Southern Shrimp Alliance Archives - Page 4 of 4

Agreement to end government shutdown brings relief to US seafood industry

January 28, 2019 — Workers at NOAA Fisheries and other federal agencies returned to their jobs Monday, 28 January, for the first time in more than a month, thanks to an agreement reached Friday between the U.S. Congress and the administration of President Donald Trump.

However, the resumption could be short-lived, as the deal to fund several government agencies lasts for only three weeks. That means another shutdown could happen next month if lawmakers and President Trump cannot finalize spending priorities for the 2019 fiscal year or approve another temporary bill.

While the talks hinge on whether the president gets funding for a border wall, numerous other policies and initiatives have been affected by the impasse. That includes some tied to the seafood industry.

For example, while the Food and Drug Administration maintained inspecting foreign seafood imports during the shutdown, funding for additional inspections remains in limbo.

Last July, the Senate passed a bill that would add more than USD 3 million (EUR 2.6 million) in funding for such inspections. However, the House failed to pass the bill, which would increase inspection funding by 26 percent, before Congress’ term ended at the beginning of this month.

Since the new Congress convened, the House has passed a bill that includes the funding, first proposed by U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana). That bill has yet to pass in the Senate.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

US fishing vessels now have permanent waiver from incidental discharge rule

December 10, 2018 — When U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act into law last week, it finally – and permanently – relieved the fishing industry from Environmental Protection Agency regulations regarding incidental discharge on their boats.

The regulation required vessel operators to get EPA permits to perform routine actions, such as using pumped ocean water to clean off the deck after harvesting. It stemmed from a 2005 federal court ruling, and the Southern Shrimp Alliance said the system was a hindrance to more than 80,000 commercial fishing boats.

“This permit requirement should never have existed,” said John Williams, SSA’s executive director. “It was lawsuit driven by environmental groups in a California court a long time ago. SSA has been working ever since with Congress and other fishing groups across the nation to put a temporary stop to it. I have to say, after working to prevent this disaster for more than a decade, it feels pretty good to finally put this one to bed, permanently.”

Read the full article at Seafood Source

October was record low month for US wild-caught shrimp in Gulf of Mexico

November 23, 2018 — It’s no wonder US wild-caught shrimp have been a little harder to find of late.

The 10.4 million pounds of shrimp caught by US commercial harvesters in the Gulf of Mexico during the month of October was the lowest for that month since records have been maintained, going back to 2002, reports the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), a trade association that represents the harvesters.

Based on data provided Wednesday by the fishery monitoring branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center, total landings for the month were about 30% below the prior 16-year historical average (14.8m lbs).

In particular, the low volumes were driven by a lack of reporting of any shrimp landings from the west coast of Florida, as well as only 3.6m lbs reported as landed in Louisiana – by far the lowest total for any October going back to 2002 and less than half of the prior 16-year average (7.7m lbs) for the state, according to SSA.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Senate approves spending bill allocating 26 percent more funding for FDA import inspections

August 3, 2018 –The U.S. Senate earlier this week approved a funding bill that an includes an amendment to increase the budget for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s imported seafood inspection program. H.R. 6147, the Interior, Environment, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for 2019, passed by a 92-6 margin on Wednesday, 1 August.

Last week, the Senate added USD 3.1 million (EUR 2.7 million) for FDA inspections for the 2019 fiscal year, which starts on 1 October. That increase, approved by an 87-11 vote, represents a 26 percent rise in funding from this year.

U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) offered the amendment after meeting with shrimp industry representatives from his home state earlier this year. Inspections of seafood imports have been a point of concern for American seafood producers, who note that imports raised in foreign fish farms can be treated with antibiotics and other drugs not approved by the FDA.

“Shrimpers are proud to provide American families with healthy, wholesome, sustainably harvested seafood and we are grateful by our representatives’ insistence that everyone play by the same rules,” said John Williams, the executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, in a statement after the Senate added the amendment on 24 July. “The Senate’s action yesterday demonstrates that shrimpers’ voices are heard in Washington DC.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Gulf shrimpers push for monitoring

January 8, 2018 — The $5.7 billion dollar U.S. industry built on the importation of foreign shrimp is not happy about a monitoring provision tucked away inside a pending federal budget bill, though the Gulf shrimp industry is all for it.

The provision, part of Senate Bill 1662, would remove a stay on including imported shrimp under the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), a new set of reporting and record-keeping requirements implemented by the National Marine Fisheries Service. SIMP is aimed at preventing illegal, unreported and unregulated-caught and/or misrepresented seafood from entering the U.S. market.

Jan. 1, 2018, was the compliance deadline for 10 other species under SIMP, though shrimp and abalone were to be phased in later. The provision in S.B. 1662, if it takes effect, would give the U.S. import shrimp industry 30 days to prepare for the new reporting requirements. Imports represent 90 percent of the U.S. shrimp industry.

“Importers of record,” typically U.S.-based seafood dealers, would be required to maintain records for at least two years on the type of species caught, when and where the species were harvested, quantity and weight of the harvest, type of gear used, name and flag of the fishing vessel, first point of landing and other data.

Read the full story at the Brownsville Herald

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update: February 8, 2016

February 8, 2016 — The Following is a weekly update from the North Carolina Fisheries Association:

Last week David Bush was at the ASMFC meeting in Alexandria VA.

This week, David is attending the Mid Atlantic Council meeting in New Bern. We both participated in a conference call earlier with some folks in DC about a media campaign that will address several issues. You’ll hear more specifics on that later.

I will be attending legislative meetings on Wednesday & Thursday. One is in Belhaven and the other in Raleigh.

Next week, February 17 – 19, David & I will both be attending the Marine Fisheries Commission meeting at the Blockade Runner in Wrightsville Beach. That meeting begins with a public comment session on Wednesday evening with the business portion of the meeting on Thursday & Friday. There will be another public comment session first thing Thursday morning.

The public may listen to the meeting on the Internet. Directions for participating in the webcast, including information on system requirements and testing, can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/listen-online.

The commission is scheduled to:

Receive a presentation on and select preferred management options for amendments to the Oyster and Clam fishery management plans;

Select replacement candidates for the governor’s consideration for North Carolina’s obligatory seat on the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council;

Consider a request for a declaratory ruling from American Eel Farm;

Receive a presentation on the 2015 Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Update and give final approval of the plan;

Discuss the Standard Commercial Fishing License criteria;

Consider delegating authority to the commission’s Commercial Fishing Resource Fund Committee to develop and implement a memorandum of understanding with and the North Carolina Commercial Fishing Resource Fund Funding Committee. The memorandum of understanding will set procedures for agreeing to and authorizing disbursements from the fund;

Receive a brief update on the division’s progress toward setting total allowable landings for pound nets by waterbodies for Supplement A to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 1.

A full meeting agenda and briefing book can be found at: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/mfc-meetings

Jerry

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SOUTHERN SHRIMP ALLIANCE & SHRIMP IMPORTS:

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) is an organization of shrimp fishermen, shrimp processors, and other members of the domestic industry in the eight warmwater shrimp producing states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

Founded in 2002, the SSA works to ensure the continued vitality and existence of the U.S. shrimp industry. The livelihoods of U.S. shrimpers are threatened by cheap, unfairly traded imported shrimp. The U.S market has become a dumping ground for shrimp that are turned away from other major seafood importing countries. Proposed restrictions on shrimp fishing and rapidly increasing costs of doing business also loom over the industry. The SSA is committed to preserving the long term viability of one of our nation’s most valuable fisheries, which for decades has been a foundation of the economy and social structure of countless coastal communities throughout the Gulf and Southeast regions.

SSA is currently conducting a sunset review, which is required to determine if antidumping duties should remain for imported shrimp from certain countries. John distributed surveys for shrimpers and processors. It is very important for shrimpers and shrimp processors to participate in this survey! If not, the antidumping duties could be lifted.

We have copies at the office, so call if you want us to send you one or more. Or you can contact John Williams of the Southern Shrimp Alliance directly: john@shrimpalliance.com or call: 727-934-5090.

IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN THE DOMESTIC SHRIMP INDUSTRY AND CONCERNED ABOUT IMPORTS, YOU NEED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SURVEY!!!

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PROPOSED BOUNDARY EXPANSION TO MONITOR NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY

After several years of scientific and archaeological assessment and in coordination with the public, NOAA is proposing to expand Monitor National Marine Sanctuary off North Carolina’s Outer Banks to include additional maritime heritage resources. The proposed expansion would protect a nationally significant collection of shipwrecks that currently have little or no legal protection, including one of America’s only World War II battlefields.

For more details and maps see http://monitor.noaa.gov/management/expansion.html.

This expansion could have significant impacts on fishermen off the Outer Banks. Please plan to attend one of the following meetings:

Raleigh, NC Tues., Feb. 9 from 6-9 p.m. North Carolina Museum of History 5 East Edenton Street 919-807-7900

Beaufort, NC Wednesday, Feb. 10 from 6-9 p.m. North Carolina Maritime Museum 315 Front Street 252-728-7317

Hatteras, NC Thurs., Feb. 11 from 6-9 p.m. Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum 9200 Museum Dr. 252-986-2995

Washington, D.C. Tues., Feb. 16 from 6-9 p.m. US Navy Memorial – Main Auditorium 701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW 202-380-0710

Nags Head, NC Wed., Feb. 17 from 6-9 p.m.

Jennette’s Pier 7223 S. Virginia Dare Trail

252-255-1501

CALENDAR

Feb 9 Monitor National Marine Sanctuary hearing; 6-9pm; Raleigh

Feb 10 Monitor National Marine Sanctuary hearing; 6-9pm; Beaufort

Feb 11 Monitor National Marine Sanctuary hearing; 6-9pm; Hatteras

Feb 9-11 MAFMC meeting in New Bern NC

Feb 17 Monitor National Marine Sanctuary hearing; 6-9pm; Nags Head

Feb 17-19 NC MFC meeting in Wrightsville Beach, NC

Mar 7-11 SAFMC meeting in Jekyll Island, GA

North Carolina Fisheries Association Weekly Update for Feb 1, 2016

February 2, 2016 — The following was released by the North Carolina Fisheries Association:

CARTERET COUNTY FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION TO MEET

The Carteret County Fishermen’s Association has scheduled a meeting for Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Marshallberg Community Center at 6:30pm.

SOUTHERN SHRIMP ALLIANCE & SHRIMP IMPORTS:

We have copies at the office, so call if you want us to send you one or more. Or you can contact John Williams of the Southern Shrimp Alliance directly: john@shrimpalliance.com or call: 727-934-5090.

PROPOSED BOUNDARY EXPANSION TO MONITOR NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY

For more details and maps see http://monitor.noaa.gov/management/expansion.html.

This expansion could have significant impacts on fishermen off the Outer Banks. Please plan to attend one of the following public meetings:

Raleigh, NC

Tues., Feb. 9 from 6-9 p.m.

North Carolina Museum of History

5 East Edenton Street

919-807-7900

Beaufort, NC

Wednesday, Feb. 10 from 6-9 p.m.

North Carolina Maritime Museum

315 Front Street

252-728-7317

Hatteras, NC

Thurs., Feb. 11 from 6-9 p.m.

Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum

9200 Museum Dr.

252-986-2995

Washington, D.C.

Tues., Feb. 16 from 6-9 p.m.

US Navy Memorial – Main Auditorium

701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

202-380-0710

Nags Head, NC

Wed., Feb. 17 from 6-9 p.m.

Jennette’s Pier – Oceanview Hall

7223 S. Virginia Dare Trail

252-255-1501

JERRY’S COMMENTS

Last fall WRAL aired a documentary that was not at all complimentary to our state’s commercial fishermen. I was interviewed for it and offered some suggestions for other interviews to the producer, Clay Johnson. After I watched it, I sent him a note and said it was the most subjective piece of fisheries journalism I’ve experienced. He didn’t agree with that statement, but I maintain that it’s a fact.

Since then, there are some fishermen who wonder why I would even consent to an interview. At the same time, we all seem to agree that we “need to get the word out”, and quit preaching to the choir. How do we do that by saying no to a request for an interview, when the question is, “would you be interested in being interviewed for a documentary about commercial fishing”? Before saying yes, I did some research on the producer. I watched several of his documentaries with one being about commercial fishing in 2008. The others were not about commercial fishing but all of them, in my opinion, were fair and objectively done.S

Below is the link to the video, “Net Loss”, produced by Clay Johnson in 2008. If you haven’t watched the other one that aired last year, let me know and I’ll forward to you.

http://www.wral.com/wral-tv/video/3599816/