Managing our Nation's Fisheries Conference looks to be a free for all in Washington DC next week

  SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton - May 2, 2013The third Managing our Nations Fisheries Conference opens next week in Washington DC, and it promises to be a free for all with members of all the US regional management councils, NOAA, Commercial and recreational fishing associations, Pew, the Walton Family Foundation, Greenpeace and other NGOs, as well as dozens of Washington fisheries lobbyists and congressional staffers.The conference is looking at changes in Magnuson, including requirements for more flexibility; it is looking at ecosystem management, and habitat and forage fish protection.The conference is convened by the eight Regional Fishery Management Councils and hosted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council.According to the sponsors, this conference follows up on the highly successful Managing Our Nation's Fisheries conferences held in 2003 and 2005. Managing Our Nation's Fisheries 3 will focus on how concepts, policies, and practice of fishery sustainability can be advanced to a higher level.The discussion will address Magnuson-Stevens Act reauthorization issues, as well as adjustments to current management that do not require legislation to implement. The conference will provide a forum for information exchange and an opportunity to hear a wide range of perspectives on the sustainability of fish stocks and ecosystem functions, and the fishing communities that depend on them.Pew, a co-sponsor of the conference, is trying to get the drop on the agenda with the release of a position paper next monday making the argument that fisheries are still at risk, despite huge successes in eliminating overfishing in the U.S.Their position is that Many of our ocean ecosystems are severely compromised by decades of overfishing, habitat- damaging practices and indiscriminate fishing gear that captures and kills vast amounts of non-target ocean wildlife. In short, they are not recognizing the huge gains that have been made by US fisheries managers.Rather than focus on how to maximize stability and economic benefit for rebuilt fisheries, Pew and the NGOs are likely to advance an agenda calling for action in three areas:-More protection for essential fish habitat and to minimize by catch. This will likely take the form of increased efforts for gear restrictions on bottom trawling, as well as expansion of areas of marine reserves.-Plans to maintain resilient ocean ecosystems. Managing on an ecosystem basis is key to the future of successful fishery management, yet this approach can be abused if it does not modify existing species specific goals.The open question for ecosystem management is whether it means preserving the essential stability of an ecosystem while allowing for individual species variability, or whether it means extending the idea that all species should be at their maximum potential beyond commercial and recreational species to all animals and plants in the ecosystem.There is a real issue to be faced as to whether human modifications to an ecosystem are acceptable to marine environmental groups or not.-Finally, the NGOs are focusing on forage fish - species such as Menhaden, herring and sardines on the West Coast; whose stocks have largely been sustainably managed, but that now are being targeted for increased protections.

I will be at the conference, and mostly looking for the underlying assumptions to the arguments being made. The adoption of hard TACs and harvest control limits in the last reauthorization of Magnuson has proved to be a key factor in the success of US fisheries Management. Now the issues seem to turn more on a need for increased flexibility and a recognition that we have moved beyond overfishing, and now should concentrate on maximizing the benefits and maintaining healthy ecosystems.Those who advocate for increased restrictions - whether in habitat, elimination of fishing gear, or enhanced protection of forage fish, have to make the case as to why, when our fisheries have successfully recovered, we are still being asked to address these issues in a crisis mode.  John Sackton, Editor And PublisherSeafood.com News 1-781-861-1441Email comments to jsackton@seafood.comCopyright 2013 Seafoodnews.comSource: Seafood.com News

NOAA issues status of stocks report; overfishing continues to decline in US

  SEAFOOD.COM NEWS  by John Sackton May 2, 2013NOAA released its 2012 status of the stocks report to Congress this morning, showing continued progress in eliminating overfishing and rebuilding stocks in the U.S.Overfishing declined 30% between 2011 and 2012.  In 2011, 14% of the stocks where NOAA has data were being overfished.  In 2012, that percentage dropped to 10%.Once overfishing is ended, a stock will typically recover to its MSY biomass.  Stocks are classified as overfished when they are below the level needed to sustain harvests at the Maximum sustainable yield level.  The number of stocks classified as overfished dropped from 21% to 19%, a decline of 10%.Acting Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries Sam Rauch said "It was another record-setting year for  our marine fisheries. Today, we are reporting that six more stocks were declared rebuilt in 2012, bringing the total number of stocks rebuilt since 2000 to 32. This year's rebuilt stocks include Southern Tanner crab, Acadian redfish, windowpane, yellowtail flounder, coho salmon, and pink shrimp. ""In addition, overfishing is at an all-time low with 10 additional stocks removed from the overfishing list since last year.  The details behind these record-setting trends are included in NOAA Fisheries' new 2012 Report on the Status of U.S. Fisheries which is available online.He also noted "It is critical that we recognize the sacrifices that have been made and will be made to achieve these gains."  So far, Congress has been very reluctant to acknowledge that the gains in fisheries sustainability have a price that has been borne almost exclusively by the seafood industry.  

The supergule inspired by world's stickiest - which can hold up to 230 times its own bodyweight

 The world's stickiest fish, with an adhesive force up to 230 times its bodyweight, is set to inspire a new household superglue, according to researchers in North Carolina. The small Northern Clingfish is found in the Pacific, off the north west coast of the the US. It uses modified fins as a suction disk to hold onto the underside of rocks amid crashing waves.It fastens itself to rough edges by using pads of tiny hairs called microvilli which are similar to those on a gecko's feet.Researcher Dylan Wainwright and his colleagues from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina said the method is quick, reversible and readily works underwater.They said the fish's technology could be used for adhesive devices in medicine, industry and the home.The dusky coloured Northern Clingfish, also known as Gobiesox maeandricus, is a species of saltwater fish and measures about six-inches long.Shaped like tadpoles with a wide, flattened head they have no scales and are covered with a thick coating of slime that makes them very slippery.They are characterised by their large suction disc formed by the union of the pelvic fins and adjacent folds of flesh.The research team carried out experiments on 22 samples of Northern Clingfish, caught off the rocks of San Juan Island, Washington, and measured the fishes' adhesive force on eight surfaces.Seven of the surfaces had varying sizes of grit on them, and the eighth was made from glass, to see how the fish performed on an extremely smooth layer.Read the full story here.

Ocean temperatures highest in 150 years last year

The average temperature in that area hit a record high of 57.2 degrees last year.

 Sea-surface temperatures from Cape Hatteras, N.C., to the Gulf of Maine were the highest measured in 150 years in 2012, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).The average temperature in that area hit a record high of 57.2 degrees last year. The previous record was set in 1951, according to NOAA.The average sea surface temperature has usually been below 54.3 degrees in the last 30 years, NOAA reports.The temperature is influencing fish and shellfish on the Northeast Shelf, according to NOAA.Four southern species – black sea bass, summer flounder, longfin squid and butterfish – have moved to the northeast, according to NOAA. American lobster has headed northeast but at a slower pace. Atlantic cod and haddock have moved in the opposite direction.Story from USA Today

Lower fishing limits rejected by judge

A federal judge has rejected an environmental group's attempt to require the government to lower its catch limits on sardines, mackerel and other forage fish off the California coast.

The organization, Oceana, claimed that the plan approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service in 2010 was based on flawed data and allowed fishing at levels that would deplete offshore populations of several species. Those fish are part of the food chain for other fish, seabirds and whales.But U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco said Friday that the federal agency had simply reaffirmed, or in some cases tightened, the harvesting limits it had set for the same forage species in 2000.Chen ordered the fisheries service to reconsider its catch levels for one species, the northern anchovy, saying the agency had reopened that subject in 2010 but failed to determine the limits needed to protect the fish. That decision is required, he said, by a 1976 conservation law designed to prevent overfishing.But Chen said it was too late to challenge the rules the agency had established in 2000 - and reaffirmed in 2010 - for the Pacific sardine, the Pacific mackerel, the jack mackerel and the market squid. Oceana also challenged the fisheries service's conclusion that its 2010 plan would cause no ecological harm and that a full environmental study was therefore not required. But the judge said the 2010 plan "by its very terms has no negative impact."Read the full San Francisco Chronicle article here.

For want of fish

 Starving sea lions are maxing out the state's rescue centers, and fishermen's nets are coming up empty--but not everyone is worried

BY RYAN MILLER

When large numbers of marine mammals suddenly and unexpectedly begin stranding on beaches and dying, the incident is described as an unusual mortality event. While that term may be scientifically efficient and accurate, it does little to convey—at least in the recent case of starving California sea lions—the startling sight of limp forms dotting the coastline like lost, wet coats; the cacophony of dozens of corralled animals barking like hoarse dogs; and the smell of gallon after gallon of pureed herring and salmon oil flowing into desperately hungry mouths at rehabilitation centers.And while such a declaration—made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division—triggers access to better funding and research opportunities in the effort to find out exactly what’s weakening and killing animals, it’s really just the first step in a months- or even years-long endeavor. Sometimes the ultimate culprit is pinpointed as a biotoxin. Sometimes it’s an infection. Sometimes mass deaths come about as a direct result of human interaction.In the current case, everyone already pretty much knows the problem: emaciation and dehydration.A call to the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center in early April yielded this message: “All of the centers are having unusually large numbers of young California sea lions. They’re very small, skinny. They’re not getting enough to eat.“These are not babies. They’re 9 months old. They’re already weaned by their mothers; their mothers are not coming back for them.Read the full story here. 

Eating Fish Lowers Risk Of Dying Prematurely, Study Says

Eating fish could slash an older person's risk of dying prematurely by more than a quarter, and their risk of dying from heart disease by more than a third, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Washington has found.Indeed researchers discovered that older adults with the highest blood levels of the fatty acids found in fish lived, on average, 2.2 years longer than those with lower levels."Although eating fish has long been considered part of a healthy diet, few studies have assessed blood omega-3 levels and total deaths in older adults," said lead author Dariush Mozaffarian, associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard, in a press release. "Our findings support the importance of adequate blood omega-3 levels for cardiovascular health, and suggest that later in life these benefits could actually extend the years of remaining life."Researchers have long linked the consumption of unsaturated fats in fish with a reduced risk of dying from heart disease. And the American Heart Associationrecommends eating fish -- especially fatty fish -- at least twice a week.But this is the first time researchers have linked levels of fish consumption with death rates.In their study, researchers examined 16 years of data pertaining to 2,700 healthy U.S. adults aged 65 or older who participated in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS).The researchers also analyzed the total proportion of blood omega-3 fatty acids -- including three specific ones -- in participants' blood samples at baseline. After adjusting for dietary, lifestyle and other factors, they found that the fatty acids were linked with a significantly lower risk of mortality.One type in particular -- docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) -- was most strongly related to a 40 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease death. Of the other blood fatty acids measured -- eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) -- DPA was most strongly associated with lower risk of stroke death, and EPA most strongly linked with lower risk of nonfatal heart attack, according to a press release. None of these fatty acids were dramatically related to other, noncardiovascular causes of death.Read the full article here. 

TECHNOLOGY HELPS FIGHT FRAUD—IT’S NO JOKE

Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1st is widely known as a day for practical jokes. But did you know that in Italy, France, and Belgium, this day was traditionally celebrated as “April Fish Day?” Children and adults alike tacked paper fishes on one another’s backs and shouted "April Fish!"—in their respective languages, of course.So, with April Fish Day in mind, let’s take a closer look at how seafood fraud pulls some tricks of its own. But what is seafood fraud, you ask? To put it simply, anytime consumers or buyers purchase a seafood product that is not what they are paying for—is fraud.The most common form of seafood fraud is short-weighting, which happens when processors overglaze, soak, and/or over bread seafood to manipulate or misrepresent its weight. Products might also be mislabeled to avoid higher import tariffs. However, the practice of “seafood substitution” is what has made recent news. Seafood substitution occurs when a species is mislabeled and substituted in whole or in part for a different species—disguising a low valued species as a more expensive one. The good news is that the seafood industry, academia, and federal and state governments are proactively developing solutions to protect consumers from fraud.  The Better Seafood Board , formed by members of the National Fisheries Institute in 2007, helps restaurants, retail operations, and manufacturers report suppliers who commit economic fraud. The board encourages seafood buyers who have unresolved issues with suppliers for selling short weight or otherwise mislabeled products to contact their hotline at 1-866-956-4272 to document these issues.In our digital age, technology is helping fight fraud in more ways than one. Many companies are using QR codes—digital codes that redirect consumers to a website—where they can learn specific details about their seafood. One California sushi joint is even serving their fish labeled with a QR code printed on edible rice paper, which directs diners to sustainability information from yours truly—FishWatch.gov.Read the full article here.