Saving Seafood

Groups Praise Oliver as likely NMFS assistant administrator

May 19, 2017 — Pacific Seafood, fishing organizations and other groups, praised the likely appointment of Chris Oliver, executive director of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, as the next assistant administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States.

Oliver, who was championed for the position by major U.S. seafood processors and organizations, confirmed the appointment in an email to SeafoodSource, which was also sent to his staff members.

“I have been contacted by the Department of Commerce, offered the position, and have accepted the position, with a tentative start date of June 19,” Oliver wrote.

However, Oliver stressed that the appointment is not final yet, since it is still subject to the White House vetting and approval process.

“I, and Commerce, would have preferred to keep this information close hold until the full appointment process is indeed finalized; but, given the timing involved, and the necessary transitional aspects involved, I feel it is incumbent upon me to let everyone know the status of this,” he said.

Oliver has served as the executive director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council for the past 16 years. Prior to serving as executive director, Oliver also worked as the deputy director of the council and as Gulf of Alaska Fishery Management Plan Coordinator.

Since January, Pacific Seafoods, American Seafoods Company, other processors, and several fishing groups, have pushed for Oliver’s appointment. Other candidates for the job included LaDon Swann with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and Robert Barham, who previously served as wildlife and fisheries secretary in Louisiana.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Chris Oliver Was Offered and Accepted Top NOAA Position – Now Vetting Process Begins

May 11, 2017 — The following was written by Peggy Parker and published today by Seafoodnews.com:

Chris Oliver, Executive Director director of the Alaska-based North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, has been offered and has accepted the position of Assistant Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A tentative start date is Monday, June 19, 2017.

Oliver notified members of the NPFMC and staff by email yesterday, explained that “this appointment is still subject to the White House vetting and approval process, which may take a few weeks, so it is NOT final yet.”  

He said that recent industry rumors, plus the need for transition planning, led to his email.

Only the Commerce Department or the White House can make any official announcement on the position, and that cannot happen until the process is complete.

“I, and Commerce, would have preferred to keep this information close until the full appointment process is indeed finalized, but given the timing involved, and the necessary transitional aspects involved, I feel it is incumbent upon me to let everyone know the status of this,” Oliver wrote.

It is widely believed that Oliver’s appointment will give NMFS needed stability and deep experience at a time of significant budget and regulatory review.

There were two other contenders for the job — Robert Barham, who served as wildlife and fisheries secretary under former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R),  and LaDon Swann who heads up the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Three Contenders Emerge to Lead Fisheries Service

May 5, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS [E&E News] — A former Louisiana official, an Alaskan fishery manager and a Sea Grant program director are reportedly in the running to head the National Marine Fisheries Service.

NMFS — an agency within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — oversees fishing regulations, endangered species listings and fisheries research. It is headed by an assistant administrator for fisheries, a position that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross can fill without Senate confirmation.

It’s unclear when Ross — or the White House — will make that decision. But three names have popped up as contenders, according to several sources inside and outside the agency: Robert Barham, Chris Oliver and LaDon Swann.

Barham was once Louisiana’s wildlife and fisheries secretary, Oliver heads the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and Swann is the director of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium.

Fishermen are split in their support.

Robert Barham

Barham served as wildlife and fisheries secretary under former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R). Some recreational fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico — as well as the shrimp and menhaden industry — recently sent letters to Ross emphasizing Barham’s Louisiana experience and his identity as a hunter and fisherman.

“We have had the opportunity to work with Mr. Barham over the years and … it is evident that he possesses the management ability and understanding of the nuances of maintaining sustainable fish populations, while maximizing their economic value,” wrote officials from Omega Protein Corp. and other companies that harvest menhaden, a tiny forage fish used in fish oil.

Some Gulf of Mexico anglers have also tried to propel Barham to the NMFS spot, with the hope that he will come down on their side in the controversy over red snapper quotas. The debate has made its way to Capitol Hill, with some Republicans newly enraged by this year’s three-day recreational fishing season.

In a Facebook post shared among anglers, fisherman Steve Hoyland Jr. provided a form letter to send to Ross that praised Barham’s ability to “manage the public’s fish and wildlife resources in a manner that balances conservation and access.”

“If Robert Barham could get this position, it would totally change how our fishery is managed,” Hoyland wrote in one post. “THIS MAN IS ON OUR SIDE!!! We need him in this seat.”

Barnum’s tenure at the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries was marred after auditors found questionable spending between 2010 and 2015. A report from the state legislative auditor found, among other things, that the department spent some Gulf oil spill recovery money on boats, cameras, iPads, clothing and “an abundance of fishing and water sports equipment.”

The money was part of $10.5 million BP PLC provided for a seafood safety program to test fish. According to the Associated Press, Barnum has said the program came in under budget and properly tested fish. He has also emphasized that it wasn’t a taxpayer-funded program.

Chris Oliver

Oliver is the longtime executive director of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, which is based in Anchorage, Alaska. Commercial and charter boat fishermen have endorsed him as an experienced leader, with groups from New England, the Pacific, the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico sending letters of support to the Commerce Department.

Most recently, the Gulf Seafood Institute, the Louisiana Restaurant Association, the Charter Fisherman’s Association and similar groups wrote in an April letter to Ross that Oliver “has proven to be a motivated and talented leader with a passion for bridging divides among diverse fishing interest in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.”

Oliver has helmed the fishery council for 16 years. In an interview with the Alaska Journal of Commerce earlier this year, he said he would be “inclined” to take the NMFS job if asked.

“There’s no guarantee … that I would say yes if they offered it to me,” he told the newspaper. “But I’ve got a lot of people who’ve expended a lot of effort, and my understanding is I’ve got a pretty strong backing from our congressional delegation.”

Oliver began at the council in 1990 as a plan coordinator. He is from Texas and worked on Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery management issues, according to his biography on the council’s website. He has advocated for a more regional approach to fishery management.

Several council decisions in recent years have been reversed by the courts. Last year, for example, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a 2011 decision to remove an Alaskan salmon fishery from federal oversight. Fishing groups won a lawsuit in 2012 to overturn the council’s fishing closures to protect Steller sea lions.

LaDon Swann

Swann directs one of 33 Sea Grant programs President Trump has proposed eliminating, citing its primary benefit to “industry and state and local stakeholders.”

Congress appears unlikely to follow through with that suggestion; an omnibus spending package slated to pass this week preserves the popular program. And Swann — who has also worked at the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program — is reportedly the pick of some Alabama lawmakers who see him as a good fit for NMFS.

In his position at Sea Grant, Swann must help coastal communities become resilient without stirring up debate about climate change. He recently told ProPublica that the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium is “a neutral broker of science information” that is there to give communities the data — not persuade them of the link between climate change and coastal hazards.

Swann is also a recreational fisherman. A 2015 al.com article detailed his record-breaking catch of a 94-pound cubera snapper.

Swann, who has a master’s in fisheries biology and a Ph.D. in curriculum, is also former president of the United States Aquaculture Society. In recent years, NMFS has attempted to promote sustainable aquaculture as a way forward for the increasing demands for seafood.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Indian Shrimp Imports to US Up 20 Million Pounds from 2016; Accounts for 25% of Q1 Volume

May 5, 2017, Seafoodnews.com — The volume of Indian shrimp imported into the US market in the first quarter of the year exceeded 2016 levels by about 20 million pounds. Indian shrimp now represents more than a quarter of all imported volumes in the US market this year. According to shrimp import date from the US Department of Commerce, March imports increased 2.3 percent increase for the month. Overall imports are now down only 0.8 percent. Meanwhile, Indonesian imports were up for the month and for the year. Thailand and Vietnam imports are down sharply for the month while other supplying countries are mixed. Argentine imports remain up. Ecuador’s March imports were for the month but remain generally lower because of higher shipments to Asian and European markets. Ecuador is optimistic that it will sell more than 50 percent of its white shrimp production to Asia.

A former Louisiana official, an Alaskan fishery manager, and a Sea Grant program director are reportedly in the running to head the National Marine Fisheries Service. Robert Barham, Chris Oliver, and LaDon Swann are the three candidates that US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is expected to select from. It’s unclear when Ross — or the White House — will make that decision. Chris Olver has received overwhelming support from fishing associations in Alaska and across the country. Most recently a group of seven fishing groups from the Gulf of Mexico sent a letter to Ross in support of Oliver’s nomination.

In other news, the number of seafood items refused entry to the US market by the FDA fell in April, which dragged overall rejections for the year. Similar to last month, shrimp and filth remain the top species and reasons for refusals. However, shrimp rejections are about the same through the first four months of 2017 compared to last year. Filth is still the top violation but accounts for 40 percent of this year’s refusals versus the 60 percent share of rejections filth was responsible for in 2016.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

LOUISIANA: Former LDWF boss claims allegations ‘fabricated’

January 6, 2017 — Former state Wildlife and Fisheries secretary Robert Barham used the public comment period during Thursday’s Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meeting to refute allegations of misspending and fiscal irresponsibility during his eight years at that post.

Most of the questions center around LDWF spending in the months and years following the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil disaster.

The allegations came during Charlie Melancon’s stormy 11-month tenure as head of the state agency. Melancon resigned the position last week, and Gov. J.B. Edwards named state Rep. Jack Montoucet, D-Crowley, to take the post effective Jan. 16.

“I’m here to address the news reports of the last year,” Barham said. “When I took the job (LDWF secretary) eight years ago, the department was entrenched in systematic financial mismanagement.

“It became clear the department would be in the red within a year, and we made programmatic changes through operation and management decisions that we would be four current years in the black.”

Read the full story at the Acadiana Advocate

LOUISIANA: Wildlife & Fisheries spent less BP money than it had access to, former secretary’s attorney says

November 3, 2016 — An attorney for former Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham sent a vigorous defense to the state’s Legislative auditor Tuesday arguing that no significant money was wasted by the agency in the months following 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Department practices, especially related to seafood testing and spending habits, during Barham’s tenure have been under investigation by Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera, and preliminary reports have been leaked to the media. Purpera’s office gave Barham until Tuesday to respond to its second preliminary draft report, and in that 11-page defense, attorney Mary Olive Pierson criticized Purpera’s office for conflating how the agency spent BP’s money with a misappropriation of state dollars.

Seven months after the spill, BP and the state of Louisiana agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding, under which the oil company would provide up to $18 million for the department to conduct tissue sampling on fish to determine if Louisiana seafood was safe to consume.

Read the full story at The Times-Picayune

Louisiana official defends fish testing after oil spill

October 26th, 2016 — A former Louisiana Cabinet official is fending off criticism about the way he managed a program to ensure seafood from the Gulf of Mexico was safe to eat after a massive oil spill in 2010.

Robert Barham pushed back against auditors’ suggestions the work was shoddy, saying in an interview with The Associated Press that he has no question the seafood was tested thoroughly after the spill, which was sparked by a broken rig and led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

“With absolutely no equivocation, I not only feel confident that everything we said was true, but that we did everything that we needed to do to ensure that it is safe,” Barham said.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office said it found insufficient sampling of fish, excessive spending and missing property in part of the $10.5 million BP-financed seafood safety program overseen by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, when Barham was agency secretary.

State auditors found that Gulf oil spill recovery money intended for the fish testing instead paid for unnecessary iPads, cameras, boats and now-missing fishing equipment.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald 

LOUISIANA: Embattled Melancon says governor supports his red snapper strategy

September 16, 2016 — Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Charlie Melancon called a full staff meeting Thursday, where he attempted to rally employees behind his leadership in the midst of ongoing challenges facing the agency.

“There’s some good news for some, and some bad news for others,” he told the crowd gathered at the department’s Baton Rouge headquarters. “The good news, for the majority, I believe, is I am here for the duration. Some people have exaggerated … my demise.

“For some, the bad news is I am here for the duration.”

Melancon has drawn heat in recent months, particularly from the recreational-fishing community, over his handling of red snapper management. The previous administration, headed by Secretary Robert Barham, pushed to transfer management authority of the popular reef fish to the five Gulf states, but Melancon has expressed his desire to maintain the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s control of the fish.

Read the full story at The Times-Picayune