Baltimore, MD – The National Fisheries Institute’s Crab Council met in Baltimore, Maryland October 5th and 6th as part of its working group meeting series. The group last met in person in 2019 where it developed detailed units of assessment, to track Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIP), and endorsed the used of the Spawning Potential Ratio (SPR) method to quantify and monitor progress.
“Our members are committed to crab sustainability and meetings like this illustrate that,” said Ed Rhodes the NFI Crab Council’s Executive Director. “It’s heartening to see so many companies get together for two days, put their work on hold, and really dig into the science. These folks want to know how each FIP we sponsor is doing but more importantly they want to look ahead and help determine what we do next.”
Experts from the University of Washington and the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology addressed the group.
“After presentations, discussions and debates the group is moving forward with recommendations about everything from policies to pilot projects,” said Council Chair Brice Phillips. “The volume of material and the amount of progress made in just two days is terrific. It’s hard to overstate the value of these meetings.” Phillips Foods hosted the meeting at its Inner Harbor location.
Representatives from Handy International, Supreme Crab, Bumble Bee, Crustacea, Chicken of the Sea, Phillips and NFI all participated.
Since 2009, the NFI Crab Council has practiced industry led stewardship, addressing fishery needs through scientific, social, and financial channels. Learn more at committedtocrab.org.
