Saving Seafood

FLORIDA: Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance Members Get Back to Work With Focus on Safety and Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic

May 21, 2020 — The following was released by the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance:

Florida members of the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance (GCSA), an alliance of restaurants, hotels, fishermen, and seafood dealers tied to the Gulf of Mexico’s fishing economy, are beginning to safely reopen their businesses, prioritizing preventing the spread of COVID-19 and supporting those affected by the pandemic. Members are adhering to Florida’s reopening guidelines, which require restaurants to restrict indoor seating to 50 percent capacity and to space all dining groups at least six feet apart.

GCSA member Dewey Destin, the owner of two seafood restaurants in Destin, Florida, and a third in Navarre, Florida, first reopened his restaurants on May 4, saying he is comfortable with reopening “as long as it is done in a safe manner.” Mr. Destin made clear that his top priority is the health and safety of his staff and customers. To that end, all of his restaurant staff are required to wear masks, wash their hands every half hour, and have their temperature taken every day. His staff are also sanitizing condiment containers and menus between each use, and marking the floor near bathrooms to keep people properly socially distanced in line.

Fishermen are still working, but prices are 30 to 40 percent lower than they were before the COVID-19 closures. To reopen his restaurants, Mr. Destin sourced grouper, snapper, oysters, blue crab and shrimp from local Gulf Coast dealers.

“This is obviously a very tough market for seafood producers,” Mr. Destin said. “We’re trying to do our part to help local fishermen continue the essential work of providing Americans with fresh, healthy seafood.”

Read the full release here

Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance Members Engage with Lawmakers, Represent Gulf in Washington

June 15, 2018 — WASHINGTON — The following was released by the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance:   

Members of the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance, representing Gulf fishermen, seafood dealers, and restaurants, travelled to Washington last Wednesday to participate in a roundtable hosted by the House Committee on Natural Resources. While in Washington, Alliance members also represented Gulf Coast seafood by participating in the 43rd Annual NOAA Fish Fry as the main event of Capitol Hill Ocean Week.

The round-table discussion was led by Natural Resources Committee Chairman, Rob Bishop (R-Utah), and addressed legislation that impedes economic growth and development along working waterfronts.

“Working waterfronts and our nation’s vast ocean resources are essential to coastal communities, generating billions of dollars each year,” read a statement issued by Chairman Bishop on the meeting. “We heard from real people whose livelihoods depend on a healthy ocean economy and their message was clear: without a rational regulatory framework, responsible economic growth and success is at risk.”

Participants also discussed legislation aimed at easing the pressure of unnecessary regulation, most notably the Strengthening Coastal Communities Act of 2018 introduced by Rep. Neal Dunn, (R-Fla.).

“What the Gulf Coast needs is fair, equitable management of key species,” said GCSA founding member and Gulf Coast restauranteur, Dewey Destin. “Sustainable management is paramount to the survival of communities along the Gulf Coast, and we were able to express that while in Washington.”

 

At the NOAA Fish Fry, Alliance members drew awareness to Gulf-specific issues — like the management of Gulf red snapper. They also had the opportunity to communicate those issues to high-ranking government officials. Members spoke with Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, and cooked Gulf red snapper and oysters alongside President Trump’s nominee to head NOAA, Barry Myers.

Alliance members that travelled to Washington include: Dewey and Parker Destin of the Dewey Destin Restaurant Group, David Krebs, President of Ariel Seafoods, and Greg Abrams, Owner of Greg Abrams Seafood.

Learn more about the GCSA  by visiting their site here.

 

 

 

 

Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance Applauds Agreement to Lengthen 2017 Federal Recreational Red Snapper Season, End Non-Compliant State Seasons

WASHINGTON — June 14, 2017 — The following was released today by the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance:

The Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance (GCSA), a newly formed coalition representing Gulf commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, and restaurants, is pleased that the Department of Commerce and all five Gulf States have agreed to a more fair and equitable 2017 federal recreational red snapper season. We are grateful to Congressman Matt Gaetz for his help in bringing about these negotiations. We also applaud state fisheries managers, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, for their willingness to negotiate with federal regulators and other Gulf States.

The GCSA shared the disappointment and frustration of private anglers over the brevity of the recent three-day federal recreational red snapper season, which took place in the Gulf of Mexico between June 1 and June 4. We support any efforts to extend the federal recreational season by ending the practice of state non-compliant seasons and improving data collection on the red snapper fishery.

Per the newly reached agreement, announced today by the Commerce Department, all five Gulf States have agreed to align their seasons with the federal season for the remainder of the summer. In exchange, private anglers will have 39 weekend days and holidays through Labor Day to fish for red snapper in federal waters.

“Many of the GCSA’s members enjoy catching red snapper in addition to eating them at restaurants and markets,” said Dewey Destin, restaurateur and GCSA member. “It is clear that a three-day federal season for the private angling public is not politically or functionally acceptable. We are encouraged by the agreement reached today by the Commerce Department and the Gulf States, and hopeful for a long-term solution that is amenable to all red snapper stakeholders.”

The decision by states to not comply with federal regulations, as evidenced by conflicting season lengths, bag limits, and catch sizes, forced federal regulators to shorten the federal recreational season to account for high catches in state waters. Because states have agreed to limit this practice for the remainder of the 2017 season, the Commerce Department was presented with a unique opportunity to grant private anglers more days to fish and greater flexibility in when they fish.

The agreement between federal and state regulators applies only to the 2017 fishing season and does not pertain to subsequent fishing seasons. However, federal officials have expressed a desire to work with all stakeholders to prevent this type of emergency situation from reoccurring in the future. The GCSA looks forward to making its voice heard in any such long-term red snapper season negotiations.

About the Gulf Coast Seafood Alliance

The GCSA is a coalition of commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, and restaurants that advocates for the fair and equitable distribution of fish between commercial and recreational fishermen. The GCSA believes that people should have enough fish to catch and enough fish to buy. Our members represent a fishing economy that provides jobs, promotes tourism, and delivers fresh seafood across the Gulf Coast.