Saving Seafood

News for the Gulf of Mexico Region

Fishing advocates say new Gulf council appointments ‘maintaining a balance’

July 3, 2024 — A Florida commercial fisherman and an Alabama charter operator are newly appointed to the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, among 22 new and returning members to the six regional U.S. Councils named by the Department of Commerce.

The new Gulf appointments “are a positive step in the right direction by maintaining a balance of interests,” according to the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo named  Juan “John” Sanchez of Florida and Troy Frady, a charter captain from Orange Beach, Ala. The appointments “are a positive step in the right direction by maintaining a balance of interests on the Gulf Council, with three of the seventeen members making a living in the commercial or charter/for-hire fisheries under the Gulf Council’s purview,” according to the alliance.

However, the group added, “we still have a long way to go before there is truly balanced representation on the Gulf Council from all fishing sectors – commercial, charter/for-hire, and private anglers.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Are sharks a rising threat to fishermen?

July 1, 2024 — Over the years, scientists have studied sharks and their habits. The popularity of learning about them has grown significantly thanks to the annual broadcast of Shark Week on Discovery Channel, which airs July 7, 2024. Multiple sources have proven that the species has learned to associate boat engines with food. According to Live Science, sharks have been feasting on fish caught by humans in the Gulf of Mexico.

Instances of shark depredation in the region have substantially increased over the past decade, according to a shark scientist at Mississippi State University, Marcus Drymon. “Although difficult to demonstrate empirically, it does appear that there is a shift in behavior,” he told the publication.

Shark depredation occurs when a shark partially or entirely eats or damages hooked or netted fish before fishermen can remove them from the water. Researchers have investigated the reasons behind the increase in depredation, finding that more sharks, more anglers, and learned behavior are the leading factors.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

NOAA predicts above-average Gulf of Mexico dead zone this summer

June 20, 2024 — NOAA scientists are predicting the Gulf of Mexico’s fish-killing dead zone will be larger than average this summer.

The dead zone is a hypoxic area roughly the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut with low oxygen levels that can kill off tens of thousands of fish. Caused by excess nutrient pollution from human activity along the Mississippi-Atchafalaya watershed, the dead zone affects fish every summer.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Outlook for Gulf Fisheries not highlighted in Status of Stocks

June 11, 2024 — In the 1970s and 1980s, U.S. fisheries were so overfished that fishermen were steaming farther and longer to fish, only to return with smaller catches. Now, decades after laws were successfully put in place to revive our fisheries, fishermen are once again finding it harder and harder to find fish, and many economically important fish stocks are depleted and are not rebuilding. This lack of rebuilding and chronically depressed stocks doesn’t just impact me personally; it affects my whole community.

Perhaps most concerning is that the federal agency with the power to save our fisheries isn’t telling the whole story when it should be sounding the alarm.

Read the full article at National Fisherman

FLORDIA: Gulf Coast shrimping industry ‘on the verge of collapse.’ Can it afford to lose one more dock?

June 5, 2024 — On a humid April afternoon, Christine Gala picked her way through the wreckage of what used to be Trico Shrimping Company, before Hurricane Ian had its way with it.

She made her way to the western edge of the building, toward the water, wending her way around detritus left behind by the storm. Expensive shrimp processing equipment, jagged sheets of plywood and drywall, putrid stone crab, a commercial freezer door Ian sucked right off its hinges and threw on the other side of the room.

Looking through a gaping hole in the wall where a garage door once hung, Gala pursed her lips at what used to be the largest commercial dock so close to the prodigious Gulf shrimp fishing grounds off Key West. It was 400 feet long, and up to 30 boats of the “pink gold” fleet tied up there.

“We had just replaced this dock,” she said. “Cost us $300,000.

Read the full article at Macro Eagle

After new study, feds aim to preserve historic shipwrecks in Gulf of Mexico

May 20, 2024 — In late 2011, technicians for the petroleum company Shell were surveying the Gulf of Mexico for potential drilling sites when they came across an anomaly.

About 274 miles south of Galveston, Texas, and roughly 4,300 feet below the surface, sonar illuminated a rare sight. It was the hull of an 84-foot long sailing ship, its masts broken and cast to the sides.

The techs reported their discovery to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an agency within the Department of Interior which currently manages a database of around 4,000 shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico, plus thousands more on the East and West coasts. The agency partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to explore the shipwreck. Researchers ultimately found two more sunk ships in the vicinity, naming them Monterrey A, B and C.

The Monterrey shipwrecks are now among 13 sites nominated by the BOEM for placement on the National Register of Historic Places. Texas State University, which helped with Monterrey excavation, has called the find “one of the more significant shipwreck sites discovered in the Gulf.”

The BOEM last month published a series of videos showcasing the findings from each site — the result of a comprehensive study that was part of the nomination process. Authors hope their study will serve as a template for future nominations.

“Not all shipwrecks are created equal,” said James Delgado, an independent marine archaeologist who wrote the study. “They all have their own significance for their own reasons.”

Along with two other BOEM-nominated shipwreck sites, the Monterrey shipwrecks appear to be early 19th century ocean-going commercial traders.

Read the full article at the Courthouse News Service

 

BOEM Proposes Offshore Wind Area Auctions in Gulf of Mexico and Oregon

May 2, 2024 — The U.S. Department of the Interior took its next steps in the aggressive plans to accelerate the development of offshore wind energy in the U.S. They released proposals for two new wind areas off the coast of Oregon and in the Gulf of Maine which they said combined could provide 18 GW of energy. It however includes more controversial areas especially along the Oregon coast.

The Biden Administration highlights that it has already approved eight offshore sites with a combined capacity of more than 10 GW, which they said will power nearly four million homes. They are also continuing the lengthy review process for additional proposals after having conducted four auctions including the New York Bight, offshore of the Carolina, and the first sales off the coast of California, and in the Gulf of Mexico.

Today’s proposals include eight lease areas offshore Marine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Combined it represents nearly one million acres in the Gulf of Maine and the potential for 15 GW. The Bureau of Offshore Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to conduct simultaneous auctions for each of the eight lease areas. Before finalizing the plan, they said they are seeking feedback on various aspects including the size of the lease areas, orientation, and location. They are also looking for input if any areas should be prioritized for inclusion or exclusion.

Read the full article at The Maritime Executive

Species most vulnerable to climate change

April 14, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries’ two new assessments of climate vulnerability for fish species and invertebrates in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic were shared at the end of 2023. While all the species assessed are projected to face significant exposure to climate-driven changes, some are expected to be much more susceptible than others.

John Quinlan, the lead author of the Gulf of Mexico assessment, shared, “These areas are projected to become substantially warmer, saltier, more acidic, and less oxygenated. This means that multiple stressors could operate across the Southeast, and we’ll need to be aware as the system shifts.”

Read the full article at National Fisherman

LOUISIANA: Louisiana declares disaster amid crawfish shortage

March 26, 2024 — The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to  crawfish businesses in the U.S. state of Louisiana that were affected by extreme drought after the state’s governor issued a disaster declaration earlier in March 2024.

“The SBA’s mission-driven team stands ready to help Louisiana small businesses affected by the drought and resulting crawfish shortage,” SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said. “We’re committed to providing federal disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help businesses and communities weather this environmental and economic challenge.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource