Friday, December 4, 2020

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Please consider SeaShare in your end of year donation plans: SeaShare’s seafood partners are working harder than ever to keep markets supplied, shelves filled, and families fed. Despite all the challenges, these same partners — fishermen, processors, distributors, and others — have donated over 7 million seafood servings to food banks across the country so far this year. Our collective response to the unprecedented need has been incredible. Together we are supplying the best protein to families who can really use a good meal. Please consider donations to SeaShare as you finalize your end-of-year donation plans. Just $1 helps provide 8 servings of seafood to hungry neighbors nationwide. We at PSPA and SeaShare hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!

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Alaska Juneau salmon hatchery forced to destroy fish because of landslide damage KTOO by Adelyn Baxter - December 3, 2020 One of the largest salmon hatcheries in the state was forced to destroy thousands of fish after a landslide Wednesday damaged a pipeline that supplies its water. https://www.alaskapublic.org/2020/12/03/juneau-salmon-hatchery-forced-to-destroy-fish-because-of-landslide-damage/ Southeast Alaska organization asks the governor to declare a region-wide economic disaster Alaska's News Source by Sean Maguire - December 1, 2020 JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) - An organization representing Southeast Alaska communities is asking that the governor declare a region-wide economic disaster due to the loss of the 2020 cruise ship season and “the collapse” of the salmon fishing season. https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2020/12/02/southeast-alaska-organization-asks-the-governor-to-declare-a-region-wide-economic-disaster/ National Reaction to COVID-19 relief bill mixed as restaurants close doors Seafood Source by Christine Blank - December 3, 2020 Restaurant organizations are reacting both positively and negatively to a new USD 908 billion (EUR 751 billion) COVID-19 relief bill proposed by a group of U.S. legislators. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/foodservice-retail/reaction-to-covid-19-relief-bill-mixed-as-restaurants-close-doors REPORT: Only $16.5 Million in CARES Act Funding Disbursed to Fishery Participants As of October 23 Urner Barry by Amanda Buckle - December 2, 2020 In May 2020 Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the allocation of $300 million in fisheries assistance funding provided by Sec. 12005 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act. We’re less a month away from 2021 … so the funds have all been dispersed, right? Not quite. According to a recent report released by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), as of October 23, only about $16.5 million of the $300 million has been disbursed. The CARES Act authorizes the Department of Commerce to provide assistance to eligible tribal, subsistence, commercial and charter fishery participants who have been affected by COVID-19. NOAA turned to their partners—the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission—to disburse the funds. However, before they could begin the payouts, the commissions had to work with the states, tribes and territories to develop spend plans for NOAA’s approval. As of September 30, NOAA had received 23 of the 30 plans that they expected to receive from states and territories. Of those 23 plans, 12 had been approved and the remaining 11 were under review. As for tribal spend plans, NOAA received 30 of the 30 expected spend plans, and as of September 30 were still reviewing them. Once plans are reviewed and approved, the states, tribes and territories are allowed to begin accepting applications. The applications must then be reviewed to see if the applicant meets the criteria. The interstate marine fisheries commission is then supposed to disburse the appropriate amount of funding directly to the fishery participant. NOAA’s office reported to GAO that as of October 23, about $16.5 million had been disbursed to fishery participants. “NOAA officials reported there is not a set schedule for disbursing funds to fishery participants,” the GAO report explains. “They said it takes time to review the associated spend plans to ensure they are in compliance with the CARES Act and for states, territories, and tribes to implement these plans.” Looking specifically at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, which is coordinating the spend plan approvals and assistance for Alaska ($50 million), Washington ($50 million), Oregon (15.98 million), California ($18.35 million), Hawaii ($4.34 million), American Samoa ($2.55 million), Guam ($1 million), Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ($1 million), Federally Recognized Tribes in Alaska ($1 million), and Federally Recognized Tribes on the West Coast ($5.1 million), as of November 24, applications for Alaska, Washington and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands are still not available. "Applications will become available once spend plans have been submitted by the respective State/US territory and approved by NOAA Grants Office," the PSMFC says on the page containing all CARES Act updates. However, California fishermen and processors have already received CARES Act checks. Oregon's spend plan was approved early, but no checks have been disbursed yet due to a prevalence of errors or omission of information on applications and is taking longer to resolve than originally planned. The Commission expects the industry will get checks before the end of December. Both Hawaii and Guam spend plans were approved and the industry application period expired in November. American Samoa's spend plan also was approved industry participants have until Dec. 11 to apply. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is coordinating the spend plan approvals and assistance for Maine ($20.15 million), New Hampshire ($2.7 million), Massachusetts ($27.8 million), Rhode Island ($3.3 million), New York ($6.7 million), New Jersey ($11.25 million), Pennsylvania ($3.34 million), Connecticut ($1.8 million), Delaware ($1 million), Maryland ($4.1 million), Virginia ($4.5 million), North Carolina ($5.4 million), South Carolina ($1.5 million), Georgia ($1.9 million), and Florida ($23.6 million). According to the Commission, spend plans for Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida have all been approved. However, they are all in different stages of accepting applications and distributing funds. For example, New York just began accepting applications on December 1 and have until September 2021 to disburse all the funds. Meanwhile, Texas ($9.23 million), Louisiana ($14.8 millon), Mississippi ($1.5 million) and Alabama ($3.3 million) developed their own spend plans. The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission will distribute those funds, but like the other states mentioned above, they are all in different stages. Louisiana and Alabama both began accepting applications in September, while Mississippi began accepting applications in November. You can read more on “Assistance for Fishery Participants” in GAO’s Report here. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1186502/REPORT-Only-16-point-5-Million-in-CARES-Act-Funding-Disbursed-to-Fishery-Participants-As-of-October-23 FYI’s Giving it all away: Our Salmon Sisters contest winners National Fisherman by Jessica Hathaway - December 3, 2020 Expo Online wrapped the week before Thanksgiving, but we're still giving out thank-yous to everyone who made it a great event this year. https://www.nationalfisherman.com/national-international/giving-it-all-away-our-salmon-sisters-contest-winners Diversified Sets July 2021 Date For Seafood Expo North America Urner Barry by Amanda Buckle - December 4, 2020 Save the date! Seafood Expo North America has been rescheduled from March 14, 2021 to July 11, 2021. Diversified had announced in November that they would be postponing the 2021 edition of Seafood Expo North America due to the ongoing public health and safety issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “We have been closely monitoring the world health situation, government regulations and travel restrictions while carefully considering the concerns that have been addressed to us by customers and attendees,” Diversified Group VP Liz Plizga said in a statement at the time. “It has become evident that it was necessary to reschedule these events.” Now, attendees can count on the event beginning Sunday, July 11 and ending Tuesday, July 13. “While the summer is an untraditional time of the year for this event, we are pleased to have been able to find new dates in 2021 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center that will allow our seafood community to gather once again,” Plizga said in today’s announcement. “We had conversations with seafood buyers and industry professionals who have expressed the need to reconnect and are eager to meet in-person in July.” While the event will be moved from March to July, attendees can still participate in a virtual conference from Diversified, which is being dubbed “Reconnect.” The virtual conference will feature live and pre-recorded educational sessions with the goal of providing insights on emerging market trends and topics that are relevant to today’s evolving seafood business environment. Diversified previously announced that Seafood Expo Global, which is usually held in April, will now be taking place from September 7-9, 2021. This is the first year that the event will be taking place in Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1186627/Diversified-Sets-July-2021-Date-For-Seafood-Expo-North-America Opinion Editorials: Salmon-rich Bristol Bay deserves permanent protection Seattle Times by The Seattle Times editorial board - December 1, 2020 After the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision last week to reject a key permit for Alaska’s proposed Pebble Mine, it’s clear that federal protection is now needed to permanently preserve this uniquely valuable resource. The project threatened too much destruction to the immense salmon runs of Bristol Bay. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/salmon-rich-bristol-bay-deserves-permanent-protection/

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