Saving Seafood

MSC, ASC sustainable seafood week in France urges consumers to eat responsibly

April 30, 2019 — A joint campaign in France run by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), has just landed the two organizations a Grand Prix Award for Social Responsibility. It was presented during a ceremony in Paris at PRODURABLE, the fair for Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibly.

The prize was awarded for “Semaine de la Peche Responsible” (Sustainable Seafood Week), which was first run in February 2017 and has since become an annual event.

The week of activities highlighted issues including overfishing, illegal fishing, and the importance of safeguarding marine biodiversity and habitats, and fish stocks for future generations. The event has been growing quickly in both size and public profile in recent years.

In competition with 48 other brands, the ASC and MSC were joint winners of the best NGO label category, in recognition of their collaborative efforts with partners, brands, aquariums, institutions and distributors, to mobilize public support for sustainable fisheries and responsible fish farming.

The award was shared with French retailer Carrefour, which won for its support of programs to find permanent living solutions for the homeless.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

‘There’s going to be no fish to fight over at all’: The Chesapeake Bay’s rockfish population is falling

April 28, 2019 — It’s trophy season for Chesapeake Bay rockfish, the only few weeks on the calendar local anglers can hunt for the 40-pound specimens visiting the estuary to spawn. But this year, it’s not as celebratory as it sounds.

Three decades after an outright ban on fishing for the species properly known as Atlantic striped bass helped it recover from near-extinction, scientists, anglers and the commercial fishing industry are raising alarms that the bay’s supreme and delectable swimmers are again being overfished. And about half of the fish that anglers are killing aren’t even being eaten — they’re caught and thrown back, only to die from their wounds.

The concerns prompted Virginia to cancel its trophy season Tuesday, six days before fishing was set to begin in some Potomac River tributaries. Authorities there said emergency action was needed to allow as many of the females to spawn as possible.

Maryland officials said they have no plans to make a similar decision this spring. But commercial and recreational fishermen around the state’s rivers and creeks are nonetheless hoping, and bracing, for new restrictions to stabilize the striped bass population once again.

“I think most charter boat captains have resigned themselves to the fact that we’re going to have some changes next year,” said Mark Galasso, who operates Tuna the Tide charter service out of Kent Island.

Read the full story at The Capital Gazette

ALASKA: Fisheries management a bright spot for state despite budget roller coaster

April 22, 2019 — Times are tight for state budgets these days. It’s easy to forget the crucial role government agencies play in sustaining our economy. Fisheries are a prime example. Most Alaskans don’t know that Alaska is world-famous for its management of fisheries through a system based on science.

Even those of us familiar with highly political “fish wars” over allocations of salmon between sport and commercial fishers sometimes forget that.

To be able to fight over fish we need healthy fisheries, however. Thanks to the commitment of Alaskans over the years to science-based fisheries management — in fact, since we became a state in 1959 — we’ve been blessed with a huge natural resource that employs thousands and feeds millions.

The sustainability of that depends on science-based management. For that, Alaskans can give themselves a pat on the back.

Interestingly, Alaska was the first place where the scientific principles of sustained-yield fisheries management were put in place on a broad scale, first with salmon and now with all the fisheries we manage in both state and federal waters, including cod, crab, herring and pollock.

Before Alaska became a state, our salmon fisheries were overfished and depleted. There had been decades of mismanagement by the federal government.

Read the full story at Anchorage Daily News

New England herring quota alternatives bear more bad news for lobster fishery

April 22, 2019 — A range of alternatives recently approved by the New England Fishery Management Council for Framework Adjustment 6 to the Atlantic herring fishery has little positive news for the New England lobster industry, which relies on the fish for bait.

Framework Adjustment 6 will determine the overfishing definition for the Atlantic herring fishery, and three alternatives are currently on the table. Regardless of the alternative chosen by NEFMC, the herring quota won’t be increasing in 2020, and could decrease once again.

Alternative 1, which represents no change from the current 2019 fishing season, would set the overfishing limit at 30,668 metric tons (MT) and the acceptable biological catch at 21,266 MT, almost identical to 2019’s quotas.

Alternative 2, which was recommended by the Scientific and Statistical Committee in October 2018, is based on the proposed “Amendment 8 Control Rule.” It would set the overfishing limit at 41,839 MT, and the allowable biological catch at 16,131 MT. Alternative 3, which is also consistent with Amendment 8, would use more accurate catch data from 2018 and sets the overfishing limit at 40,574 MT and the allowable biological catch at 14,265 MT.

As recently as 2018, the herring acceptable biological catch was 110,000 MT, but a June 2018 Northeast Regional Stock Assessment Workshop found that poor recruitment was likely going to result in a substantial decline in herring biomass. In response to that, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) moved forward with an in-season adjustment that set the allowable biological catch at 21,266 MT.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

First ever high-seas conservation treaty would protect life in international waters

April 4, 2019 — No flag can claim the high seas, but many nations exploit them. As a result, life in the two-thirds of the oceans beyond any country’s territorial waters faces many threats that are largely unregulated, including overfishing and the emerging deep-sea mining industry.

Now, nations are negotiating the first-ever high-seas conservation treaty, which the United Nations expects to finalize next year. As delegates met this week at U.N. headquarters in New York City to hash out the details, marine scientists moved to influence the outcome. One research group unveiled the results of a global mapping effort that envisions expansive new marine reserves to protect key high-seas ecosystems. Other teams are working on maps of their own using powerful modeling tools to weigh a reserve’s potential for achieving key conservation goals, such as protecting important feeding grounds or helping sea life adapt to warming seas, against its economic costs.

“The policy opportunity this represents is much rarer than once in a lifetime,” says marine ecologist Douglas McCauley of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Nations are asking “how we should protect two-thirds of the world’s oceans, [and] it’s the first time in human history that this has ever been asked.”

Read the full story at Science Magazine

86% of Global Tuna Catch Continues to Come from Stocks at Healthy Levels, But Some Stocks Remain Overfished

April 4, 2019 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

Of the total tuna catch, 86% came from stocks at “healthy” levels — an unchanged share since last reported in October 2018 — according to the March 2019 International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Status of the Stocks report. Skipjack tuna stocks — which remain at healthy levels in all ocean regions — still comprise over one-half of the total catch.

ISSF publishes its signature Status of the Stocks report at least twice each year using the most current scientific data on major commercial tuna stocks.

The fishing mortality rating was changed for two stocks since the previous report: The Fishing Mortality rating for both Mediterranean albacore and Western Pacific yellowfin was modified from “yellow” to “green.” The ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) determined that this change was needed to harmonize those ratings and the report’s ratings methodology.

Though many of the recent broad indicators of overall global tuna stock health are positive, there are several stocks of concern that should be noted:

  • The Indian Ocean yellowfin stock has again been rated both as overfished and as suffering overfishing after a new stock assessment presented by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Scientific Committee in late 2018.
  • Similarly, the Pacific Ocean bluefin stock is also considered to be overfished, and overfishing of this stock continues.
  • Eastern Pacific bigeye is experiencing overfishing. Fishing mortality for this species is high.
  • Two consecutive assessments have concluded that Atlantic Ocean bigeye is overfished and that overfishing is still occurring.​

Key Statistics in the Report

  • Total catch: In 2017, as reported in the new report, the total major commercial tuna catch was 4.8 million tonnes. More than half of the total catch (58%) was skipjack tuna, followed by yellowfin (28%), bigeye (8%) and albacore (5%). Bluefin tunas (3 species) accounted for only 1% of the global catch. These percentages changed only slightly from the October 2018 Status of the Stocks report.
  • Abundance or “spawning biomass” levels: Globally, 65% of the 23 stocks are at a healthy level of abundance, 13% are overfished and 22% are at an intermediate level. In terms of total catch, 86% come from healthy stocks, 10% from overfished stocks and 4% from stocks at an intermediate level. Unchanged from the last report, the stocks receiving orange scores — indicating overfished status — were Atlantic Ocean bigeye, Pacific Ocean bluefin and Indian Ocean yellowfin.
  • Fishing mortality levels: 78% of the 23 stocks are experiencing a well-managed fishing mortality rate, 18% are experiencing overfishing, and 4% have a high fishing mortality rate.
  • Largest tuna catches by stock: The five largest catches in tonnes, unchanged since the previous report, are Western Pacific Ocean skipjack, Western Pacific Ocean yellowfin, Indian Ocean skipjack, Indian Ocean yellowfin and Eastern Pacific Ocean skipjack.
  • Tuna production by ocean region: More than half (52%) of the world’s tuna is harvested from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, followed by the Indian Ocean (20%), Eastern Pacific Ocean (13%) and Atlantic Ocean (11%). Catch from Pacific-wide stocks accounts for around 3% of the global catch, while catch in the Southern Hemisphere accounts for less than 1%.
  • Tuna production by fishing gear: 65% of the catch is made by purse seining, followed by longline (11%), pole-and-line (8%), gillnets (4%) and miscellaneous gears (12%). These percentages have changed only slightly since the October report.

About the Report

There are 23 stocks of major commercial tuna species worldwide — 6 albacore, 4 bigeye, 4 bluefin, 5 skipjack, and 4 yellowfin stocks. TheStatus of the Stocks summarizes the results of the most recent scientific assessments of these stocks, as well as the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs. Updated several times per year, Status of the Stocks assigns color ratings (green, yellow or orange) using a consistent methodology based on three factors: Abundance, Exploitation/Management (fishing mortality) and Environmental Impact (bycatch).

ISSF produces two reports annually that seek to provide clarity about where we stand — and how much more needs to be done — to ensure the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks: the Status of the Stocks provides a comprehensive analysis of tuna stocks by species, and the Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Criteria provides scores for the stocks and RFMOs based on MSC assessment criteria. The MSC-certified fisheries list (Appendix 2) in Status of the Stocks complements the Evaluation report.Together, these tools help to define the continuous improvement achieved, as well as the areas and issues that require more attention.

In addition, ISSF maintains a data-visualization tool based on its Status of the Stocks report. ​The “Status of the Stocks Tool” is located on the ISSF website and accessible through the Status of the Stocks overview page; users can easily toggle through tuna stock health indicators and filter by location, species and other key stock health and catch factors.

NOAA to cut dogfish quota in half

April 4, 2019 — Federal fishing regulators say they’re reducing the quota for a small species of shark that is fished commercially off the East Coast.

Fishermen catch spiny dogfish off the eastern states, from Maine to North Carolina. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says quota for the dogfish will be cut by nearly 50 percent this year. That will leave the commercial quota at about 20.5 million pounds.

The agency says the quota will climb back up in 2020 and 2021 because the dogfish population is expected to grow. That would bring with it a reduced risk of overfishing the species, which is harvested for use as food.

Dogfish are primarily consumed in Europe. Members of the seafood industry have tried marketing dogfish to U.S. consumers, but it remains an uncommon menu item.

Last year, the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance received a Saltonstall-Kennedy grant of about $37,000 from NOAA for a marketing and promotion project centered on raising the profile of dogfish — including changing the name of the species — to make it more attractive to consumers.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

MARYLAND: How can we save oysters if we harvest them faster than they reproduce?

March 27, 2019 — This year’s Maryland General Assembly session marks a critical juncture for Chesapeake Bay oysters. Policies under debate in the halls of the legislature will chart the course for oysters’ next 100 years. Now is the time to make the changes necessary to protect the oyster.

Before the session, the bad news arrived. In November, the state released the first comprehensive stock assessment of Maryland oysters. It found that the bivalves’ population had declined by half since 1999 — from about 600 million adult oysters to the current population of 300 million. The population decline is bad for both the Bay’s ecology and for the watermen who depend on the wild harvest to make their living.

The oyster’s significant decline is a symptom of a long history of overharvesting, disease and pollution in the Bay. The current population of oysters in Maryland’s portion of the Bay is less than 10 percent of the number of oysters harvested each year before 1900, according to the stock assessment.

While we can’t expect to re-create the natural state of the Bay before significant human intervention, Maryland can’t continue with business as usual. To reduce Bay pollutants, create more habitat for fish species and preserve the oyster for future generations, we must put Maryland on a path toward oyster recovery.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal

Study maps where tunas, sharks and fishing ships meet

March 26, 2019 — Overfishing is rapidly pushing many of the world’s sharks and tunas toward extinction. The world’s fastest known shark, the shortfin mako, for example, was recently uplisted to endangered on the IUCN Red List, its decline mostly attributed to overfishing.

But researchers are only beginning to figure out where and when people fish them the most. Now, a new study has some answers.

By analyzing the trails of more than 900 fishing vessels and more than 800 sharks and tunas in the northeast Pacific, researchers have identified regions where the two tend to overlap. This information, researchers say, can be used to manage fisheries, especially in the high seas, the swaths of ocean that lie beyond the jurisdiction of individual countries.

“These fish [sharks and tunas] may travel thousands of miles every year, crossing international boundaries and management jurisdictions,” said Timothy White, lead author of the study and a graduate student in biology at Stanford University, California. “In order to sustainably manage them, we need to know where they migrate and where people fish them, but this info is surprisingly difficult to gather for sharks and tunas of the open ocean.”

Read the full story at Mongabay

Striped bass population in trouble, new study finds

February 8, 2019 — Striped bass, one of the most prized species in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic Coast, are being overfished according to a new assessment of the stock’s health — a finding that will likely trigger catch reductions for a species long touted as a fisheries management success.

The bleak preliminary findings of the assessment were presented to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, a panel of fisheries managers, on Wednesday. The full analysis was not available. Its completion was delayed by the partial government shutdown, which sidelined biologists in the National Marine Fisheries Service who were working to complete the report.

But, noted Mike Armstrong of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, who also chairs the ASMFC’s Striped Bass Management Board, the final results “will likely be the same when [the report] comes out.”

The board asked its technical advisers to estimate the level of catch reductions needed to bring the stock above management targets at its May meeting, when the stock assessment is expected to be ready for approval.

“We know it is going to be pretty drastic,” said John Clark of the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, a member of the board.

The findings of the assessment were a bit of a surprise. Though the overall population was known to be declining, striped bass are often considered a signature success for fishery management.

The overharvest of striped bass, also called rockfish, sent their population to critically low levels in the early 1980s, eventually leading to a catch moratorium. The population rebounded, allowing catches to resume, and by 1997 the population recovered to an estimated 419 million fish aged one year or more.

Read the full story at the Bay Journal