Saving Seafood

Florida pushes for offshore aquaculture fast-track from Trump’s executive order

June 26, 2020 — Florida officials in June requested that the U.S. Commerce Department designate federal waters off the state’s coast as a marine aquaculture opportunity area, a move that would open and jumpstart the state’s offshore aquaculture industry.

The term “aquaculture opportunity area” comes from the Trump Administration’s 7 May executive order titled “Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth,” which laid out a variety of strategic plan to promote the growth of the U.S. seafood sector, including aquaculture. The executive order charged federal agencies with identifying “at least two geographic areas containing locations suitable for commercial aquaculture.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

As some in Congress question CARES Act allocations, lawmakers begin effort to secure more aid

May 8, 2020 — On Thursday, 7 May, the Trump administration finally rolled out its plan for allocating the USD 300 million (EUR 276.6 million) in fishery relief aid earmarked in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Reaction on Capitol Hill was nearly unanimous – more money will be needed, according to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

The U.S. Commerce Department awarded a third of the funding to two states, Alaska and Washington. Both states received USD 50 million (EUR 46.1 million) in aid. While Alaska is by far the leading seafood-producing state, producing 5.4 billion pounds of seafood worth USD 1.8 billion (EUR 1.66 billion) in 2019, some questioned the method by which the allocation was determined.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Florida congressional delegation fishes for CARES Act assistance for seafood industry

April 17, 2020 — Members of Florida’s Congressional Delegation sent a letter to the U.S. Commerce Department seeking help for the fishing industry.

Sens. Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and 25 Florida members of Congress signed onto the request for aid.

“Florida’s fishing industries have experienced several crises in recent years. Impacts from Hurricanes Irma and Michael, major fish kills caused by harmful algal blooms, significant habitat loss in the Florida Reef Tract due to coral bleaching and disease, and massive seagrass die offs in many of our state’s estuaries have taken their toll,” the letter reads.

“Even for those businesses who have endured these events, the economic crisis we face today as a result of the pandemic may prove fatal without your assistance.”

All members of the state Delegation signed the letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross except Tallahassee Democrat Al Lawson and Dover Republican Ross Spano.

Read the full story at Florida Politics

FLORIDA: Marco Rubio Reintroduces the Sustainable Shark and Fisheries Trade Act

April 9, 2019 — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has brought back his proposal for the U.S. Commerce Department to increase regulation on the international shark trade.

Last week, Rubio teamed up with Republican U.S. Sens.  Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-RI, to bring back the “Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act.”

The bill “would require any country that seeks to export shark, ray, and skate to the US to first demonstrate it has a system of science-based management to prevent overfishing and a prohibition on the practice of shark finning” and ensure other nations “must also receive certification from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that its fisheries management policies are on par with US practices” and modifies the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act.

“U.S. shark populations are growing because of years of sustainable management, benefiting ocean ecosystems, as well as coastal economies via fishing, trade, and tourism,” Rubio said. “My bill would extend successful U.S. shark conservation and humane harvesting standards to our global trading partners, helping to protect international shark populations as well. In doing so, we can save millions of sharks from being finned at sea, and preserve the livelihoods of commercial fishermen in Florida and throughout the U.S. who continue to fish in accordance with strong federal and state fisheries management laws.”

Read the full story at the Sunshine State News

Rep. Dan Webster Brings Back Sustainable Shark and Fisheries Trade Act

February 7, 2019 — U.S. Rep. Dan Webster, R-Fla., has brought back his proposal for the U.S. Commerce Department to increase regulation on the international shark trade.

Towards the end of last month, Webster brought back his “Sustainable Shark and Fisheries Trade Act” proposal which is being backed by cosponsors from both sides of the aisle including fellow Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Matt Gaetz and Ted Yoho.

“As a Floridian and member of the House Natural Resources Committee, responsible oversight of our nation’s wildlife, environment, and fishing industry is one of my priorities,” Webster said when he unveiled the proposal. “American fishermen have made sacrifices to rebuild and sustain our shark populations. In the United States, we hold high standards for conservation and fishery management. ”

The bill “would require any country that seeks to export shark, ray, and skate to the US to first demonstrate it has a system of science-based management to prevent overfishing and a prohibition on the practice of shark finning” and ensure other nations “must also receive certification from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that its fisheries management policies are on par with US practices” and  modifies the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act.

“By holding imports to the same standards that domestic fisheries already meet, this bipartisan legislation levels the playing field for our fishermen and helps maintain vibrant and economically-viable fishing communities, both on U.S. shores and around the world,” Webster’s office insisted.

Read the full story at the Sunshine State News

Environmental groups raise concerns over state of New England groundfish fishery

January 17, 2019 — Two environmental organizations have requested a meeting with federal officials this month over the concerns they have about groundfish stocks in New England.

Representatives from the Conservation Law Foundation and the Environmental Defense Fund sent a letter last month to Timothy Gallaudet, the assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere in the U.S. Commerce Department, and Chris Oliver, NOAA Fisheries’ assistant administrator. The groups called for the meeting to take place before the next full meeting of the New England Fishery Management Council, which starts on 29 January in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

While the groups claim NOAA Fisheries is rebuilding domestic fish stocks across the country, they criticize the government for failing to properly monitor Atlantic cod, flounders, and other groundfish in the northeastern United States.

“NOAA Fisheries and the Council have consistently failed to prevent overfishing on some of these stocks since ‘overfishing’ metrics were first approved in 1989,” the letter states. “If there isn’t a radical change in management direction, the prospect of these stocks ever rebuilding remains tenuous at best.”

The groups also take federal officials to task for not having good data available. They claim the Atlantic cod stock is overfished to the point of a potential collapse, and they also say, citing government reports, that fishermen also discard tons of cod without it being officially reported by onboard observers.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Huffman Applauds Allocation of $29 Million in Fisheries Disaster Relief Funds

June 21, 2018 — North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman announced today that the federal government has allocated $25.8 million in disaster assistance to those affected by the 2015-2016 closure of California’s commercial Dungeness and rock crab fisheries and another $3.9 million to the Yurok Tribe stemming from the collapse of the fall Chinook fishery in 2016.

“For far too long, the North Coast has been waiting for this federal support to relieve the economic burden from several disastrous fishing seasons,” Huffman said in a statement. “I know that the path to recovery for our fishing communities is long but I’m grateful to see some help is finally on the way.”

The federal allocation from Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross comes after Congress passed a bipartisan budget deal in February that provided $200 million in fishery disaster relief.

Read the full story at the North Coast Journal

U.S. Commerce Department, Fisheries Service Ask Court To Reconsider Finding On American Samoa Large Vessel Protection Area Case

May 12, 2017 — By holding that the Deeds of Cession require the United States to preserve American Samoan cultural fishing, the federal court created a new requirement that National Marine Fisheries Service’s fishing regulations protect “cultural fishing practices” in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around American Samoa, according to federal defendants in the large vessel prohibited area (LVPA) lawsuit.

The federal defendants, including the US Commerce Department and NMFS, made the argument in its 99-page motion and support documents filed yesterday with the Honolulu federal court, which was requested to “reconsider and amend” its judgment “with respect to two issues — standing and remedy.”

Plaintiff is the Territory of American Samoa, through the Governor’s Office, or ASG.

US District Court Judge Leslie Kobayashi in March this year ruled in favor of American Samoa, saying that the NMFS’ decision in 2016 to reduce the LVPA in territorial waters is invalid and that NMFS’ adoption of the 2016 LVPA rule, which became effective on Feb. 3, 2016 “was arbitrary and capricious”.

The major focus of the plaintiff’s lawsuit centered around the two Deeds of Cession — 1900 Deed of Cession for Tutuila and Aunu’u islands and the 1904 Deeds of Cession for Manu’a islands — with the United States.

Read the full story at Pacific Islands Report