Daily Archives: March 4, 2025
Trump’s tariffs are fishing sector’s biggest challenge since cod moratorium, minister says
Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishing industry is preparing for life with heavy economic tariffs in place. Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne is calling this moment the biggest challenge to the industry since the 1992 cod moratorium. “Never since the 1992 moratorium has such a challenge been put before us,” Byrne told reporters on Tuesday. “While all sectors of the economy are affected by our ally’s betrayal, none more so than our fishery.” Ninety-six per cent of snow crab harvested in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2024 was shipped and sold to the United States. But Byrne says it’s unlikely the U.S. market is avoided entirely, and it will likely come down to what markets are willing to pay. “I have absolutely no doubt that even with a 25 per cent tariff, we can indeed sell to the United States. Buyers will buy, consumers will consume, it’s a question of the details,” he said. “U.S. consumers love Newfoundland and Labrador’s snow crab.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 17:41
Restaurant Testing Exposes Rampant Shrimp Mislabeling in Savannah
A recent investigation by SEAD Consulting reveals that 77% (34 of 44) of sampled restaurants in Savannah, Georgia falsely market their shrimp as premium U.S. wild-caught shrimp when they are actually serving farm-raised imported shrimp. The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), representing the U.S. shrimp fishermen, processors, and related businesses across all eight Gulf and South Atlantic shrimp-producing states, including Georgia, commissioned the testing to highlight deceptive restaurant practices that harm local shrimpers, honest restaurants, and mislead consumers who expect a premium product. In 2024, SSA worked with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to inform seafood restaurants that it is a violation of federal law for restaurants to create an impression that they are offering wild-caught domestic shrimp when farmed, foreign shrimp is being served. Yet, the results of random testing underscore the urgent need for stronger labeling laws and enforcement to ensure transparency in the restaurant industry. links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:14
Oregon crab fishery faces scrutiny after record whale entanglements
Oregon’s commercial Dungeness crab fishery is under increasing pressure to address whale entanglements after a record-breaking four incidents in 2024, including one as recently as January 6th. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has issued an advisory to crabbers, urging them to be vigilant and avoid setting gear in areas where whales are transiting or foraging; however, conservation groups like Oceana, a leading ocean conservation organization, criticized the advisory as inadequate and the voluntary measures are insufficient and they are calling for stronger, more decisive action. The ODFW advisory, while acknowledging the high number of entanglements, relies on voluntary compliance from the fishing fleet. It reminds crabbers to use best practices, such as minimizing surface gear, avoiding areas with high whale activity and promptly removing gear from the ocean. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:51
Commercial Fisherman Thomas “Tom” Michael Doak of Virginia has passed away
Thomas “Tom” Michael Doak passed away on the morning of March 1, 2025, at the age of 68. He was born on November 22, 1956 in Norfolk, VA. Tom worked as a commercial fisherman for most of his life fishing all along the eastern coast from ports of New Bedford, MA, Newport, RI, Virginia, and Wanchese, NC. Tom grew up in Virginia Beach, VA, and graduated from Kempsville High School in 1975. After high school, he moved to the Outer Banks and found work in the commercial fishing business which he loved doing the most. In his youth, he also lived in Long Beach, CA, where his father was stationed in the US Navy. Tom also lived in Seminole, FL; Boston, MA; Newport, RI, and New Hampshire, where he did lots of skiing and hiking. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:12
Lawmakers consider permanent funding for helpline for farmers, loggers and fishermen
For more than a year, Oregonians involved in agriculture, forestry and the fishing industry have had a resource to help them when they’re in a mental health crisis. The AgriStress helpline, which launched in Oregon in September 2023, is geared toward people in those industries, offering a safe option to those who ordinarily might not seek help. “The pull-yourself-up-by-your-boot-strings mentality often prevents our community members from seeking help, making resources like the AgriStress helpline vital to breaking that cycle as imperative,” Republican state Rep. Bobby Levy of Echo, a longtime farmer and rancher, said during a recent legislative meeting on a bill to keep the line operating in perpetuity. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:43
Gov. Dunleavy requests five new fishery disasters including Kodiak’s 2024 pink salmon season
On Jan. 30 Governor Mike Dunleavy submitted five new requests for federal fisheries disaster assistance for last summer’s salmon season. That includes commercial salmon fisheries on the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak, Chignik, Lower Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound. The state accounts for roughly half, 26 out of 53, of the fishery disasters declared around the country since 2020, which include a variety of species like salmon, crab and Pacific cod. In Kodiak, fishermen harvested 7.6 million pinks last summer, which was less than 40% percent of the ten-year average of 20.4 million fish. That meant last summer was one of the lowest valued commercial pink salmon seasons on record for Kodiak Island. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:57
Rhode Island’s ‘Squid Squad’ targeted in DOGE purge of NOAA
The head of squid research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Narragansett Bay facility is among the hundreds of agency employees nationwide who are no longer on the job, according to one of NOAA’s former administrators. Former National Marine Fisheries Service Administrator Janet Coit said Monday that about 20 employees from NOAA’s Rhode Island office and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts were recently dismissed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Coit shared the revelation during a roundtable discussion hosted by U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) at Save the Bay’s headquarters near the Port of Providence. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:56
