Saving Seafood

Fishing Industry Alerts

New Jersey Commercial and Recreational Fishermen Agree: Magnuson-Stevens Act Needs Reform

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) — May 29, 2015 — Today, in the pages of the Asbury Park Press, op-eds representing both the commercial and recreational fishing communities came out in support of reforms to the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA), the federal law that governs U.S. fisheries management. The op-eds, by Greg DiDomenico of the Garden State Seafood Association, and Jim Donofrio of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, both call for additional flexibility in the rebuilding of fish stocks and the revision of other burdensome regulations on fishing communities. Importantly, both perspectives agree that reforms to the MSA are essential to serving our nation’s fisheries, both commercial and recreational.

The House of Representatives is currently scheduled next week to consider a reauthorization and revision of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, H.R. 1335, the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act,” authored by Congressman Don Young (R-AK). H.R. 1335 recently gained the support of a diverse group of over 150 fishermen, businesses, and organizations, who wrote to the House Natural Resources Committee urging the passage of the bill.

Read the op-ed from Greg DiDomenico of the Garden State Seafood Association here

Read the op-ed from Jim Donofrio of the Recreational Fishing Alliance here

 

NH Senator Ayotte Blasts NOAA; Industry Declares ‘No Confidence’ in Agency Science

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) —  May 26, 2015 — Long-simmering frustrations in the fishing community with the accuracy of NOAA’s stock assessments and the quality of the management based on their findings became a focal point of a recent hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, when Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) questioned NOAA Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan about federal regulations that have sharply reduced catch levels for cod by 95 percent over the last five years.

During the hearing, Sen. Ayotte cited a petition delivered to Congress by nearly 150 Northeastern groundfishermen, which declared a vote of no confidence in the NOAA assessments. The petition states that the official status of Gulf of Maine cod, as determined by NOAA’s most recent 2014 assessment, “does not remotely match what fishermen (we) have seen on the water over the past year.”

“Fishermen have little faith in what is being reported,” said Jackie Odell, the Executive Director of the Gloucester, Massachusetts-based Northeast Seafood Coalition, which represents the majority of the New England groundfish fleet and organized the petition. “They have been consistently catching fish that, according to the assessment, do not exist.”

Sen. Ayotte also questioned the rationale behind the cuts, as well as noting to Dr. Sullivan the legal requirement, under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, for NOAA to factor into its decision-making the economic costs of its regulations. This year’s Gulf of Maine cod quota is a 75 percent reduction over the 2014 quota, and overall, the cod quota has been reduced a total of 95 percent in this decade.

“I do not know a business that could take a 95 percent cut and continue to operate,” the Senator said. “How do we justify [cutting the catch limits] 75 percent in one year, and then 95 percent over five years?”

Sen. Ayotte expressed her support for one of the key recommendations of the Northeast Seafood Coalition’s petition: the creation of an independent blue ribbon panel, coordinated by either the National Research Council or the Government Accountability Office and comprised of scientists, academics, government officials, and industry leaders, to examine the underlying problems with NOAA stock assessments. The panel would present binding recommendations to improve groundfish stock assessment science and management.

“Allocations have been set so low that fishermen have spent most of their time trying to avoid fish, fish that NOAA says aren’t there,” Odell said. “We do not have the luxury of waiting 3 to 5 years for a new assessment.”


View the petition signed by the groundfish industry delivered to the US Senate here

View the petition signed by the groundfish industry delivered to the US House here

View a release on the hearing from Senator Kelly Ayotte here

 

NEW BEDFORD STANDARD-TIMES: White House putting politics ahead of fishery science

May 22, 2015 (Saving Seafood) — The following editorial was published today by the Standard-Times of New Bedford, Massachusetts.  The newspaper takes issue with the “empty arguments” of the White House in opposition to the House Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization bill. The newspaper argues that the White House has “bought into a policy reminiscent of the weakly argued, ideological, biased rhetoric occasionally presented in regard to fishing policy by the less, shall we say, reasonable environmental groups.”

For the past 14 years, New Bedford has ranked first in the nation for the commercial value of fish landed.  The port is home to a large segment of the Atlantic scallop fishery, the surf clam and ocean quahog industry, a significant number of groundfish vessels, and other fisheries including monkfish, red crab, lobster, skate, mackerel, butterfish, summer founder, scup and black sea bass.

Something happened Monday that made us wonder if there wasn’t finally some progress being made in fisheries management.

About 150 businesses, organizations and individuals with interests in the fishing industry on the East, West and Gulf coasts expressed their support for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Natural Resources Committee work on reauthorizing the act that regulates U.S. fisheries.

After years of losing battles with regulators, of finding too many deaf ears in Congress, of jaw-dropping incredulity over what appeared to be indiscriminate or capricious management that has decimated the Northeast groundfishing fleet, we thought it remarkable to read their letter to the committee chairman:

“This bill is the product of two years of hearings … and strikes a good balance between maintaining the essential conservation goals of the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and improving that Act with some carefully crafted amendments to provide fisheries managers with needed flexibility. If enacted, HR 1335 will continue the rebuilding of depleted fish stocks, provide transparency, streamline the management process, and ensure that more scientific information is available to deal with data-poor fish stocks. We believe HR 1335 builds on the conservation tenets which are already part of the Act while providing economic relief to those coastal communities that have been frustrated by the rigidity of the Act.”

Now, however, we see a letter to the Natural Resources Committee from the White House stating that presidential advisers would recommend a veto of House Resolution 1335 if it were to pass in its current form.

We would suggest that the advisers who drafted this letter have either failed to do their homework, or have bought into a policy reminiscent of the weakly argued, ideological, biased rhetoric occasionally presented in regard to fishing policy by the less, shall we say, reasonable environmental groups.

We are particularly astounded by the policy statement’s assertion that: “HR 1335 would undermine the use of science-based actions to end and prevent overfishing. The current requirements of MSA are working.” Likewise, the encouragement to the committee to look back to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s proposed rule from January as being sufficient leaves us scratching our heads.

In the first case, we would point out that the current requirements of the MSA are definitely not working in the Northeast Fisheries, not by any measure that considers all 10 of the act’s national standards. Landings of groundfish diminish each year, despite the 100,000 tons of total allowable catch left in the ocean annually.

In the second case, that proposed rule of NOAA’s the advisers enthusiastically recommend notes quite clearly that 36 percent of rebuilding stocks reviewed in a 2012 report by the National Research Council “were later discovered to have never been overfished.”

Which brings us to another point: HR 1335 aims to – and must – replace the term “overfished stocks” with “depleted stocks,” because any scientific, unbiased and objective assessment of what is happening to fishing stocks must admit that there is more than fishing affecting the fish. The White House policy advisers stubbornly hold on to that term, “overfishing,” when water temperatures, salinity, natural population fluctuations, inadequate surveys and more may reasonably be assumed to be playing a more significant role in NOAA’s stock assessments.

Considerations of space prohibit further critique of this policy statement, which was delivered to Natural Resources despite HR 1335 still being far from ever making its way to the Oval Office.

In a report by Standard-Times reporter Steve Urbon this week, Conservation Law Foundation senior attorney Peter Shelley interpreted the bill as reintroducing “a lot of politics into fisheries management.” Looking at the bill and its accomplishment of making management more responsive to science, and contrasting it with the empty arguments of the White House policy statement, it seems very clear where politics fits into this.

Read the editorial at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Read the letter in support of Magnuson-Stevens reauthorization from 150 members of the fishing community

Read the Obama administration’s statement on HR 1335

Obama threatens veto of Chairman Don Young’s House Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Bill

WASHINGTON — May 20, 2015 — The following is an excerpt from a story that originally appeared today at Trade Only Today:

Despite widespread support for a bill that would change the rules and requirements around saltwater fishing, the Obama administration said it will veto the bill if it passes.

On Saturday a diverse group of 20 businesses, 51 organizations and 80 individuals representing fishermen and fishing communities from the East, West and Gulf coasts jointly signed a letter supporting HR 1335, the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act.”

They delivered the letter to Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, supporting the bill, which would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the document that governs saltwater fishing regulations for the commercial and the recreational industries.

Supporters of the reauthorization, which was authored by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, said it would maintain the successful aspects of fisheries management under Magnuson-Stevens while providing much-needed flexibility and economic relief to fishing communities.

The letter does state opposition to a proposed amendment that would give states control over red snapper management, saying that “one radical sportsmen’s group … insists on taking the fishery out of jurisdiction of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.”

“This proposed change, supported largely by recreational fishing interests, would, according to the signatories of the letter, undermine the process in place under existing law to deal with the complex issues surrounding this fishery,” said a statement from the advocacy group Saving Seafood.

Read the full story from Trade Only Today

The text of the White House Statement follows:

The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 1335, which would amend the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), because it would impose arbitrary and unnecessary requirements that would harm the environment and the economy. The MSA currently provides the flexibility needed to effectively manage the Nation’s marine commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries. In contrast, H.R. 1335 would undermine the use of science-based actions to end and prevent overfishing.

The current requirements of MSA are working – the percentage of stocks that are subject to overfishing and the percentage that are in an overfished state are at historic lows. H.R. 1335 would interfere with the tremendous success achieved in rebuilding overfished fisheries by setting rebuilding targets that are not based on sound, credible science, and that unnecessarily extend the time to rebuild fisheries. In making these changes, H.R. 1335 introduces a series of ambiguous provisions that could improperly extend rebuilding periods, delaying the significant economic and environmental benefits of rebuilt fisheries to both fishermen and the Nation as a whole.

H.R. 1335 would exempt fishery management actions from the requirements for environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and replace them with a new set of standards. This provision is unnecessary, as the regional fishery management councils have integrated environmental analyses into an overall framework that is both timely and effective. For similar reasons, the provisions regarding the Endangered Species Act, the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, and the Antiquities Act are unnecessary and likely to give rise to confusion. Rather than reducing burdens on the fishery management councils, these provisions of H.R. 1335 would interfere with a well-established and integrated system and would create confusion, delay, and the potential for litigation.

H.R. 1335 would also severely undermine the authority of the Gulf of Mexico Regional Fishery Management Council by extending State jurisdiction over the recreational red snapper fishery to nine miles in the Gulf of Mexico. This proposed extension of jurisdiction would create an untenable situation where recreational and commercial fishermen fishing side-by-side would be subject to different regulatory regimes. Absent an agreement among the States as to how to allocate recreationally-caught red snapper, the bill would encourage interstate conflict and jeopardize the sustainability of this Gulf-wide resource.

The Administration urges the Congress to support the Administration’s efforts to fully utilize the flexibility in the current MSA. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a proposed rule in January updating key guidelines for implementing the MSA, which would ameliorate many of the concerns that H.R. 1335 seeks to address without undermining the fundamental, science-based requirements of the MSA. H.R. 1335 would introduce uncertainty and delays in rebuilding fisheries, undermine science-based management, weaken the protections provided by other important environmental statutes, and generate sector and interstate conflicts.

If the President were presented with H.R. 1335, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.

 

Obama threatens veto of Chairman Don Young’s House Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Bill

WASHINGTON — May 20, 2015 — The following is an excerpt from a story that originally appeared today at Trade Only Today:

Despite widespread support for a bill that would change the rules and requirements around saltwater fishing, the Obama administration said it will veto the bill if it passes.

On Saturday a diverse group of 20 businesses, 51 organizations and 80 individuals representing fishermen and fishing communities from the East, West and Gulf coasts jointly signed a letter supporting HR 1335, the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act.”

They delivered the letter to Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, supporting the bill, which would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the document that governs saltwater fishing regulations for the commercial and the recreational industries.

Supporters of the reauthorization, which was authored by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, said it would maintain the successful aspects of fisheries management under Magnuson-Stevens while providing much-needed flexibility and economic relief to fishing communities.

The letter does state opposition to a proposed amendment that would give states control over red snapper management, saying that “one radical sportsmen’s group … insists on taking the fishery out of jurisdiction of the Magnuson-Stevens Act.”

“This proposed change, supported largely by recreational fishing interests, would, according to the signatories of the letter, undermine the process in place under existing law to deal with the complex issues surrounding this fishery,” said a statement from the advocacy group Saving Seafood.

Read the full story from Trade Only Today

The text of the White House Statement follows:

The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 1335, which would amend the Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), because it would impose arbitrary and unnecessary requirements that would harm the environment and the economy. The MSA currently provides the flexibility needed to effectively manage the Nation’s marine commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries. In contrast, H.R. 1335 would undermine the use of science-based actions to end and prevent overfishing.

The current requirements of MSA are working – the percentage of stocks that are subject to overfishing and the percentage that are in an overfished state are at historic lows. H.R. 1335 would interfere with the tremendous success achieved in rebuilding overfished fisheries by setting rebuilding targets that are not based on sound, credible science, and that unnecessarily extend the time to rebuild fisheries. In making these changes, H.R. 1335 introduces a series of ambiguous provisions that could improperly extend rebuilding periods, delaying the significant economic and environmental benefits of rebuilt fisheries to both fishermen and the Nation as a whole.

H.R. 1335 would exempt fishery management actions from the requirements for environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and replace them with a new set of standards. This provision is unnecessary, as the regional fishery management councils have integrated environmental analyses into an overall framework that is both timely and effective. For similar reasons, the provisions regarding the Endangered Species Act, the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, and the Antiquities Act are unnecessary and likely to give rise to confusion. Rather than reducing burdens on the fishery management councils, these provisions of H.R. 1335 would interfere with a well-established and integrated system and would create confusion, delay, and the potential for litigation.

H.R. 1335 would also severely undermine the authority of the Gulf of Mexico Regional Fishery Management Council by extending State jurisdiction over the recreational red snapper fishery to nine miles in the Gulf of Mexico. This proposed extension of jurisdiction would create an untenable situation where recreational and commercial fishermen fishing side-by-side would be subject to different regulatory regimes. Absent an agreement among the States as to how to allocate recreationally-caught red snapper, the bill would encourage interstate conflict and jeopardize the sustainability of this Gulf-wide resource.

The Administration urges the Congress to support the Administration’s efforts to fully utilize the flexibility in the current MSA. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a proposed rule in January updating key guidelines for implementing the MSA, which would ameliorate many of the concerns that H.R. 1335 seeks to address without undermining the fundamental, science-based requirements of the MSA. H.R. 1335 would introduce uncertainty and delays in rebuilding fisheries, undermine science-based management, weaken the protections provided by other important environmental statutes, and generate sector and interstate conflicts.

If the President were presented with H.R. 1335, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.

Fishermen, Businesses, and Fishing Organizations Support House Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Bill

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) – May 18, 2015 – On Saturday, May 16, a diverse group of 20 businesses, 51 organizations, and 80 individuals representing fishermen and fishing communities from the East, West, and Gulf Coasts jointly signed a letter delivered to Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT), the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, supporting HR 1335, the “Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act,” which would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The supporters of the reauthorization, which was authored by Alaska Congressman Don Young (R-AK), state that it will maintain the successful aspects of fisheries management under Magnuson-Stevens, while providing much-needed flexibility and economic relief to hard-working fishing communities.

According to the signatories of the letter, HR 1335 will “continue the rebuilding of depleted fish stocks, provide transparency, streamline the management process, and ensure that more scientific information is available to deal with data-poor fish stocks.” This, the signatories contend, will strike the appropriate “balance” between addressing the ecological needs of fish stocks, the conservation goals of management, and the economic needs of fishing communities that are not being met by the current Act’s rigid stock rebuilding requirements.

The signatories of the letter are geographically diverse, representing the following states: Arizona, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. They represent many of the major fisheries and fishing regions of the United States, and while on the surface these groups may seem to have little in common, they are united in their desire to see reasonable reforms to the Magnuson-Stevens Act and additional flexibility brought to the management process.

In addition to supporting greater flexibility in federal fisheries management, the letter also opposes attempts to transfer the management of the commercial red snapper fishery from the federal to the state level. This proposed change, supported largely by recreational fishing interests, would, according to the signatories of the letter, undermine the “process in place under existing law to deal with the complex issues surrounding this fishery.”

HR 1335 was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee on April 30, and will be considered by the House Rules Committee on Tuesday, May 19 at 3:00 PM. The full House is expected to vote on the bill sometime in the near future.

View the letter to Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop here

 

SAVING SEAFOOD ACTION ALERT: Opportunity to Support Chairman Young’s Magnuson-Stevens Act Reauthorization

May 15, 2015 — WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood)  — May 15, 2015 — On April 30th, the House Natural Resources Committee reported out legislation introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska). In a release, Chairman Young described the bill as intending to “strengthen and reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary law governing fisheries resources and fishing activities in the United States. H.R. 1335, the ‘Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act,‘ aims to improve federal fishery management in order to give Regional Fishery Management Councils the proper tools and flexibility necessary to effectively manage their fisheries.”

The Young bill has been largely supported by fishing industry interests and opposed by environmental groups. It is expected to be taken up by the House Rules Committee on Monday and could go to the floor next week.

Industry members who wish to support the bill may choose to sign onto a letter crafted by industry leaders that will be sent to House Natural Resources Committee chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) this weekend.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. If you wish to add your name to the letter, please sign before noon on Saturday. The letter is currently being circulated among various pro-industry groups.

View and sign the letter in support of Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization here

A partial list of organizations that have have already signed the letter include:

West Coast Seafood Processors Association

Directed Sustainable Fisheries, Inc.

Fish-Net USA

Garden State Seafood Association

Lund’s Fisheries, Inc.

Cape Trawlers Inc.

Cape Clam, Inc.

Lund Marr Trawlers LLC

Mt Vernon LLC

Scombrus  One LLC

Western Explorer LLC

Elite G LLC

Nancy Elizabeth LLC

Loper Bright Enterprises LLC

Sun Coast Calamari LLC

Pt. Hueneme Ice LLC

WIFTEK LLC

Golden Nugget LLC

Long Island Commercial Fishing Association

Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association

Southern Offshore Fishing Association

Pacific Seafood Processors Association

Washington Trollers Association

 

Saving Seafood has previously covered the ongoing developments in the Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization process. Links to selected stories are included below.

DON YOUNG: Magnuson-Stevens Reauthorization Moves Forward (March 17, 2015)

U.S. House Panel Advances Fisheries Law (April 30, 2015)

Seafood Coalition Opposes Changes to Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper (May 1, 2015)

JIM ODLIN: Flexibility Much Needed in Magnuson, and Will Not Harm Stock Rebuilding (May 13, 2015)

 

Maine Certified Sustainable Lobster Association Welcomes Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods as Newest Member

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood)  — May 6, 2015 — The following was released by the Maine Certified Sustainable Lobster Association: 

Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods (COSFF) is the newest company to join the Maine Certified Sustainable Lobster Association (MCSLA), a Maine-based nonprofit organization that helps its members navigate and access various certified sustainability programs to educate and meet the needs of their respective customers through sustainability initiatives. Chicken of the Sea will join a growing number of members choosing to reaffirm their commitment to sustainability through the Association’s programs, including Marine Stewardship Council certification.
COSFF, a division of Thai Union Frozen Products Group (TUF), is already a member of the Aquaculture Certification Council, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, National Fisheries Institute Crab Council, and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation. “Chicken of the Sea is focused on sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives,” said Bryan Rosenberg, President and CEO at Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods. “Our parent company, Thai Union Group, is a leading sustainability driven company in the global marketplace, and we look forward to further pursuing that commitment in the lobster industry.” According to Mr. Rosenberg, the company’s desire to join an open group dedicated to a sustainable lobster fishery and ecosystem sustainability inspired COSFF to apply for MCSLA membership.

“Maine lobster is known internationally as an iconic species that exemplifies high quality, sustainable seafood,” stated Craig A. Rief, President of the Maine Certified Sustainable Lobster Association. “Membership in the MCSLA shows that an organization has the highest standards of commitment to sustainability in our industry, and we are delighted to welcome Chicken of the Sea as a new member.”

MCSLA is an open collaboration between private and public stakeholders of the Maine Lobster fishery that seeks to protect and promote sustainability in the Gulf of Maine Lobster fishery. The Association is currently undergoing Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel certification and expects to complete the process by November 2015. Once certified, any member company within MSC’s Chain of Certification may affix the MSC ecolabel to their products at any time, including retroactively from up to six months prior to certification.

MCSLA is now accepting new members, and several additional companies are in the process of applying. Membership in the Association is easy to achieve and available to any member of the Maine lobster industry who meets the basic eligibility requirements. MCSLA’s growing membership base keeps membership costs low and affordable. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Craig A. Rief at craig@craigsallnatural.com or John F. Whiteside, Jr. at John@JWhiteside.com.

About MCSLA
The Maine Certified Sustainable Lobster Association is a Maine-based nonprofit organization that helps its members access and navigate various certified sustainability programs to educate and meet the needs of their respective customers through sustainability initiatives. The Association is recognized by and has the support of the Maine Department of Marine Resources and Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative, an organization that provides effective marketing and promotion of Maine lobster.

About Chicken of the Sea
Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods is a leading importer of shrimp, pasteurized crab and lobster that also maintains a strong focus on other shellfish, finfish and value added seafood products. They market their products to the retail, club, foodservice and wholesale industries.  In addition, the company is a division of the Thai Union Group family of companies. This group forms one of the largest vertically and horizontally integrated seafood companies in the world with leadership positions in the shelf-stable, frozen and refrigerated seafood.  The Thai Union Group maintains a global workforce of over 35,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.

 

 

ASMFC’s Menhaden Quota Increase Signals Step in Right Direction

WASHINGTON (Menhaden Fisheries Coalition) — May 5, 2015 — The following was released by the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition:

Today, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) adhered to the best available science on Atlantic menhaden, and took a step in the right direction in deciding to increase the allowable coast wide harvest of the commercially valuable species by 10 percent. Though still only half of the 20 percent harvest cut imposed on the fishery in 2012, today’s decision signals a promising move toward responsible management of the species in accordance with the best available science. By building on the results of the 2015 stock assessment-the most accurate in the recorded history of the fishery-the Commission’s decision will benefit the many fishermen and fishing communities that comprise the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, hard-working people who have responsibly fished this resource for generations and who are still recovering from economically harmful and questionably justified harvest cuts enacted in 2012.

“It’s encouraging to see the ASMFC’s scientific findings and management decisions validate what menhaden fishermen have been saying for years now. We’re hard working, but aren’t overfishing,” said Jimmy Kellum, the owner of Kellum Maritime and a member of the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, which represents over 90 percent of menhaden fishermen, related businesses, and supporting industries along the Atlantic Coast. “Now that the official science has finally caught up, the Commission should be commended for taking the responsible step and increasing harvests.”

The economic relief that will stem from this harvest increase, while not as great as it would be if the Commission committed to raising quotas to the full, scientifically allowable amount, is still much-needed and much-deserved, according to Coalition members, who saw coastal harvests reduced by 20 percent in 2012. This was on the heels of a stock assessment whose methodology and findings have since been called into question. The 2015 Atlantic Menhaden Benchmark Assessment, released earlier this year, found that menhaden were not overfished, and have not been for decades. Its findings all point to a healthy fishery: there are large numbers of adult menhaden that previous assessments assumed to not exist, levels of fecundity have risen to near-record highs, and fishing mortality has plummeted to record lows.

As documented in prior statements from the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition, today’s decision is a necessary, if incomplete, corrective to the inaccurate picture of the fishery that resulted from the 2012 stock assessment. Now that the science has clearly determined that the stock is healthy and the fishery is sustainable, the Coalition applauds the ASMFC’s efforts to update its regulations accordingly.

“The menhaden fishery has continuously operated in Reedville, Virginia for over 100 years by being committed to sustainable and responsible fishing practices and also to the community members who depend on this fishery,” said Monty Deihl, Director of Fishing Operations at Omega Protein. “Today’s decision is a continuation of that tradition, one that sets both the fishery and the population on course for a sustainable future.”

While still less than the amount that was taken away from the fishery in 2012, this quota increase will give fishermen more of the opportunities they need to continue sustainably harvesting menhaden. It adheres to science-based management while still providing some relief to fishing communities along the Atlantic Coast who only a few years ago were forced to make tough economic sacrifices as a result of inaccurate scientific conclusions about the stock.

“The past couple of seasons have been difficult for many in the fishery, including our purse seiners, gillnetters, poundnetters and shoreside businesses,” said Greg DiDomenico, of the Garden State Seafood Association and another Menhaden Fisheries Coalition member. “Today’s decision doesn’t make us whole, but it puts us back on the right course with potential for additional increases based on sound, science-backed management.”

The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition supports the work of the ASMFC this week, and looks forward to working with regulators, scientists, community leaders and environmental organizations to ensure the Atlantic menhaden fishery’s continued sustainability for future generations.

About the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition

The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition is a collective of menhaden fisherman, related businesses, and supporting industries. Comprised of over 30 businesses along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Menhaden Fisheries Coalition conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the menhaden industry to ensure that members of the public, media, and government are informed of important issues, events, and facts about the fishery.

VIDEO: SeaWeb “Seafood Champion” Andrew Jackson of IFFO and Explorer Fabian Cousteau Discuss Industry and Environmental Cooperation

WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood & IFFO) — April 30, 2015 — A cooperative spirit abounded at this spring’s seafood conferences, including the international SeaWeb Seafood Summit in New Orleans, where representatives of the commercial fishing industry joined environmental organizations and others for a series of events overviewing the future of sustainable seafood. A new video produced by Saving Seafood features enlightening interviews with award-winning conference participant Dr. Andrew Jackson, of IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organisation, and lauded explorer Fabien Cousteau.

Pictured: Fabian Cousteau (left) and Andrew Jackson (right)

Pictured: Fabian Cousteau (left) and Andrew Jackson (right)

In a new video produced by Saving Seafood, a leading public information resource for the commercial fishing industry, seafood industry leaders discuss a key development in the dialogue within the industry from this spring’s SeaWeb Seafood Summit, held in New Orleans. Fishermen, world-renowned fisheries experts, leaders in environmental conservation, and interested stakeholders convened for discussions on seafood sustainability, and demonstrated a cooperative spirit that is encouraging for the future of sustainable seafood. The video prominently features Dr. Andrew Jackson, of IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organisation, an international, not for profit organization that represents and promotes the fishmeal, fish oil and marine ingredients industry worldwide. Dr. Jackson identifies and overviews this trend in Saving Seafood’s video reportage of the conference. Saving Seafood spoke with both award-winning industry leader Dr. Jackson and famed explorer and oceanographer Fabien Cousteau.

Dr. Andrew Jackson is the Technical Director for IFFO and the winner of the 2015 Seafood Champion Award for Leadership at this year’s SeaWeb Summit. He was awarded the honor in part thanks to “working with stakeholders toward creating a uniform standard and encouraging responsible production of fishmeal and fish oil.”

In the video, Dr. Jackson discusses a heartening change in attitudes at the Summit toward mutually productive and long-lasting relations joining the fishing industry and marine conservation communities. As he states in the video, the dialogue at sustainability conferences has improved over the course of several years. According to Dr. Jackson, “Instead of standing at either side of the room and throwing things at each other, we started a dialogue,” he said. “It’s better to sit down and talk, rather than exchanging insults.”


Saving Seafood grants permission to link, download, and/or otherwise use this video in full. We respectfully request attribution for any materials used.

IFFO supports and applauds SeaWeb’s work in driving an ongoing dialogue on vital issues in the fishing industry, drawing together representatives from all sides, including industry, academia, and environmental interest groups, to find a common approach.

In recent years, the industry has made great strides to improve its responsible practices by encouraging the introduction of more precautionary practices in the management of fisheries. IFFO leads this important development with the introduction of IFFO RS Global Supply Standard. The industry continues to develop these advancements as the current standard only covers 42% of the fishmeal and fish oil global production. According to Dr. Jackson, IFFO is now working on encouraging the remaining 58% of producers to demonstrate the same responsible behavior. Achieving this standard requires a coordinated approach from all sides of the industry, and the SeaWeb Summit is an important forum for this discussion.

Saving Seafood also spoke with Fabien Cousteau, accomplished oceanographer and grandson of renowned explorer Jacques Cousteau, and who last year completed Mission 31, where he spent a record-breaking 31 consecutive days underwater documenting marine life in the Florida Keys. Mr. Cousteau echoed Dr. Jackson’s remarks on the productive, evolving dialogue between fishermen and environmentalists. Mr. Cousteau told Saving Seafood that there is an increasing sense of optimism in the ability of governments, industry and non-governmental organizations to cooperate and advance common goals. He views conferences like SeaWeb’s annual Summit as part of that process and solution.

“SeaWeb has actually provided a platform for seemingly completely disparate groups coming together and going from having arguments to having cooperative discussion on how to best proceed,” he said.

Saving Seafood’s team of SeaWeb Summit attendees shared similar experiences as Dr. Jackson and Mr. Cousteau. Saving Seafood Executive Director Robert Vanasse expressed his optimism for the future of collaborative relations linking industry and environmentalists, saying, “Every year, hard working commercial fishermen advance conservation and innovate new, sustainable technologies for their fisheries, often enduring added financial hardship in the process. It’s unfortunate that those accomplishments are often overlooked, and so we’re proud of events like the Sea Web Summit, which has started to change that by fostering productive dialogues between all parties.”

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About Saving Seafood
Saving Seafood is a nonprofit organization that conducts media and public outreach on behalf of the seafood industry, as well as communications to keep industry members aware of issues and events of concern. Saving Seafood works with owners, captains, fishermen, seafood processors and brokers who are committed to the preservation of the resource that has provided their livelihood, and that of their American forebears, for generations.

About IFFO
IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organisation, is the international ‘not for profit’ organisation that represents and promotes the fishmeal, fish oil and wider marine ingredients industry worldwide. IFFO’s members reside in more than 60 countries, accounting for over 50% of world production and 75% of the fishmeal and fish oil traded worldwide. Approximately 5 million tonnes of fishmeal are produced each year globally, together with 1 million tonnes of fish oil. IFFO’s headquarters are located in London in the United Kingdom and it also has offices in Lima, Peru, and in Beijing, China. IFFO is also an accredited Observer to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). For more information, visit the IFFO website –  http://www.iffo.net/