Saving Seafood

Seafood industry visa fix in question after virus outbreak

April 23, 2020 — With the aid of lawmakers, seafood businesses in Maryland, Virginia, Alaska and North Carolina last month won federal approval of an additional 35,000 visas for non-immigrant workers, but the timing couldn’t have been worse.

Within days, the coronavirus pandemic began shutting down businesses, including restaurants and retail outlets the seafood industry supplies.

Some seafood operations let employees go, while others have hired fewer people than they would in a more typical season.

John Martin, owner of the Martin Fish Co. in Ocean City, Maryland, told Capital News Service that a large percentage of the firm’s business is in the retail sector, including market and restaurant sales. Due to the virus, Martin Fish has been able to open its retail store.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Virginia’s fishing industry has lost millions because of coronavirus pandemic, internal memo says

April 22, 2020 — In the weeks since the coronavirus halted most restaurant operations, Virginia’s fishing industry has taken a big hit.

The information comes from an internal memo the Virginia Marine Resources Commission shared with the Daily Press.

The memo cites revenue potential loss from March through June ranging from $53 million to $68 million due to a near 90% decrease in market demand. The data was compiled to begin to understand the economic impact of COVID-19 on the fishing industry, both commercial and recreational, deputy commissioner Ellen Bolen said.

The information is anecdotal and gives broad calculations, she added.

The aquaculture industry ― which includes oyster and clam harvesters ― estimates it is losing between $3.5 and $7 million per month, according to the memo. The figures compiled do not factor in losses in supply such as bait, fuel and ice.

Commercial fishery jobs — some 18,220 around Virginia — includes harvesters, dealers, processors, importers, distributors and retail, according to data from the NOAA Fisheries Economics of the United States report.

Read the full story at The Virginian-Pilot 

Recreational Tilefish Anglers: Learn How to Obtain a Permit and Report Your Catch

April 14, 2020 — The following was released by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Recreational tilefish anglers may soon be subject to new permitting and reporting requirements. Under proposed regulations published by NOAA Fisheries, private recreational vessels (including for-hire operators using their vessels for non-charter, recreational trips) would be required to obtain a federal vessel permit to target or retain golden or blueline tilefish north of the Virginia/North Carolina border. These vessel operators would also be required to submit vessel trip reports (VTRs) electronically within 24 hours of returning to port for trips where tilefish were targeted or retained. For more information about the proposed requirements, check out our Recreational Tilefish Permitting and Reporting FAQs.

NOAA Fisheries is encouraging anglers not already using another electronic VTR system to utilize NOAA Fish Online, which is available through a mobile app or a web-based portal. Other systems that may be suitable for recreational anglers include SAFIS eTrips/mobile and SAFIS eTrips Online. You can access information about approved applications and other aspects of electronic reporting on the NOAA Fisheries website.

Read the full release here

Fish-oil firm keeps ‘sustainable’ label despite controversy

April 3, 2020 — A company that makes fish-oil supplements will keep its certification for sustainable fishing despite defiance of catch limits in the Chesapeake Bay.

The Marine Stewardship Council’s sustainability marker is prominently displayed on seafood packages in grocery stores. It means a company catches fish from a healthy population and leaves little impact on the food chain, among other factors.

Maintaining the designation is a victory for Omega Protein. But it stokes an ongoing debate over labels that boast environmental responsibility. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation said the development is “a serious black eye” for the certification.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Coronavirus hinders Bay cleanup efforts, seafood industry

March 27, 2020 — Watermen have no restaurants that can buy their catches. Help for farmers who want to install runoff controls has been sharply curtailed. Streams throughout the region are missing their annual spring cleaning. And many students are losing their chance to experience the Chesapeake Bay firsthand.

The impact of the novel coronavirus, barely on the radar only a few months ago, is rippling through the Chesapeake Bay region, with impacts felt from Pennsylvania farm fields to Eastern Shore oyster grounds. While some impacts are minor, such as the postponement of meetings and cleanup events, others could become significant if the COVID-19 crisis lingers, potentially creating another setback for Bay pollution control initiatives.

While some point to slivers of positive news — air pollution is down — the near-shutdown of business activity is likely to slam state budgets in coming months, and possibly years, at a time when they had hoped to significantly increase spending on the Bay cleanup.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

Chesapeake seafood industry suffers as coronavirus closes restaurants

March 27, 2020 — The Chesapeake Bay’s seafood industry has been especially hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, as buyers dry up for oysters and prices plummet for fish and crabs.

Watermen say they’ve given up on the final weeks of the oyster season, as restaurant and raw bar closures have deprived them of lucrative markets for their catch.

“It’s very drastic,” said Robert T. Brown Sr., president of the Maryland Watermen’s Association. “I’ve seen things bad, but I’ve never seen them like this before.”

Oyster farmers say they’re idled for the same reason, though some are trying to eke out some direct sales to consumers. Ted Cooney, founder of Madhouse Oysters on Hooper’s Island on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, said sales suddenly stopped at a time when they’re usually selling 100 or more boxes of bivalves every week.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

Chesapeake crab industry remains crippled by visa shortage, coronavirus

March 20, 2020 — Responding to employers’ calls, including those of crab meat processing companies in Virginia and Maryland, the federal government announced March 5 that it would release an additional 35,000 temporary visas for foreign workers.

That still may not be enough to quench the Chesapeake Bay seafood houses’ demand for temporary workers, according to the trade group that represents the industry. And they may still arrive too late to help much or perhaps get stuck on the other side of the border, as the United States today closed its Mexican border for unessential travel because of coronavirus concerns.

Several seafood company owners and watermen had implored the Trump administration to issue 64,000 more visas, the cap set by Congress.

Jack Brooks, co-owner of J.M. Clayton Seafood Co. in Cambridge, MD, and president of the Chesapeake Bay Seafood Industries Association, said he expects a worker shortfall, despite the government’s action.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

ASMFC Spring Meeting – Cancelled

March 17, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Commission leadership has decided to cancel its Spring Meeting (May 4- 7) in Arlington, VA. This action is taken in response to the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cancel or postpone gatherings of 50 people or more over the next eight weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of the cancellation, our August Meeting may be extended to 4 days (August 3-6) and Commissioners and proxies are being asked to keep their calendars open for May 5 & 6 in order to conduct any necessary Commission or species management board business via webinars/conference calls. The details of any scheduled webinars will be announced as they become available.

The Commission’s Spring Meeting agenda included a number of important issues.  Commission staff, Board Chairs, and Commission leadership will develop plans to address each of the agenda items.  It is anticipated that non-urgent items will be postponed until the Summer Meeting, and items that require action prior to August will either be handled through via webinars/conference calls or through email votes, depending on stakeholder interest. Conducting meetings via webinars/conference calls makes public comment somewhat difficult. Therefore, members of the public are encouraged to submit comments in advance of a meeting to be included in briefing materials.

ASMFC 2020 Spring Meeting Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines

March 11, 2020 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Please find attached and below the preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2020 Spring Meeting, May 4-7, 2020, in Arlington, VA. The agenda is also available at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-spring-meeting.  Included in the attachment are the travel authorization form, travel reimbursement guidelines, and directions to the hotel. Materials will be available on April 22, 2020 on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2020-spring-meeting. Currently, we are moving forward with our Spring Meeting. However, we continue to monitor the progress of the coronavirus and will notify you should we need to make any changes to the meeting.   

A block of rooms is being held at The Westin Crystal City, 1800 S. Eads Street, Arlington, VA  22202. Cindy Robertson will make Commissioner/Proxy reservations and will contact you regarding the details of your accommodations. Please notify Cindy of any changes to your travel plans that will impact your hotel reservations, otherwise you will incur no-show penalties. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.

For all other attendees, please reserve online via Star Group Website at http://www.starwoodhotels.com/or call The Westin Crystal City at 703.486.1111 as soon as possible and mention the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to obtain the group room rate of $256.00 plus tax single/dbl. Please be aware you must guarantee your room reservation with a major credit card or one night’s advance payment. Hotel reservations must be made by Monday, April 6, 2020.  Room availability will not be guaranteed beyond this date.  If you are being reimbursed by ASMFC for your travel, please make your reservation directly with the hotel. Reservations made through travel websites do not apply toward our minimum number of required reservations with the hotel. Please note, cancellations at The Westin must be made by 4:00 p.m. two days prior to arrival to avoid penalty and an early departure fee of $100 will apply when checking out prior to the confirmed date. If you have any problems at all regarding accommodations please contact Cindy at 703.842.0740 or at crobertson@asmfc.org.

Chesapeake Bay crab industry pleads for more temporary foreign workers

March 4, 2020 — Maryland and Virginia seafood industry leaders say they won’t have enough workers to process crabs this season unless the federal government once again raises its cap on temporary foreign workers.

Federal immigration officials announced last month that they had doled out the national limit of 33,000 work visas, which are in effect for six months beginning April 1. That was far short of the nearly 100,000 slots that employers had sought to fill.

In Maryland, seafood processors say they received roughly one-third of the 450 visas they need for this season, which also kicks off April 1. The shortage, they warn, could force some of the affected processing plants to close their doors for this season, with the possibility that they might never reopen because their customers and suppliers will have moved on.

Several dozen watermen, crab industry leaders and local elected officials gathered March 2 inside a picking house on Hooper’s Island in rural Dorchester County, MD, to passionately plea for the Trump administration to release 64,000 more visas, the limit set by Congress on how many can be added.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal