Saving Seafood

Three More Plead Guilty to Elver Trafficking as Part of DOJ’s Multi-State Investigation

December 1, 2016 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Harry Wertan, Jr., Mark Weihe and Jay James each pleaded guilty to selling or transporting elvers in interstate commerce, which they had harvested illegally, or knew had been harvested illegally, in South Carolina.  The offenses in the case are felonies under the Lacey Act, each carrying a maximum penalty of five years’ incarceration, a fine of up to $250,000 or up to twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss, or both.

The pleas were the result of “Operation Broken Glass,” a multi-ohurisdiction U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) investigation into the illegal trafficking of American eels.  To date, the investigation has resulted in guilty pleas for ten individuals whose combined conduct resulted in the illegal trafficking of more than $2.6 million worth of elvers.

“We will not allow the rivers of the United States to be the poaching grounds for international seafood markets,” said Assistant Attorney General Cruden. “The American eel is an important but limited natural and economic resource that must be protected.  Trafficking only undercuts the toil and honest efforts of those who obey the law.”

Elvers are exported for aquaculture in east Asia, where they are raised to adult size and sold for food.  Harvesters and exporters of American eels in the United States can sell elvers to east Asia for more than $2000 per pound.

Because of the threat of overfishing, elver harvesting is prohibited in the United States in all but three states: Maine, South Carolina and Florida.

“Today’s pleas in the illegal trade of American Eels are a tremendous step in preserving this important fishery,” said Colonel Chisolm Frampton for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Division.  “A multitude of state and federal agencies did outstanding work to bring this case to successful conclusion.”

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

NORTH CAROLINA: Hurricane Matthew Impacts Shrimp Industry on North Carolina’s Coast

October 27, 2016 — CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. — Hurricane Matthew had a big impact on coastal marine life.

According to the Associated Press some states like South Carolina have seen an increase in larger shrimp.

The Division of Marine Fisheries in North Carolina said they also have received reports of big shrimp around inlets, but smaller shrimp were also seen in the Pamilco, Core and Bogue Sounds.

Some fishermen in Carteret County, like Beaufort Inlet Seafood, said the shrimp population has grown in recent weeks, but states further south could see a greater amount throughout the season.

Read the full story at TWC News

Hurricane Matthew wreaks havoc on US seafood industry, distribution

October 12th, 2016 — U.S. federal and state government officials are still assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, which struck the east coasts of four states with brutal force this past weekend, but initial reports indicate potentially significant damage to the area’s seafood industry.

On Friday, 7 October, Florida and Georgia were pounded by the hurricane, which reached category 4 status, meaning wind speeds reached beyond 130 miles per hour. The next day, Saturday, 8 October, the hurricane hit portions of North Carolina and South Carolina, causing widespread flooding and power outages.

At least 24 deaths in the U.S. are attributed to Hurricane Matthew, and more than one million homes and businesses were still without power on Tuesday, 11 October. In addition, many suppliers and distributors in some areas of North Carolina and South Carolina are not able to operate currently because of the heavy flooding and road closures – including portions of Interstate 95, the main shipping artery running along the East Coast.

Many piers were smashed along the Brevard County, Florida, coast and thousands of dead fish washed ashore on Collier County, Florida beaches, which officials blame on Hurricane Matthew and red tide, according to the Naples News.

A longstanding St. Augustine, Florida seafood restaurant, Matanzas Innlet Restaurant, was completely destroyed by the storm.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council, Scientific & Statistical Committee Set to Meet in Charleston, SC

October 11th, 2016 — The following was released by The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council: 

Location: 

Charleston Marriott Hotel

170 Lockwood Boulevard
Charleston, SC  29403
(843) 723-3000

 View the meeting agenda, overview and other briefing materials here

 Tune in to the Meeting via Webinar

The meeting will be broadcast live each day. Register to tune in via webinar using the registration links below:

 October 18: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM – Register here

 October 19: 8:30 AM-5:30 PM – Register here

 October 20: 8:30 AM-3:00 PM – Register here

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 

THE POST & COURIER: One first, two fish, redfish

May 11, 2016 — Anglers cast a wide range of opinions on assorted topics. For instance, some stress the advantages of live bait, while others hail artificial lures.

So it’s no surprise that anglers along the South Carolina coast don’t all agree that lower limits are needed to protect the red drum.

That species, also known as redfish and inaccurately called the spot-tail bass (it does have a spot on its tail, but it’s not a bass) in these parts, has long been among the most popular saltwater catches in these parts.

But as Bo Petersen reported in last week’s Post and Courier, a revised federal assessment could eventually mean tighter restrictions on how many — and what sizes — of those tasty fish you can catch.

That’s not just big news for anglers.

That’s big news for the big business of spot-tail fishing here, which has been pegged as a $600 million annual enterprise in South Carolina.

Read the full story at The Post & Courier

South Atlantic Council to Convene Scientific & Statistical Committee and Socio-Economic Panel on May 3-5, 2016 in Charleston, SC

April 22, 2016 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

SAFMC Scientific & Statistical Committee and Socio-Economic Panel Scheduled to Meet May 3-5,2016 in Charleston, SC.

Socio-Economic Panel Meeting (May 3, 2016, 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

Agenda items include a discussion of Optimum Yield, review of an economic decision tool for Snapper Grouper Amendment 37 dealing with hogfish, provide input on red snapper management, and discuss recent and upcoming council actions in the South Atlantic region.

Scientific & Statistical Committee Meeting (May 3-5, 2016)

The SSC will review and provide input on proposed management measures for hogfish, mutton snapper, and electronic reporting in the for-hire sector; review the stock assessments and provide fishing level recommendations for red snapper; and more.

Read more about the upcoming meetings at the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

 

Obama Reverses Course on Drilling Off Southeast Coast

March 14, 2016 — The Obama administration is expected to withdraw its plan to permit oil and gas drilling off the southeast Atlantic coast, yielding to an outpouring of opposition from coastal communities from Virginia to Georgia but dashing the hopes and expectations of many of those states’ top leaders.

The announcement by the Interior Department, which is seen as surprising, could come as soon as Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the decision who was not authorized to speak on the record because the plan had not been publicly disclosed.

The decision represents a reversal of President Obama’s previous offshore drilling plans, and comes as he is trying to build an ambitious environmental legacy. It could also inject the issue into the 2016 presidential campaigns, as Republican candidates vow to expand drilling.

In January 2015, Mr. Obama drew the wrath of environmentalists and high praise from the oil industry and Southeastern governors after the Interior Department put forth a proposal that would have opened much of the southeastern Atlantic coast to offshore drilling for the first time.

The proposal came after governors, state legislators and senators from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia all expressed support for the drilling. Lawmakers in the state capitals saw new drilling as creating jobs and bolstering state revenue.

Read the full story at the New York Times

Climate change poses threat to fish stocks, study finds

February 3, 2016 — Over the coming decades, dozens of marine species from the Carolinas to New England will be threatened by the warming, changing currents and the increased acidity expected to alter the region’s waters, according to a new study by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Atlantic salmon, winter flounder, bay scallops, ocean quahogs, and other species may face the kind of trouble from climate change that has been linked in previous research to the decline of Atlantic cod, which has lost an estimated 90 percent of its population over the past three decades, the study found.

The authors of the study, released Wednesday by the journal Plos One, found that half of the 82 species they evaluated along the northeastern coast are “highly” or “very highly” vulnerable to the effects of climate change, meaning their populations and ability to reproduce are likely to decline.

“The results show that climate change presents significant challenges to the region’s fishery management and to its ability to sustain fishing communities,” said Jonathan Hare, a NOAA oceanographer who was the lead author of study.

The study also found that 80 percent of the species studied are likely to move beyond their normal habitats.

Read the full story from the Boston Globe

 

Feds protecting South Carolina waters for endangered whales

January 26, 2016 — A stretch of the southern Atlantic coast needed by endangered right whales to survive will receive more federal oversight under a decision that’s expected to put greater government scrutiny on efforts to locate and drill for oil and gas off the South Carolina seashore.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Tuesday declared the entire South Carolina and Georgia coasts as “critical habitat’’ for North Atlantic right whales, rare sea mammals that migrate from New England to southern waters. Parts of north Florida, New England and southern North Carolina also fall under the designation for the first time.

Tuesday’s decision doesn’t necessarily preclude oil and gas drilling in South Carolina or other states and it won’t add new regulations that would impede shipping or commercial fishing, federal officials said.

But it “would definitely make it harder’’ for oil and gas exploration to occur, said David Gouveia, a marine mammal coordinator for NOAA’s fisheries division. The critical habitat designation allows the government to more carefully review the proposals to search or drill for fossil fuels that might be buried in the sea floor, federal officials said. If concerns arise, the government could recommend changes.

Not only will the agency look at the direct impact of oil and gas development on right whales, but it also would examine how that could affect habitat important to the species’ survival, Gouveia said during a conference call with reporters. The government unveiled the proposal about a year ago and finalized the rule Tuesday.