Category Archives: Gulf of Mexico
Alabama politician advocates for imported seafood inspection bill
Representative Chip Brown of Alabama House District 105 is set to introduce House Bill One during next year’s legislative session. This bill aims to impose a $200 fee on seafood dealers caught selling imported seafood. The money will fund inspections by the Alabama Department of Public Health. “I think that’s a good thing,” said Tammy Hall, co-owner of Sea Harvest Fresh Shrimp Boat and Bridgeside Seafood Market in Bayou La Batre. “I think the fine should be more than $200, myself.” “It keeps our shrimp prices low,” said Hall. “People can buy an imported shrimp say like jumbo jumbo shrimp for $1.50 a pound .. we can’t afford to sell it for $1.50 a pound with the rising prices of fuel and ice.”To adjust, Hall and her family decided to sell directly to the public. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:07
Unalaska, Aleutians East Borough oppose Rep. Peltola’s proposed trawling limitations
Communities in the Aleutians are pushing back against proposed legislation that would bring stricter regulations to the Bering Sea trawl fishery. The City of Unalaska and the Aleutians East Borough are among 53 organizations that signed onto a letter sent to U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, urging her to withdraw H.R. 8507, a bill she sponsored in May. The proposed legislation aims to add new regulations to where trawling can take place across the United States, not only in Alaska. Trade organizations and some coastal communities whose economies rely on trawl fisheries have pushed back against the bill, asking the congresswoman to repeal it. “If enacted, H.R. 8507 would directly harm fishermen and coastal communities in Alaska and throughout our nation, along with countless other people who rely on a healthy domestic seafood sector for food, jobs, and their way of life,” the letter said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:28
U.S. Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Fishery Achieves RFM Certification
The Certified Seafood Collaborative (CSC) is pleased to announce that the U.S. Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery (white, brown, and pink shrimp) for all five Gulf states and federal waters has achieved Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification. This is the first shrimp fishery certified to the RFM Standard. RFM Certification requires fisheries meet RFM Standard criteria which evaluate fisheries in four key areas: A) the fisheries management system; B) science and stock assessment activities, and the precautionary approach; C) management measures, implementation, monitoring, and control; and D) serious impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem. Third-party certification body Global Trust awarded the certification after a thorough evaluation of the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp fishery as reported in the Final Assessment Report. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:16
Shrimp season reopens in the Gulf of Mexico, Aransas Pass fleet heads that way
Shrimp season is back in full swing at Conn Brown Harbor now that state and federal waters have reopened to commercial shrimping. It’s a busy time for shrimpers after being closed for over two months. “Boats are coming out of Palacios, Aransas Pass, Brownsville, Galveston. All the different ports,” Aransas Pass local Cecil Robles said. An armada of shrimp boats is off to the Gulf of Mexico, hoping to fill their nets with tiny treasures. Robles works at Conn Brown Harbor, where he fuels shrimp boats for Erickson and Jensen seafood packers. “The next few days, we’ll start to hear from them about what they’re catching and how abundant the fish are,” Robles said. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:59
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 78′ Steel Shrimp Trawler, Caterpillar 3412TA Diesel
To review specifications, information, and 18 photos’, >click here< To see all the boats in this series, >click here< 07:12
Local shrimpers set to rally this weekend to raise awareness against imports
Kerry Mitchell and her husband know the challenges that come with shrimping for a living. Her husband Michael is out dragging his net off Dauphin Island. The couple owns “Salty Pirates Seafood” — and will tell you — the money is not like it used to be — mainly due to the U.S. market being flooded with shrimp from overseas. “We don’t have a level playing field. Even the government is financially supporting it,” said Kerry. The Save Our Shrimpers Act, a federal bill introduced in April of this year aims to stop that. The rally is this Saturday at the “Shrimp Lady” restaurant in Satsuma (5523 Highway 43) from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. They’ll be local shrimpers, live music — as well as boiled Gulf Coast shrimp for those in attendance. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:29
Shrimpers on the Coast struggling as season continues
Shrimpers on the Coast say this season hasn’t been too good to them. Quality Seafood in Biloxi says it’s hard to get fresh shrimp right now because there aren’t many fishermen at the docks selling. Manager Troy Rosetti said they’ve had to go to Louisiana and Alabama to get most of the shrimp that they have. “Kind of a falling out, we don’t have as many boats and shrimpers as we used to,” Rosetti said. “We have plenty of shrimp. It’s not a shortage here at our place. It just makes it a lot harder for us to get them.” Chris Lyons is a dock manager in Biloxi who said this shrimp season has been worse than in 2023. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:19
Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Fishery to Re-Open Off Texas on July 15, 2024
NOAA Fisheries announces federal waters from 9 to 200 nautical miles off Texas will open to shrimp trawling beginning 30 minutes after official sunset, local time, on July 15, 2024, corresponding to the time Texas opens its waters to shrimp trawling. The waters off Texas are closed to shrimp fishing annually to allow brown shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size prior to harvest, and to prevent waste of brown shrimp that might otherwise be discarded because of their small size. The fishery closed on May 15, 2024. The re-opening date for Texas waters is based on the results of biological sampling by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the assessment of maximum tidal durations. In addition, Texas regulations only allow a 60-day closure; the 60-day period expires July 15, 2024. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:47
This Florida fisherman worries about the industry’s future
Commercial fishing is vital to Florida’s culture and identity. Today, Florida fishermen like me land $209 million worth of fish and shellfish in dock-side value alone. The economic impact of the commercial fishing industry ripples up the supply chain generating $8.7 billion. Hundreds of millions of tourists travel to Florida to enjoy fresh seafood in the Sunshine State. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) “Status of the Stocks” report that was recently released would have you believe that everything is rosy. But let me tell you what’s really happening – what you don’t see in that federal report – from the perspective and experience of someone who makes a living on the water in the Gulf of Mexico. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:29
Wake Up Call Aboard The Pamela Sue
Carolina Seafood sits on Jeremy Creek, a creek named after King Jeremy, a Seewee Indian chief whose tribe lived along the creek’s banks. There I met Capt. Bryan Jones. He catches shrimp, no easy task. Besides the hard and dangerous work, he must overcome many a challenge. Capt. Jones showed me around his boat, Pamela Sue. Making our way through and past an assemblage of ropes, pulleys, nets, chains, and cables I filed a mental note. “Never bring a tripod onto a shrimp boat’s deck.” The chance of snagging something dangerous is great. Capt. Jones and I sat in the wheelhouse of his 1958 boat. As he discussed shrimping’s challenges, I looked around. I noticed bunk beds right away. Shrimpers sleep in their floating office, their home away from home. I saw too a small galley and a handsome wooden wheel caught my eye. And something else. An array of sophisticated electronics that navigate and portray bottom conditions and more. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:33
Federal fishing monitoring program needs overhaul, GAO says
Only days after the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the federal government’s program placing human observers on commercial fishing boats, a federal watchdog said NOAA Fisheries should do a better job monitoring the industry. A report released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office said NOAA Fisheries — also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service — has failed to execute its program as Congress intended under law. “NMFS’ efforts to track its performance in reducing and monitoring bycatch do not align with key elements of evidence-based policymaking related to performance management,” GAO said in the report, which was requested by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:19
Shrimp Trade Action
For several months, shrimpers, packers and dealers have been working on trade action which is a new anti-dumping investigation of frozen warm water shrimp from Ecuador, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Those working on this are from the states of North Carolina thru Texas. This next stage requires those involved in the fishery to fill out questionnaires which needs to be submitted to the International Trade Commission before July 26, 2024. This ITC investigation is being carried out to determine if unfair trade practices by other countries importing shrimp to the U.S have caused harm to our domestic shrimpers and if higher tariffs are necessary. In order to show harm, the domestic industry MUST FILL OUT THE QUESTIONNAIRE ACCURATELY AND SUBMIT IT TO THE ITC BY JULY 26th!!!! more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:44
Hurricane Beryl Makes Landfall in Texas as a Category 1 Storm
Hurricane Beryl made landfall on the central Texas coastline before dawn on Monday, bringing dangerous storm surge and whipping winds to millions of people in the state. Beryl was a Category 1 storm when it came ashore at just before 4 a.m. local time, meaning it had sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour. The storm made landfall in Matagorda, Texas, a city between Galveston and Corpus Christi. The storm was expected to carry enough rain to cause significant flooding in the Houston area and beyond. A flood watch was in effect for a swath of the United States extending north from Texas to Illinois. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:31
Hurricane forecasters warn Beryl will strengthen before slamming into Texas
Tropical Storm Beryl marched toward the Texas coast Sunday morning as forecasters warned the storm will regain hurricane strength and slam ashore early Monday. However, Beryl’s impacts – such as strong winds, heavy rain, and rough seas – will begin in South Texas well before landfall, the National Hurricane Center warned. “Winds are first expected to reach tropical storm strength by late today (Sunday), making outdoor preparations difficult or dangerous,” the Center said. The storm made landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula Friday morning, after it plowed through the Caribbean and Jamaica earlier this week, killing at least 11 people. At 8:00 a.m. EDT, the center of Beryl was located about 220 miles southeast of Corpus Christi in the Gulf of Mexico, traveling northwest at 12 mph. It was expected to continue moving northwest throughout the day Sunday, then north-northwest by Sunday night. Video, photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:37
Southeast Texas shrimpers have chance to voice concerns about ‘shrimp dumping’
Southeast Texas shrimpers are fighting to protect their livelihoods amid shrimp dumping. Shrimp dumping involves the heavy import of foreign shrimp that gets “dumped” into the American market. Now, the United States International Trade Commission wants shrimpers to fill out a questionnaire and document their struggles. On Tuesday, a meeting was held at the International Seafarer Center in Port Arthur. It was filled with dozens of shrimpers eager to learn about what is happening with their fight against foreign shrimp import dumping. At Tuesday’s meeting, fishermen listened to legislative updates about a petition they submitted last year to the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission about shrimp dumping being investigated. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:28
How the Supreme Court rescued my NJ fishing firm that bureaucrats almost sank
The Supreme Court just sided with my New Jersey-based, family-owned fishing business, and may have even saved it. That’s the reality of the court’s June 28 decision in a case called Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overturned the “Chevron doctrine” that gave unchecked power to federal bureaucrats. Yet the media reaction hasn’t focused on what the ruling means for regular people and job creators like me. The pundits say that Washington, DC, will descend into chaos because the justices stopped unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats from deciding for themselves what’s “reasonable” under federal law. But as I can attest, that power quickly leads to abuse. The Supreme Court has protected the American people from regulators run amok, and from a Congress that won’t do its job. I was one of the small business owners who sued the federal government in this case. By Wayne Reichle, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 21:20
The Vietnamese Impact on Jefferson Parish’s Seafood Industry
For centuries, the Port of New Orleans has been the entry point for immigrants arriving in the country. Many of those immigrants took jobs in local industries, like fishing. Perhaps no other immigrant community has contributed more to the fishing industry in Louisiana than Vietnamese Americans. Among the more recent ethnic groups to settle in the state, many came as refugees, fleeing their war-torn homeland after the fall of Saigon in 1975. For many newcomers, the fishing industry was an easy transition. They simply had to adapt their knowledge of fishing in Vietnam’s swamps and coastlines to those of Louisiana. Today, almost two-thirds of Southeast Louisiana’s commercial shrimping fleets are made up of Vietnamese Americans. Their contributions didn’t stop at simply being laborers, though. Vietnamese immigrants also brought with them their recipes and cooking techniques, infusing them with traditional Southeast Louisiana cuisine. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:50
An Optimist’s view: Death of the Chevron Deference
My name is David Goethel. I am a 55 year plus commercial fisherman, research biologist and former fishery manager. As author of Endangered Species/Chronicles of A new England Fisherman I discuss these topics and a lawsuit I filed in 2015 with the legal group Cause of Action over the legal concept known as Chevron Deference. Most people believe Congress writes laws, the Executive Branch carries out those laws and the Judicial Branch interprets and clarifies whether aspects of those laws are Constitutional and correctly applied. It turns out under a doctrine called “Chevron Deference” the regulatory bureaucracy can deem a law unclear or ambiguous and create any regulation the agency decides it needs to carry out its bureaucratic function. Until this past Friday, the courts gave deference to the regulators as the “recognized experts” even though no proof is required and no test for ambiguity is applied. The Supreme Court overturned Chevron Friday saying they had “placed a tombstone on its grave”. Fishermen, including me, had sued saying that unelected regulators should not have this vast power over our lives. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 20:18
Fishermen Who Were Forced to Pay $700 Per Day to Government-Mandated Observers on Their Boats Get Big News from SCOTUS
Members of the 18th-century British Parliament, unelected by American colonists, tried to take money from those colonists without their consent. Hence, the American Revolution ensued. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 40-year-old ruling that had allowed unelected federal regulators, acting the part of the British Parliament, to commit such travesties of justice as requiring fishermen to pay for government-mandated regulators on their boats — a requirement that, according to CBS, could cost the fishermen more than $700 per day. The true magnitude of Friday’s ruling, however, involved far more than fishing boats. In fact, it struck at the heart of American progressivism by eviscerating the insidious claim that federal “experts” know best. In so doing, it took one small-but-crucial step towards dismantling the permanent federal state that actually governs in Washington, D.C. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:18
Louisiana Inshore Shrimp Season to Close July 1 in State Inside Waters
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced the 2024 spring inshore shrimp season will close at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 1, 2024, in all state inside waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line westward to the Louisiana/Texas state line. The open waters of Breton and Chandeleur Sounds as bounded by the double-rig line described in R.S. 56:495.1(A)2 and all state outside waters seaward of the Inside/Outside Shrimp Line, as described in LAC 76:VII.370 will remain open to shrimping until further notice. more>>CLICK TO READ<< 09:07
Opinion: The Fisheries Act is crucial to speed disaster relief to American fisheries
By the time NOAA and OMB finally approve and allocate disaster relief, small businesses and fisheries are already devastated and, in some cases, may have already been forced to close shop. This self-induced, slow-moving bureaucratic process is unacceptable. Overall, the Fishes Act expedites the deployment of federal fishery disaster relief by cutting unnecessary red tape and enacting a 30-day decision requirement for the Office of Management and Budget to either deny or approve a state’s spending plan. What we hope to do with this bill is to throw American fisheries and coastal communities a life raft to stay afloat post-disaster. U.S. fisheries support millions of jobs and bring in billions of dollars to the broader U.S. economy each year. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:17
Neil Gorsuch Cheers Supreme Court Placing ‘Tombstone’ on 40-Year Precedent
In Friday’s 6-3 ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, the justices wiped out 40 years of administrative law precedent in a move that will restrain federal agency powers. The court’s decision overturned the Chevron deference established in the 1984 case Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council. The majority, led by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by the court’s other conservative justices, held that “courts may not defer to an agency interpretation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous,” overturning Chevon deference. The court’s three liberal justices dissented. The majority, led by Chief Justice John Roberts and joined by the court’s other conservative justices, held that “courts may not defer to an agency interpretation of the law simply because a statute is ambiguous,” overturning Chevon deference. The court’s three liberal justices dissented. In Gorsuch’s concurring opinion, he wrote: “Today, the Court places a tombstone on Chevron no one can miss. In doing so, the Court returns judges to interpretive rules that have guided federal courts since the Nation’s founding.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:49
Biloxi Blessing of the Fleet: A Coast tradition
It’s time for Biloxi’s Blessing of the Fleet, a yearly Coast tradition that dates back to 1929. This year, it’s happening Sunday, July 7. Each year before shrimp boats journey into the Gulf, they are blessed in the waters between East Biloxi and Deer Island. The ceremonial blessing, given by a local Catholic priest, marks the official beginning of shrimping season. During the event, an evergreen wreath is dropped into the Sound in the memory of those shrimpers who have died at sea. The event once only blessed working boats, but now recreational boats are welcome to be blessed, as well. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:29
Seafood industry groups unite to oppose bill that would limit bottom trawls
A bill introduced last month in the U.S. House of Representatives that could place limits on trawling by fishermen and shrimpers is drawing the fire of seafood industry groups from Alaska to Florida. House Resolution 8507, the Bottom Trawl Clarity Act, would require the nation’s eight regional Fisheries Management councils, some of which allow fishing trawls to scrape the bottom, to define the terms “substantial” versus “limited” contact of the bottom. The bill is authored by U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, who said in a summary of the legislation that “limiting the areas where bottom trawling is allowed will help enhance marine health, diversity, and resilience, strengthening the ocean ecosystem that Alaska fishermen depend on.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:15
Study reveals alarming fatality rates in the Texas shrimping industry
A recent study is highlighting the fatality rates in the shrimping industry, a occupation that drives an essential part of Coastal Bend dining. Dr. Shannon Guillot-Wright, associate professor of occupational health at UTHealth Houston, said that she and her team of researchers have noticed an alarming trend in our gulf waters. “We talked to many shrimpers who had things fall on their heads, their friends’ heads,” she said. Jeff Wright owns Anne’s Bait House On The Bay and said that he is no stranger to the dangers of shrimping when a fellow shrimper died on his boat dock in March. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:32
Terrebonne Parish shrimper says three-year bridge closure driving away business
Somewhere down Shrimpers Row lies the “Shrimp Kingdom.” Once a booming business, it now struggles to make ends meet. Tracey Trahan says it’s not just because of the incredibly low prices of shrimp, but instead, a broken bridge that’s driving away thousands of customers. “It’s impacting us tremendously with our sales of our business and getting a large trucking 18-wheelers in here,” said Trahan. “Some of our vendors have even backed out from picking up here because of the highway on Shrimpers Row. It’s too narrow and our truck drivers are complaining about it being dangerous.” Trahan says he’s been asking the parish to make repairs. “I was personally told that they’re waiting on funding from FEMA,” said Trahan. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<<10:14
FF&WC assessing spiny lobster’s role in protecting state’s coral reef
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission acknowledged Friday they are researching if the eating habits of the spiny lobster can help preserve the state’s fragile coral reef ecosystem. “We are looking into whether spiny lobsters, especially the spotted spiny lobster, because it feeds directly on the reef, while the Caribbean spiny lobster, feeds mostly off of the reef in the surrounding seagrass and hardbottom habitats, can be used as a form of biocontrol of the invertebrates like fireworms and corallivorous snails that eat coral,” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:22
Imported seafood is killing a MS Coast industry. Could truth in restaurant menus help?
The last of the fishermen whose boats once dotted the Mississippi Coast’s warm waters are worried. Their customers are leaving. Their sales are down. “I don’t see a future,” said Bethany Fayard, a fourth-generation processor and distributor who is fighting to withstand the pressure and sell to customers, same as always. “The industry is on life support.” The problem, fishermen and processors say, is this: foreign imports have won. There is one thing, fishermen say, that might help them hold their own in the David and Goliath battle against importing giants like India and Indonesia: Mississippi’s government could force restaurants to tell customers the truth. more. Video, photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:49
Fisherman remembered as ‘hero’ for saving deckhand after shrimp boat capsizes in Mobile Bay
Boat captain and shrimper, Mike Bishop, was killed when a waterspout Saturday flipped over his boat, trapping him inside. His deckhand Mark Henderson survived the horror after floating in the water for seven hours. Bishop tried to save Henderson before several others pulled together. Now, he’s being called a hero…and he’s not the only one. Mike’s son Brandon Bishop says this was a team effort from many heroes. “The shrimping community is tight and everybody comes together,” Brandon said. “Especially in these hard times like this. And shrimping is not a job. It’s a way of life and my dad loved it.” “When I went and spoke to Mark his deckhand this morning in the hospital he was still pretty shaken up,” Brandon said. “But he said that my dad gave him a lifejacket and told him to go out back. They were hit by the waterspout, and my dad’s a hero, he saved someone’s life….” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:27
Gov. DeSantis awards $7.5M to Lee County for shrimp dock rebuild
Nearly two years after Hurricane Ian bashed into Southwest Florida, the area is continuing to recover. Gov. Ron DeSantis is pitching in with $7.5 million to rebuild and refurbish the shrimp dock at San Carlos Maritime Park in Fort Myers. The structure is important not just for commercial fishing but to help in emergency situations after a storm, DeSantis said. “This dual-purpose facility serves as emergency operations site to launch barges and provide a place for shrimp barges to dock,” DeSantis said during a press event at a Home Depot in Fort Myers. “If it’s needed for disaster response it’s going to be able to serve that purpose as well.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:50
