Saving Seafood

Other News

Seafood Expo Asia moves online with Seafood Expo Asia Reconnect

September 24, 2020 — Seafood Expo Asia, an annual seafood trade show produced by Diversified Communications, has announced its 2020 event will take place online as a three-day “Seafood Exo Asia Reconnect” experience 17 to 19 November, 2020.

Seafood Expo Asia, which has taken place in the past in Hong Kong, was set to move to Singapore this year, but the coronavirus pandemic put a pause on those plans. Instead, Diversified Communications said it has created “a digital solution to connect seafood buyers throughout Asia with suppliers from around the world.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Omega Protein opens fundraising for Hurricane Laura-stricken Cameron

September 17, 2020 — Omega Protein is working with the Cameron Lions Club to raise money for Cameron Parish, La., residents, devastated when Hurricane Laura came ashore Aug. 27 with 150 mph winds.

Cameron was for decades a homeport for Omega’s menhaden catcher vessels, and the company on Tuesday set up and will contribute to a GoFundMe campaign to pay for relief and recovery efforts in the community.

Menhaden companies were a big part of the local economy for 65 years, and Omega had a fishing facility there from the mid-1960s until the end of 2013.

“Cameron was a wonderful home for us for nearly half a century,” said Ben Landry, director of public affairs for Omega Protein. “Even though we no longer operate in Cameron, the people there are still our friends and neighbors, and we will not turn our back on them during their time of need.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Outer Banks seafood sent to Louisiana as part of Hurricane Laura relief

September 16, 2020 — More than 11,000 pounds of Outer Banks shrimp and fish is going to help with storm relief in Louisiana, another area known for seafood and devastating hurricanes.

The North Carolina Fisheries Association coordinated the effort with companies in Wanchese, Grantsboro, Washington, N.C., and Hampton, Va., to gather and ship 11,225 pounds of seafood, including more than 2,000 pounds of shrimp and nearly 9,000 pounds of filleted flounder and other fish, said Jerry Schill, government affairs director for the fisheries organization, in an email.

The seafood shipment was part of a relief effort to help those affected by Hurricane Laura.

“Hurricanes hit the Atlantic and Gulf coasts on a regular basis so we need to have the infrastructure in place and do what we can, just as they would do the same for us,” Schill said.

Read the full story at  The Virginian-Pilot

Omega Protein Spearheads Cameron, Louisiana Relief Efforts After Former Company Home Hit Hard By Hurricane Laura

September 16, 2020 — ABBEVILLE, La. — The following was released by Omega Protein:

Omega Protein is partnering with the Cameron Lions Club to raise money for Cameron Parish, Louisiana, which was devastated by Hurricane Laura at the end of August. Omega Protein has set up and will contribute to a GoFundMe campaign, which will raise funds to be used in relief and recovery efforts for the community.

The Gulf menhaden fishery was a mainstay in the Cameron Parish business community for over 65 years. Omega Protein operated a fishing facility there from the mid-1960s through the end of 2013.

“Cameron was a wonderful home for us for nearly half a century,” said Ben Landry, Director of Public Affairs for Omega Protein. “Even though we no longer operate in Cameron, the people there are still our friends and neighbors, and we will not turn our back on them during their time of need.”

All funds raised from the GoFundMe campaign will go directly to the Cameron Lions Club and their charitable organization, the Cameron Educational and Charitable Endeavors Inc., to help with cleanup and recovery from the hurricane.

Omega Protein is working to share its GoFundMe campaign with employees across the Cooke, Inc. family of companies to help spur awareness of the damage to Cameron Parish, and raise money from across North America for relief efforts.

“Cameron Parish has sustained incredible damage from this storm,” said State Representative Ryan Bourriaque, whose District 47 includes all of Cameron Parish. “But with the help of good neighbors like Omega Protein and the generosity of people everywhere, we’ll rebuild this community and get it back on its feet.”

The Cameron Lions Club was founded in 1944, and has served charitable causes in and around Cameron Parish for over 75 years. Its initiatives include promoting higher education through academic scholarships, the Louisiana Lions Camp for children with special needs, the Keep Louisiana Beautiful campaign, help with community hearing and vision needs, and an annual fishing festival.

On August 27, the Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall on Cameron, Louisiana near peak intensity, with sustained winds of 150 mph. It was the strongest hurricane to strike Louisiana since 1856.

Support Cameron Parish, Louisiana here

Fishermen Help Fishermen Find Relief From Hurricane Laura Disaster

September 10, 2020 — The destructive winds and storm surge of Hurricane Laura are now unwanted memories. Repairing shattered homes, businesses and lives along the storms path in southwestern Louisiana remain the task at hand. To easy the pain fishermen are reaching out to help fishermen.  A truckload of supplies donated by the North Carolina Fisheries Association and True North Seafood has reached Louisiana and being readied to help those in need.

“We received more than 20,000 lbs. of ice, fish and cleaning supplies,” said Frank Randol, treasurer of the Gulf Seafood Foundation and owner of Randol’s Seafood. “The True North Seafood truck was unloaded at a cold-storage unit in Lafayette.   We are in the process of working with the United Way, Second Harvest Food Bank and others to get these supplies into the hands of those that need it most.”

According to Randol everything along the southwestern Louisiana coast is a disaster.  “The hurricane came ashore two weeks ago, but already the attention of the nation has started to shift elsewhere,” he said. “We need to keep the attention focused on the damage in the Gulf, and how it has affected our fishermen because they not only feed their family, but their community and whole country.”

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

Red Lobster’s Chief Supply Chain Officer Joins SNP Board

September 9, 2020 — The following was released by the Seafood Nutrition Partnership:

The Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) is pleased to announce Nelson Griffin of Red Lobster® is joining its Board of Directors. Griffin, a veteran of foodservice and consumer package good procurement and supply chain management, brings a wealth of experience and thought leadership to SNP as it strengthens its outreach to encourage even more Americans to eat sustainable seafood for better health through consumer-facing campaigns such as Eat Seafood, America!

Griffin is Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Red Lobster, the world’s largest casual dining seafood restaurant company, based in Orlando, Florida. In his current role, he is responsible for leading all the supply chain related activities, which includes over $900MM of food, beverages, all supplies including kitchen equipment, product distribution and travel services for more than 700 restaurants around the world. In addition, he oversees the Total Quality department that is responsible for food safety, product quality and restaurant inspections.

“I am honored to join the Seafood Nutrition Partnership Board of Directors,” Griffin said. “I admire and respect the diverse Board and the important work the organization is doing to help move the needle on seafood consumption in the U.S.”

Prior to joining Red Lobster, Griffin served in several roles at Darden Restaurants, Inc., most recently as Vice President of Supply Chain. Previously, he was Director of Strategic Procurement for Kellogg’s and served in a variety of roles for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.

“We are thrilled to have Nelson join the Board,” SNP Board Chair Steve Hart said. “He brings decades of experience in supply chain best practices that will provide great direction for the future of SNP, and he believes in the importance of bringing healthy sustainable seafood to consumers.”

Read the full release here

Northwest Aquaculture Alliance elects new officers

August 27, 2020 — The Northwest Aquaculture Alliance (NWAA) has announced the election of two new officers who will serve in leadership roles for the organization.

Cooke Aquaculture Pacific General Manager Jim Parsons has been elected to the role of president of the NWAA, and Jamestown Seafood CEO Kurt Grinnell has been elected to serve as the vice president. The NWAA is an advocate for aquaculture in the northwest region of the United States, and parts of Canada.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

The Dark Side of Being a Female Shark Researcher

August 27, 2020 — I was 21 years old when I encountered the place where sharks and television intersect. It was my first research internship, working with a famous shark scientist I had long admired but only just met. My second week, I was on a boat with a film crew, chumming for sharks in the background while the senior scientist dispensed expertise in the foreground. At one point, the film crew suggested I sit next to my hero on camera and repeat the prompt: “So, [Dr. Hero], why did you become a shark scientist?”

For the beautiful green-eyed assistants, of course,” he replied, gesturing at me. I froze, silent, a nervous half-smile on my face.

Don’t worry,” a member of the film crew assured me afterward. “We won’t use it.” I felt a wash of relief and gratitude. It was years before I thought to wonder why I’d felt I was the one who would have looked bad if they had.

This isn’t the worst experience I’ve had as a woman in shark science, or even in the top 10. It barely makes my list at all. I remember it mainly for how small and ashamed it made me feel in the first moments of my career as a scientist; for the way his joke told me clearly who I was to him, and how he thought I fit into the story.

Read the full story at Scientific American

Maine lobsterman to address GOP convention as Trump bets big on iconic industry

August 26, 2020 — Eighth-generation lobsterman Jason Joyce of Swan’s Island will address the Republican National Convention on Tuesday as President Donald Trump prioritizes Maine and its most iconic industry in an election year.

Joyce, 50, is the only Mainer with a speaking slot at the convention, according to a list provided by the Trump campaign on Sunday. He will speak on the second day of the four-day convention, to be officially held in Charlotte, North Carolina though much of the programming will be remote because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump will formally accept his party’s nomination to run for re-election on Thursday a week after former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, did the same at his party’s convention. Biden has led Trump in national polls since becoming the presumptive nominee in April and has led the Republican president by more in Maine.

Watch the speech here

Read the full story at the Bangor Daily News