Tag Archives: coronavirus pandemic
Canned seafood moves beyond tuna sandwiches in pandemic trend that stuck
Sardines swirling in preserved lemons. Mackerel basking in curry sauce. Chargrilled squid bathing in ink. All are culinary delicacies long popular in Europe that are now making their mark on U.S. menus. The country’s canned seafood industry is moving well beyond tuna sandwiches, a pandemic-era trend that began with Americans in lockdown demanding more of their cupboard staples. Tinned fish, as it’s called in Europe, is now a regular offering on menus at wine bars from San Francisco to Houston to New York, where patrons scoop the contents straight out of the can. There are even tinned fish clubs that mimic wine clubs by sending members monthly shipments of various seafood packed in various combinations of spices, oils and sauces. >>click to read<< 09:01
Record crab and lobster prices drive value of N.L. landings past billion-dollar mark
“It was remarkable,” Doyle says, referring to the $7.60 per pound, more than double last year’s price, Doyle and his son Thomas received for the roughly 16,000 pounds of snow crab they landed with their under-40-foot vessel, Tango Delta, this year. “In regard to prices, it’s better than I’ve ever seen it,” adds Doyle, adding that they also received record prices for their lobster landings. It’s not hard to hear upbeat language like that when talking to Newfoundland and Labrador fish harvesters this year, because their bank accounts were likely swollen by incomes of 40 to 50 per cent higher than past years. >click to read< 09:33
Captain Sig Hansen on riding out the Coronavirus pandemic on the Bering Sea – What a Time to be Alive.
F/V Northwestern Captain Sig Hansen says at the height of the pandemic, he and the crews felt “blessed,” because their work was deemed essential. “I’ve had friends that are on other fishing vessels that literally did not leave their boats for eight to nine months, they could not step on land,” “The state of Alaska, we went through our own COVID regulations. You’ve got federal, state, and then every harbor has its own set of regulations as well. So, quite honestly, we were so fortunate to be able to go out there and go to work, you know.” video trailer, >click to read< Deadliest Catch airs tonight at 8 p.m. on Discovery 13:18
Louisiana sues NMFS over ‘devastating’ rule for its shrimpers
Louisiana has sued the National Marine Fisheries Service in New Orleans federal court to stop it from implementing a regulation that obliges certain shrimp fishermen to install devices that keep endangered sea turtles out of their catch. In a Wednesday complaint, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said the rule that took effect on Aug. 1, about a week before the beginning of the state’s shrimping season, will have “devastating consequences” on the fishermen’s already thin profit margins, and has sowed confusion with fishermen unable to find enough suppliers of so-called turtle-excluder devices for their fishing nets because the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the supply chain. >click to read< 19:38
Pandemic, labor , product shortages, and supply chain issues disrupt Dungeness Crab market
Seafood distributors, sellers and processors point to a number of factors that converged to create a perfect storm: the coronavirus pandemic, labor shortages, product shortages, supply chain issues and market demands. All have contributed to drive prices up from the usual $25 or so per pound to as much as $52. This season was difficult for many in the industry. It opened late and yielded a mere 12 million pounds to date, compared to last year’s 20 million. On average, commercial crabbers land around 16 million pounds in Oregon, though the fishery can be cyclical, with boom and bust periods. >click to read< 19:13
Support Small Boat Fishermen By Making It Easier To Buy Fresh Off The Boat
The pandemic changed many things in Hawaii, including access to fresh fish. The swift departure of hundreds of thousands of tourists and the consequent closure of many hotels and restaurants eliminated the bulk of the demand for fresh fish literally overnight. One major fish wholesaler resorted to curbside sales at Pier 38 in Honolulu Harbor just to keep the lights on, and some large commercial fishing vessel owners shut down to avoid their extensive costs of operation. Creative solutions for distribution quickly surfaced. >click to read< 08:25
Uncertain Future: Commercial shrimp season nears for “frustrated” Port Arthur shrimpers
Port Arthur area shrimpers are facing an uncertain future even with the opening next week of the Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for state and federal waters. Texas and federal waters are slated to open for commercial shrimping at 30 minutes past sunset Thursday. Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association Vice President Kim Tran,,, a combination of events that includes Hurricane Harvey fallout and the COVID pandemic produced less-than-ideal shrimping hauls leading to fewer boat captains and deckhands. >click to read< 09:16
Coronavirus pandemic moves local fishermen to embrace entrepreneurship
Thirty-one-year-old cousins CJ Owens and Jeff Frye, Jr. embraced entrepreneurship when commercial fishing hit a snag last year. “At the beginning of Covid, we had a hard time selling stuff because state lines were shut down and we couldn’t ship nothing out,” said Frye. “If we didn’t sell it locally, we didn’t sell it.” That dilemma inspired the cousins to open North Star Seafood, and also carries offerings from other local fishermen, Owens’ grandfather and father, Clifford Hill Owens, Sr. and Jr., both fished commercially. Frye fished alongside his father, Jeff Frye, Sr. and grandfather, Mack Liverman. photos, >click to read< 08:43
Elver eels rocket back up in value!
Maine is home to the U.S.’s only significant fishery for the baby eels, which are called elvers, and it’s taking place right now. Prices tanked last year due to disruption to the worldwide economy caused by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, the fishery is experiencing a return to normalcy. The tiny, wriggling fish are worth $1,634 per pound to fishermen, the Maine Department of Marine Resources reported on Monday. They’ve been worth between $1,300 and $2,400 per pound every year since 2015, except last year, when they were worth $525. >click to read< 11:22
Oyster Prices Plummet As Diners Stay Home Amid Pandemic
With several hours of daylight to spare, Ronnie Robbins and his son, Jason, had already docked their 36-foot deadrise workboat on Hooper’s Island and started unloading their briny cargo.,,, It isn’t a supply problem. Watermen in Maryland and Virginia alike say they are having no trouble landing their daily wild oyster quotas.,,, “We got lots of oysters, and they’re excellent quality,” said Bill Sieling,,, The problem is decreased demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. >click to read< 09:31
Recommended gear rules for Right Whale safety are adopted
With the National Oceanic Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) under a fast approaching, court-imposed deadline to develop new whale protection rules, the Zone C Lobster Management Council held a special meeting last week to get an update on the situation from Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher. The meeting was also an opportunity to consider a zone-specific plan for gear modifications that will likely be required by NMFS. As with many things occurring during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the meeting took place in cyberspace. >click to read< 14:43
Jersey Shore Seafood Made Simple! Shawn & Sue talk fishing and seafood with Jim Lovgren
Like everyone else, our local fishermen have been hit hard by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Support your local fishermen by purchasing fresh seafood from these participating markets & restaurants. Then, use their own recipes at the bottom of this page to prepare yourself a 
delicious meal. This is a great interview, and Jim covers a lot of issues from Coronavirus to offshore wind farms, conservation, and the beginnings of the NMFS, and the 200 Mile limit. >click to listen<, as you scroll though the article for locations and recipe’s! 15:04
Application deadline extended for fish harvester benefits program – will have until Oct. 5th
Fishers financially impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic have two extra weeks to apply for the federal government’s Fish Harvester Benefit and Grant Program. The original Sept. 21 deadline is now extended to 3 p.m. on Oct. 5 for self employed harvesters to submit their applications online. In a press release Sept. 18, Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan encouraged anyone who thinks they may be eligible to visit the DFO website and learn how to apply. >click to read< 17:44
Parallels: What does Coronavirus pandemic have in common with the 1992 cod moratorium?
Barbecues, swims in cool waters and the warm summer breeze — typical beats of summer across Canada, even in 1992. That year’s summer meant a seismic shift for about 40,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador. In an unprecedented move, due to the depleting numbers of northern cod, the federal government announced a moratorium on the cod fishery. It was a dark day in Canadian history, the moratorium sent a shockwave through Newfoundland and Labrador, ripping its people from the sea, its impact still ringing through time.,, For generations, the cod collapse has affected lives in Newfoundland and Labrador. Much like today, jobs were lost overnight and people were forced to stay at home. >click to read< 08:03
Stonington 67th Annual Blessing of the Fleet will go on despite Coronavirus pandemic
The 67th annual Blessing of the Fleet with not be a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike other traditional events across the region that have been canceled due to the virus, organizers of the Blessing will hold a scaled back event Sunday morning in the borough that is designed to preserve its most meaningful parts. “It will be short but we want to make sure we honor the fishermen especially since we lost one fishermen this year,” said Mike Crowley of the Blessing of the Fleet Committee. “This is why we do this.” The Blessing prays for the success and safety of local fishermen over the coming year and remembers Town Dock fleet members who have died at sea. Their names are listed on the memorial at the dock. This year’s event will be even more solemn than usual because it was just in April that fisherman Charles Lathrop, 50, of Westerly, died after falling overboard from the local scallop boat F/V Invictus off the coast of New Jersey. >click to read< 11:49
‘Nothing is normal’: LFA 34 & 33 lobster fishery draws to a close in southwest N.S.
The commercial lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia and along the south shore, draws to a close May 31. Crews are bringing gear back ashore at the conclusion of a season that saw a promising start with catches and the price paid to fishermen, but then hit rough waters due to the coronavirus pandemic. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of people that are already hauled up. Some five days early or more,” said Yarmouth County fishing captain Shawn Muise, following a day of fishing on his vessel, Force Awakens, on May 29. “Nothing is normal.” “The season was going so well at the start. Finally the prices were reflecting the market. But when COVID started, and as the price started to drop, you could see it in the fishermen’s faces,” Lots of photos, >click to read< 07:29
