Saving Seafood

Regulators push for rope removal to save North Atlantic right whale

April 18, 2018 — In a multinational drive to protect the North Atlantic right whale, fisheries along the east coasts of the Canada and the United States are being mandated, legislated, or volunteering to reduce rope use as much as possible.

The Canadian government has instituted steps that requires snow crab fishermen use less rope, use more easily breakable rope and report any lost gear as soon as possible. These conditions apply to all fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

While Canada’s federal effort has been heavily on the snow crab fishery, the Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) recently laid out its own plan to reduce potential entanglements and involvements with the endangered whales.

No right whale has been found entangled in lobster gear, but nevertheless, the lobster fishermen in Area 24, along Prince Edward Islands’s North Shore, have agreed to voluntarily reduce what the gear they put in the water by at least 25 percent – setting their traps in bunches of six rather than a one trap set or smaller bunches.

“We feel we’re eliminating somewhere around 16,000 Styrofoam buoys out of the system and each of those buoys is responsible for 130 or 140 feet of rope, which go from the buoy down to the trap,” Francis Morrissey, of the Area 24 Lobster Advisory Board, said. “So we feel that by doing this, there’s 16,000 less chances for marine mammals to get entangled.”

South of the border, an op-ed in The Boston Globe by John K. Bullard, the retiring regional administrator for NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, challenged the U.S. lobster industry to take the lead in heading off the extinction of the North Atlantc right whale.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Lobster fishery reduces floating rope in hopes of protecting North Atlantic right whales

April 4, 2018 — Lobster fishers on P.E.I. are taking new measures this season to help protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement.

In January, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced changes to the snow crab fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to protect the right whales, including reducing the amount of rope floating on the surface and mandatory reporting of all lost gear.

Fishermen are also required to report any sightings of the endangered whales.

At least 18 North Atlantic right whales died in Canadian and U.S. waters last year.

Necropsies on seven of the carcasses determined four whales died of blunt force trauma from collisions with ships, while the other three likely died from entanglements in fishing gear.

There are only an estimated 450 to 500 of the whales left in the world.

‘Delicate balance’

This winter, the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association set up a special working group focused on helping to protect the right whale, with members representing all 13 species fished around Prince Edward Island.

“It’s a delicate balance between the fishery and the survival of these species,” said Melanie Giffin, a marine biologist and program planner with PEIFA.

“So our members will do everything they can in terms of reducing rope and to try to help reduce those entanglements for the whales.”

Giffin said most of the measures are being mandated by the federal department of fisheries.

“There’s a reduction in the amount of floating rope on the surface of the water and that’s being done in numerous species,” she said.

‘It’s not specific that it has to be lead rope but the rope needs to be sinking.”

In the snow crab fishery, there will also be colour coding of ropes, with different colours woven into the rope to identify where it’s from, including P.E.I.

“That’s to ensure that if there is a whale entangled, we have an idea of where that whale was entangled,” Giffin said.

“If they’re all entangled in the same area, then maybe management measures need to be looked more closely in that area, rather than the Gulf as a whole.”

There is no colour coding for lobster ropes yet, she added.

Read the full story at CBC News

 

Operators Gear Up to Present Innovative, Flavorful Fried Fish During Lent

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Michael Ramsingh — January 13, 2016 — Foodservice operators will infuse more flavor into the traditional fried fish staples during this year’s Lenten season. Fish dishes are expected to feature more Mediterranean, Asian, Middle Eastern and Mexican concepts and flavors. “Fish is the perfect canvas for any flavor, ” says Arlene Spiegel, of Arlene Spiegel & Associates, a restaurant consulting company in New York. “And people love fried food. A fried fish sandwich or fish and chips can be stellar. And it shouldn’t be just for Lent. It can be promoted all year round. It can be something important.”

Ocean Choice International said they are pleased with the decision by the Supreme Court of Newfoundland that dismissed a challenge to the company from Landvis Canada, the minority partner owned by an Icelandic Fishing Firm. Landvis sought to oust Martin and Blaine Sullivan, the two brothers who control the company. “It was a clear and unambiguous decision and we are very pleased that Justice Orsborn completely accepted our position,” said Martin Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer with OCI.

In other news the PEI Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) wants changes made to the temporary foreign workers program to allow seafood processing plants to hire more workers. “It gets back to being able to process all the product that’s coming in. We’ve got a short term strategy, let us adopt it and we’ll work towards a bigger longer-term solution,” said PEIFA Executive Director Ian MacPherson.

Meanwhile, Ecuador and Peru are reporting lower mahi catches since the season began in Mid-November. It appears El Nino may be impacting mahi landings since warmer waters have increased the supply of bait fish. “One of the effects of El Niño is a bountiful supply of natural prey which the mahi are inclined to eat. Because of this they are preferentially feeding on natural bait and are less inclined to feed on fishing bait, resulting in lower catches,” said Jeff Azari, at Pacific Coral.

Finally, Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski said she would stall the final vote approving Dr. Robert Califf as the next FDA Commissioner if she does not get assurances that mandatory labeling laws will be written for genetically modified salmon. “I want to make sure, be very, very certain, that when we are talking about these genetically engineered fish for human consumption, voluntary labeling is not adequate,” said Sen. Murkowski.

This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.