, where they will ensure that the products processed at our SQF-certified facilities continue to meet all regulations and standards, and that the high quality of our consumer products are maintained. Both bring years of experience in quality control to Lund’s. Federico has 18 years of food safety and quality control, both in the U.S. and Argentina. Joshua has 14 years of experience in several quality assurance roles.

“I’ve worked in retail, storage and distribution, and production. I’m glad to have the opportunity to work with a company that is able to do all of these things under one roof,” said Federico Sehringer.

“I’m ready to help the company take things to the next level,” said Joshua Farinella. “We have a strong foundation and reputation for quality to build on, and the right building blocks for continued success.”

While 2020 has been challenging for many, Lund’s Fisheries has continued investing in growing shoreside infrastructure to support sustainable fisheries, fishing vessels, and generational relationships with fishing families home-ported in Cape May, New Jersey. In mid-2021, Lund’s looks to break ground on a new 90,000 square foot cold and dry storage addition to its Shoreline Freezers facility. This investment will include additional processing space as well, which will help facilitate growth in sales.

“Lund’s methodical approach, vision and investment in state of the art equipment and facilities will advance the company’s distribution of sustainable seafood,” said Gene Taormina.

With production facilities in New Jersey, Massachusetts and California, 19 fishing vessels owned directly by the principals of the company, as well as the many independent owner/operated vessels the company works with, Lund’s welcomes its new team members and looks forward to continued growth in the harvest, production and marketing of sustainable seafood.

Sustainable Shrimp Partnership launches blockchain-based traceability app

November 30, 2020 — The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP), an Ecuador-based certification system for shrimp aquaculture launched in March 2018, has kicked off a traceability application that aims to provide consumers with key information on their shrimp’s journey from farm to fork.

“The shrimp industry worldwide produces over five million tons of shrimp each year, and we continue to see many examples of food fraud, especially in seafood industry. So how can consumers trust that the products they are buying are safe for them and their families?” Ecuadorean Aquaculture Chamber Executive President José Antonio Camposano said. “Using the most secure and latest technology available for food traceability and committing producers to the highest levels of transparency … consumers acquire the power to make an informed choice and increase their capacity to buy healthy and responsibly farmed shrimp.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

NOAA Fisheries Announces Changes to Transit Provisions for SA Shrimp Fishery

October 23, 2020 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

KEY MESSAGES:

  • NOAA Fisheries announces changes to provisions for shrimp trawl vessels transiting through cold weather closed areas with brown, pink, or white shrimp on board in federal waters of the South Atlantic.
  • The rule will allow trawl doors in the rack (cradle), nets in the rigging and tied down, and try net on the deck during transit.
  • The final rule for Amendment 11 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region will update the regulations to more closely align with current fishing practices, reduce the socio-economic impacts for fishermen who transit these closed areas, and improve safety at sea while maintaining protection for overwintering white shrimp.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

  • Regulations will be effective November 23, 2020.

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION:

  • 85 FR 67309; October 22, 2020.

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

Where can I find more information on Amendment 11?

By Mail: Frank Helies
NOAA Fisheries, Southeast Regional Office
Sustainable Fisheries Division
263 13th Avenue South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701-5505

By FAX: (727) 824-5308

By Phone: (727) 824-5305

FB20-063: NOAA Fisheries Announces Changes to Transit Provisions for the South Atlantic Shrimp Fishery

October 22, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGES:

  • NOAA Fisheries announces changes to provisions for shrimp trawl vessels transiting through cold weather closed areas with brown, pink, or white shrimp on board in federal waters of the South Atlantic.
  • The rule will allow trawl doors in the rack (cradle), nets in the rigging and tied down, and try net on the deck during transit.
  • The final rule for Amendment 11 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Shrimp Fishery of the South Atlantic Region will update the regulations to more closely align with current fishing practices, reduce the socio-economic impacts for fishermen who transit these closed areas, and improve safety at sea while maintaining protection for overwintering white shrimp.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

  • Regulations will be effective November 23, 2020

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER CITATION:

  • 85 FR 67309; October 22, 2020. 

This bulletin serves as a Small Entity Compliance Guide, complying with section 212 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

Where can I find more information on Amendment 11? 

  • By Phone: (727) 824-5305
  • By FAX: (727) 824-5308

Louisiana to help pay for devices that can save sea turtles from shrimp nets

October 21, 2020 — Louisiana is starting a financial assistance program to help shrimpers buy new gear to make their nets less lethal for endangered sea turtles.

The new $250,000 state program will reimburse up to 60% of the cost for special metal grates known as TEDs, or turtle excluder devices, for shrimping nets used in the Gulf of Mexico. TEDs create an opening that allows trapped turtles to escape nets before they drown.

Starting in April, a federal law will expand TED requirements to include skimmer vessels that are 40 feet long and longer. About 1,500 TEDs will need to be purchased for 400 boats in Louisiana, according to the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, which will oversee the Skimmer Turtle Excluder Device Reimbursement Program.

Read the full story at NOLA.com

Louisiana helps inshore shrimpers buy turtle escape hatches

October 14, 2020 — Louisiana will help inshore shrimpers buy turtle escape hatches that will be required next year for some boats in the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern Atlantic, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday.

The $250,000 program will pay up to 60% of the cost for two of the grates called “turtle excluder devices,” or TEDs, a news release said. Some of the money comes from BP payments to restore the Gulf after the oil spill in 2010.

Big offshore shrimp trawlers have had to use such devices since late 1989. Protests against that rule included shrimp-boat blockades of Texas and Louisiana ship channels.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Northeast shrimp: Surveys canceled over covid,
with no sign yet of recovery

October 13, 2020 — In Maine and New England, northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) used to be a regional and seasonal staple. But, for seven consecutive years, the fishery has been shuttered. The last year there was a commercial season was in 2013, and at that time, dealers paid fishermen an average of $1.81 a pound.

Dustin Leaning, a fishery management plan coordinator for the Atlantic States, says “the Gulf of Maine stock remains depleted, and as of yet, has not shown a positive response to the commercial fishing moratorium. Reducing fishing mortality has historically been fishery managers’ most effective tool in rebuilding a stock that has reached low levels of biomass.”

The moratorium on fishing in Maine is in place until 2021.

“They’re resilient,” says Maggie Hunter, Maine’s head shrimp biologist. “They’ve recovered from collapses before (early 1950s, late 1970s), but we’ve never documented one in the Gulf of Maine lasting this long before.”

A 2019 Gulf of Maine survey by the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee revealed indices of abundance, biomass and spawning stock biomass at new time-series lows, and recruitment the third-lowest in the time series (1984-2019). Warming waters, like those in the Gulf of Maine, are also detrimental to shrimp populations. 

A Maine-New Hampshire inshore survey, along with spring and summer shrimp surveys, were all canceled this year because of covid-19 concerns.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Behind the Scenes of the Most Consumed Seafood

October 1, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

Shrimp, tuna, clams—the most popular seafood items in the United States are familiar names to both seafood lovers and the occasional consumer. You may have wondered about the environmental impact of consuming more of a popular product.

We’ve got good news: U.S. seafood is sustainable seafood! Thanks to our robust quotas, retention limits, and other management measures, you can be confident that U.S. seafood products were harvested sustainably.

Around 75 percent of the shrimp harvested in the United States comes from the Gulf of Mexico. Three species dominate the catch there: white shrimp, pink shrimp, and brown shrimp. Each of these species currently have population levels above the targets set by scientists.

Federally permitted shrimp fishermen are required to report their landings. They also provide information on fishing effort, including the number of fishing trips they take. The data is used in shrimp stock assessments and to support the sustainable management of red snapper. Depending on the gear they use, shrimpers must also use special equipment that reduces incidental catch, including sea turtle bycatch.

Read the full release here

Outer Banks seafood sent to Louisiana as part of Hurricane Laura relief

September 16, 2020 — More than 11,000 pounds of Outer Banks shrimp and fish is going to help with storm relief in Louisiana, another area known for seafood and devastating hurricanes.

The North Carolina Fisheries Association coordinated the effort with companies in Wanchese, Grantsboro, Washington, N.C., and Hampton, Va., to gather and ship 11,225 pounds of seafood, including more than 2,000 pounds of shrimp and nearly 9,000 pounds of filleted flounder and other fish, said Jerry Schill, government affairs director for the fisheries organization, in an email.

The seafood shipment was part of a relief effort to help those affected by Hurricane Laura.

“Hurricanes hit the Atlantic and Gulf coasts on a regular basis so we need to have the infrastructure in place and do what we can, just as they would do the same for us,” Schill said.

Read the full story at  The Virginian-Pilot

The future of food from the sea, explained

September 15, 2020 — In the year 2050, Earth will have almost 10 billion humans who will eat over 500 billion kilograms of meat. That is 2 billion more people and 177 billion more kilograms of meat than Earth currently has. With land-based meat fraught with climate and environmental impacts, how much animal protein can be sustainably supplied by the ocean? A new (open access) paper in Nature titled, The Future of Food from the Sea, answered that question and provided an economic roadmap for sustainable ocean food production.

The authors conclude that by 2050, the ocean could sustainably provide 80-103 billion kilograms of food, a 36-74% increase compared to the current yield of 59 billion kilograms. Crucially, the 2050 numbers were not a simple calculation of the carrying capacity of food production, but instead reflected the economic realities of growing and harvesting food in the ocean. The authors identified four key steps towards a more bountiful ocean:

  1. Improve fishery management
  2. Implement policy reforms to address mariculture
  3. Advance feed technologies for fed mariculture
  4. Shift consumer demand

In this post, I explain the numbers behind potential food production in the ocean and what the policy and governance process might look like going forward.

Read the full story at Sustainable Fisheries UW