Saving Seafood

Commercial fish and seafood workers rally against wind farms on the Oregon coast

May 12, 2022 — Commercial fish and seafood workers rallied along the Coos Bay boardwalk on Tuesday taking a stand against proposed wind farms that are slated for the Southern Oregon coast.

The rally was hosted on the second day of an “Offshore Wind Industry Fly-In” held just down the street at the Mill Casino. The industry conference, hosted by three non-profits with missions dedicated to developing energy along the pacific and Oregon coast, is described as an event that “will bring leadership from the floating offshore wind industry to the coast of Oregon for direct engagement with state and local leadership,” with the goal of “charting the course for Oregon’s first 3 gigawatts of offshore energy.”

This comes less than two weeks after the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced its call areas in Brookings and Coos Bay for offshore energy projects it has been in talks with Oregon about. Tickets for the five-day fly-in event were sold for between $1000 and $1500.

One of the rally’s organizers, Lori Steele, executive director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association said the event was, at least in part, held as a way to show energy companies and leaders at the conference that “there’s already a very, very big industry here for seafood and fishing,” and that “we are here to stay.”

Read the full story at KMTR

Skeptics of sea otter reintroduction getting organized on Pacific Coast

August 17, 2021 — Sea otters are undeniably cute, but cuteness only goes so far when major economic interests are at stake. That’s an inference you can make from the emergence of organized pushback to the possible reintroduction of sea otters along the Oregon Coast.

A trade group, the West Coast Seafood Processors Association, enlisted 24 maritime interests to sign on to a letter expressing grave concerns about bringing back sea otters. Some of the signatories include the ports of Ilwaco, Astoria, Newport, Coos Bay and Brookings, the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers and Columbia River crab fishermen.

“We’re hoping to get ahead of the curve here and get something on the record,” said Lori Steele, executive director of the Portland-based WCSPA.

In the letter sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week, the skeptics said the voracious appetite of sea otters would put the furry animals in conflict with fishermen and shellfish harvesters. The letter also raised red flags about the prospect of permitting difficulties for port projects, dredging and offshore wind farms if another protected marine mammal species were present.

Read the full story at KNKX

WCSPA Lists Dozens of “Serious Issues” USF&W Must Address in Feasibility Report on Sea Otters

August 16, 2021 — West Coast Seafood Processors Association (WCSPA) and 24 seafood processors, ports, and fishing associations sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife providing a long list of considerations before the agency signs off on a feasibility study about re-introducing sea otters to the waters off of northern California and Oregon.

“This is a serious issue that requires serious thought and consideration,” Lori Steele, executive director of the WCSPA, said. “The Fish and Wildlife Service must conduct a comprehensive analysis of the potential effects and consequences of reintroduction. In this letter, we have asked the pertinent questions, and we expect the Service to provide thorough answers when it releases its study.”

Read the full story at Seafood News

Skeptics of sea otter reintroduction getting organized on Pacific Coast

August 13, 2021 — Sea otters are undeniably cute, but cuteness only goes so far when major economic interests are at stake. That’s an inference you can make from the emergence of organized pushback to the possible reintroduction of sea otters along the Oregon Coast.

A trade group, the West Coast Seafood Processors Association, enlisted 24 maritime interests to sign on to a letter expressing grave concerns about bringing back sea otters. Some of the signatories include the ports of Ilwaco, Astoria, Newport, Coos Bay and Brookings, the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers and Columbia River crab fishermen.

“We’re hoping to get ahead of the curve here and get something on the record,” said Lori Steele, executive director of the Portland-based WCSPA.

In the letter sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week, the skeptics said the voracious appetite of sea otters would put the furry animals in conflict with fishermen and shellfish harvesters. The letter also raised red flags about the prospect of permitting difficulties for port projects, dredging and offshore wind farms if another protected marine mammal species were present.

“Our message to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is really, proceed with caution and be extremely thoughtful about potential impacts of this before doing anything,” Steele told the Port of Astoria Commission during its most recent meeting.

Read the full story at KLCC

After Year Of Pandemic, Seafood Industry Hopes 2021 Brings Calmer Waters

April 1, 2021 — April 1 is the start of pink shrimp season across the Pacific Coastline. Seafood industry officials hope it’s one that’ll offset the pandemic’s effects on markets that began a year ago.

The West Coast Seafood Processors Association represents companies in Oregon, Washington, and California. Executive director, Lori Steele, said last year at this time, the COVID-19 pandemic froze customer demand practically overnight.  She said demand from restaurants fell more than 70%, so hopefully 2021 will see a rebound.

“The more that we can support the restaurant industry, and get consumers back out to the coast and eating seafood we’re going to see some improvements,” Steele told KLCC.

“But I also think that we are also be dealing with the economic consequences of this pandemic beyond just 2021, unfortunately.”

Read the full story at KLCC

West Coast Seafood Processors ‘Cautiously Hopeful’ for the Remainder of 2021

March 5, 2021 — The West Coast Seafood Processors Association (WCSPA) said seafood processors are hoping to see improvements in 2021 as the vaccination process rolls out nationwide and restaurants begin to reopen.

Both fishermen and seafood processors are often the backbones of coastal communities, the WCSPA explained. The industries provide economic stability and generate thousands of local year-round jobs.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Attention Crabbers: Whales spotted off Oregon Coast

July 8, 2020 — The following was released by the West Coast Seafood Processors Association:

Due to recent sightings of humpback whale aggregations on the inshore whale survey transects between Newport and North Bend and fishermen’s reports of humpbacks in the 25- to 50-fathom area between Seal Rock and Coos Bay, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is recommending all gear be moved to shallower water, preferably inside 25 fathoms.

Already, Oregon crab gear from this year’s fishing season was found in June on a dead juvenile humpback whale off of Point Reyes, Calif.

It is in the industry’s best interest to avoid whale entanglements.

Fishermen should also observe best practices to avoid whales, especially during these months of higher ESA-listed humpback and blue whales off Oregon. Those best practices include:

  • Removing fishing gear not actively tended;
  • Use the minimum amount of scope necessary to compensate for tides, currents and weather;
  • Remove excess lines floating at the surface;
  • Maintain gear to ensure lines and buoys are in good working condition and clearly marked;
  • Remove all crab pots from the ocean by August 14;
  • Bring derelict gear to shore in-season; and
  • Consider participating in the post-season derelict gear program.

Saving Seafood Coalition Members Thank Rep. Jared Huffman for Fisheries Listening Sessions

January 8, 2020 — The following was released by the National Coalition for Fishing Communities:

Members of Saving Seafood’s National Coalition for Fishing Communities (NCFC) would like to thank Congressman Jared Huffman (D-CA) and the members of the House Natural Resources Committee for their work in 2019 hosting their series of listening sessions on the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). NCFC members from across the country have participated in the sessions, bringing the concerns of the fishing industry directly into the MSA reauthorization process. NCFC looks forward to continue working with the Committee on MSA in 2020.

The listening sessions, which began in October with two days of hearings in Northern California and continued with additional hearings in Seattle and Baltimore, are gathering input on the state of U.S. fisheries from fishermen and other stakeholders. At each stop, fishermen have shared with the committee how current fisheries management is working—and how it can be reformed.

  • In Arcata, California, Wayne Heikkila, Executive Director of the Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA) discussed funding and science issues, as well as the need to distinguish between fish stocks that are actually experiencing overfishing and those that are depleted due to other causes. WFOA is a non-profit association representing albacore troll-vessel owners and supporting businesses in California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.
  • In San Francisco, Mike Conroy, founder of West Coast Fisheries Consultants, discussed the need for better science to help fill data gaps, and how increased collaboration with the industry could help address this shortcoming.
  • In Seattle, Lori Steele, Executive Director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association (WCSPA) told the committee about the need for additional flexibility in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, while still honoring the Act’s conservation goals. The hearing also discussed how to meet the long-term needs of fishing communities, especially in the face of climate change. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, WCSPA members are shore-based processors of fish and shellfish in Washington, Oregon and California.
  • In Baltimore, Greg DiDomenico, Executive Director of the Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) informed the committee on key successes protecting forage species and adopting protections for critical coral habitats in the Mid-Atlantic. He raised concerns over the impacts of overly precautionary approach to the MSA has led to underfishing of fish stocks. Specifically, he noted that risk-adverse management has led to unpredictable quotas, stemming from fluctuating estimates of scientific uncertainty. GSSA represents fishing industry members who sustainably harvest seafood from New Jersey’s inshore & offshore waters.

“We have been testifying since 2009 on the unintended consequences of the 2006 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act,” said Greg DiDomenico. “As part of these hearings we’ve provided the Chairman with 10 years worth of written testimony so that we can finally fix these issues in the next update to MSA.”