Saving Seafood

MSC: Ocean Naturals and Kraft Heinz Offer Sustainable, Traceable Tuna from Ocean to Plate

March 6, 2018 — SEATTLE — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

Food service restaurants who serve Ocean Naturals brand tuna from Kraft Heinz are serving seafood that supports the fishermen and fisherwomen who are working hard to meet the world’s most rigorous standard for sustainable fishing. Kraft Heinz has achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody (CoC) certification for their skipjack and albacore tuna, which is sold to food service operators in the United States for tuna sandwiches and tuna salads.

Kraft Heinz has obtained Chain of Custody (CoC) certification demonstrating their commitment to the sustainability of the fishery. With CoC certification, they can provide restaurant operators with confidence in the sustainability credentials of the Ocean Naturals tuna supplied by The Tuna Store, a part of the Tri Marine Group, that they use in their sandwich and salad recipes.

“This is tuna with not only great sustainability credentials but also a very rich and compelling story about tuna dependent island communities catching and producing quality tuna products for the U.S. market, ” according to Joe Hamby CEO of The Tuna Store.

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.

All tuna served at dining institutions in the U.S. market that use Ocean Naturals tuna is sourced from a sustainable and well-managed fishery. Ocean Naturals Skipjack tuna now comes from the Solomon Islands and island cannery Sol Tuna while the Albacore is sourced from the Cook Islands fishery. Roughly 13 percent of the annual global harvest of wild-capture fisheries are MSC certified.

“We congratulate Kraft Heinz on attaining MSC Chain of Custody certification and joining The Tuna Store in providing sustainable tuna options in the U.S.” said Brian Perkins, MSC regional director, Americas. “The MSC sets robust and credible requirements for organizations handling MSC certified seafood, and we’re proud that The Tuna Store and Kraft Heinz are among those taking the lead in seafood sustainability.”

Because Ocean Naturals tuna is offered in food service establishments (i.e. – delis, cafeterias, food service restaurants, etc.), consumers may not be aware that they’re eating certified, sustainable seafood. Kraft Heinz intends on focusing on chefs, food operators, and buyers who can feel good about serving MSC-certified tuna and in turn passing the benefit on to the consumer.

About the MSC

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organization. Our vision is for the world’s oceans to be teeming with life, and seafood supplies safeguarded for this and future generations. Our ecolabel and certification program recognises and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping create a more sustainable seafood market.

The MSC ecolabel on a seafood product means that:

  • It comes from a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC’s science-based standard for environmentally sustainable fishing.
  • It’s fully traceable to a sustainable source.

More than 300 fisheries in over 34 countries are certified to the MSC’s Standard. These fisheries have a combined annual seafood production of almost nine million metric tonnes, representing 12% of global marine catch. More than 25,000 seafood products worldwide carry the MSC label. For more information visit www.msc.org

 

Independent Adjudicator Finds No Shark Finning Issue in PNA Tuna Fishery

March 2, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Following concerns brought up by the International Pole and Line Foundation, an Independent Adjudicator has confirmed that the PNA skipjack tuna fishery “continues to meet the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) standard for sustainable fishing.

Although the International Pole and Line Foundation raised a “number of concerns,” one of the bigger issues revolved around the group’s claim that the PNA skipjack tuna fishery is involved in shark finning. MSC had banned the practice of shark finning in 2013, and a ban was also put in place by the PNA governments. According to the MSC, shark finning now only occurs in “isolated cases.” The Independent Adjudicator dismissed the claims of shark finning in the fishery, saying that it is “unrealistic” to make a fishery ineligible for certification based on a single incident. An auditor has recommended that the PNA continue to prosecute shark finning offenders and maintain enforcement actions.

“This highlights the strength of the MSC process,” MSC Science and Standards Director Dr. David Agnew said in a press release. “As a result of this objection, more information is now in the public domain about the PNA fishery, adding to the information in the published assessment report, and improving the transparency of the fishery’s management. This confirms that the PNA skipjack tuna fishery is a sustainable and well-managed fishery that has made considerable improvements over the course of its first MSC certificate. People buying MSC labelled PNA tuna can be confident that their purchase is making a positive difference to the sustainability of our oceans.”

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

 

Climate change draws invasive species to the Arctic

February 27, 2018 — The Arctic is changing. Temperatures are increasing twice as fast as the global average and sea ice is retreating quicker than predicted.

It is now just a question of time before the Arctic becomes ice free in summer.

But while we humans react slowly to the problem at hand, evidence suggests that animals are on the move- on land, sea, and in the air. And in the cold Arctic, invasive species are drawn to regions where they could not previously have survived.

But invasive species pose a big problem for native animals, whose numbers can decline to the point of collapse. They also pose a threat to fisheries, with economic consequences on both a local and global scale.

In fact, our recent study showed that blue mussels have become much more common in the Arctic in recent years, just like other exotic species of bluefin tuna and killer whales.

Read the full story at Phys.org

 

Media Fails Again on Fisheries Data; New Maps Don’t Show Intensification of Fishing – Hilborn

February 26, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The lead article in Science this week, picked up in numerous publications, highlighted data from the AIS vessel tracking system to show the global impact of industrial fishing.

The authors state that vessels are now fishing in 55% of the world’s oceans, which is an area four times larger than occupied by onshore agriculture.

The immediate popular conclusion was that this shows immense overfishing, and Oceana was quoted saying “That means we’re putting more pressure on fish populations.”

But that is not what the data show.  As pointed out consistently by Professor Ray Hilborn of the University of Washington, the comparison with agriculture is simply wrong.

Hilborn says “The comparison to agriculture fails to note that the 50 million square kilometers under agriculture have destroyed the natural ecosystem as the plow or new pasture eliminates the native plants.   The areas fished, particularly for tunas, have changed very little.”

Furthermore,  “Fishing does not impact the primary production (plants), and in very few cases does it impact the species that graze on the primary producers.  So the 50 million square kilometers of the earths’ surface that is used for agriculture is totally transformed,  most of the oceans that are being fished (high seas tuna)  have some changes in top predators abundance. “

Hilborn points out that “High seas fishing for tuna, which constitutes the majority of the “footprint” shown in the Science paper has been mapped for 40 years, and the widespread nature of high seas tuna fishing is well known.  The footprint of bottom trawlers has been mapped in much finer scale already in many places, and the Science paper overestimates the proportion of the seabed impacted by trawls by 10 fold.”

The AIS data is interesting, and allows for specific types of research that was not possible before.  However, the dataset does not give as accurate a picture of global fishing as does the comprehensive database on fish stock surveys and catch records.

Hilborn says “For most of the areas where there are data in this study,  fish stocks are actually increasing and tuna populations are well documented and globally stable.”

Hilborn is a longtime collaborator with Dr. Boris Worm, one of the authors of the paper.  Together they did a groundbreaking study of global fisheries databases, and helped create a standard dataset to measure fisheries catches and stock health.  Neither Worm nor the other authors are claiming that the AIS study shows increased fishing pressure on stocks, they are simply reporting that the tracking data provides a new visualization tool for global fisheries.

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

 

ISSF Releases New Five-Year Strategic Plan

February 26, 2018 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) released its Strategic Plan for 2018-2022, Advancing Sustainable Tuna Fisheries: A Five-Year Plan, which lays out the research and advocacy organization’s mission and approach to meeting sustainability objectives over the next five years.

The new strategic plan is activated through three core pillars of science, influence, and verification — encompassing tuna stock health and fisheries bycatch, outreach to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and vessels, partnerships with tuna companies, fishery improvement support, and more. ISSF’s ultimate objective remains to improve the sustainability of global tuna fisheries so they are capable of meeting the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification standard without conditions.

“Since ISSF began its work in 2009, tuna fisheries have changed, the industry has changed, and sustainability challenges have strengthened stakeholder cooperation,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “As progress is made and priorities evolve, it is essential to recalibrate our strategies to continue to drive the industry towards a more sustainable future. That’s what Advancing Sustainable Tuna Fisheries allows us to do.”

Objective Strategies, Evolved Approaches

While ISSF tools and resources — because they help reach the organization’s objective regarding MSC certification — are complementary to fisheries improvement work, a formalized focus on Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs) is new to Advancing Sustainable Tuna Fisheries.

“ISSF has a reputation for taking the scientific route — identifying and advocating for approaches based on the best data available,” said Bill Fox, ISSF Board member of Vice President, Fisheries, WWF-U.S. “We look forward to the Foundation bringing this rigorous focus to bear on the fisheries improvement work progressing across global tuna fisheries.”

In the plan, the Foundation also pledges to monitor emerging labor and social standards for tuna fishing activities, and to consider how ISSF and its nearly 30 participating tuna companies can support standards for best labor practices.

Progress to Date, Goals to Prioritize

ISSF has launched a related, infographic-rich microsite that explores five focus areas of the strategic plan: bycatch mitigation, FADs and FAD management, illegal fishing, industry commitment, and harvest strategies. For all focus areas, which have evolved from the organization’s previous five-year plan, ISSF cites outcomes to date as a result of its model of scientific research, knowledge sharing, and advocacy.

Additional Strategic Plan goals laid out in the microsite include:

The microsite also highlights benchmarking tools and summarizes ISSF resources for FIPs and MSC certification efforts.

The 2018-2022 strategic plan was developed with input from ISSF partners representing more than a dozen external stakeholder groups and organizations — including those from the scientific, charitable foundation, and NGO communities. The plan was developed over a ten-month period and approved by  ISSF’s Board of Directors. The plan PDF can be downloaded from the microsite.

About the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is a global coalition of scientists, the tuna industry and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) — the world’s leading conservation organization — promoting science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health. To learn more, visit https://iss-foundation.org/, and follow ISSF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

 

Dr. Ray Hilborn: New Study on Fishing Effort ‘Does Not Provide Any New Insight’ on How Fishing Impacts Oceans

WASHINGTON — February 23, 2018 — A new study published in Science Magazine found that large-scale commercial fishing covers more than 55 percent of the world’s oceans. Today, Dr. Ray Hilborn, a respected fisheries expert and professor at the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, responded to the study in a statement, saying in part that it “does not provide any new insight on the impact of fishing on the oceans.”

“The media claims that this paper shows that fishing has a wider impact than previously known is simply wrong,” Dr. Hilborn said. “For most of the areas where there are data in this study, fish stocks are actually increasing and tuna populations are well documented and globally stable.”

Dr. Hilborn’s full statement is reproduced below:

This new study in Science using the AIS data does provide detailed information on fishing effort of specific vessels, but it does not provide anything new about the global pattern of fishing.  High seas fishing for tuna, which constitutes the majority of the “footprint” shown in the Science paper has been mapped for 40 years, and the widespread nature  of high seas tuna fishing is well known.  The footprint of bottom trawlers has been mapped in much finer scale already in many places, and the Science paper overestimates the proportion of the seabed impacted by trawls by 10 fold.

The media claims that this paper shows that fishing has a wider impact than previously known is simply wrong.   For most of the areas where there are data in this study,  fish stocks are actually increasing and tuna populations are well documented and globally stable.

The comparison to agriculture fails to note that the 50 million square kilometers under agriculture have destroyed the natural ecosystem as the plow or new pasture eliminates the native plants.   The areas fished, particularly for tunas, have changed very little.  Fishing does not impact the primary production (plants), and in very few cases does it impact the species that graze on the primary producers.  So the 50 million square kilometers of the earths’ surface that is used for agriculture is totally transformed,  most of the oceans that are being fished (high seas tuna)  have some changes in top predators abundance.

Certainly AIS data is very interesting and can let us look at specific things we could not do before, but it does not provide any new insight on the impact of fishing on the oceans.

 

Study finds tuna fishermen who fish along ocean fronts can significantly boost revenue

February 21, 2018 — CORVALLIS, Ore. – Savvy Northwest anglers have long known that when patches of warm Pacific Ocean water drift closer to shore each summer, it’s time to chase after the feisty and tasty albacore tuna.

Now a new study confirms that tuna are more likely to be found in regions of the California Current System with certain oceanographic conditions – and that commercial fishermen who work those areas more frequently bring in up to three times the revenue of other tuna anglers.

Results of the study, which was supported by the National Science Foundation and led by Oregon State University, were published today in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

These oceanographic conditions are more complex than simply being warmer temperatures, said James Watson, an OSU marine ecologist and lead author on the study. Their technical name is Lagrangian Coherent Structures, though scientists often refer to them as “the skeletons of the sea.”

“Essentially they are physical ocean fronts where surface waters converge,” Watson said. “If you toss two tennis balls in the water and they converge quickly, it is considered a Lagrangian Coherent Structure, or LCS.”

“What we’ve found is that the stronger the convergence, the more likely it is to attract certain things, beginning with the aggregation of phytoplankton, which in turn attracts larger organisms like tuna – and, ultimately, tuna fishermen.”

The researchers sought to discover whether anglers were utilizing these LCSs and if so, whether it had an economic impact. They compiled data from a vessel monitoring system on the location of more than 1,000 fishing vessels every hour in the U.S. California Current Large Marine Ecosystem for a four-year period – a total of more than 340,000 trips. They then collected fisheries catch and price data.

Read the full story at KVAL

 

Seafood Icon Northern Wind® Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary in Business

February 16, 2018 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The following was released by Northern Wind: 

Northern Wind, an industry leader as a direct off-loader, processor and distributor of fresh and frozen scallops is proud to announce that the company is celebrating its 30th year in business. Since its founding in 1987 by Ken Melanson and Michael Fernandes, Northern Wind has established itself as one of America’s fastest growing seafood processing and distribution companies, providing its customers with a wide variety of premium scallops and seafood from across the globe. Northern Wind prides itself in providing their customers with the freshest seafood products that have been responsibly harvested using sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. With three decades of business relationships throughout New England and across the globe, Northern Wind is a top direct-off loader, processor and distributor of fresh and frozen scallops.

“Over the last thirty years, Northern Wind has not only remained strong throughout many economic ups and downs, but we’ve grown the business and we now serve well over 500 customers across the globe,” said Ken Melanson, Founder & Chairman of Northern Wind. “First, our expertise at delivering top quality, responsibly sourced and sustainable scallops and fresh seafood is paramount in our success. Secondly, is our employee’s hard work and dedication to providing superior customer service which has enabled us to attract and retain hundreds of loyal customers.”

Northern Wind’s seafood products include fresh and frozen scallops, Ahi tuna, North Atlantic lobster, monkfish, headfish, skate and value-added seafood offerings. Northern Wind’s 70,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility is certified by the U.S. Department of Commerce Seafood Inspection Program for packing of USDC Grade A fresh and frozen scallops. Northern Wind was the first scallop producer in the nation to receive Fair Trade™ Certification and during the 2017-18 fishing season purchased over 1 Million pounds of Fair Trade scallops. In addition, Northern Wind’s start-of-the-art processing facility is BRC and MSC certified.

The company has also launched a new line of high quality premium scallops under the Five Star Premium Scallop brand name which was introduced at last year’s Seafood Expo North America in Boston, Ma. The company has also redesigned its Captain’s Call, Mariner’s Choice and Sea Spray scallop product lines to better portray Northern Wind’s leadership position in the seafood industry.

“The first 30 years have been an incredible ride. We’ve been blessed to have employees who are dedicated to quality and providing excellent customer service. I can’t wait to see what the next 30 years bring,” stated Michael Fernandes, Founder & President of Northern Wind.

Since the beginning, the Northern Wind team has always dedicated themselves to consistently supplying their customers with the highest quality seafood products and providing them with superior customer service and competitive prices.

View the release in its entirety here.

 

NOAA to end SIMP “informed consent” period in April

February 16, 2018 — The date when the United States will begin enforcing full compliance with a program designed to prevent illegally fished and counterfeit products has been set as 7 April, according to a statement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Seafood Import Monitoring Program officially took effect on 1 January, nearly 13 months after officials revealed its regulations that required importers to keep records on selected products. However, officials opted to begin the program with an “informed compliance” phase, choosing to allow shipments with missing or misconfigured data.

“NOAA Fisheries has observed an encouraging and steadily increasing rate of compliance with SIMP filings,” the agency said in a statement.

SIMP requires importers to maintain records for Atlantic cod, blue crab, dolphinfish, grouper, king crab, Pacific cod, red snapper, sea cucumber, sharks, swordfish, and tunas detailing how they were caught or harvested and tracking the products until they reach the U.S.

In January 2017, the National Fisheries Institute and a group of seafood companies sued the government, claiming SIMP violated federal law. However, a federal judge in August ruled against the plaintiffs, saying Congress gave the authority to agencies to issue regulations.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the NFI said that programs like SIMP experience “growing pains” and that the industry will look for opportunities to help NOAA handle such issues as the April deadline draws closer.

“NFI members will work to ensure they are prepared for full implementation of SIMP,” said Gavin Gibbons, the NFI’s vice president of communications.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Walmart recognizes suppliers’ efforts at sustainability-focused meeting

February 7, 2018 — To help Walmart continue expanding its sustainable seafood supply, the largest global retailer recently met with several large United States seafood suppliers, along with sustainability certifiers and other groups.

The retailer, which operates more than 5,400 Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in the U.S., also recognized three suppliers at the 1 February “Sustainability Summit” at Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Munhall, Pennsylvania-based The Fishin’ Company was recognized for partnering with Walmart to source its first four-star BAP certified tilapia, Mark Eastham, Walmart’s senior manager for sustainability, told SeafoodSource.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville, Florida-based wholesaler Beaver Street Fisheries was recognized for “its work with Walmart to support a more sustainable shrimp supply chain,” Eastham said.

Frozen seafood supplier North Atlantic Inc., based in Portland, Maine, was recognized for its engagement in Fishery Improvement Projects across the globe.

“They were also the first supplier to sign up for the Ocean Disclosure Project,” Eastham said. North Atlantic also operates Bali Seafood International, which is building a commercially sponsored fishery management model for small-boat fisheries in Indonesia.

Around 75 suppliers in total attended the sustainability summit, along with representatives of the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices program, the Marine Stewardship Council, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, and the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative.

“This forum provides us with the opportunity to reflect on what we have accomplished and what we can do to accelerate progress toward sustainability – so that we can enjoy not only a vibrant seafood industry but vibrant oceans,” Eastham said.

By 2025, Walmart will expand and enhance sustainable sourcing to cover 20 key commodities.

“This is an important issue for Walmart, as seafood is one of the commodities we have pledged to be a part of our long-term sustainability commitments,” Eastham said.

Walmart is working with sustainable seafood suppliers that share the retailer’s commitment to providing sustainable seafood to its customers, he said.

“Our goal is to build transparency and continuous improvement with the seafood supply chain, so that we can build confidence and provide for our customers now and in the future,” Eastham said.

At the meeting, Walmart executives highlighted the retailer’s progress in sourcing sustainable seafood to date and discussed the company’s future goals. Eastman said by 2025, “based on certain factors including price and demand,” Walmart U.S., Sam’s Club, and Walmart Canada will require all canned light and white tuna suppliers to source from fisheries that are either third-party certified or engaged in fishery improvement projects (FIPs). The company has also committed to carrying FAD-free and pole and line canned tuna in its U.S., Canadian, and ASDA-brand stores, Eastham said.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource