Nutrition

A new implementation guide for applying traceability standards in the U.S. seafood supply chain was announced yesterday by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and GS1 US at the International Boston Seafood Show.

The document, which is free and available immediately on the NFI website, was  developed in collaboration by NFI, GS1 US, and U.S. seafood industry stakeholders to provide consistent, practical seafood-traceability guidance for voluntary industry-wide use. It defines minimum requirements and best-practice recommendations for tracking seafood as it moves through the supply chain from farms to processors, suppliers, distributors, retailers, and foodservice operators.

Organizations that contributed to the Traceability For Seafood: U.S. Implementation include: American Seafood, Bumble Bee Foods, Darden Restaurants, Glacier Guide Fish, Gorton’s, Handy International, Icelandic Seafoods, Inland Seafoods, North Carolina State University, Pacific Seafoods, Red Chamber, and Trace Register.

“The Traceability Guide reinforces the seafood industry’s commitment to providing our customers and consumers with safe and sustainable seafood,” said Steve Mavity, senior vice president of quality assurance at Bumble Bee Foods. “It will allow us to leverage GS1 standards to enhance and standardize our product tracing efforts.”

Read the complete story from Fish News EU.

 

 

 

 

 

In January, the Monterey bay Aquarium, a national arbiter of fish choices for concerned Americans, announced significant changes to its Seafood Watch list. East Coast fisheries—haddock, pollock, summer flounder and even some stocks of cod—slid from the alarming red “Avoid” zone to “Good alternatives.” Hook-and-line-caught Atlantic haddock was even knighted “best choice.”

Cod have not rebounded the way scientists hoped perhaps only in part because of inherent problems with the conservation plans. Another challenge to the future health of cod might surprise concerned consumers: herring. Cod need to eat, and one of their main sources of sustenance is little fish that historically swarmed the rivers and coastlines.

Not only are trawlers stealing food from the mouth of cod, tuna and whales, but they’re also dragging in fish such as haddock as bycatch and tossing it back, already dead.

Scientists say that cod are still in dire shape. but they’re hopeful. There are many communities of cod in our waters, and some are doing better than others (for instance, some Gulf of Maine cod are doing better than those from Georges Bank). New management techniques should keep the trend heading in a positive direction.  That forces me back to my original question: Can I, as a concerned consumer, consider eating cod? All the sources i interviewed told me that there are a number of questions I need to start asking fishmongers and restaurants. Where exactly was the fish caught? How big is the boat?  How long did it go out to sea? What was the fishing method?

Read the complete story by Cynthia Graber at Edible Boston.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PORTLAND – The Gulf of Maine Research Institute has a message for consumers: It's OK to eat New England seafood.

This week, the nonprofit marine research group announced that it has partnered with the fishing industry and retailers to promote sales of four species that are sustainably harvested from the Gulf of Maine.

In March, the effort will become visible to shoppers at Hannaford Supermarkets, where cod, haddock, lobster and northern shrimp will be labeled with seals reading "Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested."

Jen Levin, manager of the institute's sustainable seafood program, said the seals will identify products caught in the Gulf of Maine, which stretches from Cape Cod to the southern tip of Nova Scotia.

She said the program's larger goals are to distinguish Gulf of Maine seafood from competing products, support the industry and teach consumers that some fish stocks in the gulf are plentiful.

Read the complete story from The Portland Press Herald.

 

 

 

 

 

It may not be convenient to do so, but it's time for us to acknowledge that fish are not swimming vegetables. They can suffer and feel pain as all animals do, and their welfare deserves our consideration.

Every five years, the government reminds Americans that we need to start eating better — more fruits and vegetables, less sodium, less sugar, less meat. The latest incarnation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which was just released, also includes a specific recommendation to eat more fish. On average, Americans eat about 3 ½ ounces of seafood per week, but according to the new guidelines, adults should up that to at least 8 ounces per week.

Here's why you shouldn't.

In slaughter facilities across the country, fish are killed in ways that make medieval torture look tame. Animal advocacy group Mercy For Animals has released a new undercover investigation of a fish slaughterhouse in Texas, where fish are suffocated, skinned and sliced in half — all while they're conscious and able to feel pain.

Read the complete opinion piece from The South Coast Today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

31 January, 2011 – For the first time, the U.S. government is advising all Americans, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, to eat seafood at least twice a week for heart and brain benefits. Previously, the twice-a-week recommendation was limited to heart patients.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S Department of Health and Human Services released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as required by Congress every five years. The guidelines serve as the basis for federal nutrition policy.

In the guidelines, the agencies said: “Moderate evidence shows that consumption of about 8 ounces per week of a variety of seafood, which provide an average consumption of 250 milligrams per day of EPA and DHA, is associated with reduced cardiac deaths among individuals with and without pre-existing cardiovascular disease.”

They continued: “In addition to the health benefits for the general public, the nutritional value of seafood is of particular importance during fetal growth and development, as well as in early infancy and childhood.

In a report last June, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee declared that Americans eat too little seafood and should be encouraged to eat more for better brain development in babies and heart health in adults. The committee, made up of more than a dozen nutrition experts, was tasked with recommending changes to the dietary guidelines for Americans.

Read the complete story from Seafood Source.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOSTON — As America goes green with sustainability, Legal Sea Foods restaurant president and CEO Roger Berkowitz is seeing red about published guides that he says have it wrong about avoiding some species of fish.

On Monday night, he did something about it.

At his Park Square flagship location, he teamed up with the Culinary Guild of New England, a nonprofit institution, to offer a complete menu of so-called "blacklisted" species, such as hook-caught hake and Gulf of Maine cod caught by day boats out of Gloucester, along with tiger shrimp.

Berkowitz' point is that institutions such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium are often using outdated or faulty science when they issue their popular "watch lists" to consumers.

A generation ago, Berkowitz said in a broadcast interview that environmental groups such as Pew did much good work a generation ago but are now overreaching. "They're in existence just to keep themselves in existence," he said. "They keep pushing limits. It's just unfair."

Robert Vanasse, head of the fisheries public relations campaign Saving Seafood, recalled in a broadcast interview he had encountered a representative of Monterey Bay at an event and informed the representative that the information Monterey was using about sea scallops was entirely wrong.

"The scallops were being bad-mouthed by this organization even though the facts weren't there," Vanasse said. "I am frustrated by the level of arrogance I find in these conversations."

Read the complete story from The South Coast Today.

 

 

 

 

 

Guests attending a dinner Monday night at Legal Sea Foods in Park Square will sit down to a meal of black tiger shrimp, cod cheeks, and hake. Billed as a dinner of “blacklisted’’ fish, it’s designed to bring attention — in a provocative manner — to the ongoing debate over what constitutes sustainable seafood.

The dinner underscores the tensions between fishermen who believe regulations are too restrictive and conservationists who feel they don’t always go far enough. It’s a heated issue — at stake are people’s livelihoods and the viability of fish stocks — but now it comes with wine pairings.

An e-mail invitation to the sold-out event, sponsored by Legal Sea Foods and the nonprofit Culinary Guild of New England, reads: “Presenting a menu of supposed ‘blacklisted’ fish, Legal’s President and chief executive Roger Berkowitz discusses how outdated scientific findings unfairly turn the public against certain species of fish.’’

Read the complete story in The Boston Globe

 

 

 

U.S.-caught Atlantic haddock, pollock, summer flounder and some cod stocks showing signs of recovery, “Good Alternatives” under Monterey Bay Aquarium’s science-based program.

The latest update of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch recommendations gives consumers, chefs and retailers new options to choose ocean-friendly East Coast seafood caught in U.S. waters, with Atlantic haddock and Atlantic pollock rated as “Good Alternatives,” along with summer flounder, and Atlantic cod caught in the Gulf of Maine by hook-and-line fisheries.

The semi-annual update, which takes into account the latest assessments of the abundance of fisheries and other relevant data, was released today and published to the aquarium’s website, www.montereybayaquarium.org. The changes will be reflected on the Seafood Watch iPhone app later this month.

With these changes, fully 80 percent of the total dollar value of seafood landed in New England consists of species that are “Best Choices” or “Good Alternatives” under Seafood Watch criteria, according to data compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

That amounts to $625.7 million out of $780 million in total seafood landings for 2009 – the most recent year for which NMFS data are available.

Read the complete story from The Monterey Bay Aquarium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch has updated its recommendations for some East Coast fish.

The California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium issues seafood guides for all regions of the country. In them, the aquarium offers “best choices,” “good alternatives” and seafood that buyers should avoid. These guides are periodically updated based on Seafood Watch’s latest “assessments of the abundance of fisheries and other relevant data,” according to an aquarium press release.

Lifted from "avoid" to “good alternatives” are Atlantic haddock and Atlantic pollock caught in U.S. waters, along with summer flounder and Atlantic cod caught in the Gulf of Maine by hook-and-line fisheries. Details may be found at the aquarium’s Web site:http://www.montereybayaquarium.org. The change will be reflected on the Seafood Watch iPhone app later this month.

With these changes, fully 80 percent of the total dollar value of seafood landed in New England consists of species that are “Best Choices” or “Good Alternatives” under Seafood Watch criteria, according to data compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). That amounts to $625.7 million out of $780 million in total seafood landings for 2009 (the most recent year for which NMFS data are available).

Read the complete story from The Chicago Tribune.

 

 

 

 

 

There might be a panic over seafood sustainability, but Legal Sea Foods CEO Roger Berkowitz isn't taking the bait. Instead, he's hosting a dinner on January 24 with the New England Culinary Guild to address "outdated" scientific findings that turn the dining public against certain species of fish. Behold, a special feast featuring items that people often think are outlawed or blacklisted.

There's wine pairings, too. Click through for outtakes from the menu and details.

Fritters
Black tiger shrimp, duck cracklings, smoked tomato, and avocado sauce

Cod Cheeks
Spaghetti squash, toasted pecans, melting marrow gremolata

Prosciutto Wrapped Hake
Braised escarole, Rancho Gordo beans, blood orange marmalade

Citrus Almond Cake
Yuzu semi freddo, candied kumquats

Guests are invited to ask questions about how to read between the lines of media reports. Dinner begins at 7 p.m. at the Park Square Legal Sea Foods; tickets are $110 for non-Guild members.

 

See this story and menu from Grub Street.