Safe and Sustainable Seafood

Most of the Gulf of Mexico’s economically important marine species are heavily exploited. The United States has witnessed the decline of many of its major fisheries while seafood consumption is on the rise, resulting in a seafood trade deficit of $8 billion per year. Alabama and Mississippi are significant seafood harvesting and processing states. In 2007, the dockside value of commercial landings in Alabama and Mississippi exceeded $88 million. In 2007, Pascagoula-Moss Point ranked as the sixth highest port in commercial pounds landed in the United States. In 2006, more than 4,800 jobs were provided in saltwater fishing alone with a total economic input of over $480 million.

The seafood industry faces many challenges and opportunities. The global marketplace, trade policies, safety regulations, energy costs, food security concerns, waste handling and limited seafood supplies are issues that require evaluation and the development of solutions, where needed.

MASGLP supports MASGC’s efforts to help commercial and recreational fishermen overcome these challenges. The Legal Program provides legal research and outreach on laws and regulations related to fishery management and aquaculture. Projects in this area include:

MASGLP supports the work of MASGC in this area by providing legal research and outreach on laws and regulations addressing habitat restoration and ecosystem based management. Some recent projects in this area include:

Aquaculture –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Aquaculture Parks in the Coastal Zone: A Review of Legal and Policy Issues in the Gulf of Mexico State Waters
In 2008, Director Stephanie Showalter co-authored a study evaluating the application of industrial park concepts to the development of aquaculture parks in public waters. Objectives included identifying the permitting process, relevant agencies, and legislation needed to facilitate development in the Gulf of Mexico. Available at: Coastal Management, 36:3, 241 — 253.

Fishery Management ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Understanding Fisheries Management
MASGLP is currently updating this Manual for understanding the federal fisheries management process to include the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006. The second edition, available now, includes analysis of changes made by the 1996 Sustainable Fisheries Act.

Seafood Safety –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Regulation of Seafood Safety and Sales in Alabama
Gulf Shores is working to enhance their working waterfront areas, and one of the proposed projects involves developing a public seafood market. MASGLP was contacted to assist them by providing advisory research on the regulation of seafood sales through a public market.