Friday, March 24, 2023

Alaska No commercial harvest anticipated for Togiak herring Cordova Times by By Margaret Bauman - March 24, 2023 State fisheries biologists have issued a guideline harvest level (GHL) of 57,419 tons of fish for the Togiak herring fishery, but with no processors indicating an intention to harvest in that area, there will be no commercial fishery there this year. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2023/03/24/no-commercial-harvest-anticipated-for-togiak-herring/ National FDA Breaks Down New Approach to Seafood Import Safety in New Report Urner Barry by Ryan Doyle - March 22, 2023 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) debuted its 'Activities for the Safety of Imported Seafood' report on March 21. The new report shares the approach the FDA has taken to ensure imported seafood meets food safety requirements and the standards of domestically produced seafood. It shows how the FDA is augmenting existing oversight tools with improved technology and processes. “The safety of imported seafood, particularly shrimp, the most consumed type of seafood in the U.S., has garnered the attention of Congress and industry, among other stakeholders,” the FDA wrote in its constituent update. Unsurprisingly, the safety of seafood has garnered more attention because roughly 94% of the volume of domestic seafood comes from other countries. The FDA cited federal data showing the U.S. brings in seafood from over 144 countries/territories and about 10,000 exporting food facilities, along with aquaculture farms. Back in 2019, the FDA released its strategy for the Safety of Imported Food (Import Strategy) and described its approach to imported food safety with the following four goals in mind: 1. Help ensure that imported seafood meets U.S. safety standards by optimizing inspections, ensuring that processors and importers are meeting specific requirements for fish and fishery products, utilizing the results of reliable food safety audits, leveraging the oversight efforts of foreign regulators, and facilitating training and awareness of the FDA’s seafood safety requirements. 2. Strengthen the FDA’s surveillance at the border to intercept unsafe seafood. A key element of this work involves the use of predictive analytics for import screening and includes a pilot program using artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning, to improve the targeting of unsafe seafood at the border. 3. Respond rapidly and effectively to unsafe imported seafood. Actions the FDA is taking include the efforts of the Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation network, the Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan, the Prevention Strategies, and the Food Traceability Final Rule and communications with states utilizing networks such as the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Program. 4. Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the seafood import program by developing a global inventory of seafood facilities and aquaculture farms and developing new metrics to measure success. Now, the brand new ‘Activities for the Safety of Imported Seafood’ shows how the FDA uses its regulations, programs and technology to support the four goals as it relates to seafood. “These include proactively engaging and establishing partnerships with FDA regulatory counterparts in countries that export seafood to the United States; exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically Machine Learning (ML), to strengthen predictive analytics; and developing new tools that leverage technology such as geographic information system (GIS) to provide spatial intelligence about potential seafood hazards,” the FDA wrote. The National Fisheries Institute's President and CEO Lisa Wallenda Picard released the following statement regarding the report: "The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) newly released report, “Activities for the Safety of Imported Seafood,” illustrates a continued commitment to seafood safety. The report outlines a comprehensive approach that takes advantage of “smarter, more efficient technologies and processes” to enhance an already effective system. "FDA’s work doesn’t simply rely on optimized inspections, it strengthens surveillance, improves predictive analytics, and even includes a pilot program using artificial intelligence. In fact, the bulk of the agency’s work is focused on prevention. Imported seafood is required to meet the same safety standards as seafood produced in this country and this work demonstrates how that is achieved. "This report shows FDA understands food safety needs are ever evolving and its work to meet those challenges is too." Dive deeper into the report here. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1248847/FDA-Breaks-Down-New-Approach-to-Seafood-Import-Safety-in-New-Report Environment/Science Changing salmon hatchery release practices can improve survival rates: B.C. study More than five billion juvenile salmon are released from hatcheries into the North Pacific Ocean each year, with about six per cent coming from B.C. and Yukon. The Canadian Press by Brenna Owen - March 24, 2023 A first-of-its kind study in British Columbia suggests salmon hatcheries could improve survival rates by optimizing the weight of the juvenile fish and the timing of their release. https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/changing-salmon-hatchery-release-practices-can-improve-survival-rates-b-c-study Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by Pot Catcher/Processors in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 03/24/2023 NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for Pacific cod by catcher/processors using pot gear in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season apportionment of the 2023 Pacific cod total allowable catch (TAC) allocated to catcher/processors using pot gear in the BSAI. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/24/2023-06156/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-pacific-cod-by-pot-catcherprocessors-in-the Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in Statistical Area 620 in the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 03/23/2023 NMFS is prohibiting directed fishing for pollock in Statistical Area 620 in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the A season allowance of the 2023 total allowable catch of pollock for Statistical Area 620 in the GOA. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/23/2023-05998/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-pollock-in-statistical-area-620-in-the-gulf-of Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pollock in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 03/23/2023 NMFS is reallocating the projected unused amounts of the Aleut Corporation's and the Community Development Quota (CDQ) pollock directed fishing allowance (DFA) from the Aleutian Islands subarea to the Bering Sea subarea. This action is necessary to provide the opportunity for the harvest of the 2023 total allowable catch of pollock, consistent with the goals and objectives of the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area (BSAI). https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/23/2023-06021/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-reallocation-of-pollock-in-the-bering-sea-and FYI’s Coast Guard Cutter Munro completes 10,000-mile Alaska mission Cordova Times - March 24, 2023 Coast Guard officials said the Cutter Munro returned to Alameda, California in early March, following a 105-day, 10,000-mile Alaska patrol, during which its crew served as the primary search and rescue (SAR) asset in the Bering Sea. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2023/03/24/coast-guard-cutter-munro-completes-10000-mile-alaska-mission/ Kodiak kids get a hands-on science lesson at ComFish dissection KMXT by Brian Venua - March 23, 2023 The salmon shark dissection was a fan favorite event at Kodiak’s commercial fishing trade show, ComFish. It started before that at Kodiak’s Whale Fest when it was led by longtime Kodiak resident Gil Bane. This year, the dissection returned after a pandemic-induced hiatus. No sharks were available for last weekend’s event, so organizers used an inky alternative instead. https://kmxt.org/2023/03/kodiak-kids-get-a-hands-on-science-lesson-as-comfish-dissection-returns-after-a-pandemic-hiatus/ Pacific Seafood Processors Association 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.