Politics
How Republican Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan teamed with a climate-crusading Democrat to pass an ocean cleanup bill Anchorage Daily News by Alex DeMarban - February 24, 2020 An unlikely friendship between a climate change champion from the East Coast and Alaska’s junior U.S. senator paved the way for a bipartisan effort in Congress to begin ridding the ocean of plastic debris. https://www.adn.com/politics/2020/02/23/how-republican-alaska-sen-dan-sullivan-teamed-with-a-climate-crusading-democrat-to-pass-an-ocean-cleanup-bill/ National NOAA Fisheries report: 2018 production down, but value up Seafood Source by Chris Chase - February 21, 2020 NOAA Fisheries has released the “Fisheries of the United States 2018” report, and it indicates that the production of both wild-capture and aquaculture was down in the U.S. in 2018, while the value of both sectors increased. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/supply-trade/noaa-fisheries-report-2018-production-down-but-value-up International Seafood Expo Global Organizers 'Monitoring' Situation After News of Coronavirus Outbreak in Italy Urner Barry by Amanda Buckle - February 25, 2020 Diversified Communications, the organizers of Seafood Expo Global, released an update on Monday after news broke of the coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading in Italy. The country has the highest number of infections outside of Asia. "As Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global is still nine weeks away, we are closely monitoring this evolving situation," the update reads. "We understand there are concerns and questions around the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in relation to the event and would like to reassure you that the health and safety of our exhibitors, attendees and staff are our priority." Seafood Expo Global is set to take place in Belgium at the Brussels Expo from April 21-23. According to Diversified, the coronavirus has not impacted registration, as exhibitors and attendees are still signing up. Last year the event attracted over 29,000 buyers and suppliers from around the globe and across the industry. The 2019 event broke records with 2,020 exhibiting companies from 89 countries. "We are working with the venue and local authorities responsible to assess risks and protocols and following the WHO recommendations on actions to be taken around the COVID-19," the update continues. "Based on their guidance, Diversified Communications will implement the most effective additional preventive measures as necessary." The World Health Organization (WHO) released a situation report on COVID-19 at 10AM CET on February 24. That report states that there are 124 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Italy, 48 of those being new. Of those cases, 3 are said to have likely been exposed to the disease in China. 10 are said to have been exposed within Italy. An additional 111 cases are "under investigation" as to where the transmission occurred. According to WHO's situation report, as of 10AM CET on February 24 there was only one reported case in Belgium. CNN reports that as of Tuesday morning cases of the coronavirus in Italy have jumped to over 280. Cases off the coronavirus in Italy are mainly in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. Italian officials are said to have put restrictions in place for those regions, with a reported 12 towns on lockdown and approximately 100,000 people in quarantine. Meanwhile, a number of tourist attractions and festivals have been canceled. The annual Venice carnival ended a few days earlier than scheduled, Giorgio Armani held its Milan Fashion Week show in an empty theater, and soccer games are reportedly being played in empty stadiums. As of Monday, the European Commission said that the European Union is not planning travel restrictions due to the coronavirus. However, they are "preparing contingency plans." Diversified's Seafood Expo Global show is a couple of weeks after they hold their Seafood Expo North America show in Boston. The company has also been providing updates on their website for attendees of the Boston show. Like the latest update for Seafood Expo Global, Diversified said that they would like to assure Boston attendees that the "health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors and staff are our primary concern and priority." However, they did note that they expect to see an "impact in participation from Mainland China." The show, which is set to run from March 15 – 17 this year, attracted more than 22,000 seafood industry professionals in 2019. Based on their stats, China represents about 5% of the combined visitor and exhibitor attendee base, as well as 9% of the exhibit space. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1164848/Seafood-Expo-Global-Organizers-Monitoring-Situation-After-News-of-Coronavirus-Outbreak-in-Italy Environment/Science Alaska's Marine Ecosystem Experienced 'Sudden and Dramatic Shift' Due to Climate Change, Say Scientists Newsweek by Rosie McCall - February 24, 2020 Environmental changes linked to climate change are having a swift and possibly irreversible effect on Alaska's marine environment, say scientists. https://www.newsweek.com/alaska-marine-ecosystem-shift-climate-change-scientists-1488753
Ann Owens Pacific Seafood Processors Association Office Manager 1900 W Emerson Place Suite 205, Seattle, WA 98119 Phone: 206.281.1667 E-mail: admin@pspafish.net; Website: www.pspafish.net Our office days/hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. *Inclusion of a news article, report, or other document in this email does not imply PSPA support or endorsement of the information or opinion expressed in the document.