Saving Seafood

Government shutdown delays meetings between fishermen, Vineyard Wind

January 29, 2019 — Despite the partial federal government shutdown ending, public comment meetings led by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management regarding Vineyard Wind’s plan to construct an offshore wind-turbine farm have been indefinitely postponed, according to David Bernhardt, acting secretary of the interior.

Meetings were scheduled Jan. 8, 9, 15, 16 and 17 but were continually pushed back as the government shutdown extended and BOEM workers were forced to stay home. Bernhardt tweeted Jan. 24 that BOEM would “reschedule public meetings for the Vineyard Wind offshore renewable project very soon,” but gave no timeline on the issue.

Despite the delay in public comment meetings, “construction activities on the site will begin by the end of this year” if all permits are secured, Vineyard Wind spokesman Scott Farmelant said. “Every single permit is expected to be getting in by the end of the third quarter or early in the fourth quarter,” he added. Vineyard Wind has a tax credit from the federal government should they begin building in 2019, so the timeline for construction is crucial. “They’re eligible for 12 percent tax credit if they begin construction this year,” Farmelant said. “That program is expiring as of right now.”

Vineyard Wind is confident the project will remain on schedule despite the effects of the shutdown, Farmelant said.

Read the full story at The Brown Daily Herald

NOAA after shutdown: Priority getting fishermen back to work

January 29, 2019 — Furloughed NOAA Fisheries staffers returned to work Monday from the partial shutdown of the federal government and commenced the task of playing catchup as a new fishing season beckons.

In Gloucester, the furloughed workers, sent home 35 days ago, resumed their duties at the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office on Great Republic Drive as Regional Administrator Mike Pentony acknowledged the shutdown’s impact on fishing stakeholders and set the overarching agenda moving forward.

“We will have three priorities as we ramp back up to full and normal operations: getting fishermen back to work; completing consultations so federally permitted projects in your communities can move forward; and ensuring that adequate monitoring and protections are in place for our protected resources,” Pentony said in a statement.

Pentony conceded the shutdown has left the agency behind schedule for completing several essential actions as the 2018 fishing season winds down and the May 1 start of the 2019 season moves closer.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Shutdown leaves NOAA behind schedule on East Coast fisheries management

January 29, 2019 — The administrator of a federal fisheries office says the government is behind schedule on actions related to oceans management because of the long shutdown.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is charged with regulating fishing and marine issues for the U.S. government. Michael Pentony, the administrator of its Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office, said Monday the office is “behind schedule on many, many critically important actions.”

Pentony said fishing boats haven’t been able to fish because they could not get permits. He said there also weren’t enough resources to fully monitor protected ocean resources. Some fisheries have also been unable to operate at full capacity.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at Bangor Daily News

Government employees return to work, but concerns linger

January 28, 2019 — Monday morning 800,000 federal employees will return to work for the first time in 35 days after the longest government shutdown in history.

It all stems from the ongoing political dispute over a border wall.

On Friday a deal was struck to temporarily open the government for three weeks. Federal workers are uneasy about the future after already missing two paychecks.

For more than a month Anna Kagley has been ready to return to her job at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She’s worked at the agency for three decades.

“I’m a little nervous after missing 30 plus days,” said Kagley.

The fishery biologist who lives in Everett works with Chinook salmon and is concerned the shutdown has harmed the agencies long term work.

“I’m concerned we’ll be missing the beginning of the pulse of the fish migrating for some of our monitoring projects,” said Kagley.

The mother of five and primary bread winner for her family says she still doesn’t know when she’s get her next paycheck.

Read the full story at KOMO News

‘We need to fish’ New Bedford fishermen tell toll of shutdown

January 28, 2019 — Many things fell into place Friday that led to the government reopening, including the words of a New Bedford scalloper in the nation’s capital.

Capt. Jack Morris, director of operations for FV Holdings LLC, spoke on a panel conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as the shutdown prevented one of his vessels from fishing.

“We’re bleeding,” Morris said. “We need to go fishing.”

Hours later, President Donald Trump announced a deal had been struck to reopen the government through Feb. 15.

The shutdown didn’t allow Morris to transfer a license from an out-of-service vessel to a new one.

“It’s a simple application that’s done all the time, and it’s sitting on the desk of the permit office in Gloucester,” Morris said. “There’s nobody at that desk. It’s empty.”

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Agreement to end government shutdown brings relief to US seafood industry

January 28, 2019 — Workers at NOAA Fisheries and other federal agencies returned to their jobs Monday, 28 January, for the first time in more than a month, thanks to an agreement reached Friday between the U.S. Congress and the administration of President Donald Trump.

However, the resumption could be short-lived, as the deal to fund several government agencies lasts for only three weeks. That means another shutdown could happen next month if lawmakers and President Trump cannot finalize spending priorities for the 2019 fiscal year or approve another temporary bill.

While the talks hinge on whether the president gets funding for a border wall, numerous other policies and initiatives have been affected by the impasse. That includes some tied to the seafood industry.

For example, while the Food and Drug Administration maintained inspecting foreign seafood imports during the shutdown, funding for additional inspections remains in limbo.

Last July, the Senate passed a bill that would add more than USD 3 million (EUR 2.6 million) in funding for such inspections. However, the House failed to pass the bill, which would increase inspection funding by 26 percent, before Congress’ term ended at the beginning of this month.

Since the new Congress convened, the House has passed a bill that includes the funding, first proposed by U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana). That bill has yet to pass in the Senate.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Marine Mammal Stranding Center still running amid government shutdown

January 25, 2019 — While many federal agencies that regulate wildlife have had to stop working during the government shutdown, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center continues to rescue and treat animals in waterways across the state.

The nonprofit rescue and rehabilitation center has a permit and authorization from the state and federal governments, but operates with its own paid staff and volunteers to respond to strandings of whales, dolphins, seals and sea turtles.

All funding comes through donations, memberships and its own fundraising efforts.

“I feel for the people that are being furloughed and can’t collect a paycheck, but it doesn’t affect what we’re doing,” founder Bob Schoelkopf said.

The center is currently looking after three seals it rescued during the shutdown from Beach Haven, Long Branch and Harvey Cedars.

Typically, the Stranding Center would also have to submit its final health report to the National Marine Fisheries Service when releasing an animal. Even though the service won’t be around to process the material, the center said it will continue to follow procedure.

Read the full story at the Press of Atlantic City

North Pacific fishing industry raising money for Alaska Coast Guard families

January 25, 2019 — Fishing companies that work off Alaska are donating money to Coast Guard workers who — despite missing paychecks — continue to conduct safety exams and patrols, and stand ready to respond to disasters at sea.

The fundraising effort was kicked off earlier this week by Chris Woodley, a retired Coast Guard captain who now serves as executive director of the Groundfish Forum, a Seattle-based trade group that represents five companies that operate 19 catcher-processors off Alaska.

The fundraiser is part of a much broader effort to help federal workers facing financial difficulties in the partial government shutdown that has resulted from the political impasse between Congress and President Donald Trump over funding of a border wall.

“As a former Coast Guardsman stationed in Alaska, I cannot overstate how much our assistance can mean to a Coast Guard family in need,” Woodley wrote in an online fundraising letter.

Read the full story at the Seattle Times

Shutdown Affecting Whale Rescues

January 24, 2019 — Rescuers who respond to distressed whales and other marine animals say the federal government shutdown is making it more difficult to do their work.

A network of rescue groups in the U.S. works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to respond to marine mammals such as whales and seals when the animals are in trouble, such as when they are stranded on land or entangled in fishing gear. But the federal shutdown, which is entering its 33rd day on Wednesday, includes a shuttering of the NOAA operations the rescuers rely upon.

NOAA plays a role in preventing accidental whale deaths by doing things like tracking the animals, operating a hotline for mariners who find distressed whales and providing permits that allow the rescue groups to respond to emergencies. Those functions are disrupted or ground to a halt by the shutdown, and that’s bad news if whales need help, said Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium in Boston, which has a rescue operation.

“If it was very prolonged, then it would become problematic to respond to animals that are in the water,” LaCasse said. “And to be able to have a better handle on what is really going on.”

The shutdown is coming at a particularly dangerous time for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, which numbers about 411, said Regina Asmutis-Silvia, a senior biologist with Whale and Dolphin Conservation of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The whales are under tight scrutiny right now because of recent years of high mortality and poor reproduction.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at CapeCod.com

New England Fisherman to Share Shutdown Experience on U.S. Chamber of Commerce Panel

January 24, 2019 – WASHINGTON – A New Bedford fishing captain will share how he has been impacted by the federal government shutdown as part of a U.S. Chamber of Commerce panel tomorrow in Washington.

Captain Jack Morris will take part in “Day 35: The Real Economic Impact of the Government Shutdown,” hosted by the Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The event will “[bring] real people to Washington to talk about the real hardships the shutdown is causing in all 50 states.” It will feature “owners of small businesses that are suffering in communities across the country, as well as representatives of companies that are stepping up to help federal workers at a time of deep and prolonged need.”

The impact of the government shutdown on the fishing industry was part of a recent Washington Post report on the shutdown.

The handful of exempt NOAA officials currently working are doing their best to keep the agency functioning. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) complimented the “outstanding work” of Chris Oliver, NOAA assistant administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service, in keeping Alaska fisheries in business. Mr. Oliver tapped funds the agency had collected from the industry to bring some employees back from furlough.

But there are not enough staff working to address everyone’s needs. John Lees, a scallop vessel owner on whose vessels Captain Morris works, discussed how the closure of NOAA offices has prevented him from catching up to $1.5 million worth of seafood. “All we’re looking for now is for NOAA to just assign a number. That’s it,” Mr. Lees told the Post, when describing how the shutdown has prevented him from completing the necessary paperwork to transfer required fishing permits to his new boat. Without those permits, Mr. Lees’ vessel will remain unable to fish.

The event will take place Friday, January 25, from 8:30-10:30am, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters at 1615 H Street NW, Washington DC. More information on how to register to attend in person, or to view the panel discussion via live stream is available here.