Economic Impact

PORTLAND, Maine — September 20, 2012 — The U.S. seafood catch reached a 17-year high last year, with all fishing regions of the country showing increases in both the volume and value of their harvests.

Commercial fishermen last year caught 10.1 billion pounds of fish and shellfish valued at a record $5.3 billion, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That’s a 23 percent increase in catch by weight and a 17 percent increase in value over 2010.

New Bedford, Mass., was the highest-valued port for the 12th straight year, due largely to its scallop fishery. Dutch Harbor, Alaska, was the No. 1 port for seafood volume for the 15th year in a row.

The increases are evidence that fish populations are rebuilding, said Sam Rauch, deputy assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service.

Still, a number of fisheries are in trouble. The Department of Commerce has declared disasters for cod and other so-called groundfish in New England, oyster and blue crab fisheries in Mississippi, and chinook salmon in Alaska’s Yukon and Kuskokwin rivers.

‘‘Overall nationally, the numbers are very good news,’’ Rauch said. ‘‘But we don’t want to miss the fact that there are parts of the industry that are or soon will be suffering economic pain.’’

Alaska led all states by far in catch volume, with 5.4 billion pounds, followed by Louisiana, California, Virginia and Washington, according to the report. Alaska was also tops in the value of its catch, at $1.9 billion, followed by Massachusetts, Maine, Louisiana and Washington.

Fishermen brought 706 million pounds of product to Dutch Harbor, the leading port by volume, while New Bedford, the top port by value, had $369 million worth of seafood cross its docks.

 

Read the full story from the AP at the Boston Globe

 

 

NEW ORLEANS — September 19, 2012 — Fishing boats in the Gulf of Mexico hauled in more menhaden and other species last year compared with 2010, when millions of gallons of oil spewed from a blown well, a federal fisheries report said Wednesday.

But it's too early to rule out any long-term effects from the spill, said Roy Crabtree, southeast regional administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Gulf's menhaden catch last year was nearly 66 percent above that in 2010, but annual catches vary wildly anyway, and we don't know all the reasons, Crabtree said.

"I would say it's guardedly good news in that the catches are up for most of these," said Crabtree. "I certainly wouldn't say that we can rule out any long-term impacts from the oil spill. It's too soon to know that."

The Gulf's menhaden catch rose across the Gulf Coast, to 727,664 tons. In all four states hit by oil in 2010, the catch was well above both those in 2010 and 2008. The earlier figures were available on the agency's website.

With fisheries closed by the spill and fishing boats occupied with cleaning up the oil, adult fish that weren't in the oil's path might have had a better chance of surviving and reproducing, said Jackie Savitz, senior scientist for the nonprofit ocean conservation group Oceana.

Long-term effects can show up years later, she said, like the crash in Alaska's herring population after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Populations looked normal for years, but by 1993 there were only one-quarter as many spawning adults as there had been in the late 1980s.

Some important species caught closer to shore were more varied than menhaden. For instance, blue crab and brown shrimp figures rose from 2010 in all four states, but the white shrimp catch fell in Louisiana and west Florida, while rising in Alabama and Mississippi.

The 23,850 tons of white shrimp landed last year at Louisiana docks were 8.1 percent below the 2010 figure and 16.7 percent under 2008's. Along west Florida, 187.6 tons of white shrimp were unloaded, nearly 19 percent below the 2010 figure, but 21 percent above that for 2008.

Mississippi hauled in 1,373 tons of white shrimp, almost 19 percent more than in 2010 but 4.7 percent less than in 2008. Alabama's 3,100 tons were 49 percent above 2010 and 5.8 percent above 2008.

 

Read the full story by the Associated Press in the Republic 

 

 

BILOXI, Miss. — September 18, 2012 — Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank issued a fishery disaster declaration Sunday for Mississippi, the Northeast and Alaska.

The declaration for Mississippi means help could be on the way for South Mississippi's commercial crab and oyster fishermen affected by 2011's Mississippi River flooding.

The flood forced officials to open the Bonnet Carre Spillway, sending fresh water into Lake Pontchartrain and the Rigolets.

The freshwater then made its way into the Mississippi Sound and dropped salinity levels into the lower single digits from their customary 20 to 24 parts per thousand.

The low salinity levels damaged most of the oyster reefs in the western Mississippi Sound near Bay St. Louis.

The state Department of Marine Resources is rebuilding the reefs.

Blue crab commercial fishing industry was also damaged by the flood waters, which reached the eastern end of the Gulfport Ship Channel.

According to a NOAA website, the declaration opens the door for Congress to appropriate money toward alleviating the financial hardship caused by the disaster. If money is appropriated, NOAA will work with Congress and the states to develop plans to preserve coastal communities.

 

Read the full story at the Biloxi Sun Herald

 

 

NEW ORLEANS — The National Marine Fisheries Service on Wednesday released fisheries statistics that show the 2011 seafood catch in the Gulf of Mexico rebounded to its highest volume since 1999. That’s despite the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill that still has area fishermen fearing less seafood in local waters.

Menhaden, often described as a keystone species showing and helping determine the viability of many local species, rose dramatically in Louisiana. It jumped from its 10-year average of about 900 million pounds of catch since 2001 to about 1.3 billion pounds in 2011. Sales of menhaden at Louisiana docks jumped from the $47.9 million average to $100 million.

The herring-like species mainly is used for fish meal, oil, and solubles, often for poultry and swine feed.

In terms of national fisheries’ catch, Alaska led all states in volume with 5.4 billion pounds. Louisiana came in second with 1.5 billion pounds, followed by California’s 515.6 million pounds, Virginia’s 493.4 million pounds, and Washington’s 487.8 million pounds.

But in terms of the money garnered for its landings, Louisiana came in fourth, trailing Alaska, Massachusetts and Maine. Louisiana earned $339.3 million from its overall fisheries landings compared to Alaska’s $1.9 billion, Massachusetts’s $570.7 million and Maine’s $426.5 million.

The oyster numbers for Louisiana show 11.1 million pounds in 2011 compared to the 12.6 million pound annual average since 2001. But, the amount garnered for that catch was up from the 10-year average of $36 million to $41.6 million in 2011.

Overall, U.S. oyster landings yielded 28.5 million pounds valued at $131.7 million – an increase of 424,000 pounds and $14.1 million compared to 2010. The Gulf region led in production with over 18.2 million pounds of oyster meat, nearly 64 percent of the national total.

The average price per pound of oyster meat nationally was $4.62 in 2011, compared with $4.19 in 2010.

Louisiana shrimp catch in 2011 did drop compared to the 10-year average but white shrimp sales were about $5 million above the decade average, according to National Marine Fisheries Service data.

Louisiana white shrimp catch fell from its 10-year average of 64.3 million pounds of head-on weight to 52.6 million pounds in 2011, but the amount garnered at the dock for that catch jumped from the $93.7 million annual average to $98.3 million in 2011.

Louisiana brown shrimp catch also dropped from the 10-year average of 43.5 million pounds to 39.2 million pounds in 2011. And brown shrimp sales also fell, declining from the $43 million average to $34.5 million in 2011. But despite those brown shrimp declines, the 2011 numbers still are much greater than the three previous year totals and, like all fisheries catch, variation is very common year to year.

The total U.S. shrimp catch was about 312.7 million pounds, valued at almost $518 million – an increase of 53.6 million pounds and $104 million compared to 2010, according to the recent National Marine Fisheries Service report.

Gulf region shrimp catch was the nation’s largest with 212 million pounds, or almost 68 percent of the national total. Louisiana led all Gulf states with almost 92.6 million pounds, followed by Texas’s approximately 79.3 million pounds, Alabama’s 19.2 million pounds, the west coast of Florida’s nearly 10.8 million pounds, and Mississippi’s 10.1 million pounds.

 

Read the full story in the Times Picayune

 

 

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — September 19, 2012 — New Bedford for the 12th consecutive year is the nation's No. 1 dollar-value fishing port in America, NOAA Fisheries announced this morning.

Dutch Harbor, Alaska, is No. 1 in terms of pounds of fish landed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The sea scallop industry represents the bulk of New Bedford's catch value.

Some 117 million pounds of fish were landed here for a total worth of $369 million.
U.S. commercial fisheries landed 10.1 billion pounds of fish in 2011, NOAA said.

That's an increase of 1.9 billion pounds and $784 million in value over the previous year.

Gulf of Mexico menhaden, Alaska pollock and Pacific hake were at their highest levels since 1994.

The Northeast, however, is headed for a crisis in groundfish catch next year, as sharply reduced stock assessments are leading to sweeping cutbacks in allowable catch. The Northeast congressional delegation is seeking disaster assistance for the groundfish industry.

 

Read the full story in the New Bedford Standard Times

 

 

NEW BEDFORD — September 19, 2012 — The scallop catch could be cut up to 30 percent in each of the next two years in what fishermen say would be a heavy blow to the industry.

Deirdre Boelke, a scallop plan coordinator with the New England Fishery Management Council, said the reductions are needed because fewer full-grown scallops are available for harvest.

"The projected catch for 2013 and 2014 is in the neighborhood of 40 million pounds," Boelke told The Standard-Times after a meeting of the council's Scallop Oversight Committee in New Bedford on Tuesday. That's down from just under 57 million pounds in 2011, the latest full-year figures available.

The proposed cuts could be offset if scallop fishermen are permitted to fish in other areas of the Northeast, known as habitat areas, that are currently off limits, industry figures say.

"Thirty percent of the biomass is tied up in those closed areas," said scalloper Joe Gilbert, of Stonington, Conn., who attended Tuesday's meeting.

"They should have opened the Northern Edge 10 years ago," Canastra said of a restricted area on Georges Bank.

That proposal has some support and will be reviewed, said Boelke. "We have forwarded the council a request to look into the most expeditious way to get fishing into those areas," she said. There are an estimated 46 million pounds of scallops available for harvest within those areas, Boelke said.

 

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times

 

 

BREWSTER, Mass. — September 18, 2012 — The Community Development Partnership has been working to provide affordable housing and to help small businesses get started and keep going for years, but now it’s dropped anchor in a new field: fishing.

The partnership has $250,000 available for loan to small fishermen on Cape Cod to be used to purchase allocations of groundfish, skate or monkfish.

The money came from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which awarded $1 million to the state Division of Marine fisheries. The DMF in turn selected the CDP to administer the loans on Cape Cod.

“They put out an RFP [request for proposals] to the Massachusetts community to see who was interested and we were the only ones to apply,” explained Sheila Hoogeboom the CDP director of business and credit programs. “They don’t pay you to advertise it but we wanted to do it. We feel it will be a help to fishermen.”

The monies were awarded on Aug. 3, and so far the CDP has no takers, since the fishing season is well underway and allocations are all active. When the fish stop biting or getting swept up in nets, Hoogenboom expects to get some nibbles at the loan program.

“We were not ready in the early spring when the season started,” she said “But three people have told us they are going to apply. With all our loan clients we take a couple of meetings to get acquainted and to write up a business plan."

 

Read the full article at Wicked Local

 

 

WASHINGTON — September 14, 2012 — The U.S. Department of Commerce declared a disaster for New England's struggling groundfishing fleet for the 2013 season, opening the door for Congress to appropriate up to $100 million to help fishermen.

The declaration follows recent studies that find stocks of cod and other species are not recovering as quickly as expected despite the industry's compliance with strict catch limitations. Gov. Paul LePage requested the disaster declaration last November.

"I've been in the business over 30 years, and this is the worst I have ever seen it," said fisherman Tom Casamassa of Saco, one of the few Mainers still fishing for cod, haddock, flounder and other groundfish. Maine is home to just 45 boats in the groundfish fleet, as others have switched to lobster and other species.

"Talking to other fishermen, they are shaking their heads and don't know what to do. … We're really glad they moved ahead with the disaster declaration. From the sound of it, New England is really going to need it," Casamassa said Thursday.

Cod fishing was once the economic backbone of much of New England, including Maine; but overfishing and other factors have depleted cod stocks, resulting in austere catch limits on the relatively few groundfish boats still operating. Now the fleet faces additional reductions of up to 70 percent in the amount of cod and other species they can land.

Many now fear that this once-robust fishery — often credited with helping build New England and Colonial America — is in jeopardy of disappearing. Maine is home to just 45 boats with federal permits, as most fishermen have switched to lobster and other species.

Like many of his colleagues, Casamassa has been forced to branch out into other fisheries such as shrimp, lobster and even dogfish — a kind of "trash fish," to some — in order to survive. While he used to catch groundfish relatively close to shore, Casamassa now describes water down to 50 fathoms — or 300 feet deep — as "a desert."

"The future challenges facing the men and women in this industry and the shore-based businesses that support them are daunting, and we want to do everything we can to help them through these difficult times," Rebecca Blank, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, said in a statement.

A statement by U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree says they're encouraged by the disaster declaration, which acknowledges that Maine's fishermen are facing new and unprecedented challenges. The delegation's statement says the declaration is a first step in a long effort to rebuild one of the nation's first industries.

This is not the first Maine fishery to be granted disaster status, nor is it uncommon nationwide.

In 2010, for instance, shellfish harvesters in Maine were eligible for federal disaster assistance after the Commerce Department, which oversees NOAA, declared that the 2009 outbreak of red tide created a commercial fishing failure. Two other fisheries — salmon in Alaska and oysters and crabs in Mississippi — also were declared disasters on Thursday.

Numerous fishermen's organizations, including the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association that Casamassa belongs to, applauded the declaration.

 

Read the full story in the Morning Sentinel 

 

 

WASHINGTON — September 13, 2012 — Low groundfish stocks in New England, poor salmon runs in Alaska and Mississippi floods have led to commercial fishing failures, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank issued disaster declarations for the northeast coast from New York to Maine, for the Chinook salmon fishery in the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Cook Inlet in Alaska, and for oyster and blue crab fisheries in Mississippi. She sent letters to the governors of the states involved.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the declarations allow Congress to authorize aid to relieve economic hardship and preserve coastal communities.

In New England, fishing, especially for cod, was so important that a wooden carving of a codfish known as the "Sacred Cod" has hung in the Massachusetts state house since the 18th century. Centuries of overfishing, however, have left the fisheries of New England and the Canadian Maritimes in ruins in recent decades.

"Despite fishermen's adherence to catch limits over the past few years, recent data shows that several key fish stocks are not rebuilding," Blank said in letters to northeastern governors.

In Alaska, the Commerce Department found failures in the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers for at least two years and in the Cook Inlet in 2012.

"Commercial fishery failures can have cascading economic impacts on subsistence and sport fisheries," Blank said. "Rural communities on the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers depend on both the commercial and subsistence Chinook salmon fisheries for income and survival. In addition, the Cook Inlet Chinook salmon fishery supports an important sport fishery, which is one of the principal economic drivers for the local and regional economy."

In Mississippi, problems with the oyster and crab fisheries have been blamed on the historic floods in the Mississippi River this year, which sent unusually large quantities of fresh water into the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Read the full story on the United Press International website

 

 

September 13, 2012 — Fishermen have known it for years, and now the federal government agreees: The New England fishery is a disaster.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has issued a disaster declaration for the New England groundfish fishery, clearing the way for fishermen to receive financial relief in the face of regulations that have pushed many to the brink of bankruptcy.

The declaration will prompt Congress to provide emergency financial relief for New England fishermen impacted by cuts to fishing quotas for several commercially important species, including cod, haddock and yellowtail flounder. It comes as a result of a letter Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee sent last month to Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank, requesting a disaster declaration under the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

“The fishermen participating in the fishery have been complying with the regulations, and there is every reason to believe that they will continue doing so,” Governor Chafee wrote. “But such compliance is increasingly resulting in significant financial hardships, which many are unable to bear. It therefore stands to reason that those destined to suffer the most under the looming cuts should be afforded some measure of relief.”

Read the full story here