Saving Seafood

Aichi progress acknowledges sustainable fishing – and MSC program – helps maintain ocean biodiversity

September 16, 2020 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The UN’s Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 reports on the progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2010-2020) [1] and outlines seven transitions needed to reach 2030 goals and the agreed vision for 2050: ‘Living in harmony with nature’. The report says that where good fisheries management policies have been introduced – involving stock assessments, catch limits, and enforcement – the abundance of marine fish stocks has been maintained or rebuilt. It also notes that sustainable fisheries are dependent on healthy ocean ecosystems, highlighting growth in fisheries certified to the MSC’s globally recognised standard for sustainable fishing as progress towards achieving the Aichi targets and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 “Life Below Water”.

The Marine Stewardship Council’s Chief Science and Standards Officer, Rohan Currey, said:

“The oceans are home to an extraordinary diversity of life and constitute more than 90% of the habitable space on the planet. The loss of species and habitats highlighted in the UN report on biodiversity not only impact the survival of other species, but of humans too – billions of people rely on seafood as their main source of protein.
 
“There is hope. Across the globe, fisheries large and small are demonstrating it is possible to be more productive and profitable by maintaining healthy fish stocks, minimising impacts on marine ecosystems and following good management systems by meeting the criteria we set for sustainable fisheries.
 
“Today, more than 15% of global catch is certified to the MSC Standard, and we have set an ambitious target to have more than a third of landings engaged in the MSC program by 2030. MSC certification recognises fisheries performance consistent with many of the Aichi biodiversity targets and, while progress takes time, there are great examples of progress and innovation.
 
“Making fishing sustainable can be achieved through broad commitments and leadership from organisations across the fishing, retail, government, conservation and science communities. We have already achieved so much together – now is the time to redouble our efforts to end overfishing and its negative impact on biodiversity.”

Deep beneath the high seas, researchers find rich coral oases

September 15, 2020 — Aiming to bolster conservation on the high seas, a team of marine researchers today released the first comprehensive survey of coral reefs in the high seas–the roughly two-thirds of the ocean outside of national jurisdictions.

After combing through more than half a million observations of reef-building corals, the team identified 116 reefs located in the high seas. Most of these corals live between 200 and 1200 meters beneath the surface, the researchers found. But a handful are found more than 2 kilometers deep. And there are likely many more high seas corals still to be found, the authors note, as surveys have typically prioritized corals close to shore.

The study coincides with the launch of the Coral Reefs on the High Seas Coalition, a group of scientists and nonprofits that aims to support research cruises to survey the steep, deep-water slopes where many of the reefs sit. Eventually, the coalition hopes the data will help persuade policymakers to give these poorly understood ecosystems greater protection in global agreements currently under negotiation.

“Some of the first marine protected areas were specifically designed around coral reefs. … So much literature suggests these are the rainforests of the seas,” says co-author Daniel Wagner, the coalition’s coordinator and an ocean technical adviser at Conservation International. The coalition of nonprofits hopes to influence implementation of a United Nations pact, the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, which is expected to set rules for establishing marine preserves on the high seas. (A final meeting of the negotiators set for earlier this year was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.)

Read the full story at Science Magazine

Blue Recovery webinar series seeks to make up for the missed “super year”

September 2, 2020 — This year was supposed to be the “super year” for ocean sustainability, with many major events and gatherings planned to bring momentum and focus to the issue. However, COVID-19 has pushed the pause button for large gatherings and international travel, and has taken attention off of the environment.

In response to the obstacles facing the community of individuals and organizations focused on seafood sustainability issues, virtual meetings are being held to try to maintain the movement toward sustainability.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Ocean Panel identifies organized crime as major threat to marine sustainability

August 19, 2020 — The High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, a consortium of ocean-dependent countries founded in 2018 to initiate action to improve global marine sustainability efforts, has issued a report detailing the threat that organized crime poses to the fisheries sector.

Also known as the Ocean Panel, the consortium consists of Norway, Palau, Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Palau, and Portugal, and is supported by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Researchers make fish feed from food waste

July 29, 2020 — Two major global environmental issues are food contamination and waste disposal. Professor Wong Ming-hung, Advisor (Environmental Science), and Dr. Brian Man Yu-bon, Assistant Professor, at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) have a solution for both.

Contamination and  are particularly relevant to Hong Kong, which ranks second in per capita seafood consumption in Asia and where, in 2018, over 1.5 kg of waste was sent to landfill sites each day. Eating fish and seafood has important health benefits. They are recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as being important for optimal brain and neurodevelopment in children, as well as lowering the risk of coronary heart disease among adults.

However, contamination can bring along health and environmental risks. This doesn’t merely come through polluted seas and rivers: it can also be present in the feed used in fish farms, which provide 47% of the fish on our plates. In response to rising fish feed production costs around the world, farmers look for alternative sources of feeds, such as trash fish, fishmeal, animal and grain by-products. Some also travel further afield to find lower prices, meaning longer transport and storage time. This can result in spoilage, as well as fungal and bacterial contamination. Added to that is mercury pollution, which because of human industrial activity is now 450% higher than natural levels, according to the United Nations Environment Program. The result is greater risk of contaminants causing fish to be poisoned, which can be transmitted to humans.

These factors, along with the equally important aim to help ease pressure on existing landfill sites, have led Professor Wong and Dr. Man to develop a cleaner, cheaper fish feed using food waste. “We started off with fish which were low in the food chain, such as grass carp and gray mullet,” explains Professor Wong. “They have lower nutritional requirements.” Initial work began on pellets for pond fish back in 2009, with funding from Hong Kong’s Environment and Conservation Fund, followed by a grant from the Innovation and Technology Fund in 2015 for pellets for inland fish.

Read the full story at PHYS.org

Huge Chinese illegal fishing operation in North Korean waters uncovered

July 22, 2020 — A new study has uncovered a massive illegal fishing operation conducted by Chinese fishing vessels in North Korean waters.

The study, Illuminating Dark Fishing Fleets in North Korea, found at least 700 vessels of Chinese origin had fished illegally in North Korean waters in 2018, and that more than 900 had done so in 2017 – in violation of United Nations sanctions. It estimated the illegal take of Pacific flying squid from the participating vessels is more than 160,000 metric tons, worth over USD 440 million (EUR 380.2 million) in 2017-2018. The total take is greater than the entire catch of the fishing fleets of Japan and South Korea combined. The study found that such large, unregulated catches are depleting squid stocks in the region, with squid populations plummeting by 80 percent and 82 percent in South Korean and Japanese waters, respectively, since 2003.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Coronavirus has Americans hooked on canned tuna, and producers are playing catch up

July 15, 2020 — Tuna fish has surged in popularity thanks to pantry loading during the coronavirus pandemic, but producers of the canned fish are dealing with higher prices and other challenges that are making it difficult to keep up with the increased demand.

Americans have been buying more canned tuna during the economic downturn, in part because it is one of the cheapest proteins on the market, costing as little as $1 for a 5-ounce can. Bumble Bee Foods said sales of canned and pouched tuna jumped as much as 100% from mid-March to early April, while Costco Wholesale Corp. put limits earlier this year on how many tuna containers a customer could purchase.

Even after the initial feeding frenzy, canned tuna producers say sales for these products have remained significantly higher than a year earlier.

Companies have been able to keep retail prices steady for tuna so far, even though average wholesale prices for tuna were up 41% from a year earlier in the year through May after reaching decade lows late last year, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Prices vary depending on where the fish is bought. Skipjack tuna purchased in Bangkok cost $1,200 a metric ton in June, up 14% from December 2019 but down from a peak of $1,500 in March, according to data from Thai Union Group, a global seafood-based food producer that owns the Chicken of the Sea canned tuna brand.

Read the full story at Fox Business

Pandemic’s effect on global seafood industry demand and pricing will be long-lasting, report says

July 8, 2020 — The global seafood industry will experience lasting impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, including reduced demand and pricing.

That is the conclusion of the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report produced every two years by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the only report that tracks global fisheries and food trends.

This year it included a special focus on the pandemic which has toppled seafood markets and supply chains around the world. The report forecasts that global seafood production will be down 1.7 percent (6.6 billion pounds) and the trade value of seafood will decrease by nearly $6 billion.

Of that, wild capture fisheries are projected to decrease by 2 percent (nearly 4.2 billion pounds), while aquaculture production is expected to decrease by 1.4 percent (2.6 million pounds).

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

BRIAN PERKINS: A new wave of sustainable seafood to feed generations to come

July 6, 2020 — Seafood is having a moment.

Fish, especially canned and frozen options, increasingly have become a go-to choice for Americans during the pandemic as they stock their pantries and freezers; seek out new immune-boosting meal ideas; and look for alternatives to meat due to shortages and health concerns over meat processing. For example, U.S. shelf-stable tuna sales were up 31.2 percent over last year in March, according to Nielsen data.

While increased seafood consumption may be good short-term news for the U.S. seafood industry, it also is combating other major challenges, such as severely decreased foodservice and export business due to the pandemic. We must look at the flexibility and long-term viability of the seafood industry globally to prepare for the long-term implications of the current crisis.

Earlier this month, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020” (SOFIA) report, which indicates more than a third of fisheries (34.2 percent) globally are operating at unsustainable levels. Compare that to 10 percent in 1990, and it becomes an abundantly clear global issue we must quickly and sustainably address, even as the industry is plagued with pandemic challenges.

While these numbers seem perilous, efforts by the U.N., the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), fisheries and conscious consumers already have led to stock recoveries for skipjack tuna, Alaskan pollock and Atlantic cod. The industry must look to these examples to enact changes that will ensure seafood is around for generations to come.

Read the full opinion piece at GreenBiz

China demanding safety guarantees from trading partners, food exporters

June 23, 2020 — The General Administration of Customs China (GACC) has written to the food safety agencies of most of its main trading partners to officially request assurances that food processing establishments eligible to export to China follow measures to prevent any COVID-19 contamination of food products during food production.

Additionally, U.S. seafood companies have gotten a form from customers in China requiring them to sign a declaration stating their compliance with Chinese laws, regulations, and standards and the COVID-19 guidance for food businesses published by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization to ensure that food imported into China is not contaminated with the COVID-19 virus. The FAO and WHO have both declined to make any link between COVID transmission and seafood.

Read the full story at Seafood Source