Saving Seafood

Nutrition

Walmart chooses Pacific Island Tuna for its in-house brand

October 6, 2021 — A partnership between the Republic of the Marshall Islands and The Nature Conservancy will supply canned tuna to Walmart stores for the store’s Great Value brand across the United States.

The new joint venture, dubbed Pacific Island Tuna (PIT), is “designed to transform the global canned tuna supply chain,” according to a Nature Conservancy announcement. The new business model is intended to give Pacific islanders the ability to benefit from their tuna resources by directing 100 percent of long-term net profits back to them while utilizing a sustainable model of fishing and production.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

‘Blue Food Revolution’ to Tackle Climate Change and Malnutrition

September 22, 2021 — Doubling of global demand for aquatic foods calls for a ‘blue food revolution’ to tackle climate change and malnutrition, new research argues.

An unprecedented review of the aquatic foods sector has uncovered how fisheries and aquaculture can play a greater role in delivering healthy diets and more sustainable, equitable and resilient food systems around the world.

Five peer-reviewed papers in the journal Nature highlight the opportunities to leverage the vast diversity of aquatic, or “blue,” foods in the coming decades to address malnutrition, lower the environmental footprint of the food system, and provide livelihoods.

“People are trying to make more informed choices about the food they eat, in particular the environmental footprint of their food,” said Ben Halpern, a marine ecologist at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, who with colleagues examined the environmental sustainability of aquatic foods, the potential for the growth of small-scale producers and the climate risks that face aquatic food systems. “For the first time we pulled together data from hundreds of studies on a wide range of seafood species to help answer that question. Blue foods stack up really well overall and provide a great option for sustainable food.”

The research projects that global demand for blue foods will roughly double by 2050, and will be met primarily through increased aquaculture production rather than by capture fisheries.

Investing in innovation and improving fisheries management could increase consumption even more and have profound effects on malnutrition. For instance, a “high growth” modeling scenario showed that increasing supply by 15.5 million tons (8%), causing a drop in prices, would reduce cases of nutrient deficiencies by 166 million, especially among low-income populations.

Read the full story at ECO Magazine

 

FDA unconcerned about PFAS levels found in processed seafood

August 26, 2021 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s first survey of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in processed foods has found levels of the chemicals in certain seafood items. But the agency said it is not concerned about the discovery.

PFAS are found in numerous consumer and industrial products, and are used due to their resistance to grease, oil, water, and heat, the FDA said in a press release. PFAs have been nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they take thousands of years to degrade and because they can accumulate in people’s bodies. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry lists increased cancer risks; disturbances to the immune system; higher rates of thyroid disease and liver problems, interference with a woman’s chance of getting pregnant; and disruptions to the normal growth, learning, and behavior of infants and children as some of the effects of exposure to PFAs.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Loki Fish recalls salmon lox over listeria concerns

August 25, 2021 — Loki Fish Company is recalling four-ounce packages of its Keta Salmon Lox due to the potential it is contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based supplier is recalling the lox after the possibility of contamination was discovered during a U.S Food and Drug Administration inspection at its co-packer, Felix Custom Smoking in Monroe, Washington, Loki said in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Fresh local seafood available at more food banks in the South

August 11, 2021 — The past year was hard for Cy Tandy. He is the director of IONA House, a 34-year-old food pantry in Jackson, Mississippi. The economic downturn caused by the pandemic doubled the number of people who came to the pantry in need of food. But in the tough year, there were bright spots. For the first time, the IONA House was able to give its clients fresh, locally caught shrimp.

“Our clients, they loved it,” Tandy said. “Seafood, that’s part of our culture in South Mississippi and Louisiana.”

The Hattiesburg-based charity Extra Table distributed 13,000 pounds of peeled shrimp to food banks and food pantries across the state. All the shrimp was purchased by Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United with money from Massachusetts organization Catch Together.

Read the full story at The Clarion Ledger

Everything you need to know about sustainable seafood

August 5, 2021 — From deck to dock to dinner table, it is easier than ever to source fresh seafood that’s traceable, trusted and encourages a healthier food system.

“Good Morning America” reeled in expert advice from marine scientists, founders of national fishery networks and an environmental impact food blogger to take a deep dive into what consumers need to know about the eco-friendly seafood system.

What is sustainable seafood?

“In the most basic terms, sustainable seafood means seafood that’s caught at a rate that allows the population to continue to replenish,” Emily De Sousa, a food and travel blogger, told “GMA.”

De Sousa, a fisheries scientist, said her family immigrated from the coastal islands off Portugal where there is a rich history in small-scale and locally supported fishing. De Sousa created Seaside with Emily, a coastal-focused blog that shares her research on sustainability of global fisheries, educates consumers and makes it easy to eat seafood in a sustainable way.

Sustainable seafood should consider the impacts of how harvesting affects its surrounding marine environment, De Sousa said, explaining that means “using minimally destructive gear types and implementing strategies that limit interference with other wildlife.”

Read the full story at ABC News

Long John Silver’s exec: Plant-based seafood analogs “will be the next big wave”

August 3, 2021 — Long John Silver’s is making history as the first major national seafood chain to embrace plant-based seafood analogs.

Last month, the Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.-based operator of more than 700 restaurants across the United States announced a partnership with Good Catch, partnering with  a New York City, U.S.A.-based maker of plant-based imitation seafood products. It will trial Good Catch’s Plant-Based Breaded Fish-Free Fillet and Plant-Based Breaded Crab-Free Cake products at five of its restaurants in the U.S. states of California and Georgia.

In an interview with SeafoodSource, LJS Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Mattingly explained why the restaurant chain is offering plant-based seafood analogs and what its future plans are for the category.

SeafoodSource: Why did LJS want to offer plant-based seafood analogs? How do they align with the company’s values and goals, and operational plans for this year?

Mattingly: We have always believed that our unique seafood experience should be accessible to all. By serving plant-based seafood, we can further that mission by embracing customers who follow plant-based diets. LJS is guided by a vision of fishing smarter with less environmental impact. Our cod, pollock, and salmon are sustainably sourced and wild-caught. Plant-based seafood is a new take on sustainability worth exploring as well.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Why Migraine Sufferers May Want to Eat More Fish

August 2, 2021 — For most of her life, Tanya Kamka suffered migraine headaches on a weekly basis.

The headaches would usually come on gradually and then build, causing excruciating pain and pressure behind her left eye that would culminate in her vomiting or visiting the emergency room. The ordeal would often leave her feeling weak and exhausted for days afterward.

“Anytime I had a migraine I’d be wiped out for three or four days,” said Ms. Kamka, 58, a post office clerk who lives near Fort Bragg, N.C. “I missed a lot of work because of migraines.”

But a few years ago, Ms. Kamka and 181 other people who routinely experience migraine headaches joined a clinical trial, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, which was designed to test whether a special diet could alleviate their frequent headaches. The diet that Ms. Kamka was assigned to follow emphasized foods that contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, the oils found in some fish, while limiting foods that are rich sources of omega-6 fatty acids, such as many vegetable oils.

Omega-3s and omega-6s are both considered essential fatty acids — critical for health, and because our bodies can’t make them, they must be obtained from foods. Historically humans consumed roughly equivalent amounts of both fatty acids. But the typical American diet today tends to contain a much larger proportion of omega-6 fats. Some health authorities see this as a good thing: Vegetable oils and other rich sources of omega-6 fats have been found in many studies to be beneficial for cardiovascular health. But others argue that this could be problematic because omega-6 fats have been shown to promote pain and inflammation, while omega-3 fats tend to have the opposite effect in studies, helping to reduce pain and inflammation.

The authors of the new study wanted to know: Could a diet that boosts omega-3 fats while lowering omega-6 fats make life easier for people burdened by frequent migraine headaches?

For Ms. Kamka, the benefits of a change in diet were striking: After a few months of increasing her fish intake and avoiding many common vegetable oils, she noticed that her headaches had all but disappeared. Other people on the new diet also reported fewer headaches. Although the trial ended after 16 weeks, Ms. Kamka has remained on it ever since. Gone are the days when she ate foods like fried chicken, French fries and potato chips that were cooked in vegetables oils rich in omega-6 fats. She now makes a point of eating foods like cod, tuna, sardines, spinach salads, hummus and avocados, and she cooks with olive oil instead of corn, soybean and canola oils.

Read the full story at The New York Times

From hake to skate: Behind the push to bring ‘unknown’ fish to New England’s dinner table

July 29, 2021 — It’s exceptionally rare to dine at a restaurant and hear someone say, “I’ll have the scup,” or, “I’ll have the conger eel.”

Salmon, cod and tuna dominate the plate in the U.S. – but why? The world’s oceans are home to more than 30,000 species of fish, and most of the edible ones have never been marketed to the average consumer’s tastebuds.

All along New England’s coastline, small boat fishermen are catching a wide array of fish for which there’s barely any market – hake, dogfish, butterfish, skate and countless others. They struggle to sell these lesser-known species, and in turn, people are missing out on high-quality, delicious seafood, industry advocates contend.

Some have historically labeled them as “trash fish,” but Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, takes major exception to that.

“We don’t call any other type of food ‘trash’ except for seafood,” said Martens. “It’s coming out of the ocean, it’s not like we’re talking about highly processed fast food. I always get very prickly at that term ‘trash.’ We’re talking about food, and we’re talking about some of the best food for your body, mind and the environment.”

Rather, Martens says, these fish are “unknown” to most eaters.

There’s virtually no marketing behind them, he said, and organizations like his are trying to change that – through education, distribution and community projects. They’re partnering with restauranteurs, holding “meet the fishermen” events, and connecting food-insecure and multicultural populations with diverse seafood selections.

Read the full story at The Providence Journal

Is it safe to eat seafood in the Tampa Bay area during Red Tide?

July 16, 2021 — With no end in sight for the Red Tide algal blooms currently plaguing the Tampa Bay area, questions have surfaced concerning the safety of the region’s locally sourced seafood. We spoke with several food safety and marine biology experts about what consumers should know before dining out and how best to avoid fish and seafood that may be contaminated.

Is it safe to eat local seafood during Red Tide?

The short answer is yes. Most of the local seafood sold at markets and restaurants in the Tampa Bay area is fished offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, and the industry is heavily regulated and monitored for safety. Florida grouper and snapper are all fished in areas far offshore nowhere near the coastal algal blooms plaguing the region, said Dr. Steve Murawski, a professor of fishery biology at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science.

“Generally, the major seafood components are offshore,” Murawski said. “This particular Red Tide is really restricted to the very near-shore area from north of Port Charlotte up to Pasco County, and in terms of sourcing traditional grouper, snapper, scallops … they wouldn’t be affected by this.”

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, storebought seafood and seafood served at local restaurants can be considered safe to eat because it’s been monitored and tested prior to distribution.

Read the full story at The Tampa Bay Times