Saving Seafood

Maryland oyster industry hoping for rebound as new season begins

October 26, 2021 — This time last year, Jason Wilford was preparing to bring his farm-grown oysters to a Thanksgiving pop-up sale in Easton.

Events like that one were something of a lifeline for Wilford, a newcomer to the industry. With the coronavirus pandemic raging as the weather grew colder in the fall of 2020, many seafood restaurants were closed or offered only carryout. There was practically nowhere for his first batch of hand-raised oysters to go.

Experts say covid-19 depressed demand for oysters, in part because shucking them wasn’t popular among diners looking for quick to-go meals. That sank prices for harvesters on the Chesapeake Bay.

This year, aquaculture farmers such as Wilford and those in the rest of the oyster industry — watermen, seafood restaurants and distributors — are hoping for a rebound in demand.

Read the full story at the Washington Post

Alaska Symphony of Seafood – Announcing Changes and Call for Product

August 31, 2021 — The following was released by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation:

After a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AFDF is proud to announce the 2021-22 Alaska Symphony of Seafood, including the Call for Product and exciting new changes to the event. The deadline for entry into this year’s competition is October 04, 2021. The Call for Product can be downloaded here.

Since 1994, AFDF has organized the “Symphony”, a competition for commercial-ready value‐added products made from Alaska seafood. The Symphony is an exciting platform that encourages companies to invest in product development, helps promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska seafood in national and global markets. Product development is critically important to the entire industry and the fishing communities that depend on it. Innovative new products position the industry to remain competitive and relevant to consumers.

Read the full release here

SAFMC September 2021 Meeting to be Held via Webinar

August 30, 2021 — The following was released by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council:

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation and increasing transmission rates in the region, the September 13-17, 2021meeting of the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council will be held via webinar. The meeting was originally scheduled to take place in Charleston, South Carolina.

Briefing book materials for the September meeting are now available from the Council’s website along with an online public comment form. The meeting materials include agendas and overviews for each committee meeting throughout the week along with meetings of the Full Council. Presentations and supporting documents are also included.

Council members will discuss federal management measures affecting:

  • Establishment of an allowable fishing area for the Rock Shrimp fishery along the western boundary of the Oculina Bank Coral Habitat Area of Particular Concern off the east coast of Florida (Coral Amendment 10)
  • Management measures for Red Porgy, Greater Amberjack, Snowy Grouper, and Yellowtail Snapper
  • Catch level recommendations for Red Snapper
  • Information on the current “two-for-one” federal permit requirement for the commercial snapper grouper fishery

The meeting webinar begins Monday, September 13, 2021 with a meeting of the Full Council at 1 p.m. Meetings of the Council’s committees will continue through the week, concluding with a meeting of the Full Council on Friday, September 17th.

Public Comment Session – Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.
The Council will accept public comment on agenda items during this time. Public hearing comments will also be accepted for Snapper Grouper Amendment 50 addressing proposed management measures for Red Porgy.

Unless otherwise indicated, the meeting is open to the public via webinar. Registration is required. Register now and receive reminders as the meeting date approaches.

Meeting materials, the online public comment form and additional meeting information are all now available at: https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/council-meetings/.

Louisiana crawfish processor forced to pay USD 140,000 for labor law violations

August 27, 2021 — Crowley, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based Acadia Processors has paid USD 138,629 (EUR 118,000) after an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor found it owed back wages to 100 employees.

In June 2020, the Center for Migrant Rights filed a whistleblower complaint with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration on behalf of two former Acadia Processors workers who tested positive for COVID-19.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ASMFC 80th Annual Meeting Preliminary Agenda and Public Comment Guidelines Now Available

August 27, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s 80th Annual Meeting will be held October 18-21, 2021 at the Ocean Place Resort and Spa, 1 Ocean Blvd, Long Branch, New Jersey. As of now, the Commission is moving forward with an in-person meeting that will also be accessible via webinar. ASMFC leadership is monitoring CDC guidelines for large meetings/gatherings, state travel restrictions, and the occurrence of COVID-19 cases in Monmouth County. Please do not make travel reservations yet; we will notify when to do so. Additional meeting information regarding the hotel, registration for social events, and reimbursement guidelines will be provided as we get closer to the meeting date.

The preliminary agenda and public comment guidelines, which follow and are attached, are also available on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021-annual-meeting. The final agenda and meeting materials will be available on October 6th on the Commission website at http://www.asmfc.org/home/2021‐annual‐meeting.

Restaurant sector performance strong, but labor and pricing pressures persist

August 26, 2021 — This summer has been relatively good to the U.S. restaurant industry, as most operators are at full capacity after facing service limits due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year. But the industry’s growth could be hampered by mounting inflation, labor shortages, and other operating challenges.

Consumer spending at restaurants soared 32 percent in the second quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter of 2020, according to research firm NPD Group. Thanks to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in many areas, dining inside restaurants or off-premises increased by 22 percent in the quarter compared to the same quarter last year, but fell compared to the second quarter of 2019.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Weekend’s uptick in coronavirus cases linked to seafood plant

August 24, 2021 — Sitka’s recent uptick in COVID cases over the weekend can be attributed, in part, to an outbreak at a local seafood plant.

When the Sitka Unified Command met on Wednesday (8-18-21) Public Health Nurse Denise Ewing said the outbreak occurred at Sitka Sound Seafoods.

“It was several of their employees that became positive. They were very advantageous, and made sure that they quickly worked with me,” Ewing said. “[It] could have been much worse than what it was.”

Ewing said she’s been working with state epidemiologists and the seafood company to mitigate the spread, securing housing for all employees who were exposed to quarantine, and shut down some areas of the plant.

“And we enforced it, and I was able to activate that [mitigation plan] and to keep it from spreading. And that’s exactly what we’ve done. We’ve contained it, it is contained.” she said. Employees are testing every three days and will continue that process for at least two weeks.

Sitka Sound Seafoods is a subsidiary of Seattle-based North Pacific Seafoods. In a written statement, North Pacific Seafoods Vice President of Human Resources Leauri Moore said several employees tested positive in mid-July. The plant discovered a new group of cases over the weekend as a result of regular testing. She said the employees are receiving isolation and quarantine pay.

Read the full story at KCAW

$3.6M in aid available to fish industries in Hawaii

August 23, 2021 — Qualified fishers and seafood processors and dealers in Hawaii who lost business because of the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for some of the $3.6 million in federal CARES Act money allocated to the state.

Commercial fishing in Hawaii, like most of the state’s industries, struggled during the coronavirus pandemic as restaurants and businesses closed for extended periods while tourism was at a standstill, cutting the amount of fish sold by fishers.

Last year about $4.3 million was allocated to Hawaii during the first of two rounds of CARES Act funding meant for the nation’s fisheries. The $3.6 million allocated this year is part of a second round of funding and will be distributed by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.

Read the full story at The Honolulu Star Advertiser

ISSF: Eastern Pacific Ocean tuna fisheries can’t wait for COVID to end before action is taken

August 23, 2021 — Eastern Pacific Ocean fisheries managers must ensure that effective management measures are promptly put in place for bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack tuna stocks when the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) meets later this month, insists the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF).

In 2020, the IATTC conducted new assessments of bigeye and yellowfin tuna, which found that while yellowfin remains healthy, there was a 53 percent probability that bigeye is overfished and a 50 percent probability that overfishing was occurring.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Facing “double whammy,” China’s processors forced to pass on costs

August 23, 2021 — China’s seafood importers could be looking at price rises due to port congestion and higher freight costs, according to a Siam Canadian executive.

Most Chinese processors are renegotiating their contracted prices due to rising costs for raw materials and freight, according to Landy Chow, the general manager of Bangkok, Thailand-based seafood trader Siam Canadian Group’s Guangzhou office.

Read the full story at Seafood Source