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Prayer Requests:
For the repose of the soul of Martha Broussard Thomas, wife of Archie Thomas, former Director for the Lake Charles Stella Maris Seafarers' Center in Lake Charles, LA. Our prayers go out to her family and to our friends in Lake Charles. ObituaryFor Fr. James Watzke, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Member, who recently had heart surgery. He appreciates your prayers for full healing. For Fr. Michael Austin, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest Member who is dealing with debilitating back issues which are not able to be treated. For Rose Patronella, long-time AOS Diocese of Beaumont volunteer and volunteer with the Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center. Rose recently had surgery and appreciates your prayers for full recovery. For Fr. William Reynolds, AOS-USA Vice-President, and Cruise Ship Priest Member who was recently hospitalized for a particularly difficult case of diverticulitis. He is home and mending now, but appreciates your prayers for full healing. For Fr. Don Donahue, brother of AOS-USA Member, Mary Mulkay who is struggling with health issues. Please keep him in prayers for full healing! For all seafarers who are just starting their careers, especially those who are struggling to find work in the current economic climate.
Prayer of St. Basil of
Caesarea (ca. 330-379)
(Thanks to Msgr. John Pollard for sharing this one with us!)
Steer the ship of my life, Lord, to your quiet harbor, where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can see the right direction in which I should go. And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course, even when the sea is rough and the waves are high, knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name we shall find comfort and peace.
A Seafarers' Prayer
O God, I ask you to take me into your care and protection along with all those who sail ships. Make me alert and wise in my duties. Make me faithful in the time of routine, and prompt to decide and courageous to act in any time of crisis. Protect me in the dangers and perils of the sea; and even in the storm, grant that there may be peace and calm within my heart. When I am far from home and far from loved ones and far from the country that I know, help me to be quite sure that, wherever I am, I can never drift beyond your love and care. Take care of my loved ones in the days and weeks and months when I am separated from them, sometimes with half the world between them and me. Keep me true to them and keep them true to me, and every time that we have to part, bring us together in safety and in loyalty again. This I ask for your love's sake. -Amen-
AOS PRAYER
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy upon all Seafarers.
(1 Our Father)
(Hail Mary)
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, pray for us.
St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
Lord save us,
or we perish.
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Join AOS USA Today!
To join AOS USA simply click on the following link:
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AOS/USCCB Website:
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. (Psalm 107:23-24)
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WORLD FISHERIES DAYNOVEMBER 21, 2015 By: Capt. Pietro Parravano AOS-USA Fishing Representative to the Administrative Board.
Dear Friends, Here we are! A special day to celebrate fisheries and fishermen on November 21. As each year passes, we increase our appreciation and reasons for celebrating this occurrence. Each year brings us news, good or bad, about the fisheries in the vast oceans. This occasion offers us a time to celebrate and reflect on our involvement and responsibility with the fish resources and with the people that bring us the bounty of the oceans. The origin of World Fisheries Day was on the same day that an international fishermen's organization was formed in New Dehli, India. The World Fisheries Forum (WFF) was established on November 21, 1997. On that day, fishing representatives from 18 countries signed a declaration advocating for a global mandate of sustainable fishing practices and policies. The creation of WFF was founded on the common principles of sustaining the fishing communities, sustaining the fisheries, social justice, and preserving the cultural history of fish harvesters and fish workers. The two representatives from the United States were Angela Sanfilippo and myself. Angela is the executive director of the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives located in Gloucester, MA. Also in attendance was Chandrika Sharma. Chandrika attended this historic event as a representative of the International Collective in Support of Fish Workers located in Chennai, India. Unfortunately, she was a passenger on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which crashed on March 8, 2014. Pope Francis has reinforced the importance of World Fisheries Day with his encyclical Laudato Si. He calls attention to the world's oceans, identifying them as "our common home." He cites the increasing amount of plastic waste, the pollution from runoff of land based activities creating 'dead zones' where marine life cannot exist. He writes: "Underground water sources in many places are threatened by the pollution produced in certain mining, farming and industrial activities, especially in countries lacking adequate regulation or controls. It is not only a question of industrial waste. Detergents and chemical products, commonly used in many places of the world, continue to pour into our rivers, lakes and seas." He also identifies bycatch, the incidental catch of non-target species; and destructive fishing practices, as threats to the productivity of the oceans. He writes: "Marine life in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, which feeds a great part of the world's population, is affected by uncontrolled fishing, leading to a drastic depletion of certain species. Selective forms of fishing which discard much of what they collect continue unabated. Particularly threatened are marine organisms which we tend to overlook, like some forms of plankton; they represent a significant element in the ocean food chain, and species used for our food ultimately depend on them." The Vatican has issued an announcement for World Fisheries Day 2015. Cardinal Vegliò, President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants, wrote the announcement and draws attention to the core principles of World Fisheries Day. An important mechanism for creating awareness of the fisheries and oceans is through education. Two examples of these accomplishments are Camp Seaport located in Port Arthur, Texas. This camp is operated by Texas Sea Grant and the Port of Port Arthur. It provides a comprehensive list of classes in maritime education for high school students. I am happy to say that the Apostleship of the Sea - Diocese of Beaumont, and the Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center are both integral allies of Camp Seaport. Another example is administered through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA provides a multitude array of programs using outreach and education that further our understanding and awareness of the marine resources and marine related professions. In this document from NOAA, you can read more about Camp Seaport and the other activities of NOAA. NOAA Education Accomplishments Report Fiscal Year 2014 Unfortunately, as I mentioned, we do have bad news. This year we have seen and heard about the inhumane treatment of fishermen aboard fishing vessels. This topic has captured all of us. Many countries and organizations have aggressively addressed this sad documentary of abuse. Our organization, AOS-USA, has issued a proclamation denouncing this activity. The Vatican has issued a statement asking seafood companies and consumers to be more conscious not only of the quality of the seafood that they are buying but also of the labor conditions of those in the fishing industry. Governments have taken on aggressive actions to eliminate these inhumane working conditions. Seafood companies are advocating for social justice and refusing to sell products from fishing vessels that are abusing their crew. With each World Fisheries Day, we have more insight into fishing, fishermen and their families, coastal communities, the conditions of the oceans and the status of the fish stocks. We become closer to sources of food, professions, religion and principles. We understand why sustainable fishing is a food security issue as well as an environmental issue. In a sense, World Fisheries Day is our way of thinking globally, celebrating the same day, and acting locally as we reach out to our communities through local events. As fishermen we send a message to our communities, to our nations and to the world that we're here, we're proud and why we matter.
An international organization of fishermen, WFF, organized in New Dehli on November 21, 1997 to show unity, pride and solidarity. On that day, we started World Fisheries Day and we continue that celebration. All of us have more reasons to celebrate and to be thankful for the goodness that the Oceans give us. Pietro Parravano Chair, Fishing Committee Apostleship of the Sea of the USA November 21, 2015
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Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care
of Migrants and Itinerant People
World Fisheries Day Message
(21th November 2015)
World Fisheries Day was established in 1998 and is celebrated each year on November 21 to draw attention to overfishing, habitat destruction and other serious threats to the sustainability of our marine resources. Pope Francis in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Sì: on care for our common home, reminds us how important is to safeguard the source of food for a great part of humanity and of employment opportunities for over 50 million people worldwide: "Oceans not only contain the bulk of our planet's water supply, but also most of the immense variety of living creatures, many of them still unknown to us and threatened for various reasons. What is more, marine life in rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, which feeds a great part of the world's population, is affected by uncontrolled fishing, leading to a drastic depletion of certain species. Selective forms of fishing which discard much of what they collect continue unabated. Particularly threatened are marine organisms which we tend to overlook, like some forms of plankton; they represent a significant element in the ocean food chain, and species used for our food ultimately depend on them (No. 40)."
We remain concerned and continue to work for the preservation of the marine ecosystem, even by recognizing the importance of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries adopted twenty years ago by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference. When implemented the Code of Conduct will lead to an improved and sustainable economic, social and environmental contribution of the fisheries sector.
However, in this special day we would like to focus our attention on the fishers and their families who every day with great sacrifices work to satisfy the unquenchable appetite for fish around the world.
We are all aware that fisheries is one of the most complex and vast industry and also one of the most difficult and dangerous profession in the world.
In recent months, because of the number of tragic happenings especially in South East Asia, the issues of trafficking, forced labor, exploitation and abuses of fishers have been reported in several mass media but sadly this did not attract much of attention and interest from the people in general.
The illegal recruitment and smuggling/trafficking of people with the intention of employing them for forced labor on board of fishing vessels are practices still widely used to trap poor and uneducated people from rural areas of developing countries.
Fake and illegal contracts or simple pieces of papers without any legal value stating the working conditions and the ludicrous salary that the fishers receive for working long hours, are legitimizing their slave condition.
Occupational accidents, permanent injuries without any compensation and sudden death or disappearance at sea are the nightmares in which many young people and families found themselves while trying to improve their miserable life with a work on board of a fishing vessel.
This dramatic situation in which thousands of fishers are trapped, is caused by the logic of profit that drives many fishing companies owners and companies aiming at higher gain in the distribution of their seafood products.
Knowing this reality we cannot remain indifferent and using the words of Pope Francis, we would like to denounce that working in fishing is often: "... the tragedy of work exploitation and of living under inhumane conditions. It's not work that gives dignity. Every community must fight against the cancer of corruption, the cancer of human and work exploitation. Against the poison of that which is illegal." (Cathedral of Prato, 10th November 2015)
In order to restore the dignity in the work of fisheries, it is necessary that all the different social forces join hands, everyone fulfilling its specific responsibilities.
We request the Flag States, Port Authorities, Coast Guard and the proper authorities in charge of maritime affairs to strengthen their control in the implementation of all the relevant national and international laws and Conventions to protect the human and labor rights of the fishers.
We call on seafood companies to implement due diligence by applying strict guidelines/policies that will eliminate human and labor exploitation in their supply chains.
We appeal to the consumers to be vigilant and more conscious not only of the quality of the seafood that they are buying but also of the human and labor conditions of the fishers.
We invite the maritime NGO's to lobbying the Member States of ILO that have adopted the Work in Fishing Convention, 2007 (No. 188) to ratify it in order to guarantee a safe working environment and better welfare provisions for the fishers.
We encourage the Chaplains and volunteers of the Apostleship of the Sea to continue their pastoral ministry for fishers and their families offering material and spiritual support especially to the victims of forced labor and human trafficking in the fishing industry.
May Mary Stella Maris continue to be the source of strength and protection to all the fishers and their families.
Antonio Maria Card. Vegliò
President
X Joseph Kalathiparambil
Secretary
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President Obama Signs in New Illegal Fishing Rules
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
6 November 2015
U.S. President Barack Obama has signed the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act, marking another step in the Administration's efforts to combat IUU fishing and seafood fraud.
The bi-partisan legislation includes a number of provisions preventing illegally harvested fish from entering the United States and supports efforts to achieve sustainable fisheries around the world.
Implementation of the agreement was the first recommendation of the IUU Action Plan, released in March by the President's Task Force on Combatting IUU and Seafood Fraud, an interagency group co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State.
The U.S. will now join a global effort to ratify and implement the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), which will prevent vessels carrying fish caught illegally from entering U.S. ports and keep illegal product out of U.S. markets. So, far 13 other nations that have already ratified the PSMA which will be legally binding once a total of 25 countries have ratified it.
The United States has already implemented most of the measures outlined in the PSMA domestically, and this formal ratification provides the United States additional leverage to encourage ratification and adoption of these measures by other countries so that it will apply to ports around the world.
In addition, the measure will allow the United States to ratify the Antigua Convention and fully participate in the work of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, which manages tunas and other highly migratory species in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The Task Force has also recommended strengthening domestic enforcement authorities to address illegal fish and fish products that have already entered the U.S. supply chain.
Currently, U.S. fisheries law focuses on at-sea or dockside enforcement of domestic fishing operations and does not provide the tools needed to address imported seafood and fishing violations. As identified by the Task Force public comment process, these are crucial gaps in federal authorities that prevent agencies from monitoring all of the seafood supply chain and fully protecting law-abiding U.S. fishermen and consumers.
"Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing undermines both the economic and environmental sustainability of our nation's fisheries," said Dr Kathryn Sullivan, Under-Secretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
"Combatting IUU fishing and seafood fraud is critical to sustaining the resilience of our global ocean fisheries, to leveling the playing field for the United States fishing and seafood industries and to protecting the United States' reputation as a leader in sustainable seafood."
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High costs of doing business and plummeting shrimp prices could force some of the nearly 160 Gulf shrimpers with boats in Sabine Pass to hang up their nets for good, according to a local expert.
Many blame imports, which make up more than 90 percent of the shrimp market in the United States. Last year, imports rose by 143 million pounds and are up another 2 percent in 2015.
Father Sinclair Oubre, a Catholic priest and treasurer of the Port Arthur Shrimp Association, said it's the local family-owned shrimp outfits that are getting hit the hardest.
"These boats are owned by local folks in the community" Oubre said. "It's not like a consortium or a multinational"
While driven to the brink, shrimpers in Texas also are driven to anger by the indifference of American consumers.
"In those restaurants, people will be watching our boats come in while being served shrimp from halfway around the world that are fed antibiotics to keep them alive," said shrimper Dwayne Harrison, who frequently drops nets in the Houston Ship Channel.
The 65-cents-a-pound Harrison was getting last week for small, head-on wild shrimp is one-third the price of a year ago and less than his catch brought in 1998, the year he bought his 50-foot vessel, Angel Lady.
Foreign competition and the rise of aquaculture to fill the world's seafood needs are familiar issues. But illegal antibiotics in farm-raised Asian shrimp is a lesser-known story, one that Gulf shrimpers have begun telling.
Food and Drug Administration records suggest they have reason to sound warnings.
In August, FDA inspectors set a monthly record by refusing 72 shipments of shrimp, much of it from Malaysia, that either tested positive for antibiotics or lacked evidence of being drug free. Most of the shrimp was turned away from the agency's Southwest Import District, which includes Texas ports.
Through October, the FDA has refused 377 separate shrimp entries - from large containers to small packages - citing antibiotics or veterinary drug residues. In all of 2014, the agency turned away 208 shrimp shipments due to illegal drug residues, and that was nearly four times the refusals of a year before.
The FDA actions acknowledge the worrisome fact that antibiotics relied on for decades are becoming ineffective because of overuse in human health care and indiscriminate use in farming. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 2 million people a year contract serious infections that don't respond to antibiotics and that at least 23,000 die.
Few shipments tested
In foreign aquaculture, some operators persist in giving shrimp hatchlings feed laced with antibiotics that are prohibited in the United States. They do so to strengthen their immune systems against bacterial diseases. No antibiotics are approved for shrimp farming in the United States.
The discoveries raise questions about whether the speed of global trade has outpaced the ability to keep food safe. Some in the domestic seafood industry contend that the pending 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement could make it even more difficult for regulators to do their jobs.
The FDA has been criticized over the years for lack of attention to antibiotics. The uptick in refusals suggests that the agency may be getting more vigilant at the borders.
Even so, the FDA inspected just 3.7 percent of 110,000 shrimp shipments last year and tested far less than that in a monitoring system that focuses on risk.
What's more, the FDA, citing lack of resources, is ignoring a 2011 law ordering inspections of thousands of foreign food plants.
For Texas shrimpers enduring one of the hardest seasons in memory, the hit-and-miss regulatory system is another vexing reality. In interviews, several said they're convinced that ships turned away for contamination seek out other ports to bring in their wares.
"It doesn't look like they (the FDA) are doing anything" said Harrison, who dodged a tanker and barges during a fruitless day on the water.
Studies raise questions
In April, Consumer Reports disclosed finding antibiotic residues in about 5 percent of imported shrimp purchased at some 300 groceries, big box stores and even at "natural" retail outlets across the country. Tests also found bacteria, including Vibrio, which can cause serious illness.
"The FDA can't be catching all the illegal products on the market when it comes to shrimp and antibiotic residues," Urvashi Rangan, Consumer Reports' director of consumer safety, said in an interview.
After publishing its findings, Consumer Reports made recommendations to top FDA officials, noting that antibiotics in shrimp were especially concerning. The magazine never heard back.
Shrimpers like to say that consumers have no clue what they're getting, no matter what labels and menus say. DNA tests by the advocacy group Oceana last year bear out those concerns. Oceana found that 35 percent of shrimp tested nationwide was misrepresented, a level of mislabeling that rose to 41 percent in groceries.
In a common deception, farmed shrimp, largely from Asia, was sold as Gulf shrimp or simply labeled "wild"
Even in the Gulf region, home to America's biggest shrimp fishery, genetic tests on dozens of shrimp products in nine cities - including Galveston - showed 30 percent were misrepresented.
Scientists found imported shrimp not listed on the FDA's list of 1,842 species of seafood consumed in the United States and shrimp with unrecognized genetic makeup. Tests on a bag of salad-sized shrimp imported from Vietnam sold at a Gulf grocery showed banded cleaner shrimp, aquarium pets not intended as food.
"When you find out it's your own local seafood involved in this bait-and-switch, it wakes people up," Kimberly Warner, Oceana's senior scientist, said in an interview.
Plenty of shrimp
In Texas, shrimpers say they're falling behind even while catching more.
In September, Texas vessels landed 6.1 million pounds, 600,000 pounds more than September of last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported. For the year, the catch in Texas is 8 million pounds more than at this time in 2014, attributed to abundant spring rains that moved shrimp from bays and estuaries into the Gulf.
The bigger catch in Texas, it turns out, almost exactly matches the decline in Louisiana from a year ago.
That hasn't made up for abysmal prices shrimpers are getting across the Gulf - one-third lower than a year ago for large shrimp and half the price for medium-sized.
Fewer vessels than a decade ago are chasing the crustaceans.
Andrea Hance, executive director of the Texas Shrimp Association, said the number of permits across the Gulf had shrunk from 5,000 in the early 2000s to about 1,400. Of those, roughly 1,100 are operating, she said.
Hance, who operates two vessels out of Brownsville, said the catch had tailed off after early fall successes. But the price she got last week for her large brown shrimp had ticked up to $3.25 a pound, albeit about half of what it was a year ago. Overall, imports were down 6.5 percent in September, a hopeful sign for the Texas industry.
Shrimpers' challenge, she said, is saving money to withstand times like these and expensive repairs - like the new $25,000 freezer on one of her trawlers.
"One of these years, the sun, the moon and stars will align and we all will make some money" she said.
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Courtesy: NOAA & Texas Sea Grant
By: Cindie Powell, Texas Sea Grant
1 October 2015
(Editor's Note: We have been privileged to work with Gary Graham for several years now, through our work with the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers' Association and the Apostleship of the Sea Diocese of Beaumont. Gary is one of those people that local fishermen know, trust and respect, and we are so pleased that Sea Grant and NOAA are putting this spotlight on him and his work. He is a true advocate for fishermen!)
Gary Graham, Texas Sea Grant's Marine Fisheries Specialist, has worked with the shrimp fishery for 45 years. Much of his current work focuses on efforts to reduce bycatch, unwanted species caught during commercial fishing, throughout the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern U.S. shrimp fleet. In 2014, he received the Gene Raffield Humanitarian Award from the Southeast Fisheries Association for his devotion to educating commercial fishermen, demonstration of leadership, and support of fishing communities.
It's National Seafood Month, what is one thing everyone needs to know about local seafood?
It's sustainable. We're managing our seafood industry - it has oversight from a number of regulatory agencies, and sustainability is a very important priority for the fishermen - so that we continue to have a consistent supply of seafood.
What is something cool you learned while working on local fisheries?
I've noticed through the years that not only can academia help the fishermen, fishermen can educate academia. It's a two-way flow, and I think it's really cool that through Sea Grant's work we have the ability to bring those two groups together to interact.
What drove you to work on local fisheries?
I worked my way through college by fishing on a shrimp boat during the summer months, and that got me interested in fisheries. I developed a passion for it, and that led me to where I am now.
How did you get involved with Sea Grant? When did you join Sea Grant?
I was working in fisheries when Texas A&M was looking for someone who had experience and had a degree. They offered me a low-level job in 1970 and I worked my way up.
What is your favorite part about being a Sea Grant Extension specialist?
Helping people. It's just that simple. Interacting with people and helping them, that's the heart of Sea Grant.
What is the biggest challenge you face at your job?
The outreach part of Sea Grant was patterned after cooperative extension, taking research to agriculture to support them. For Sea Grant, the concept was "county agents in hip boots." Where we really differ is that I work with "farmers" who stay on their tractors for 45 days at a time, 24/7, so I had to reformulate some of the outreach approaches. When you work with people who are out on the water for that long, you have to come up with unique ways to reach them, you have to go to the waterfront where they are to work with them.
When did you know you wanted to pursue a career in science?
I had a great high school biology professor. He was a great teacher and made it so interesting.
What part of your job did you least expect to be doing?
From when I started in 1970 to now, I never thought I would be spending this amount of effort on sea turtle conservation. I never knew it was going to be an issue in the early days. It's important, but I just didn't expect it.
What's at the top of your recommended reading list for someone wanting to explore a career in science?
Aldo Leopold's "A Sand County Almanac" and Charles Darwin's "The Voyage of the Beagle."
And how about a personal favorite book?
Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea." I love it, I've read it to my kids, and I'm just waiting for my grandkids to be old enough to read it to them. My kids called me Santiago when they were little and we went fishing.
Do you have an outside hobby?
My hobbies are all outdoors: fishing, hunting and hiking.
What surprised you most about working at Sea Grant?
I would have never guessed 45 years ago that so much emphasis would be placed on climate change. It was not on the radar, and I never would have thought that would be an issue.
What are the biggest changes you've seen in fisheries in your 45 years at Sea Grant?
The biggest change has been in fisheries management. When I first started, there were good state regulations to control the different fisheries, but it became federal with passage of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. That was a huge change with so many implications. I witnessed Cuban vessels fishing in the shrimp fleet off the Texas coast before Magnuson-Stevens; when we went to a 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone, that impacted the shrimp industry because so many of them were fishing foreign waters. It had a huge influence on the vessels that came to the U.S. Along with that came new regimes of management, like the fisheries management councils, and more interest from groups like NGOs and environmental groups. The landscape is completely different from what it was 45 years ago.
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As part of National Seafood Month, we are excited to announce that our new FishWatch website is now live! Our new mobile-friendly website will enable you to access the Nation's database on sustainable seafood anywhere, anytime, on any device. It still features the same great information, but it's now easier to use on the go from your phone or tablet. The new FishWatch site will continue to help you: - Make smart seafood choices by arming you with the facts about what makes U.S. seafood sustainable-from the ocean or farm to your plate.
- Get up-to-date information on the status of some of the nation's most valuable marine fish harvested in U.S. federal waters as well as U.S. farmed fish that help meet our country's growing seafood demand.
- Understand how U.S. seafood is responsibly harvested and grown under a strong monitoring, management, and enforcement regime that works to keep the marine environment healthy, fish populations thriving, and our seafood industry on the job.
Be sure to check out the new FishWatch site anywhere, anytime!
Warm Regards,
Laurel Bryant
Chief, External Affairs
NOAA Fisheries Communications
Laurel.Bryant@noaa.gov
www.nmfs.noaa.gov
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Second Most Productive September for Gulf Shrimpers in Last Six Years, Dockside Prices Remain LowCourtesy: Southern Shrimp Alliance
26 October 2015
Landings data from NOAA for September 2015 report that last month was the second most productive September in the last six years for commercial shrimp fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico. Although below the volume of shrimp landed in September 2014 (16.0 million pounds), the total landed last month (14.6 million pounds) was the second highest amount reported for the industry in the month of September since 2009 and was 8.1% above the prior thirteen year average (13.5 million). On a state-by-state basis relatively low landings in Louisiana - 4.9 million pounds last month compared to 7.9 million pounds in September 2014 - were partially offset by an increase in the volume of shrimp landed n Texas - 6.1 million pounds last month compared to 5.5 million pounds in 2014 and a record-setting month in Alabama, where the 2.8 million pounds of shrimp landed were 151% above the state's prior thirteen-year historical average for the month of September.
Landings through the first nine months of 2015 remain the lowest for the same time period since 2010 and are 16.3% below the prior thirteen-year historical average for the Gulf of Mexico. Overall, the total Gulf shrimp landings in 2015 (74.8 million pounds) are only slightly off the pace of total Gulf shrimp landings in 2014 (75.3 million pounds). The similarity in these totals masks significantly different experiences in Louisiana and Texas. In Louisiana, shrimp landings have fallen from 37.2 million pounds in 2014 to 29.8 million pounds in 2015. While in Texas, shrimp landings have increased by almost the same amount as they have declined in Louisiana, growing from 20.8 million pounds in 2014 to 28.1 million pounds in 2015. Landings in Alabama this year (9.1 million pounds) are on par with the record volume of landings in the state last year (9.1 million pounds) and are, for the second year in a row, larger than the total volume of landings reported in Mississippi and the west coast of Florida (both 3.9 million pounds) combined.
Ex-vessel prices reported by NOAA continue to reflect a difficult year for shrimp fishermen. Prices for large shrimp (U15 headless) in September 2015 for both the Northern and Western Gulf are roughly one-third below the prices reported for the same size shrimp in September 2014. Prices for medium-sized (26-30 headless) in September 2015 are roughly half what they were reported to be in September 2014. And prices for small-sized shrimp (41-50 headless) are also roughly half what they were reported to be in September 2014, except in the Western Gulf, where ex-vessel prices for this size shrimp were reported to be $1.03 per pound compared to $3.76 per pound in September 2014.
Please click the following link to view SSA's compilation and summary of September 2002-2015 Shrimp Landings and Ex-Vessel Prices: SSA Compilation |
Catholic charity calls for targeted effort to combat human trafficking in fishing and maritime sectors
Courtesy: AOS - Great Britain
12 November 2015
Apostleship of the Sea's (AoS) global network has called for concerted effort targeting sea and fishing ports worldwide to tackle smuggling and human trafficking in the fishing and maritime industries.
Ms Apinya Tajit, Deputy Director of AoS Sriracha in Thailand said ports have been identified as transit points not only for goods and passengers, but also for potential victims of trafficking for forced labour and sexual exploitation.
"Governments through the relevant agencies such as Flag States, Port Authorities and Coast Guards must increase checks on fishing vessels when in port and strictly implement existing international regulations and conventions on the human and labour rights of fishers," she said.
Ms Tajit was speaking at the Christian Organisations Against Trafficking NETwork (COATNET) biennial meeting of affiliates in Paris this week.
AoS is the Catholic Church's maritime agency that provides welfare and spiritual support to seafarers. COATNET is an ecumenical network of organisations working with Christian churches to combat human trafficking and to assist people who are or have been trafficked. It operates under the umbrella of Caritas Internationalis.
Ms Tajit said COATNET will engage with governments, seafood companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and consumers to ensure seafood companies identify and choose suppliers who do not use forced labour in their fishing operations and have guidelines and policies against human trafficking built into their contracts.
She said COATNET also looked forward to partnering with maritime NGO's to act as the 'voice of fishermen' by reporting to national governments and international institutions their concerns and aspirations.
"We should increase consumers' awareness about the quality of seafood on supermarket shelves. Seafood that is generally very cheap or is regularly sold at a very competitive price often can originate from companies that habitually make use of forced labour and human trafficking," she added.
Despite hitting global headlines, the problem of people smuggling and human trafficking in fishing and maritime has resulted in very little positive outcome and action, Ms Tajit said.
"Fishing vessels often operate in deep sea, miles away from any form of government or recognised authority that is able to control and inspect the human and labour conditions of fishermen on board, as well as implement the law and impose sanctions.
"The operating costs of fishing vessels are extremely high and fish stocks are declining, so for many companies the only way to remain competitive and maintain a profit margin is to cut down labour costs," she said.
Ms Tajit pointed out that from June 2013 to November 2014 the Italian Federation of Stella Maris (AoS) centres in Italy had implemented a project called 'Haven in Harbour' at four Italian ports - Genova, Bari, Siracusa and Trieste.
In the early nineties, AoS in the Philippines spearheaded a campaign to educate the rural poor about trafficking and forced labour.
Ms Tajit said AoS International is now looking to embark on a joint project with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Migration and Refugees Services to fight trafficking in the maritime sector. This is in addition to the ongoing work AoS has carried out in this area with the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
"Stella Maris chaplains and ship visitors will continue to offer shelter and support to victims," she said."
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Join AOS-USA in saying the AOS Prayer each day!
Please take the time to say this pray with us each day:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy upon all Seafarers
(1 Our Father)
(Hail Mary)
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, pray for us.
St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
Lord save us, or we perish!
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Important Upcoming Events for
AOS-USA Members
November 21, 2015
Houston Maritime Ministry Training School
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