Tuna Archives - Page 57 of 58

NMFS to Deny Tri Marine Petition, Fishery Council Asked to Expedite Analysis of the Cost to American Samoa

October 20, 2015 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Management Council:

UTULEI, American Samoa — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will not undertake an emergency rulemaking to exempt U.S. purse seine vessels that deliver at least half of their catch to tuna processing facilities in American Samoa from the closure of the area known as the Effort Limit Area for Purse Seine (ELAPS). Michael Tosatto, Regional Administrator of the NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office, made the announcement to the Fishing Industry Advisory Committee (FIAC), during its meeting yesterday at the Rex Lee Auditorium in Utulei, American Samoa. The FIAC advises the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which will convene at the Lee Auditorium on Wednesday and Thursday.

NMFS closed the ELAPS on June 15. The ELAPS is comprised of all areas of high seas and U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between 20 degrees N and 20 degrees S in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Convention area. The closure remains in effect until Dec. 31, 2015. “NMFS finds it is not appropriate to grant the petition as it was requested,” Tosatto said. The ELAPs closure may have economic impacts, he added, but whether these impacts warrant action would take more information and more time to analyze the information.

Tri-Marine Management Company had submitted the petition for the emergency rule to NMFS on May 12. The company owns 10 purse seine vessels home ported in American Samoa as well as a tuna cannery in the U.S. territory.

Public view an American Samoa purse seiner during the Fishers Forum on American Samoa Fisheries, hosted on Oct. 17 by the Council and the American Samoa Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources at the Port Administration main dock at Fagatogo.

The Tri Marine petition argued that the ability of American Samoa-based tuna vessels to operate profitably is in serious question due to the loss of access to traditional fishing grounds among other reasons. The traditional grounds have been the EEZ of Kiribati. This year Kiribati provided U.S. vessels with only 300 fishing days for the entire U.S. purse seine fleet, after allowing 4,313 fishing days (60 percent of all US flag fishing days in the region) in 2014.

The lack of fishing grounds causes a lack of reliable supply of tuna from these vessels, which will jeopardize the ability of the canneries in American Samoa to compete in world markets, according to Tri Marine. The petition invokes the WCPFC Convention, which supports full recognition to the special requirements of developing Small Island Developing State (SIDS) or participating territories, including American Samoa.

Joe Hamby, Tri Marine Group’s chief operating officer, expressed disappointment of the decision “considering the dire straits the vessels are going through.” He said Tri Marine looks forward to working with NOAA on providing information and asked “What is the timeline?” He noted that the original petition was six months ago.

Tosatto said it is hard to put a timeline on what it will take. “WCPFC has a lot of clauses and we are exploring those. … It will be several months.” He said a Federal Register notice on the decision will be published in the next few days.

In regards to the potential impacts to America Samoa from reduced access for US purse seine vessels based in America Samoa, the FIAC recommended that the Council request that NMFS expedite its economic analysis on impacts to America Samoa of the US rules on purse seine effort limits.

The FIAC also recommended that the Council undertake the following actions:

Continue to advocate for more effective international management of the South Pacific albacore longline fishery and notes that the economic conditions for longline fisheries across the region remain well below historic levels.
Initiate further discussions with America Samoa longline participants, America Samoa canneries and other interested parties on the costs and benefits of obtaining Marine Stewardship Certification.
Request that the US government work to restore US bigeye tuna limits applicable to the Hawaii fishery and recognizes that it is highly monitored, fishes in an area of low impact to the bigeye stock and supplies a local domestic market.
Request that NMFS work with the fishing industry on the development of the national traceability program and to limit impacts on US fishermen and US seafood products.
Work with the local alia fleet and American Samoa government on training opportunities to improve seafood handling and quality, identification of export markets and reduced freight costs.
Respond to the proposed rule on Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) import provision by supporting the general intent of the provision, which is to level the playing field for U.S. fisheries by requiring similar marine mammal bycatch mitigation provisions for foreign fisheries exporting fish and fish products to U.S., and expressing concern that the process and requirements outlined in the proposed rule are extremely complex and burdensome and have the potential to divert resources necessary to implement MMPA provisions for domestic fisheries, may impact the U.S. seafood import industry and result in other unintended consequences to the domestic fishing and seafood industries.

The American Samoa Regional Ecosystem Advisory Committee (REAC) and the American Samoa Advisory Panel, two other committees that advise the Council, also met yesterday at the Lee Auditorium. The REAC reviewed ongoing expansion of the Council archipelagic and pelagic fishery ecosystem annual reports to further incorporate ecosystem components and provided recommendations to Council staff regarding data availability. The REAC recommended that it should participate in reviewing the draft reports for completeness and accuracy.

American Samoa Regional Ecosystem Advisory Committee met yesterday at the Lee Auditorium in Utulei, American Samoa, to discuss enhancements to the Fishery Ecosystem Plans for the Western Pacific Region among other topics.

The Advisory Panel recommended that the Council undertake the following:

Support fisheries development in American Samoa as a SIDS in international commissions and organizations
Specify the 2016 US Territory longline bigeye tuna limits at 2,000 metric tons (mt) per Territory or higher based upon scientific assessment that it doesn’t impede international bigeye conservation objectives, whereby 1,000 mt per Territory or more would be authorized to be allocated to US fishermen through Amendment 7 specified fishing agreements.
Support and advocate for the participation of the local tuna fleet, as well as all of the various fishing sectors, in discussions and local, national, regional and international meetings that may affect the American Samoa fishing industry.
Request that the US Coast Guard maintain consistent inspection and enforcement actions for both land-based and at sea operations for the American Samoa fishing industry and report on the potential for improving the response time to distress and emergency calls initiated from vessels within American Samoa’s fishing fleet.
Support the resolution of local laws supporting the prohibition of shark finning to mirror federal regulations that allow the capture and landing of the whole shark.
Select the annual catch limit equal to the acceptable biological catch at 106,000 pounds for the territory bottomfish fishery in the 2016 and 2017 fishing years with a corresponding probability of overfishing of 22.9 percent and 37 percent, respectively.
Recommend that the American Samoa Government allocate the money necessary to fix the alia vessels preferably in Manu`a to be seaworthy for fishing from the disaster relief fund.
Request NMFS expedite its economic analysis on impacts of the US rules on purse seine effort limits.
Support the evaluation of the effectiveness of marine managed areas in American Samoa.

The Council will consider the recommendations of its advisory committees and standing committees, which meet today in Utulei, when it convenes Oct. 21 and 22 at the Lee Auditorium. For more on these Council meetings, go to www.wpcouncil.org, email info@wpcouncil.org or phone (808) 522-8220. The Council was established by Congress under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976 to manage domestic fisheries operating seaward of State waters around Hawai`i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the US Pacific Island Remote Island Areas. Recommendations by the Council are transmitted to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval.

John Kerry at Milan Expo: ‘There is too much money chasing too few fish’

October 19, 2015 — MILAN — Secretary Kerry travelled to Milan, Italy, on 16 October, to deliver remarks in commemoration of World Food Day and visit the US Pavilion at Milan EXPO 2015. While in Milan, the Secretary also met with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to discuss the bilateral relationship, as well as global and regional issues.

Remarks at the Expo Milan 2015

“…And now consider that the global population is growing – and growing unbelievably fast. In the next 35 years, we will go from about 7 billion people to 9 billion people walking the Earth. And all of them will need healthy food to thrive and survive. So given the hunger and the poverty on the Earth today, the challenge of making sure that future generations have enough to eat is not a small challenge.”

“Now, obviously, it starts with making sure that we’re producing more food. By some estimates, the world will have to increase food production by 60 percent between now and 2050 in order to keep pace with the rising number of mouths to feed. But growing and raising more food is only part of the challenge. We also have to be better stewards of the food that we have.”

Read the full story at FIS World News

Aramark To Source All Canned Tuna From MSC Certified Sources By April 2016

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] — October 16, 2015 — Major foodservice distributor Aramark plans to source all of its canned skipjack and albacore tuna products certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) by April 2016.

The $15 billion global supplier of food, facilities management, and uniforms, developed the plan in consultations with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program and the MSC. When the transition is complete in April 2016, Aramark will have converted an estimated 2.5 million pounds of tuna to sustainably sourced product.

“The Marine Stewardship Council congratulates Aramark on its commitment to source from MSC certified tuna fisheries. In making certified sustainable seafood available to its customers, Aramark is helping to raise consumer awareness about the importance of ensuring wild fish supplies for generations to come,” said Brian Perkins, MSC Regional Director, Americas.

All contracted canned tuna products Aramark purchases in the U.S. will meet green “Best Choice” or yellow “Good Alternative” by Seafood Watch recommendations: all skipjack canned tuna products will come from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries; and all albacore canned tuna products will be pole-and-line caught or from MSC certified fisheries, whenever available.

“Aramark is committed to providing our consumers with safe, high-quality, nutritious food that is sourced responsibly,” said Scott Barnhart, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain and Procurement, Aramark. “By transitioning to 100% sustainable canned tuna, we are strengthening our responsible sourcing practices, while delivering on our mission to enrich and nourish lives.”

This transition is the next significant step in Aramark’s sustainable seafood commitment. The company has already transitioned half of its total seafood purchases to sustainable sources. As of October 2014, 99% of frozen fin fish purchases met the Seafood Watch® “Best Choice” and “Good Alternative” recommendations.

“Aramark’s commitment is helping to transform the marketplace,” said Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly, Director of Seafood Watch®. “By creating more demand for seafood from ocean-friendly sources that protect sea life and habitats.”

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.

Hawaii Longline Fishermen Allowed to Resume Catching Tuna

October 15, 2015 — Hawaii fishermen are once again being allowed to catch a prized tuna species in the fleet’s most productive fishing grounds west of the islands, sparking criticism that they are adding to overfishing.

The National Marine Fisheries Service closed the fishery in early August because Hawaii-based longline fishermen hit an annual bigeye tuna catch limit of about 3,500 metric tons set by international regulators.

But the agency on Friday created a rule allowing the fishermen to report up to 1,000 metric tons of bigeye as being caught by the Northern Mariana Islands, which is a U.S. territory. The change allows Hawaii fisherman to catch more bigeye tuna than the maximum set by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

The commission, which is an international body that regulates fishing by the U.S., Japan, China and other nations fishing the area, doesn’t set limits on the catch of territories.

The two-month closure of fishing grounds affected 145 active vessels in the Hawaii longline fleet, said the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, which develops management plans for U.S. fisheries in Hawaii and other Pacific islands.

“Arbitrary quotas not linked to conservation objectives kept our boats tied at the docks,” Kitty Simonds, the council’s executive director, said in a statement. “The struggling vessels and small businesses they support accumulated millions of dollars in debt each month, causing untold anxiety for our local fishing community and consumers.”

Read the full story at the New York Times

WPRFMC: Hawaii Bigeye Tuna Industry Reels Two Months After Reaching Its Quotas

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — October 9, 2015 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

TELEVISION AND OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS SEEKING BROADCAST QUALITY VIDEO PLEASE CONTACT SYLVIA SPALDING: Sylvia.Spalding@wpcouncil.org.

For the past two months, since early August, about a quarter of the 145 active vessels in the Hawaii longline fleet have been prohibited from catching their target species, bigeye tuna. Arbitrary quotas not linked to conservation objectives are keeping them tied at the docks. These struggling vessels and small businesses they support are accumulating millions of dollars in debt each month, causing untold anxiety for the local fishing community and consumers.

The rest of the Hawaii fleet has been forced out of its primary fishing grounds in the Western and Central Pacific and must travel more than a thousand miles into the Eastern Pacific to set hooks to catch bigeye tuna.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fOiq6HCzZw

This travesty has happened because of two international quota systems-one in the Eastern Pacific for larger longline vessels and another in the Western and Central Pacific for all longline vessels. Both allocate the United States a minuscule amount of bigeye tuna.

As a result, industrial foreign fleets, with much higher bigeye tuna quotas, freely operate on the high seas around the Hawaiian Islands where Hawaii longline fishermen can no longer fish for bigeye tuna.

Overfishing of bigeye tuna in the Pacific started when the purse-seine fleets began using fish aggregation devices. While fishing on FADs targeting skipjack tuna for canneries, the purse-seiners unintentionally catch more bigeye than the longline fishery.

The Hawaii fishery lands only 1 and a half percent of the bigeye tuna caught in the Pacific Ocean. Its fishing grounds are thousands of miles away from the equatorial Pacific, the epi-center of overfishing.

The Hawaii longline fishery is unique. The fish are packed in ice and brought fresh to the dock for mostly Hawaii consumption.

Imported tuna, on the other hand, are mostly frozen. They are transshipped at sea with little monitoring and little traceability. These tuna are often treated with carbon monoxide, giving them an artificially fresh appearance.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council played a key role in establishing the international Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in 2000. The Council supported the Commission’s goals to prevent overcapacity and to eliminate bigeye overfishing in the Western and Central Pacific. However, the Commission has conspicuously failed to address these critical issues.

Instead of being penalized for a problem it did not create, the Hawaii longline fleet should be rewarded for being an exemplary fishery. The Western Pacific Council under the Magnuson-Stevens Act has responsibly managed this fishery for decades. The fishery has maintained high levels of observer coverage, provided quality fisheries data for stock assessments, pioneered the vessel monitoring system and mitigated protected species interactions.

The five Commissioners who will be representing the United States at the next Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission will be meeting next week Wednesday and Thursday to strategize for the Commission’s next meeting to be held Dec. 3 to 8, 2015, in Bali. The US government must commit to protect the Hawaii longline fishery. The alternative is US dependence on foreign imports and the irrevocable loss of Hawaii’s iconic fishery.

Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council: Appointees by the Secretary of Commerce from nominees selected by American Samoa, CNMI, Guam and Hawai`i governors: Michael Duenas, Guam Fishermen’s Cooperative Association (Guam) (vice chair); Edwin Ebisui (Hawai`i) (chair); Michael Goto, United Fishing Agency Ltd. (Hawai`i); John Gourley, Micronesian Environmental Services (CNMI) (vice chair); Julie Leialoha, biologist (Hawai`i); Dr. Claire Tuia Poumele, Port Administration (American Samoa); McGrew Rice, commercial and charter fisherman (Hawai`i) (vice chair); and William Sword, recreational fisherman (American Samoa) (vice chair). Designated state officials: Suzanne Case, Hawai`i Department of Land and Natural Resources; Dr. Ruth Matagi-Tofiga, American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources; Richard Seman, CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources; and Matt Sablan, Guam Department of Agriculture. Designated federal officials: Matthew Brown, USFWS Pacific Islands Refuges and Monuments Office; William Gibbons-Fly, US Department of State; RAdm Vincent B. Atkins, US Coast Guard 14th District; and Michael Tosatto, NMFS Pacific Islands Regional Office.

View a PDF of the release from the WPRFMC

View a PDF copy of the initial notice Federal Register announcing the August longline closures

View a PDF copy of the second Federal Register notice announcing the August longline closures

NORTH CAROLINA: Motion filed to overturn new regulations on longline fishing

September 14, 2015 (Saving Seafood) — Several fishing companies operating in the pelagic longline fishery have filed a motion in the Eastern District of North Carolina to overturn recent federal regulations aimed at reducing bycatch of Atlantic bluefin tuna.

The motion describes the regulations, part of Amendment 7 to the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) Fishery Management Plan, as posing “a distinct threat to the American fishing industry and coastal communities, while depriving American consumers of healthy fish stocks.” According to the filing, the government’s method of controlling bluefin bycatch–creating an individual bluefin quota for the pelagic longline fleet–will result in additional expenses, the inability to catch full allocations of other, abundant species like swordfish, and the possibility of reallocating of tuna quotas to foreign fleets if U.S. quotas are not met.

The motion concludes that, because NOAA failed “to properly consider the negative impact of the final Amendment 7 measures,” as well as those measures being in violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, Amendment 7 should be rejected as “arbitrary and capricious” by the court.

Read the full motion here

Why Freezing Didn’t Keep Sushi Tuna Safe From Salmonella

September 2, 2015 — A recent outbreak of Salmonella in frozen tuna might have sushi lovers wondering if it’s safe to eat that raw fish.

The outbreak in question began in California in March. All told, it sickened 65 people in 11 states. There were 35 cases in California, with another 18 in Arizona and New Mexico. The rest of the cases were scattered across the country, including four in Minnesota.

Most of the victims interviewed by public health investigators said they’d eaten sushi made with raw tuna in the week before they became ill. It was the Minnesota Department of Health that discovered the outbreak strains of Salmonella in some frozen raw tuna imported from Indonesia. The California importer, Osamu Corp., had shipped the frozen tuna to sushi restaurants and grocery stores that make sushi throughout the U.S.

In late August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the outbreak was over. But the agency warned that some of the recalled tuna might still be lurking in the freezers of restaurants uninformed about the outbreak, so people could still get sick.

Read the full story at New York Now

Tuna Fishermen and Boaters Advised to Watch Out for Whales

August 19, 2015 — NOAA Fisheries reminds all fishermen and boaters to keep a safe distance from whales. Whales can get hooked in tuna rigs or tangled in monofilament line. We recommend boaters keep a distance of at least 100 feet from all whales (and at least 500 yards from endangered North Atlantic right whales, as required by federal law).

In recent years, we have received increasing numbers of reports of tuna fishermen trolling their gear too close to humpback whales. This can result in injuries to both the whales and the people.

Humpbacks create bubble clouds to corral their prey, and then lunge through the center to swallow the small fish. Fishermen or boaters in these bubble patches run the risk of colliding with a massive 79,000-pound humpback whale as it rapidly approaches the surface. When a whale collides with a vessel, it can be gravely injured and die from its injuries. Collisions with whales have also thrown boaters from vessels, causing injuries and even death.

In addition to the potential risk of a collision, the close proximity of a boat may cause a whale to stop feeding. All whales in U.S. waters are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal for people to harm, injure, kill, chase, or harass whales or any other marine mammal. Harassment includes any activity that results in changes to the whales’ natural behaviors, such as feeding. Penalties for Marine Mammal Protection Act violations are fines of up to $20,000 and up to one year in prison. In addition, some whales are protected under the Endangered Species Act, such as North Atlantic right whales, humpback whales, and fin whales.

Get more information on safe boating near whales.

‘Wicked Tuna’ fisherman pleads not guilty to fraud

August 10, 2015 — A Gloucester fisherman featured on the reality show “Wicked Tuna” pleaded not guilty Monday in Vermont to federal fraud charges that he collected government benefits while claiming to be disabled.

The indictment handed down last month says Paul Hebert, 50, of Gloucester, and Barre, Vt., accepted more than $44,000 in Social Security and Medicaid benefits between 2010 and 2013.

Prosecutors say while Hebert was seen manning big fishing rods and harpooning huge fish on the National Geographic Channel reality show, he was at the same time claiming he was unable to work, with no income, no vehicle and no assets. They say during that period he was actually living with a woman and his child, owned a vehicle, and, at one point, a home.

Hebert appeared in court Monday in Burlington, Vt., where he entered the plea.

If convicted Hebert faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each of four counts in the indictment.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Powerful typhoon kills 11,000 farmed tuna in Japan: reports

Tokyo, Japan (AFP) — July 24, 2015 — A powerful typhoon which lashed Japan last week has killed more than 11,000 farmed bluefin tuna, costing over $10 million in damage, local media said Saturday.

Typhoon Nangka made landfall in southwestern Japan on the night of July 16 and slowly moved northward before turning into a tropical depression.

Torrential rain and gusts of wind wreaked havoc in various parts of western Japan, also causing high waves and clouding sea water in the fish farm near the Pacific coastal town of Kushimoto, Kyodo News and the Asahi newspaper reported.

Read the full story from the Agence France-Presse at Business Insider