Marine Studies Initiative

1. What is a fish landing?

OECD: “Fish landings are defined as the catches of marine fish landed in foreign or domestic ports. Marine capture fisheries landings are subject to changes in market demand and prices as well as the need to rebuild stocks to maximum sustainable yield levels in order to achieve long-term sustainable use of marine resources.” 

2. The slide that shows current seafood production is 59MMT with 84% from wild capture fisheries.  We have heard it quoted that 50% of seafood is now farmed, is that not true?

Scott Heppell: Both numbers are accurate. The primary reason we see the difference is because the 84% figure presented by Andrew Plantinga only considered marine production. Since this was a Food from the Sea presentation, this number is most appropriate. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UNFAO) estimates total “seafood” production (which would include both marine and freshwaters) is currently 50% wild capture and 50% aquaculture; i.e. farm raised. The proportion of farm-raised seafood continues to increase.

3. Climate change is affecting our oceans and some of our fisheries more than others (that we are aware of at this moment), does the Costello et al model take into consideration how climate change will affect the production of seafood and our ability to meet that demand? 

Andrew Plantinga: The short answer is no. In this study, we did not include climate change effects though there is other work that is underway. There are some co-authors on the paper, particularly Chris Free who is a post-doc at UCSB, who I understand is going to be giving a talk at OSU not too long from now. He’s done some separate work that has looked at climate change impacts, particularly tracking where various stocks are likely to migrate under those kinds of scenarios.  

4. Your future and extreme demand curves are shifted out, did you include the factors that caused the demand decrease? How to explain this out-ward shift in case of the Covid-19 pandemic (demand volume could be decreased)?

Scott Heppell: The demand shifts scenarios consider changes in demand by 2050 due to population, income, and preference changes.  While COVID-19 may have some short-run effects on seafood demand, we are considering long-run shifts driven by predicted socio-economic changes. 

5. What does the device test to constitute a fish quality or not?

Christina DeWitt: It (impedance device) works by sending two different electrical currents (one strong, one weak) through two different paired probes.  The stronger current can pass through cell walls, the weak current can only pass through intracellular liquid between cells.  Since cells consist of a lipolysaccharide bilayer, the electrical current experiences resistance.  As those cellular membranes break down, the resistance from the strong current lessens and the resistance from the weak current (more stuff in intracellular liquid) increases.  Cellular integrity can be correlated to quality. 

6. How/where do we find macroalgae to eat? Any tips?

Matt Hawkyard: It can be tricky to find right now. There is a company founded by OSU professor Chuck Toombs, called Oregon Dulse, that has several locations on the west coast and their distribution is mostly to restaurants for fresh consumption, but they are working with the Food Science Center in Portland at potential products that dulse can be used in. There was a salad dressing that was available at a pacific northwest grocer for a while, unfortunately, that product is no longer available locally. Local Ocean Seafood in Newport was selling dulse on weekends as a salad, but with COVID-19 they have stopped doing that. So, it can be challenging but I will say that next time you are at a grocery store, there are a number of products that you’ll start noticing. I saw noodles once in the Corvallis Co-Op that were infused with kelp. So once it’s on your radar, you’ll start seeing a lot of products that have additions of macroalgae! 

7. Are there any ongoing research projects or established operations in Oregon utilizing IMTA (Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture)? What species combinations have been investigated here?

Matt Hawkyard: There isn’t much in the way of IMTA being investigated here in Oregon currently that I’m aware of. Down in Port Orford, they are looking at growing dulse and sea urchins not necessarily in a polyculture system but using dulse as a way to fatten sea urchins - which is IMTA related. When I got involved in aquaculture as an undergraduate, one of the things we looked at was the co-culture of salmon, dulse, and urchins all in a recirculating system and we actually found that the salmon had better condition factors, so their bodies were fatter in respect to their length so that seemed like a pretty effective system. We also looked at the co-culture of dulse and sablefish and there were some promising preliminary outcomes from that. Really I don’t want to undersell, since we do have different types of aquaculture research going on at OSU around disease and nutrition and genetics, we just haven’t spent quite as much time looking at IMTA questions. 

NOTE- IMTA: Integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, or IMTA, is similar to polyculture, where two or more organisms are farmed together. In IMTA, multiple aquatic species from different trophic levels are farmed in an integrated fashion to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and provide ecosystem services, such as bio-remediation.

8. Are there certain marine species that would be better suited to aquaculture or capture fisheries? Are there any species that we haven't looked at yet?

Matt Hawkyard: Yes, there certainly are species that are better suited for aquaculture or capture fisheries.

Some basic considerations would be: 

1. Can the early stages or young of the species be cultured, or could they be cultured with some improved research? 
2. Is there a fishery for the species and is it meeting the needs of the marketplace and if so at what environmental cost (i.e. is it a sustainable fishery)? 
3. Is there a market for the species?
4. Can the species be cultured without unacceptable environmental externalities? Is the species efficient in terms of space, feed usage and time needed to get to commercial size? 

These and other considerations are important but the short answer is yes, some species are probably better suited for one method or the other, but some may be suited to both. 

9. How do you prepare or store the seaweed that tastes somewhat like bacon?

Matt Hawkyard: Good question. Seaweed is similar to other produce. You can store seaweed for a short time in the refrigerator, however, it will last longer if it is dried or cooked. Of course, it depends on your plans for its use.

10. In aquaculture operations located in river watersheds and other areas, agriculture and outdated sewage control along water systems is an ongoing problem. How does aquaculture function when biological and chemical pollutants are being regularly included in rivers, streams, etc.?

Matt Hawkyard: That is a great question. In my experience with marine aquaculture, it's definitely true that all these systems are connected, and that the way we treat our watersheds will impact the quality of seafood we harvest in the nearshore area, whether it's wild-caught or grown. An interesting solution I know of in river-based fish aquaculture is collaboration among fish farmers and terrestrial farmers - using the waste products generated by the fish to fertilize nearby agriculture operations, which in a way filters that water before it re-enters the watershed system. This is a serious issue that needs to be considered, but there are some solutions out there. 

11. The time is perfect for OSU and the Oregon seafood industry to leverage off all the assets it has created and the infrastructure they have in place. The pandemic has accelerated the demand for safe, nutritious seafood delivered to people’s homes but global seafood supply chains have been cut through not only the pandemic but also trade barriers. Is OSU and the industry investing in value change innovations?

Gil Sylvia: I agree that now is a very good time for OSU to utilize its considerable seafood assets to take a larger role with respect to seafood systems and related research, education, and outreach. The pandemic’s impact on the industry and seafood supply chains provides a great opportunity for researchers to understand and address value chains as well as trade barrier issues. OSU, and its various organizations and Colleges, are now considering options and investments to address the types of issues you are raising. However, the pandemic has slowed the development of new centers and faculty hires with the critical expertise to tackle seafood systems issues. It is my hope that there will be light at the end of the “COVID-19 tunnel” in 2021 and the University will be in a position to seriously consider advancing investment and coordination in seafood systems and “Food from the Sea” programs and organizations. 

12. Can you elaborate on your statement that ecological sustainability certifications can damage or destroy local economics, infrastructure, and free markets?

Gil Sylvia: This has been a major debate for the reauthorization of the Magnuson Stevens Act over the rebuilding schedule concept. These rebuilding schedule ideas are based mainly on biological principles of rebuilding, not based on economic thinking or broader seafood systems thinking. And that results in, over a long period of time, communities being unable to maintain that core process. For example, processing infrastructure. They can’t maintain their markets, so it’s not exactly the destruction of free markets, but the loss of markets that communities have developed and needing to rebuild them that is the issue. If you think about this globally, if we want to rebuild heavily overfished fisheries in many developing countries, what are you going to do for a 10 or 20 year period to build those fisheries and support those communities? So, there is a lot of creative thinking going on about how to get investment in those communities to support them during the rebuilding period. This is a tough challenge, because there aren’t easy answers and there are a lot of conversations about how to do this. 

13. Has OSU looked at the conflict with massive wind energy projects removing many square miles of prime fishing grounds and essential fish habitat from the fisheries? Are there any OSU studies on the effects of offshore wind energy on ecosystems, habitat, the marine environment, and fisheries underway?

Gil Sylvia: Good question. Given the concern by the industry and coastal communities on the potential impacts of wind energy projects on West coast and U.S. fisheries. But I am not aware of any major studies by OSU faculty on this issue. I assume the NEPA process would require an environmental impact statement and economic analysis but this may be too limited or too late in the regulatory process to be helpful in understanding the broader and potentially complex policy questions. If other OSU faculty are aware of any studies they hopefully will inform us about the findings and title of any publications. 

14. What do you think the impact will be on the seafood industry of vegetable protein-based products?

Christina DeWitt: I truly think there is space for all types of food resources.  We will be facing a food shortage in the future.  Current data clearly demonstrates that without some sort of radical transformation in the way we produce terrestrial food, all food resources, regardless of origin will be needed to meet population demands. 

15. Have any of you considered future seafood safety issues that may be caused/amplified by climate change and also by extended supply chains linked to increased consumption. And what some of them might be?

Christina DeWitt: I think we will see changes in pathogens of concern for seafood as a result of climate change.  I think this safety concern, because of extended supply chains, will be highest from areas of the globe without the infrastructure to support real-time/rapid monitoring of the water these resources are harvested from. I also think climate change will particularly impact colder regions that have long relied on their cooler temperatures to mitigate and control pathogen growth.  It will force some of our processors to consider processing operating temperature conditions similar to those ubiquitously used by meat processors.  It will also change the type of vessel needed to properly store harvested resources. Case in point, climate change moves fish (tuna) further offshore due to warmer waters.  This causes a day fleet that has relied on small boats with minimal ice to have to travel longer distances and stay out for longer times. This places pressure on existing infrastructure to supply ice.  It places pressure on vessels not designed to carry large amounts of ice or stay out for long periods of time.  The result is increased risk for temperature abuse and thus increased food safety issues. 

16. I believe I’ve heard about restoration aquaculture projects for kelp in California, is there anything similar going on in Oregon? Do you think there is a need for this kind of work here, or potential for it to succeed?

Matt Hawkyard: Yes, there is a vibrant component of aquaculture that seeks to restore or augment species in the wild. Sometimes for ecological purposes and sometimes for extractive purposes. I think there is validity to this sort of work but it can be tricky since we are working with complex systems. For example, the genetic structure of the population is important to consider before outplanting species to the wild, among many other considerations. There’s also the idea that some types of more traditional aquaculture can have environmental benefits as well as provide an extractable resource. In the Puget sound, for example, they are developing kelp farms that can be harvested but also may have localized positive impacts on water quality. 

17. Can anyone speak to how best to prepare the workforce needed for the future of seafood to ensure that safety, health and well-being are promoted?

Gil Sylvia: We’ve actually been having those discussions with the industry. We have, for example, some internship programs through Oregon State and a few other west coast universities to bring those students into seafood companies. Some of these programs are really cool because students get to do many jobs while they’re there and these companies are also looking to see who could be a good future employee in their company. There are also ways to partner with our community colleges to do some of this training as well, and I think we should take full advantage of that. I think there are some great ideas for students to actually work on a project for a private company, or do a co-op where they spend an entire year with a company and then come back to finish up their degree. In addition to that, we could even go to the executives of these companies and get them extra training at universities in supply chain logistics, or how to adapt to climate change. I think we’re only just beginning to tap into the possibilities of this kind of training. 

Christina DeWitt: OSU is engaged in a lot of professional workshops that not only provide training to professionals but to students as well. Seafood safety is really important, and there are certificate programs that we offer. Just about every grad student that goes through the OSU Seafood Lab obtains one of those since it's required by processors. Seafood safety can be particularly challenging due to the variety of species available. When you think about land animals, there’s the big three (pork, chicken, beef), but if you try to apply that to seafood, from so many types of waters and regions in the world, some species have susceptibilities that others don't which makes it complicated. But yes, OSU does prioritize creating seafood professionals that have expertise in seafood safety.

18. Gil, in discussions with stakeholders, did you come across a major theme or necessity that was described by them stuck out to you in terms of supporting seafood infrastructure and markets while also working in or with sustainable fisheries?

Gil Sylvia:  Over the last twenty years, there has been significant concern regarding infrastructure and markets. Major consolidation in the harvesting and processing sectors and development of fishery rights including transferable fishing permits and individual harvest quota have raised concerns regarding the need for a critical mass of infrastructure and output markets. Issues such as dredging, jetty improvements, support for processing facilities, docks, and port facilities are critical for supporting industry success and output market development. Harvest rights, output markets, and port infrastructure are mutually supporting and interconnected -- a significant loss in one of these areas can result in a cascading loss in other areas resulting in unsustainable fisheries and major decreases in economic and social benefits. It is imperative that ports and coastal communities understand these linkages and develop policies to build and maintain critical infrastructure that supports profitable harvesting, processing, and marketing strategies.

19. Do harvested salmon contain different levels of omega 3 based on what they eat when they are grown via aquaculture (fly larvae) vs taken from the wild?

Matt Hawkyard: In general, there are tradeoffs between what we feed fish and their resultant nutritional quality. With respect to fly larvae meal, there probably isn’t a big impact since the Omega-3s are tied more to the lipid source than the protein source. So you could make a fly meal diet with fish oil and still get high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids. However, as we move away from fish oil with other sources there can be a decrease in these nutrients in the fillet. Generally, though these differences are minor and farmed salmon is still a good source of Omegas. It seems that nutritionists, especially at the agency level, generally recommend that people just make an effort to eat more seafood, especially fish, rather than worry about the type.

20. What additional resources do we need from the state level to take advantage of the opportunity to provide additional food from the sea to feed the world from Oregon?

Scott Heppell: It is simultaneously a management question, an ecology question, and a supply chain question. And I think that there is support needed from the university for research and from commodity commissions like the salmon commission. There are ways to create awareness for Oregon seafood as well that may help. There’s already a bit of export of Oregon seafood but there are other directions that could go as well.

21. What is the current state of the world’s fisheries? Should we be concerned now and should we be concerned for the future? 

Scott Heppell: That’s a tricky question because it depends on where you are in the world and that place’s culture, regulatory framework, and history of the local fisheries. 

If I’d been asked that question 20 years ago about the U.S., I’d give a different answer than I would now. I’d say that right now in the U.S., there have generally been very positive efforts made towards creating biologically sustainable fisheries. I see a lot more emphasis, particularly from federal agencies, towards looking at the social and economic side of things as well. 

There are clearly more exploited fisheries appearing worldwide on the UN FAO analyses, so there really are places for concern where either its illegal fishing, or poorly managed fishing, or poorly regulated fishing because of lack of enforcement. A really important takeaway I have from that is that we need to be conscious consumers for where our food comes from, seafood included.

22. With the increase of microplastics in our ocean, what concerns are there for consumption of those microplastics and associated toxins by humans from seafood?

Christina DeWitt: There is a lot of research going on right now to better understand the implications of microplastics on our food resources. Do we fully understand at this particular point in time? Not fully, I would say. But, a lot of the microplastics that are in the ocean tend to end up in the parts of the fish that are not consumed, like the gut. This is positive because it means that when we find microplastics, we are not finding them in the muscle of the animal, which we do tend to consume. But, I will also say that this research is really new, but very active, especially at OSU.

23. What did management and fishers do towards stock recovery in the U.S. west coast groundfish fishery? And is this fishery really healthy now?

Scott Heppell: There are economic hardships associated with reduced fishing and, in fact, one of the solutions was to eventually reduce fishing capacity (the number of boats in the water) through a vessel buy-back program to get some of the trawlers out of the fishery. And that worked to some extent, but it also created an additional burden that those remaining had to pay back that money as a loan. Although I read something recently that there’s a loan forgiveness that is moving through Congress, or has just moved through Congress. Overall, it was a long and very painful process run largely through the Pacific Fishery Management Council, which is the primary manager for fisheries on the west coast and made up of stakeholders from all of the west coast states. There were areas that were closed to fishing, there were gear modifications in place to alter the types of areas that people were fishing in, size limits, quota changes, and a bunch of other actions that were taken and approved through the Council. It may not have been the ideal process, but it was a process by which everybody worked together to come up with solutions and we have seen market recovery of these populations sometimes decades before predicted. From the ecological side of things, The Marine Stewardship Council has certified the fishery as “sustainable” which is an excellent third-party certification that this fishery is headed in the right direction.

24. How has COVID-19 impacted your work and what do you think the impact will be for the future of seafood resources?

Scott Heppell:  It has drastically altered the work my graduate students are trying to do. It has kept them out of the lab, reduced their abilities to go to the coast, and because of that their individual work has been halted. I haven’t been impacted as much, mainly because of the nature of the work I’m doing now is in the administration of other people’s research rather than my own. It has certainly added anxiety and stress to people’s lives regarding their ability to get their work done. 

Matt Hawkyard: Since a large fraction of seafood consumed happens in restaurants, the seafood industry and particularly small producers in the industry have taken a huge hit due to COVID-19. There has been a lot of stress and economic strain.  It is something that hopefully we can rebuild as we start to return to some kind of normalcy in the future. One of the best ways to support the industry now is to go out and buy domestically produced seafood, wild, caught, or aquaculture. 

Andrew Plantinga: I think one thing we’ve learned from this experience is that human interaction and face-to-face discussion is super important for learning and generation of ideas and while we can do a lot over Zoom, and it’s certainly better than nothing, I feel like what’s really missing is the energy and excitement that happens when people get together to solve a problem. I long for the day when we can get that back. 

Jack Barth: I’ve been able to witness great collaboration during this time. One of my colleagues, Francis Chan, is currently leading a research project with myself and Marine Resource Management graduate students where we need to deploy sensors in the ocean to collect data. Of course, with COVID-19 restrictions we haven’t been able to go out on boats, but fishermen have actually been helping us out with this by sending the sensors out with their crab pots and collecting the data for us. So I think a great lesson from this time is the importance of working together.