Daily Archives: April 10, 2025
FFAW celebrating ‘significant victory’ as panel sets snow crab price
The province’s price-setting panel has sided with the Fish, Food and Allied Workers’ snow crab pricing offer of a $4.97 per pound floor price this season. In a press release Thursday evening, Thursday evening, FFAW president Dwan Street wrote that the decision is “historically significant. “Today’s panel decision is finally putting a system in place that gives harvesters a sense of fairness and transparency,” the release continued. The decision came the same day the 2025 season opened. In a Facebook post Thursday afternoon, the FFAW stated it was “mobilizing efforts to locate buyers willing to pay the FFAW price — regardless of the panel outcome.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:08
19 Baldwin County restaurants claiming imported shrimp is locally sourced: report
An investigation into the Baldwin County restaurant scene and shrimp served has been finalized, leading to the finding of 19 restaurants making false claims, News 5 has learned. According to a SeaD Consulting news release, the Southern Shrimp Alliance commissioned the group to genetically analyze shrimp dishes at 44 restaurants in the Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Foley areas. This investigation into the restaurants began after genetic testing of shrimp at the 2024 National Shrimp Festival, which found that four out of five vendors were selling imported shrimp, according to the release. The consulting group found that 25 of the 44 restaurants serve “authentic Gulf wild-caught shrimp,” while 19 serve imported shrimp, claiming their shrimp was locally sourced. The group said they also found that the seven “boil houses” were serving authentic, local shrimp. Links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:49
Local Fishing Industry Worried About Potential Environmental Risks from Baltic III
People in the Bay of Islands are worried that a ship which ran aground in the winter is still sitting there, posing a significant threat to the rich fishing grounds off Lark Harbour and York Harbour. FFAW President Dwan Street notes that the Baltic III is sitting on the rocks in Cedar Cove with hazardous materials and fuel onboard. She says they have seen reports of structural damage, leaks, and an oily mixture in the engine room. The longer the situation drags on, the greater the risk of a spill says the FFAW. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:03
Our fishermen cannot afford another disastrous deal
The promises made to fishermen in the Brexit campaign were bold. The delivery has been anything but. Many predicted that the Conservative government would sell out the fishing industry on leaving the EU, much like an earlier Conservative government had done when joining the EU and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) decades before. Despite this, our fishermen still showed up en-masse to support and campaign for Brexit – under the promise of exclusive use of our 12 nautical miles and a better share of fishing opportunities. In places like Cornwall, the CFP had given the lion’s share of all our catches to other EU states, leaving our local fleets to struggle on shares as low as eight to 10 per cent of the total allowable catch. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< By Anna Gelderd, Labour MP for South East Cornwall 10:45
SC shrimpers supported Trump’s steep tariffs. Here’s what they think about 90-day pause
When President Donald Trump announced steep tariffs on many countries including shrimp-producing nations, the U.S. shrimping industry applauded saying the move would stem foreign competitors from dumping shrimp raised on aquaculture farms into the U.S. market hurting local shrimpers who catch and market wild shrimp. Then on Wednesday afternoon, Trump said he was placing a 90-day pause on the steep tariffs, including those on shrimp, which were set to go into effect immediately. A 10% rate will be in effect in the meantime. The Southern Shrimping Alliance’s (SSA) response was still positive in the wake of the president’s latest shift, saying the pause and tariff reductions will allow for negotiations on the tariffs and other issues including trade barriers, currency manipulation and non-monetary tariffs, which are rules that dictate how a product can be manufactured, handled or advertised. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:05
Federal cuts endanger ‘critical’ safety program for Alaska’s commercial fishermen
Recent cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could end programs that are “critical” for commercial fishing safety in Alaska, according to the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association, which receives funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The federal institute, known by the acronym NIOSH, is responsible for counting the number of commercial fishermen accidents and fatalities and providing funding for commercial fishing safety training. The director of the Alaska Marine Safety Association, also known as AMSEA, said that the funding for those safety programs saves millions of dollars every year by reducing the need for costly Coast Guard search and rescue operations. Teaching fishermen safety skills does not completely eliminate fatalities in what is still a dangerous profession – but it has reduced them by roughly 80% since NIOSH first introduced its commercial safety fishing programs in 1985, according to AMSEA director Leann Cyr. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:53
Gulf of Maine scallop fishery likely to close for first time in over 15 years
Fishermen are likely to be restricted from hauling scallops from federal waters in the Gulf of Maine for several weeks because regulators have delayed finalizing annual catch limits. The temporary closure, expected in the next five days, would mark the first time the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has shut down the regional fishery midseason since the regulations were put into place 16 years ago. Those who dive for scallops near Maine’s coast are unaffected; federal waters begin 3 miles offshore. NOAA typically passes annual rules by April 1, when the federal scalloping season kicks off. But without them, there is a stopgap measure in place that permits a limited amount of fishing. That limit has almost been reached. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:52
