Daily Archives: February 1, 2024
Alabama eyes source-disclosure requirements for seafood, whether it was wild-caught or farmed
Restaurants in Alabama would be required to reveal the origin of most seafoods on their menu under a bill heading for consideration by the state House of Representatives. The measure would also require all foodservice establishments to indicate whether the fin or shellfish was farm-raised or wild-caught. The country where the fish originated would have to be disclosed via either menus or placards on the wall. The same channels would be used for differentiating between farm-raised and wild-caught proteins. The bill is intended to protect the state’s vibrant seafood industry from foreign competition. Consumers would know when they were supporting local fishermen and when their money was going toward suppliers from outside the United States. more, >>click to read<< 17:06
Dungeness crab: The West Coast’s forever fishery
Fourth-generation fisherman Kelsey Cutting has photos of boats prominently displayed in his Long Beach, Wash., dining room. On one side is his grandfather’s old trawler, the Lulu 2, a 35-foot wooden double ender. “The other side I have a picture of my boat, the Jeannie Irene, which is a 50-foot fiberglass boat, and it’s 10 years old. It’s a big difference,” Cutting said. The fishing fleet on the West Coast has gotten bigger and more modern, and the portion of boats that can operate in relatively poor weather has increased, he said. The job remains dangerous, though, and storms can be unforgiving. But there can be a handsome payoff at the docks, especially for Dungeness crab. The West Coast’s top fishery surpassed $200 million in value in Washington, Oregon and California in 2022-23. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 15:46
Trade groups and state unhappy with federal NOAA Fisheries management plan plan in public comments
Public comment is in for a NOAA Fisheries management plan for Cook Inlet’s most productive drift fishing waters. In nearly 90 submitted public comments, cities, tribes, trade organizations and the state commissioner of Fish and Game express mixed and negative reactions to the plan. The Cook Inlet Exclusive Economic Zone, or EEZ, was the subject of a lawsuit by the United Cook Inlet Drift Association over management of the fishery, which starts three miles offshore and stretches from south 0 f Kalgin Island to Anchor Point. In response, the federal North Pacific Fishery Management Council closed the fishery in 2020, which was met with protest by Kenai Peninsula commercial fishermen. more, >>click to read<< 10:52
Southeast Texas shrimpers hope two new bills will help keep imported shrimp from taking away their jobs
The Port Arthur Shrimper’s Association held an informational meeting Wednesday to help stop shrimp dumping. Shrimp dumping is the heavy importing of shrimp from other countries. Shrimpers in Southeast Texas are also pushing to impose stricter tariffs on imported shrimp. They say regulating the amount and quality of shrimp coming in could save their livelihoods. Two new federal bills could potentially benefit shrimpers and Southeast Texans. Local shrimpers say they aren’t making any money because U.S. businesses are buying imported shrimp at low prices. Video, more, >>click to read<< 09:47
Oregon Coastal Caucus still concerned about offshore wind
Lawmakers representing Oregon’s coastal communities reiterated their concerns about offshore wind development to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in a strongly worded letter last week. Organized as the Oregon Coastal Caucus, the January 19 letter urging BOEM to prioritize the concerns of coastal community members and current ocean users was signed by seven Oregon legislators. They are Rep. David Gomberg, Sen. Dick Anderson, Sen. David Brock Smith, Sen. Suzanne Weber, Rep. Boomer Wright, Rep. Cyrus Javadi, and Rep. David Gomberg, Sen. Dick Anderson, Sen. David Brock Smith, Sen. Suzanne Weber, Rep. Boomer Wright, Rep. Cyrus Javadi,. “We cannot move forward with offshore wind in Oregon until the needs and concerns of these groups have been addressed,” the letter stated, noting opposition from the fishing industry, marine scientists, engineers, environmentalists, tribal governments, and coastal municipalities. more, >>click to read<< 08:53
‘Still 1,700 EU vessels plundering British seas’ UK fishermen reveal TRUTH of ‘sell-out’ deal capitulating to France
The fishing community has been left fuming four years on from the UK’s departure from the EU after accusing the UK of signing up to a “sell-out” Brexit deal in capitulation to France. Former Brexit Party MEP June Mummery, who is also the managing director of the Lowestoft-based fish market auctioneers BFP Eastern, said: “We haven’t taken back control of our waters and the resource. “Fishing, coastal communities were stabbed in the back. The UK fishing is on its knees. ”There are still 1,700 EU vessels plundering, unmonitored, unregulated. “Eight of which are super trawlers. DEFRA wants the small fishermen gone to make way for wind mills.” more, >>click to read<< 07:27
A Maine lobster co-op looks to recover after storm ravages fishing pier
The Corea Lobster Co-op, located on the far eastern side of Hancock County in the town of Gouldsboro, had its main pier and building repeatedly lifted up and down in the waves that surged into the small harbor on Jan. 10. Like many wooden-piling piers up and down the coast, the deck was lifted off the posts underneath, while buildings on top were pounded by the surf. “That is by far the worst storm I’ve seen since I been here, about five years,” Darryl Stanley, the co-op’s manager, said Wednesday. “The hurricanes did nothing compared to that. “Chipman’s Wharf in Milbridge, Beal’s Lobster Pier in Southwest Harbor, the Stonington Lobster Co-op, Greenhead Lobster in Stonington, and the New Harbor Co-op in Bristol are among other commercial docks that serve hundreds of lobstermen from May through October and were heavily damaged in the back-to-back storms on Jan. 10 and 13. more, >>click to read<< 06:32
