Saving Seafood

Florida lobster fishermen hope for normal season

July 24, 2020 — Poor production, lingering effects from previous hurricanes, and the COVID-19 pandemic knocked Florida spiny lobster fishermen down, but not out during the 2019-20 harvest season. Many are gearing up and looking forward to August’s opening.

“All my fishermen are getting ready. We expect a normal year,” said Gary Graves, operator of Keys Fisheries in Marathon. “My fear this year is storms. The water temperature is so hot.” The Florida Keys stayed out of harm’s way during last year’s hurricane season, but Graves said lobster production was down about 35 percent, possibly because of lower production in the Caribbean basin, where most of Florida’s crustaceans are spawned.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Rubio Leads Colleagues in Urging Secretary Perdue to Include Florida Fishermen in Administration’s Lobster Relief Program

July 23, 2020 — The following was released by The Office of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL):

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) led members of the Florida congressional delegation in urging U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to include Florida’s commercial fishermen in the lobster relief program announced by President Trump on June 24, 2020. The program addresses harm to the United States lobster industry caused by steep tariffs imposed by the Chinese government. More information can be found here.

“This belligerent economic behavior by the Chinese government has the potential to significantly reduce the market share of Florida’s spiny lobster in the Asian marketplace, and could have a ripple affect across our state’s economy,” the lawmakers wrote. “We are concerned about the long-term future of Florida’s spiny lobster fishery and the ability of our fishermen to earn a living.”

Rubio was joined by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and Representatives Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), Donna Shalala (D-FL), Brian Mast (R-FL), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Francis Rooney (R-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Bill Posey (R-FL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Ross Spano (R-FL), and Al Lawson, Jr. (D-FL).

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear Secretary Perdue:

We write to request the inclusion of Florida commercial fishermen in the lobster relief program announced by President Trump on June 24, 2020, in response to the difficulties facing the United States lobster industry due to tariff action by the Chinese government.

Florida’s vibrant lobster fishery has suffered harm by the tariffs imposed by the Chinese government. Spiny lobster is the state’s second largest commercial fishery with an average annual catch of seven million pounds and a total value of more than $45 million. Spiny lobster is renowned for its quality and freshness and is immensely popular in China during holidays and other special events. An estimated 80 percent of all spiny lobster harvested in Florida is exported to China and other Asian ports as a live product. Tariffs placed on spiny lobster by the Chinese government have greatly increased the price of Florida’s spiny lobster exports. Meanwhile, the Chinese government is reducing or eliminating tariffs on competing products from other countries and have begun importing greater numbers of spiny lobster from Australia, Brazil, and the Caribbean.

This belligerent economic behavior by the Chinese government has the potential to significantly reduce the market share of Florida’s spiny lobster in the Asian marketplace, and could have a ripple affect across our state’s economy. We are concerned about the long-term future of Florida’s spiny lobster fishery and the ability of our fishermen to earn a living.

Florida’s fishermen have been harmed by the tariffs imposed on lobster from the United States. As such, we respectfully request their inclusion in the relief program.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

California spiny lobster takes double hit from China market

May 1, 2020 — Coronavirus and Chinese trade tariffs put California’s spiny lobster industry in a stranglehold this past season. If the trade tariffs going into the season weren’t enough, ex-vessel prices plummeted to a third of what they’d been in previous years with announcements that the coronavirus outbreak warranted stopping shipments of live lobsters to primary markets.

Lunar New Year celebrations in China traditionally mark the highest demand for lobsters shipped across the water from the West Coast. But that market deflated as coronavirus kept Chinese consumers home, slashing demand.

As of mid-March, spiny lobster fishermen had put in 76.5 metric tons of product, according to data posted in PacFIN. Ex-vessel prices averaged $12.26 per pound. Much of that value was predicated by deliveries and shipments previous to the outbreak of the virus in China. Both production and values were down significantly from the same period in the 2018-19 season, when the harvest stood at 194.4 metric tons and average ex-vessel prices of $17.04 per pound.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Coronavirus Slams Florida’s Lobster Industry

February 7, 2020 — His boat loaded with empty lobster traps, Gary Nichols pulls up to his fish house on Conch Key.

“Another happy day to get to the dock,” as his crew tied up his boat and began unloading the traps.

Although China is 9,000 miles away, the coronavirus is causing the lobster season to end early for Nichols and many of the other lobstermen of the Florida Keys.

“Traditionally we fish to the middle or end of March,” Nichols explained. “But the Chinese have stopped the buying due to the coronavirus.”

With the virus spreading across China, commercial flights from the United States were recently halted. But even before the airlines stopped flying, the major buyers in China were canceling orders for Florida’s spiny lobster. Fear surrounding the virus was hitting the country’s economy and keeping people out of restaurants.

Florida lobster is considered a delicacy in China and is often the star of any celebratory dinner, especially during Chinese New Year which has been underway for the past week. For Florida’s lobstermen, this is when prices soar.

“We had just gotten our prices up to a decent level,” Nichols explained. “This is when our price is normally between $12 and $20 a pound for lobster.”

Read the full story at CBS 4

Waters Off California Acidifying Faster Than Rest of Oceans, Study Shows

December 17, 2019 — California’s coastal waters are acidifying twice as fast as the rest of the oceans, a study published Monday shows. And some of California’s most important seafood — including the spiny lobster, the market squid and the Dungeness crab — are becoming increasingly vulnerable.

The carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to the planet’s rapidly warming climate are also changing the chemistry of the world’s oceans, which have absorbed roughly 27 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted worldwide.

Ocean water is ordinarily slightly basic, or alkaline, but is becoming more acidic as it absorbs carbon dioxide. This can harm marine life, especially shellfish, because they struggle to make their shells in acidic waters.

Emily Osborne, a scientist in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ocean acidification program, with her colleagues studied the fossil record of planktonic foraminifera — tiny simple organisms which, like shellfish, build their shells from calcium carbonate. They have been around for millions of years, but each individual organism only lives for roughly a month.

Read the full story at The New York Times

Florida regulators crack down on harvest, sale of undersized spiny lobsters

October 16, 2019 — Kent Alexander Quinn Downs, a 33-year-old commercial spiny lobster fisherman from Marathon, Florida, was arrested Oct. 10 and charged with 11 counts of possessing undersized lobsters on his vessel as well as a felony charge related to destroying evidence, the Miami Herald reports.

Quinn Downs and his boat, That’s Right, were spotted in the East Bahia Honda Channel by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) officer Joshua Peters in the afternoon and hailed for an inspection. Peters said he then noticed a man dumping half a basket of undersized lobsters into the water.

Quinn Downs later admitted there were about 15 undersized lobsters in the basket and that he dumped them when he saw the officer’s blue lights, according to the arrest report.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

NOAA Fisheries Announces New Modifications to Gear Requirements and Commercial Management Measures for the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic Spiny Lobster Fishery

July 29, 2019 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

KEY MESSAGES:

These requirements are for federal waters off Florida and address bully net gear requirements, commercial daily possession limits when using bully nets or diving for the harvest of spiny lobster, and the soak period for spiny lobster traps.

WHEN RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT:

Regulations for commercial trap soak period are effective July 26, 2019. For the 2019/2020 fishing season, commercial spiny lobster traps may be baited and placed in Federal waters beginning Saturday, July 27, 2019.
Regulations for the rest of the rule will be effective August 30, 2019.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES:

  • Spiny lobster commercial harvesters using bully net gear:
    • must have a bully net permit from Florida,
    • must mark buoys with the harvester’s Florida bully net permit number using reflective paint or other reflective material,
    • are prohibited from having trap pullers onboard,
    • are prohibited from the simultaneous possession of a bully net and any underwater breathing apparatus (not including dive masks or snorkels) onboard a vessel used to harvest or transport spiny lobster for commercial purposes.
  • Commercial spiny lobster daily vessel harvest and possession limits:
    • 250 per day/vessel for spiny lobsters harvested by bully net in or from all federal waters off Florida,
    • 250 per day/vessel for spiny lobsters harvested by diving in or from federal waters only off Broward, Dade, Monroe, Collier, and Lee Counties, Florida.
  • Existing language in spiny lobster federal regulations that incorporates Florida regulations by reference has been updated, which includes a new commercial trap soak start time.
    • Commercial spiny lobster traps may be baited and placed in the water beginning on the Saturday immediately following the recreational mini season.

FORMAL FEDERAL REGISTER NAME/NUMBER: FR 2019-16265, will publish on July 31, 2019.

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

Florida Targets ‘Criminal Conspiracy’ In Spiny Lobster Fishery

March 21, 2019 — State wildlife investigators announced Tuesday that they’ve wrapped up a two-year investigation targeting what they say is a criminal conspiracy in the spiny lobster fishing industry.

Lobster is Florida’s most valuable commercial fishery, with landings usually worth more than $40 million a year.

Investigators went undercover and conducted surveillance in what they called “Operation Thimblerig.” Thimblerig is another term for shell game.

Three people face felony charges including racketeering, fraud and identity theft.

Investigators say the primary suspect is Elena Reyes, 67, owner and operator of Florida Marine Fisheries Consultant, a business with an address in Palmetto Bay.

She’s accused of cheating the state out of about $200,000 by underreporting the sale price of trap tag transfers. Every commercial lobster trap in Florida is required to have a tag from the state and the number of those tags is limited, making them valuable.

When the tags are sold, the state gets a surcharge, so by underreporting the sale price, Reyes created a “considerable deficit” in the amount the state was owed, according to the FWC.

Investigators say she also stole personal information from about 60 people who hold commercial fishing licenses. That information was used to get a restricted species endorsement for people who would not otherwise have qualified. A restricted species endorsement is special permission from the state required to fish for certain kinds of fish, including spiny lobster.

Read the full story at WLRN

China still buying spiny lobsters from US, driving up price to harvesters

September 26, 2018 — The price being paid to spiny lobster harvesters in the US’ Florida Keys is slowly increasing despite the 25% tariffs that took effect in China — their biggest market — in early July, The Key West Citizen reports.

Harvesters were getting $5 a pound in August but have been receiving as much as $9/lb in recent weeks, according to the newspaper.

The article quotes lobster fisherman Gary Nichols as saying the trade war with China is a big issue for spiny lobster harvesters, as 90% of their catch goes to Asia.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News