A federal court judge for the Northern District of California has ruled that the Food and Drug Administration violated core environmental laws in approving genetically engineered salmon.
U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria noted that as part of the approval process the FDA assessed the likelihood that GE salmon would escape from captivity and adversely affect normal salmon, including salmon species that are endangered. While the FDA concluded that the GE salmon were highly unlikely to escape from two facilities where AquaBounty initially planned to raise them, the FDA did not meaningfully analyze what might happen to normal salmon in the event that the GE salmon survived and established themselves in the wild, Chhabria said. Even if such a scenario was unlikely, the FDA was required to assess the consequences of it happening, he said.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, applauded the ruling.
“The impacts that genetically engineered salmon could have on Alaskans, our commercial fishing industry and seafood consumers all over the world are concerning, and as this ruling found, understudied,” Murkowski said. The ruling confirms the FDA’s decision to allow GE salmon to be produced in different locations across North American was in violation of the law, and did not consider the potential for severe consequences on nature’s best brain food, wild salmon,” she said.
The Alaskan Republican noted that she has introduced legislation for years identifying those exact flaws in the FDA’s “wholly inadequate assessment of the threat GE salmon poses to wild salmon stocks.”
Murkowski added “I’m glad the court has caught up with my reasoning and recognized the concerns raised by many Alaskans about GE salmon.”
The judge has remanded portions of the case to the Food and Drug Administration for reconsideration of its environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Special Act analysis in compliance with the ruling.
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star Assigned
Arctic Winter Mission
An annual joint military mission in Antarctica is where the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star normally spends winter months. This year the nation’s only operational heavy icebreaker will instead be conducting an 82-day deployment in the Arctic, tasked with reducing regional maritime risks and advancing national security objectives.
Coast Guard officials said the Polar Star will operate primarily in the Bering and Chukchi seas to project U.S. sovereignty along the U.S.-Russia Maritime Boundary Line, strengthening international intergovernmental and community partnerships, and improving maritime domain awareness in this remote region.
Although plans are still to be finalized, they tentatively will include engagement and training with local communities and Polar Region allies including Canada and New Zealand. Training opportunities with the U.S. Navy are also possible.
Vice Admiral Linda Fagan, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, said that the Arctic is no longer considered an emerging frontier, but is instead now a region of growing national importance. “The Coast Guard is committed to protecting U.S. sovereignty and working with our partners to uphold a safe, secure and rules-based Arctic,” she said.
The decision to assign the Polar Star to the Arctic, rather than Antarctica, was based on weather conditions, plus the novel coronavirus pandemic the Coast Guard said. The ice pier needed at Antarctica could not be reestablished in time for the maritime resupply effort at McMurdo Station. Implementing a mobile causeway solution, as has been done in the past, would have required more than 100 staff to deploy, which military officials said cannot be accommodated without significant risk to personnel related to COVID-19.
Instead this year the U.S. Antarctic Program resupply effort will be conducted by aircraft. The Coast Guard anticipates resuming deployment of the Polar Star to that mission again next year.
In Antarctica, the Polar Star supports the National Science Foundation program by providing a vital escort through the ice for resupply ships. Then upon returning to the United States, the Polar Star undergoes time in drydock for repairs in preparation for the next year’s Operation Deep Freeze mission.
Although plans are still to be finalized, they tentatively will include engagement and training with local communities and Polar Region allies including Canada and New Zealand. Training opportunities with the U.S. Navy are also possible.
Vice Admiral Linda Fagan, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, said that the Arctic is no longer considered an emerging frontier, but is instead now a region of growing national importance. “The Coast Guard is committed to protecting U.S. sovereignty and working with our partners to uphold a safe, secure and rules-based Arctic,” she said.
The decision to assign the Polar Star to the Arctic, rather than Antarctica, was based on weather conditions, plus the novel coronavirus pandemic the Coast Guard said. The ice pier needed at Antarctica could not be reestablished in time for the maritime resupply effort at McMurdo Station. Implementing a mobile causeway solution, as has been done in the past, would have required more than 100 staff to deploy, which military officials said cannot be accommodated without significant risk to personnel related to COVID-19.
Instead this year the U.S. Antarctic Program resupply effort will be conducted by aircraft. The Coast Guard anticipates resuming deployment of the Polar Star to that mission again next year.
In Antarctica, the Polar Star supports the National Science Foundation program by providing a vital escort through the ice for resupply ships. Then upon returning to the United States, the Polar Star undergoes time in drydock for repairs in preparation for the next year’s Operation Deep Freeze mission.
Southeast Alaska Native Corporation Acquires
London-based Seafood Firm
London-based New England Seafood International Limited (NESI), an importer, processor and supplier of fresh and frozen premium sustainable seafood, has been acquired by Sealaska, an Alaska Native regional corporation headquartered in Juneau, Alaska.
Sealaska officials issued a statement saying that the acquisition will offer both businesses increased access to resources, broader product and category capabilities and deeper market access. The combined operations will focus on efficiently converting seafood from healthy fisheries around the globe to deliver innovative, tasty nutritious products that help inspire consumers to eat more healthy fish, they said.
“One of the biggest challenges facing humanity is how to feed, water, educate and house a growing population on a finite planet,” said Terry Downes, chief operating officer for Sealaska.
“Enormous social, environmental and economic value is possible when strong, like-minded organizations join forces across the world to make a bigger difference.”
NESI CEO Dan Aherne said that while Southeast Alaska and London couldn’t be farther apart geographically and in way of life that both businesses share a clear vision around inspiring consumers to enjoy more seafood and promoting a thriving planet.
The deal calls for NESI founder Fred Stroyan to stay on as a member of NESI board, and for key members of NESI’s leadership team to continue in their roles. NESI’s brand is to remain independent, including consumer brands like Leap and Fish Said Fred. NESI sources over 30 species of wild and farmed fish and other seafood from 37 countries worldwide, and supplies seafood to the United Kingdom and Northern European markets. NESI is also the UKs leading importer of sashimi grade tuna.
Sealaska officials issued a statement saying that the acquisition will offer both businesses increased access to resources, broader product and category capabilities and deeper market access. The combined operations will focus on efficiently converting seafood from healthy fisheries around the globe to deliver innovative, tasty nutritious products that help inspire consumers to eat more healthy fish, they said.
“One of the biggest challenges facing humanity is how to feed, water, educate and house a growing population on a finite planet,” said Terry Downes, chief operating officer for Sealaska.
“Enormous social, environmental and economic value is possible when strong, like-minded organizations join forces across the world to make a bigger difference.”
NESI CEO Dan Aherne said that while Southeast Alaska and London couldn’t be farther apart geographically and in way of life that both businesses share a clear vision around inspiring consumers to enjoy more seafood and promoting a thriving planet.
The deal calls for NESI founder Fred Stroyan to stay on as a member of NESI board, and for key members of NESI’s leadership team to continue in their roles. NESI’s brand is to remain independent, including consumer brands like Leap and Fish Said Fred. NESI sources over 30 species of wild and farmed fish and other seafood from 37 countries worldwide, and supplies seafood to the United Kingdom and Northern European markets. NESI is also the UKs leading importer of sashimi grade tuna.
Northwest Fish Co., Investment Firm Plan Purchase of Peter Pan Seafoods
A Washington state seafood holding company and a global investment and research firm in Anchorage, Alaska, have entered into an agreement to purchase Peter Pan Seafoods.
Northwest Fish Company, led by Rodger May, and McKinley Capital Management LLC in Anchorage, Alaska, said that they have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire assets of Peter Pan Seafoods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Maruha Capital Investments, a subsidiary of the Fortune 500 company Maruha Nichiro Corporation in Japan. The buyers said in a joint statement that they plan to combine operations of Peter Pan Seafood, which has been in business for over 100 years in Alaska, with Northwest Fish Company’s rapidly growing sales and value-added processing seafood business. “As local owners and operators, we bring strong leadership and a commitment to Alaska. We are excited to be a part of this 100-year-old seafood processing company’s growth, and to combine it with Northwest Fish Co.’s rapidly growing sales and value-added processing seafood business,” they said. “We believe in the value and strength of the Alaska seafood brand and are committed to providing more wild Alaska seafood to consumers,” their statement said.
Meanwhile Maruha Nichiro Corporation, the parent company of Peter Pan Seafoods, issued its own statement regarding the forthcoming sale. According to Maruha Nichiro President Masaru Ikemi, Peter Pan Seafoods has suffered operating losses due to soaring raw fish prices due to intensified competition, high costs due to poor catch of fish and a fall in production. ““The company's financial performance will not be expected to improve as the competition for raw fish materials is expected to intensify in the future, Maruha Nichiro said. “Under these circumstances, the company intends to withdraw from the Alaska salmon business and has reached a contract to sell all PPSF-owned factories, fixed assets and operations.”
For these reasons, he said, Maruha Nichiro has reached a contract to sell all Peter Pan Seafoods owned factories, fixed assets and operations, in a sale to be completed on Dec. 31, 2020.
Northwest Fish Company, led by Rodger May, and McKinley Capital Management LLC in Anchorage, Alaska, said that they have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire assets of Peter Pan Seafoods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Maruha Capital Investments, a subsidiary of the Fortune 500 company Maruha Nichiro Corporation in Japan. The buyers said in a joint statement that they plan to combine operations of Peter Pan Seafood, which has been in business for over 100 years in Alaska, with Northwest Fish Company’s rapidly growing sales and value-added processing seafood business. “As local owners and operators, we bring strong leadership and a commitment to Alaska. We are excited to be a part of this 100-year-old seafood processing company’s growth, and to combine it with Northwest Fish Co.’s rapidly growing sales and value-added processing seafood business,” they said. “We believe in the value and strength of the Alaska seafood brand and are committed to providing more wild Alaska seafood to consumers,” their statement said.
Meanwhile Maruha Nichiro Corporation, the parent company of Peter Pan Seafoods, issued its own statement regarding the forthcoming sale. According to Maruha Nichiro President Masaru Ikemi, Peter Pan Seafoods has suffered operating losses due to soaring raw fish prices due to intensified competition, high costs due to poor catch of fish and a fall in production. ““The company's financial performance will not be expected to improve as the competition for raw fish materials is expected to intensify in the future, Maruha Nichiro said. “Under these circumstances, the company intends to withdraw from the Alaska salmon business and has reached a contract to sell all PPSF-owned factories, fixed assets and operations.”
For these reasons, he said, Maruha Nichiro has reached a contract to sell all Peter Pan Seafoods owned factories, fixed assets and operations, in a sale to be completed on Dec. 31, 2020.
New Study Shows How Prohibited Species Donation Program Feeds America
A new NOAA fisheries study shows how mitigating seafood waste through a bycatch donation program is helping to feed thousands of food insecure Americans.
The study notes how under the Prohibited Species Donation program trawl fishery prohibited species catch that would otherwise be discarded at sea is being donated to hunger relief organizations through the non-profit organization SeaShare, on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
For 26 years SeaShare has worked with the Alaska seafood industry to donate millions of servings of prohibited species catch of salmon and halibut, high quality seafood that would have otherwise been discarded due to prohibition on retention. The PSD program offers an example of how to address food security and social value, an under-represented perspective in the global dialogue on unwanted catches, the report said.
The report was compiled by Jordan Watson of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Juneau, Diana Stram of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage and Jim Harmon, executive director of SeaShare. Historically the focus on waste reduction in fisheries has been on the supply side of the issue, centered mainly on efforts to avoid unwanted catches altogether.
Historically all prohibited species catch in Alaska was discarded at sea to avoid any incentive for trawlers to encounter such species. Federal fisheries managers at length agreed that some of these prohibited finfish need not be banned from human consumption altogether. Now trawl caught salmon and halibut can contribute to the nation’s food security by way of the PSC program which allows for donation of these fish through food banks. Over the past few decades salmon PSC in Alaska has averaged about 200,000 fish annually from an average Pollock catch of more than 1.3 million metric tons of Pollock for the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. In the Bering Sea, Chinook and chum salmon accounted for about 10 percent and 90 percent of salmon PSC respectively from 2011 to 2019.
The study notes that salmon PSC has declined substantially in recent years, likely due to mitigation efforts and regulations that further limit bycatch. Those efforts to reduce bycatch continue at the federal council level, with action on gear modification and rolling hot spot closures, plus other regulatory overhaul efforts. Likewise there are concerns of PSC of halibut, which has prompted regulatory changes regarding bottom trawling, restructuring of target species quotas, gear modifications, deck sorting, intra-cooperative penalty structures, and more. NPFMC members and the National Marine Fisheries Service are working to develop dynamic PSC limits based on halibut abundance to further mitigate the impact to depleted halibut stocks.
Meanwhile, since 2004, SeaShare has distributed over 2,386 metric tons of salmon and 276 metric tons of halibut in portion sized that amount to nearly 23.5 million servings of protein rich seafood. The program is supported by seafood harvesters, processors, transportation firms and others, including the U.S Cost Guard, who donate their services to ensure delivery of the portioned seafood to food banks nationwide, include rural areas of Alaska. More information on the program is online at www.seashare.org.
The study notes how under the Prohibited Species Donation program trawl fishery prohibited species catch that would otherwise be discarded at sea is being donated to hunger relief organizations through the non-profit organization SeaShare, on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
For 26 years SeaShare has worked with the Alaska seafood industry to donate millions of servings of prohibited species catch of salmon and halibut, high quality seafood that would have otherwise been discarded due to prohibition on retention. The PSD program offers an example of how to address food security and social value, an under-represented perspective in the global dialogue on unwanted catches, the report said.
The report was compiled by Jordan Watson of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Juneau, Diana Stram of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in Anchorage and Jim Harmon, executive director of SeaShare. Historically the focus on waste reduction in fisheries has been on the supply side of the issue, centered mainly on efforts to avoid unwanted catches altogether.
Historically all prohibited species catch in Alaska was discarded at sea to avoid any incentive for trawlers to encounter such species. Federal fisheries managers at length agreed that some of these prohibited finfish need not be banned from human consumption altogether. Now trawl caught salmon and halibut can contribute to the nation’s food security by way of the PSC program which allows for donation of these fish through food banks. Over the past few decades salmon PSC in Alaska has averaged about 200,000 fish annually from an average Pollock catch of more than 1.3 million metric tons of Pollock for the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. In the Bering Sea, Chinook and chum salmon accounted for about 10 percent and 90 percent of salmon PSC respectively from 2011 to 2019.
The study notes that salmon PSC has declined substantially in recent years, likely due to mitigation efforts and regulations that further limit bycatch. Those efforts to reduce bycatch continue at the federal council level, with action on gear modification and rolling hot spot closures, plus other regulatory overhaul efforts. Likewise there are concerns of PSC of halibut, which has prompted regulatory changes regarding bottom trawling, restructuring of target species quotas, gear modifications, deck sorting, intra-cooperative penalty structures, and more. NPFMC members and the National Marine Fisheries Service are working to develop dynamic PSC limits based on halibut abundance to further mitigate the impact to depleted halibut stocks.
Meanwhile, since 2004, SeaShare has distributed over 2,386 metric tons of salmon and 276 metric tons of halibut in portion sized that amount to nearly 23.5 million servings of protein rich seafood. The program is supported by seafood harvesters, processors, transportation firms and others, including the U.S Cost Guard, who donate their services to ensure delivery of the portioned seafood to food banks nationwide, include rural areas of Alaska. More information on the program is online at www.seashare.org.
ADF&G Closes Three Commercial Crab Fisheries
for 2021
An analysis of survey data has prompted the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to continue closure of three commercial Tanner crab fisheries in 2021.
ADF&G announced its decision on Tanner crab fisheries in Kodiak, Chignik and South Alaska Peninsula districts during the past week, based on completion of the analysis of 2020 Tanner crab surveys. Fisheries in these districts may occur only when they meet estimated abundance of mature male Tanner crab meets or exceeds abundance thresholds and minimum guideline harvest levels.
No decision has been made yet on whether there will be a Tanner crab fishery in 2021 in Prince William Sound. For Kodiak the mature male abundance thresholds are established in six sections and a minimum of two sections must meet or exceed those requirements. Those sections that meet the criteria must also be sufficient to provide for a GHL of at least 100,000 pounds per section and at least 400,000 pounds total for the entire district. While the Southeast and southwest sections did exceed necessary thresholds for the 2021 season, ADF&G said the fishery would remain closed due to the high exploitation rate on legal males needed to achieve that 400,000 pound district minimum GHL and the potential for high bycatch mortality on sublegal male Tanner crab that may recruit to legal size in the next one to two years.
In the Chignik District, analysis showed that while the district exceeded abundance thresholds, it was below the minimum GHL threshold.
Requirements for the South Peninsula district dictate that before either the eastern or western sections could open for commercial fishing that abundance had to provide for a minimum GHL of 200,000 pounds. With the eastern section below thresholds and the western section exceeding the abundance threshold, but below the minimum GHL threshold, the South Peninsula district also remained closed.
ADF&G announced its decision on Tanner crab fisheries in Kodiak, Chignik and South Alaska Peninsula districts during the past week, based on completion of the analysis of 2020 Tanner crab surveys. Fisheries in these districts may occur only when they meet estimated abundance of mature male Tanner crab meets or exceeds abundance thresholds and minimum guideline harvest levels.
No decision has been made yet on whether there will be a Tanner crab fishery in 2021 in Prince William Sound. For Kodiak the mature male abundance thresholds are established in six sections and a minimum of two sections must meet or exceed those requirements. Those sections that meet the criteria must also be sufficient to provide for a GHL of at least 100,000 pounds per section and at least 400,000 pounds total for the entire district. While the Southeast and southwest sections did exceed necessary thresholds for the 2021 season, ADF&G said the fishery would remain closed due to the high exploitation rate on legal males needed to achieve that 400,000 pound district minimum GHL and the potential for high bycatch mortality on sublegal male Tanner crab that may recruit to legal size in the next one to two years.
In the Chignik District, analysis showed that while the district exceeded abundance thresholds, it was below the minimum GHL threshold.
Requirements for the South Peninsula district dictate that before either the eastern or western sections could open for commercial fishing that abundance had to provide for a minimum GHL of 200,000 pounds. With the eastern section below thresholds and the western section exceeding the abundance threshold, but below the minimum GHL threshold, the South Peninsula district also remained closed.
Hope is Not a Strategy
You all have probably heard that classic interview question, “If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?” I’d like to modify that slightly to “If you were a ship, what kind of ship would you be?” According to my wife, I’m a supertanker. And no, it’s not because I’ve packed on a few extra pounds this year. It’s because nothing seems to push me off course. A supertanker is an incredible machine – super calm on top, doesn’t put out a big wake, but the energy to keep it going is incredible. It takes a pretty big sea to get a super tanker rocking around. A big ship like that doesn’t change course easily, and once it is moving in a certain direction, it takes a lot to stop it. Yep, that’s me. OK, so what’s the point?
There are a lot of issues I guess we are supposed to worry about these days. Election results, COVID 19, the economy, climate change, regional conflicts, polar ice caps melting, etc etc. Seems like a never ending string of bad news. (Of course, good news doesn’t sell newspapers!) However, none of that stuff really occupies much of my time. Why you ask? Am I some sort of insensitive, apathetic fool? I don’t think so. I just choose to focus on the things I can control, and not worry about the things I can’t. It’s pretty much that simple. Yes, I am going to do my part to be a good citizen. I vote and I reach out to my elected officials to voice my opinion. But I am not going to let the negative things around me dominate the little amount of extra brain time I have left at the end of every day.
On the flip side of that coin, hope is a great thing. I love sunsets – my daily reminder that tomorrow is another day, and I get a “do over” on all the things I failed to accomplish today. That hope of tomorrow keeps me going. But one of my maxims in life is “Hope is not a strategy.” I can’t simply hope that COVID goes away next year, or that somehow Congress figures out how to actually work together. I can only plan for what I know and can control and try to mitigate the risks that I can’t control. It’s true in business and it’s true in life. November kicks off my annual ritual of budgeting and planning for next year. Many of you are probably doing the same thing. The crystal ball is especially cloudy this time around, so my decisions are based on the data I have available, mixed in with a little bit of “gut feel” and a touch of both hope and skepticism. Shake well and see what comes out! The point is, we can’t wait for things to improve around us, we have to take action to deal with the present and plan for the future based on what we know and believe right now.
I do see a lot of things to be hopeful for. I’ve talked before about my faith in human ingenuity to deal with whatever problems we encounter. I think most people are good people, and at the end of the day I think people agree on more things about life than they disagree on. The media folks certainly don’t portray that message, but it’s certainly true in my own experiences in talking with folks from all walks of life in the maritime world. So I believe we’re going to be OK. For now, my orders are “steady as she goes, and keep your eyes on the horizon.”
Be safe out there.
You can reach Dave Abrams at dave@maritimepublishing.com
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