Saving Seafood

Opinion

OPINION: It’s time to stop Russian interference in Alaska’s fishing industry

September 18, 2024 — From its rich history to its vibrant ecosystem and deep cultural identity, Alaska has always fascinated me. As a native Icelander, the communities and natural resources of Alaska have wowed me since my first visit. It’s profound beauty greatly reminds me of my home country.

From my work and travels in Alaska for more than two decades, one aspect is clear — the seafood industry is critical. With nearly 10% of the state’s population working in seafood and the industry generating more than $5 billion per year — this industry is the lifeblood of Alaska.

However, the Alaska seafood industry faces many challenges, including the impact of global climate change. Some of these obstacles are nearly impossible to overcome but one of them is solvable: stopping the Russian misinformation machine and the illegal flow of Russian seafood, while protecting America’s food supply.

Anchorage Daily News

Opinion: Policymakers in search of sound science need to listen to fishery

September 9, 2024 — Fishermen are gravely concerned that regulators are stealing our futures with baseless cuts to landing quotas. Rep. Jared Golden is taking positive steps to fix this problem.

It often happens that government regulators, who lack deep knowledge of what it takes to catch fish in the Gulf of Maine, reach conclusions about the state of our fish stocks that do not match what fishermen are seeing and what we know from being on the water every day.

The obvious objection whenever we raise this concern is that “anecdote is not the plural of data.” The doubters ask: Why would an individual fisherman know more than a government agency with a dataset? That’s a fair question.

The answer is this – we know what tactics regulators are using to catch fish for their surveys, and we know they don’t work. We know where regulators are conducting surveys, and we know fish don’t hold in those waters. We know how extensive the surveys are, and we know they aren’t thorough enough.

Read the full article at the Boston Herald

Offshore Wind Energy Development: A David vs Goliath Story

September 3, 2024 — The following was released by Midwater Trawlers Cooperative:

As the aggressive pursuit to privatize and industrialize our oceans with offshore wind
turbine factories marches on, the small yet powerful voices of coastal communities
around the nation continues to fight to be heard in the process. It is a veritable David
versus Goliath story.

Goliath takes many forms. Is it BOEM? The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is
uncompromising in their quest to lease out our oceans to multinational corporations for
industrial development. I have sat face to face in Washington, DC with BOEM director
Liz Klein who claims the president is driving this quest. So, is Goliath the Biden
administration? There is no doubt that this administration has put forth unrealistic goals
for offshore wind energy at the same time they dangle delicious tax incentives to
developers looking to line their own pockets. However, these goals are in direct
opposition with other presidential executive orders looking to elevate tribal voices,
protect food security, and pursue environmental justice for marginalized communities
most impacted by climate change. The hypocrisy is alarming.

Closer to home in Oregon, I believe that Goliath may be the elitists who live in urban
settings like Portland and Salem who believe that they know best what the coastal
residents of Oregon need. Oregon is not unique; however, this story is unfolding around
the nation where urbanites believe they know best for rural communities that they do not
live or work in. These people tout their desire to uplift marginalized voices while they
steamroll rural voices, whether it is Tribes, coastal community members, or commercial
fishermen. They attempt to downplay the concerns of coastal residents, claiming “we
just don’t understand”. But here’s the thing. We actually do understand.

Those of us from multi-generational fishing families know exactly how important a
healthy ocean is to our survival. So do those of us who are new to fishing. All of us, from
the old timers to the greenhorns, understand the importance of a healthy ecosystem in
the face of climate change. Oregon Tribes are practically begging for consideration of
their traditional values and protection of their culture – again, falling on deaf ears. The
question that begs an answer- Why is our deep knowledge coupled with our concerns
for the future of tribal culture, seafood production, robust coastal community economies
and a healthy ocean environment somehow deemed less important than the unrealistic
pursuits of the urban elitists, BOEM and the Biden administration?

As David in this story, regular people – commercial and recreational fishermen, tribal
representatives, marine scientists, environmentalists, and coastal citizens continue to
show up and speak in the face of the overwhelming force of Goliath. Our story is still
unfolding. In the original story young David slays the mighty Goliath with a slingshot
and five smooth stones. Our stones are 1) potential harm to the ocean environment
and marine ecosystem and the fish species and marine mammals who live there; 2)
negative impacts to commercial fishing operations and seafood production; 3) much
more expensive utility bills for consumers; 4) disruption and harm to tribal cultures; and

5) ruination of rural coastal economies dependent in part on commercial and
recreational fishing.

We know from the original story that the small can defeat the large. We know that
David’s bravery came directly from his confidence that he was doing the right thing. We
have our courage, our stones, and our slingshot is our united voice. Will others be
brave enough to join us and stand up for what’s right? Or will rural voices continue to
be ignored? Can David beat Goliath once again?

Heather Mann, Midwater Trawlers Cooperative

August 27, 2024

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Heather Mann currently lives in coastal Oregon and
works in the commercial fishing industry.

What the Lobstermen of Maine Tell Us About the Election

August 26, 2024 — Mid-July is peak season on the central Maine coast. The blueberries — the small, low-bush kind long prized by the state’s jam makers and pie bakers — had started to appear in the farmers markets, along with the first of the tomatoes. Bright orange tiger lilies burst from front yards, while Queen Anne’s lace and goldenrod line the two-lane roads. The summer light dazzles, falling in soft waves upon the spruce and cedar, and brightening the paint on both midcentury saltboxes and grander Victorian homes. It’s no wonder that people want to come here.

Stonington is, without a doubt, one of the prettiest towns on the Maine coast. Over breakfast one morning at Stonecutters Kitchen, I asked Linda Nelson, the town’s economic and community development director, how many Hallmark movies had been filmed there.

“Not enough,” she replied.

Stonington also happens to be the largest lobster port in America. Dozens of fishing boats are anchored in the harbor, while lobsters caught in nearby Blue Hill, Jericho and Isle au Haut Bays are exported across the country and, more recently, across the globe. I was told by locals that not one of the beautiful wooden homes that form Stonington’s classic picture postcard view is owned by a fishing family, who now live elsewhere on Deer Isle or over the bridge on the mainland. From the perspective of a lobsterman, many of whom have deep Maine roots, the P.F.A.s — People From Away, as locals call them — are a presence to be tolerated. The lobster fishermen and the tourists and part-time residents coexist in two separate worlds, one that is changing beneath the surface.

In a significant political year, when a small group of voters in a few places will most likely shape the answers to pivotal questions about our government, how does a community living out climate change feel to its residents? This part of Maine is represented by a Democrat in Congress, but the district, Maine’s second, has voted for Donald Trump twice by decent margins; this is one of those places where every vote can matter. Here, the punishing demands of the present, how hard everyday work is, how important costs and prices are, make the pivotal nature of this time feel very distant from politics.

Read the full article at The New York Times

Op-ed: How to rebalance responsible fisheries management post-Chevron

August 7, 2024 — Sam Grimley has served as the executive director of environmental nonprofit Sea Pact since 2022. Alexandra Golub is the sustainability manager at New York City-headquartered Acme Smoked Fish.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of New England herring harvesters who believed they were unfairly forced to bear the financial burden of independent at-sea monitors hired to observe their fishing operations.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

This Florida fisherman worries about industry’s future

July 15, 2024 — Commercial fishing is vital to Florida’s culture and identity.  Today, Florida fishermen like me land $209 million worth of fish and shellfish in dock-side value alone. The economic impact of the commercial fishing industry ripples up the supply chain generating $8.7 billion. Hundreds of millions of tourists travel to Florida to enjoy fresh seafood in the Sunshine State.

Critical to Florida’s seafood economy is a steady (and growing) supply of fresh, domestic fish and shellfish.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) “Status of the Stocks” report that was recently released would have you believe that everything is rosy.  In some isolated cases, it may be – fishermen should be proud when their sustainability efforts pay off. When overfishing is reduced, fish stocks rebuild, and more fish support more fishing businesses and seafood dinners.

Read the full article at the Tallahassee Democrat 

As aquaculture hits historic highs, let’s ensure sustainability is prioritized (commentary)

July 11, 2024 — Just two years ago, global consumption of aquatic animal foods soared to an estimated 165 million tons, growing at nearly twice the annual rate of the world population since 1961. Ensuring the sustainable and responsible production of aquatic foods should be standard practice. But how close are we to the mark?

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) Report, published every two years by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, is a vital resource for understanding the current state of our fisheries and oceans and offers important insights into aquatic food production. The report’s credible methodology and the collaborative efforts of global experts who contribute to its findings play a crucial role in shaping policies and practices in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

The newly published 2024 edition of the SOFIA report highlights significant milestones. According to the FAO, world fisheries and aquaculture production has surged to an all-time high of 223.2 million tons, marking a 4.4% increase from 2020. And for the first time aquaculture production alone reached 94.4 million tons in 2022, overtaking traditional capture fisheries in its contribution to human consumption.

Read the full article at Mongabay

OPINION: Sustainable aquaculture: The path forward

July 11, 2024 —  The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has highlighted the need for aquaculture to grow in order to help feed the growing human population to 2050 – but that growth has to be managed sustainably. For the past 25 years, the use of marine ingredients in aquaculture has been a subject of concern. In the 1980s and 1990s, many farmed fish diets were predominantly based on fishmeal and fish oil, both of which are rich sources of nutrients, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. However, as the industry expanded, the demand for these marine resources grew in parallel, raising critical questions about the sustainability of using fish to feed fish, especially when these marine resources could potentially feed people directly.

The solution has been to convert less palatable fish into high-demand products like salmon, seabass, seabream, or shrimp while ensuring that our sourcing practices have minimum impact on marine ecosystems. However, as aquaculture grows further to feed more people, so does the potential demand for fishmeal and fish oil, which is also sought after by other industries. With this increasing competition for a finite resource, how do we identify and develop sustainable alternatives while continuing to use these marine ingredients responsibly?

Read the full article at Aquafeed.com

How the Supreme Court rescued my NJ fishing firm that bureaucrats almost sank

July 2, 2024 — Wayne Reichle is president and owner of Lund’s Fisheries in Cape May, New Jersey. He was one of the small business owners who sued the federal government in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which resulted in the Supreme Court overturning Chevron deference. Wayne is the third generation in the seafood business. His grandfather was a fishing vessel owner and operator in Cape May, and he was followed by Wayne’s father, Jeff Reichle, who had a vision for expanding the business and helped pioneer several fisheries through his investments in shoreside processing and distribution.

The following excerpt was published by the New York Post:

The Supreme Court just sided with my New Jersey-based, family-owned fishing business — and may have even saved it.

That’s the reality of the court’s June 28 decision in a case called Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overturned the “Chevron doctrine” that gave unchecked power to federal bureaucrats.

I was one of the small business owners who sued the federal government in this case.

I didn’t know my lawsuit would go all the way to the Supreme Court, or that the justices would tackle a huge question like bureaucratic accountability and how our laws should be read.

I just wanted to stop a federal agency that threatened my ability to keep my family business afloat.

In early 2020, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration decided that herring boats like mine had to start paying for the federal monitors who sometimes ride along during fishing trips.

These monitors check to make sure we’re not catching more fish than we’re allowed to, and observe our fishing methods to confirm we’re following the rules.

I’m glad we have a federal law that empowered NOAA to create a monitoring program: That law helps keep fishing sustainable.

But nowhere in the law does it say that fishermen like me have to pay for the monitors.

It was long understood that the government should pay for them, since the government requires them.

Only the government can afford them, too: The monitors cost about $700 a day.

For our two fishing boats, this mandate could have forced us to pay for over 100 days of monitoring a year, totaling more than $70,000 — a huge expense for a small fishing business and the fishermen we work with.

What gives federal bureaucrats the right to rewrite federal law?

They say the law is “unclear,” which gives them authority to interpret it.

But common sense says that if the law doesn’t say it, the government can’t do it.

Read the full op-ed at the New York Post