Maine Governor Urges Commerce Secretary to Deny Pew Trusts’ Right Whale Petition

Just over a week after Pew Charitable Trusts submitted a petition to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross calling for fishing regulations in New England to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement, Maine’s Governor pushed back against the petition.

As SeafoodNews reported last week, Pew is looking to close areas off of New England to vertical-line fishing gear used by lobstermen and Jonah crab fishermen when right whales are present.

Maine Governor Janet Mills urged Secretary Ross to deny Pew’s petition saying it...

Pew Submits Petition to Protect Right Whales, Calls for Closing of Fishing Off New England

In a petition submitted to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Pew Charitable Trusts called for regulations to protect North Atlantic right whales from entanglement in waters off of New England.

Pew said it is in favor of closing areas off of New England to vertical-line fishing gear when right whales are in the area.

“Closing some areas to fishing with the most harmful gear could immediately lower the risk to the whales while the federal government develops longer-term rules..."

ANALYSIS: Canadian Snow Crab Prices Rise with Imports Trailing 3-Year Average

Gulf of St. Lawrence Now Has 22 Season-Long Grid Closures Due to Right Whales

There are currently 22 season-long grid closures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence following multiple North Atlantic right whale sightings.

Following the death of nine North Atlantic right whales in Canadian waters in 2019, Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced that they would be implementing new fisheries management measures in 2020 to protect the endangered whales. The new management measures include season-long grid closures in the Gulf of St. Lawrence if whales are detected...

NOAA Awards Grants to 8 Projects in Greater Atlantic Region Through Saltonstall-Kennedy Program

NOAA Fisheries has awarded more than $8 million in funding to a total of 30 projects through the Saltonstall-Kennedy program. Of those 30 projects, eight are from the Greater Atlantic Region. According to the government agency, the funding for those eight projects totals approximately $2.25 million.

A majority of the projects in the Greater Atlantic Region focus on “Sustainable U.S. Seafood Production and Harvesting. Two projects focusing on sustainable seafood were picked up from...

By the Numbers: Japan’s March Seafood Imports and Exports

The Japanese Ministry of Finance announced March import and export statistics. Marine product imports totaled 114,238.50 million yen ($1,076.54 million), down 12.2% from the same month of the previous year. Import volume increased 4.6% to 176,192 tons. Exports decreased by 9.7% year-on-year to 55,424 tons, and the value decreased by 22.1% to 18,163.91 million yen ($171.16 million).

Imports

The products that exceeded both the quantities and value are shrimp, crab, and octopus. The volume of fresh and...

The Winding Glass: Work Together or Hang Separately, It’s That Simple

Two qualities that gives the seafood industry its unique character are being made up of a multitude of diverse companies of all sizes, and having an immense diversity of species and products.

In the U.S. meat industry, four companies control 84% of beef production, 65% of pork production, 53% of poultry, and one dairy co-op and one processor control 30% and 40% respectively of the national milk supply.

Our companies are not large enough to be dominant in this way. With the exception of a few farmed salmon...

The Winding Glass: Walking the Tightrope of Survival

There is a path through this, but it is like staying on a tightrope, with the slightest mistake causing a disastrous fall. 

The issue is not a decline in price. We have lived with volatility before. The issue is how to adjust to structural changes where some distributors estimate 20% to 40% of their foodservice customers will never reopen, and more and more companies try and put seafood through the retail channel.

The second issue is to avoid outcomes that permanently devalue a product. The poster child for this is lobster...

Winding Glass: Pandemic Spreads Uncertainty in All Directions for Seafood Sector

It is now nearly 11 weeks since I first wrote “could the economic impact of the coronavirus tip the U.S. and the rest of the world into recession” in this column. At issue then was price stability and a potential fall in demand.

Since then, the impact of the largest global pandemic since 1918 has devastated health, economies, and production. The U.S. now has the highest number of cases and deaths in the world.

For the seafood sector, our thinking has evolved. 

First, the concern was over inventories that...

DFO Delays Area 12 Snow Crab Opening to April 24; 2020 Quota Decreases

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada has delayed the opening of snow crab fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence due to the coronavirus. Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan confirmed to CBC News over the weekend that the opening of the 2020 season in Area 12 has been pushed back to April 24.

“We have been working diligently with member associations, processors, and harvesters across the country to determine what our industry partners need in order to have a safe fishing season,” said Jordan...

Russian Fisherman May Suspend Catch in Northern Basin  

Russian fishermen operating in the Northern basin have warned the national government about the existing risks of the suspension of the further catch in the Barents Sea. 

According to fishermen, due to quarantine measures implemented at foreign ports, the losses of the local fishermen operating in the Barents Sea may reach RUB 70 billion (US$900 million) by May. 

German Zverev, President of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (VARPE), in an interview to some Russian media, confirmed such risks...

Russian Crab Producers Continue to Bear Huge Losses Due to Spread of Chinese Coronavirus  

The demand for crab in the Asian-Pacific region and other global markets has significantly declined since the beginning of the current year due to the ongoing spread of the Chinese coronavirus. According to recent statements, made by representatives of some leading crab-producing enterprises in Russia and industry analysts, this has resulted in serious losses of producers, particularly those from Russia.

According to producers, in recent months export prices for their crab have declined to only US$7, compared...

NOAA Research Shows Central California Dungeness Crab Population Stable or Increasing

The West Coast Dungeness crab fishery doesn’t just support the most valuable annual harvest of seafood on the West Coast. It’s a fishery that just keeps on giving, according to recent NOAA research.

Fishermen from California to Washington caught almost all the available legal-size male Dungeness crab each year in the last few decades. However, the crab population has either remained stable or continued to increase, according to the first thorough population estimate of the West Coast Dungeness stocks.

“The catches and abundance in Central California...

Financial Troubles Dogging Jessie's Ilwaco Fish

A long-standing processor in Washington, Jessie's Ilwaco Fish, has filed for receivership, according to a recent story in the Chinook Observer.

Pacific County Superior Court Judge Donald Richter appointed Christopher Wain as receiver earlier this week. California company Alber Seafoods, owned by Don Alber, bought Jessie's Ilwaco Fish in 2013.

At the time, fishermen were concerned about not getting paid in a timely manner. In 2016, several fishermen were reported to have left Ilwaco Fish after not getting paid or getting paid only a fraction of the total amount owed...

Here’s the List of U.S. Seafood Items China Will Exempt From Retaliatory Tariffs

Last week, China said it would begin accepting applications for tariff exemptions for 696 U.S. products, including over 40 seafood products imported from the United States.

Chinese companies looking for an exemption on the additional tariffs that were implemented during the China-U.S. trade war can submit their applications from March 2, according to the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China.

The exemptions of the 42 seafood-related items will allow Chinese companies to import goods, avoiding retaliatory tariffs that were implemented...

ANALYSIS: Tariff on Red Swimming Crab Meat Persists; Imports Down, Pricing Continues to Drop

Lower imports on red swimming crab meat has seen all of 2019 hovering below the 3-year average. Imports are at the lowest volumes seen in over 10 years and the situation is almost completely reactionary due to the continued 25% tariff that remains in place on red swimming crab meat from China.

With China’s season beginning in August, imports typically begin to rise in September through the end of the year. Taking a quick glance at the cyclical look above, imports have drastically trailed off...

Alaska Stock Surveys a Go

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – All systems are go for state water surveys on stocks of fish and crab.

Coronvirus concerns forced annual surveys to be cancelled for fish and crab stocks in waters managed by the federal government from three to 200 miles offshore.  But all systems are go for surveys in state waters out to three miles.

After herring surveys in late winter, Covid protections plans were quickly put in place, says Forrest Bowers is deputy director of the commercial fisheries division at  the Alaska Dept. of...

Trump Removing Fishing Restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument

President Donald Trump announced on Friday afternoon that he will be removing fishing restrictions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, opening up 5,000 square miles in the Atlantic Ocean for fishing. The order to designate that area of the Atlantic Ocean as a national monument was signed by former President Barack Obama during his final few months in office. 

"We're opening it up," said Trump. "Today I'm signing a proclamation to reverse that injustice, to reverse that order from the previous administration....

Russian Crab Industry May Face with Significant Increase of Illegal Catch this Year

The Russian crab industry may face a significant increase in the volume of illegal catch and the reduction of the domestic crab stock in years to come due to the current unfavorable situation in the global market, as well as the reduction of exports of leading Russian crab producers since the beginning of the pandemic.  

As Alexander Saveliev, head of the Russian Information Agency of Fishing, said in an interview with the Russian Kommersant business paper, the current situation in the global crab market remains unfavorable for...

FFAW Submits Price Reconsideration for Snow Crab After Panel Sides With ASP

FFAW-Unifor confirmed on Monday that they have submitted a request to the Newfoundland and Labrador Standing Fish Price Setting Panel to reconsider their May 1 decision on the price for snow crab. The request for reconsideration comes after harvesters protested outside of the FFAW building over the weekend.

The union initially submitted a price offer of $4.25 per lb., plus a market return formula in addition to the minimum price. However, they ultimately ended up submitting a final price of $3.50 per lb. to...

Russia Plans to Increase Exports of High-Added Value Fish Products and Seafood this Year 

Russia plans to increase exports of high-added value fish products and seafood this year, with the aim to compensate losses associated with the reduction of supplies of traditional pollock to the Asian market. 

For this purpose, a particular attention will be paid for a search of alternative sale markets, where sale margins of Russian fish exporters could be higher than those in Asia.  

One of such markets could be the market of the U.S., where since 2013 the supplies of...

Central California Crab Season May 15 Closure Confirmed

Central California Dungeness crabbers have less than a month to make their final hauls to bring in fresh crab. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton H. Bonham on Wednesday affirmed his earlier proposal to close the season at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 15.

The decision applies only fishing districts south of the Mendocino/Sonoma county border. Bonham said the closure is necessary to protect whales and sea turtles from entanglement in fishing gear.

Bonham's preliminary decision was made using...

Central California Dungeness Crab Season Poised for May 15 Closure

Bay Area Dungeness crab fishermen will likely have only another month to haul up the last of the crab before the season closes. Still, it is 30 days longer than last year's season.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife Diredtor Charlton Bonham said Wednesday that, based on recent data, a risk exists for whale entanglement south of the Mendocino/Sonoma County line. That counters the majority consensus of the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group.

On April 9, the Working Group reviewed available data and provided a recommendation...

ASMI Japan to Deliver Japanese Style Cooking Recipes for Wild Alaskan Seafood in Multiple Languages

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) Japan publishes seafood recipes using various seafood from Alaska with a simple recipe video service, Tastemade, that gives you a run down in one minute. Demonstrated meals use Alaskan salmon, ikura salmon caviar, Pacific ocean perch, and processed seafood, including surimi crab sticks and mentaiko, marinated spicy Pollock roe. They are also available in English and Chinese so that consumers outside of Japan can use it as well.

We are focusing on appealing to consumers in...

Coronavirus Impact on the Crab Market: A World in Crisis and Little is Normal 

The Coronavirus is upending our lives like nothing else in modern history. Out of nowhere, this black swan pandemic has turned all of our lives upside down. Coronavirus has become the sudden equalizer because we all are feeling the impact in one way or another. Seafood is an international business and from harvesters, processors, importers and marketers we  all now face uncertainties. While each are trying to evaluate and prepare for the next professional act we also are re-evaluating our lives, our priorities, and our...

NFI’s Red Crab Council to Continue to Fund Fisheries Improvement Project in China

The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) announced that its Red Crab Council will remain committed to improve the red crab fishery in China. The NFI will keep funding and supporting its Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) in the region.

The FIP is focused on increasing crab production in the Fujian Province, the top harvesting region in the country for red crab.

“For so many reasons the operating climate around red crab, from a trade perspective, is challenging these days,” said Newport International President Anjan Tharakan, the NFI Red Crab...

Alaska Fishing Updates for March 2020

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

March marks the start of halibut and herring fisheries but there’s not a lot of good news this go around.

The eight month long Pacific halibut fishery is set to open on March 14 amidst a grim market outlook due in part to the coronavirus. Most of Alaska’s 17 million pound halibut catch goes to markets in the U.S. but transportation by flight is getting more sketchy and many stores and restaurants are devoid of customers. 

In Southeast Alaska, no ferries means no halibut shipments...

Russian Crab Group Signs Contract For 10 Vessels to be Built By 2024

The Russian Crab Group of companies is expanding their fleet of vessels. Russian Crab announced this week that they have signed a contract with Onega Shipyard and the Okskaya Shipyard for the construction of 10 crab catching vessels.

According to Russian Crab, the 10 vessels will be built by 2024. The project is in accordance with the terms of the auctions on securing and providing a share of quotas. Seven of those vessels will be used for catching and transporting live crab...

NFI’s Crab Council Announces Latest Member

North Carolina-based seafood processor 3 Fish became the newest member of the National Fisheries Institute’s Crab Council.

3 Fish boasts a product list of value-added, fresh seafood and ready-made offerings. The company sources its blue swimming crabmeat exclusively from members of the council. NFI noted that purchasing decision highlights 3 Fish’s commitment to sustainability. The company also contributes to the crab resource management in Southeast Asia.

“Crafting products with responsibly harvested material elevates our value-added brand,” said 3 Fish’s VP of Internal Services Eric Kyryliuk. “By joining the Crab Council...

These are the Top 10 Seafood Items Consumed in the U.S. for 2018

On Friday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their Annual Fisheries of the U.S. Report for 2018, and the report detailed how U.S. seafood per capita consumption has hit 16.1 lbs.  Now, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) is doing a deeper dive into exactly what seafood items Americans are consuming.

The top consumed seafood item – once again – is shrimp, with 4.6 lbs. eaten per capita. This is a record-high. Second on the list is...