June 22, 2020 — Pacific Seafood has reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over Clean Water Act violations at their crab and shrimp processing plants in Westport, Washington, according to an EPA press release.
More than 2,000 violations had been recorded by the EPA during an unannounced inspection in 2017. Among them were discharge limit violations as well as incorrect sampling and incomplete or inadequate reporting.
June 15, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
This is the time of year when boats multiply on the inland waters of Washington as more people get outdoors for the summer. It is also the time when many long for a precious chance to see the endangered Southern Resident killer whales.
Boats generate noise, though, which—combined with the boat traffic itself—is considered one of the main threats to the Southern Residents. It can interfere with the whales’ use of echolocation, a form of sonar they use to find the Chinook salmon they favor as prey. Regardless of how many salmon might be available, noise can make it harder for the whales to find them.
That can be particularly costly for the Southern Residents because salmon do not gather in schools as some fish do. The whales must find each one individually—painstakingly hunting one fish at a time.
June 8, 2020 — As America’s meat producers confronted thousands of COVID-19 cases, Pacific Northwest seafood companies drafted rigorous plans to ward off similar spread of the disease in an industry where processors also work in close quarters.
But just a few weeks into the summer season, the industry has been shaken by its first major outbreak aboard a huge vessel with an onboard fish processing factory. This week, Seattle-based American Seafoods confirmed that 92 crew from its American Dynasty ship had tested positive for COVID-19, nearly three-fourths of the 126 people onboard.
“It was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe this.’ We had done so much. Each company had worked so hard to try to avoid this happening,” says Brent Paine, executive director of United Catcher Boats.
The trade group’s members fish for pollock and cod off Alaska, and another whitefish called hake off Washington and Oregon. “None of us have ever worked so hard in our lives than we have in the last two months, without a doubt.”
June 4, 2020 — Seattle-based American Seafoods, after most of the 126-person crew aboard its American Dynasty tested positive for COVID-19, has decided to screen the crews of two additional vessels.
The new round of testing involves the crews of the American Triumph and the Northern Jaeger as they dock in Bellingham, according to a company statement.
“We’re conducting these tests out of an abundance of caution,” said Mikel Durham, the company’s chief executive.
All three of American Seafoods’ vessels had been participating in the Pacific whiting harvest off the Northwest coast with large crews onboard to operate the vessels and equipment that processes and freezes the catch. Their work often entails long hours of close-quarters labor in a season that started last month.
June 3, 2020 — Bob Ferguson, the attorney general for the U.S. state of Washington, filed a civil lawsuit on 2 June against canned tuna producer Starkist, its parent company Dongwon Industries, and Chris Lischewski, the former CEO of Bumble Bee Foods, alleging a price-fixing conspiracy they were involved cost the state’s citizens at least USD 6 million (EUR 5.3 million).
Washington is the first state to bring a civil suit in the price-fixing scandal, which resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, resulting in guilty pleas from StarKist and Bumble Bee in separate criminal trials, and Lischewski’s conviction in a trial at the end of last year.
June 1, 2020 — Eighty-six workers for American Seafoods have tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak onboard the company’s American Dynasty trawler.
The company announced over the weekend that one crew member had tested positive for the virus, prompting testing of all 124 employees onboard the vessel. American Seafoods spokesperson Suzanne Lagoni told SeafoodSource that nine tests were still pending as of Monday morning.
May 28, 2020 — The University of Washington’s selection to host a new research consortium is a testament to the school’s well-earned reputation. It will help advance understanding of climate, ocean dynamics and marine ecosystems, building on the school’s track record of excellence in the field.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced last week that the UW will lead a new Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies, which includes Oregon State University and University of Alaska Fairbanks. The designation comes with up to $300 million in funding for research into areas such as climate and ocean variability, the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems, aquaculture and polar studies, in conjunction with the NOAA labs.
The selection is a testament to the UW’s research prowess: The commitment is nearly triple the last NOAA Cooperative Institute award to UW and formalizes longstanding collaborations among researchers along the West Coast.
May 22, 2020 — Casual conversation over coffee has turned into fully-funded collaborative sardine research project between the seafood industry and fishery scientists.
Ocean Gold Seafood, based in Westport, Wash., received word this week it received a $295,800 Saltonstall-Kennedy grant on behalf of the West Coast Pelagic Conservation Group. The collaborative study will help inform sardine stock assessments and improve the understanding of other pelagic species such as herring, anchovies and mackerel.
May 22, 2020 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has selected the University of Washington to host a Pacific Northwest research institute focusing on climate, ocean and coastal challenges, supported by a five-year award worth up to $300 million.
May 14, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:
For 28 years Riley Starks has fished near Lummi Island, Washington, netting Chinook, coho, sockeye, pink, and chum salmon. He also owns a bed and breakfast on the island that specializes in providing guests with unique skill-building experiences. They can smoke salmon and make jam and ikura, which is seasoned and cured salmon roe. He has observed many of the Puget Sound area’s 17 species of kelp—or brown macroalgae—while tending his nets.
He jumped at the chance to further build his own skills as part of intensive training in seaweed farming sponsored by Washington Sea Grant. In early February, he joined about 30 seaweed enthusiasts, including representatives of four tribes, seven military veterans, several commercial fishermen, and shellfish farmers. They took a three-day deep dive into the seaweed industry.
“The training was comprehensive and excellent,” Starks said. “I particularly appreciated the emphasis on the importance of working with the tribes early in the process—they have unique and important rights that must be respected.”
Seaweed farming has taken off in recent years in Maine and Alaska, which have dozens of farms and more in the works. Despite the increase in domestic production, the United States remains the fifth largest importer of seaweed for human consumption. Seaweed is added to many products, such as salsas, sauces, salads, seasonings, and pastas, used in restaurants and at home. That market demand, plus the health and environmental benefits of seaweed farming, have generated interest in Washington state. Uncertainty exists about the permitting process and access to local processing facilities, given the newness of kelp farming in local waters.