Saving Seafood

New funding to study shifting surf clams, potential fishing devaluation from offshore wind

January 4, 2022 — An effort to map changing surf clam habitat off the East Coast is among four new research projects to be funded in 2023 with $235,000 from the non-profit Science Center for Marine Fisheries (SCEMFIS).

SCEMFIS approved the funding at annual fall meeting, doling out an overall $109,000 increase in funding from the $126,000 the center approved for the 2022 funding year.

Projects are chosen for funding by members of the Center’s Industry Advisory Board, and with an eye to addressing the highest priorities in finfish and shellfish science. This year’s projects research new methods to chart the habitat overlap between ocean quahogs and surfclams; test better ways to analyze the diets of important predator species in the Gulf of Mexico; examine the financial impact of wind farm development on Northeast fisheries; and design a new, experimental clam dredge.

Clam resource distribution, a GIS summary: As the waters off the U.S. coast continue to warm, surf clams continue to move into deeper, formerly colder waters, causing an overlap in habitat with ocean quahogs, creating a problem for fishermen and regulators as two formerly separate fisheries begin to overlap.

This project funded at $19,719 and led by professor Roger Mann at the Virginia Institute for Marine Science, will develop GIS information charting this overlap using historical survey and fishing data, use temperature data to determine the influence of climate change over time, and use these data sets to project future surf clam migration.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Sea Watch founder Barney Truex passes at age 70

August 23, 2022 — Leroy “Barney” Truex, a New Jersey surf clam fisherman who built Sea Watch International into the fishery’s biggest integrated harvesting and processing business, died Aug. 11 at age 70.

A lifelong resident of Mayetta, New Jersey, Truex grew up on the shore of Barnegat Bay with its traditional small-boat bay clamming fishery. In the mid-20th century entrepreneurial fishermen were building an offshore surf clam and ocean quahog industry. Truex went to work with his father Leroy Truex as a deck mate on surf clam vessels at age 16.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

NMFS calls a covid-19 cancellation for Northeast research surveys

July 13, 2020 — On the heels of again delaying Northeast fisheries observer coverage, NMFS cancelled three planned research surveys as the covid-19 pandemic continues.

The cancelled surveys would help assess sea scallops, the Atlantic surf clam and ocean quahog stocks – and use advanced technology to investigate the deep ocean’s mesopelagic layer, the so-called “twilight zone” between 660 feet and 3,300 feet where the influence of sunlight drops off.

“These are difficult decisions for the agency as we strive to balance our need to maintain core mission responsibilities with the realities and impacts of the current health crisis,” officials at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center said in a statement issued Friday afternoon.

“Since March, we have been rigorously analyzing various options for conducting cruises this year and are taking a survey-by-survey, risk-based approach. After much deliberation, we determined that there was no way to move forward with these surveys while effectively minimizing risk and meeting core survey objectives.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

MSC: True World Foods commits to sustainable, traceable wild caught seafood

September 6, 2019 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

True World Foods, wholesale provider of sushi-grade product to restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets throughout the US, has achieved MSC Chain of Custody (COC) certification for its albacore, sockeye salmon, and Atlantic surf clam. With COC certification, True World Foods guarantees that fish can be traced throughout the supply chain to an MSC certified source, demonstrating the company’s commitment to sustainability.

“True World Foods is proud to partner with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in striving to ensure all of the seafood we secure for our customers comes from only reputable and sustainable sources worldwide,” said Robert Bleu, President of True World Group (Holding Company which owns the True World Foods Organizations). “We are active with multiple organizations such as MSC to foster and create a future which provides sustainable seafood for years to come.

The MSC is an international non-profit organization, established to safeguard seafood supplies for the future. Recognized as the world’s leading certification program for sustainable, wild-caught seafood, the MSC works with leaders within the fishing industry and seafood sector to create a more sustainable seafood market. MSC certification is a voluntary, science-based program verified by an independent, third party organization.

To be sold as MSC certified, seafood from MSC certified fisheries can only be handled, processed and packaged by organizations with a valid Chain of Custody certificate. These organizations are audited regularly by independent certification bodies to ensure that they comply with the MSC Chain of Custody Standard. This requires that MSC certified seafood is only purchased from certified suppliers and is always identifiable, segregated from non-certified seafood and sold with the correct paperwork identifying it as certified. MSC regularly monitors the supply chain and auditor application of the MSC Standard to ensure that requirements are being followed correctly.

“True World Foods is demonstrating leadership in sustainability with this achievement,” said Brian Perkins, Regional Director, Americas for the Marine Stewardship Council. “Chain of Custody certification is important for supply chain sustainability as well as for consumers, because it assures that standards are met throughout the supply chain, and that the products are traceable back to a sustainable fishery. This is a notable accomplishment and we’re proud of True World Food’s dedication to sustainable seafood.”

True World Foods, LLC’s COC certification will expire in June 2022 and must undergo annual audits to ensure the MSC Standard continues to be met.