Saving Seafood

Friend of the Sea Certifies SeaExpert for Sustainable Seaweed Production in the Azores

July 12, 2021 — The following was released by Friend of the Sea:

Friend of the Sea, the global certification standard for products and services that respect and protect the marine environment, has recognized seaExpert for sustainable seaweed production. Therefore, seaExpert can now display the Friend of the Sea label, certifying the engagement with sustainable marine practices.

SeaExpert, a company created in 2003 in the Azores archipelago, is a seaweed producer. It supplies clients with algae biomass for various uses, including cosmetics, supplements, livestock feed, and scientific research.

Seaweed, the generic name for different marine plants and algae, has been described as a game-changer. Filled with vitamins, minerals, proteins, and amino acids, it has immense potential, not only for human health but also for the planet. Including seaweed in cattle feed has the power to offset ruminant methane emissions, a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect.

Friend of the Sea certifies companies that respect sustainable seaweed harvesting and farming. This standard aims to protect from overfishing wild seaweeds, which serve as a crop and as a habitat for hundreds of other ocean species.

The Azores, a Portuguese archipelago located in the North Atlantic Ocean, has a natural abundance of numerous algae species. SeaExpert identified the benefits of each specimen and developed a sustainable production process from harvesting to drying respecting the Friend of the Sea guidelines.

SeaExpert is licensed to harvest nine different species of algae, using sustainable techniques to have minimum impact on the marine ecosystem while supplying a high-quality product.The seaweed is harvested manually through scuba diving within seasons with the highest bioavailability rates.

The algae are dried in green houses or solar dryers, being monitored throughout the whole process. Once dried, the seaweeds are carefully weighed, packed, and stored.

“The protection of the ecosystem through sustainable practices is at the core of our company,” said a seaExpert’s spokesperson. “Achieving the Friend of the Sea certification represents a milestone as well as an encouragement to continue working.”

SeaExpert algae are an excellent component for the cosmetic industry. Scientific research has found that seaweed has hydrating and exfoliating benefits, as well as unique healing properties for people with acne, rosacea, and skin sensitivity.

“Seaweed production has boomed in the last years. Supporting companies involved in this emerging and promising sector to implement sustainable practices is crucial,” said Paolo Bray, Founder and Director of Friend of the Sea.

The core criteria of the Friend of the Sea sustainable seaweed certification are:

  • No impact on critical habitat.
  • Water monitoring.
  • Prohibition of using hazardous substances.
  • Energy management.
  • Social accountability.
  • Traceability.

NGOs: Chance for EU to hit 2020 overfishing targets lost for deep sea quotas

November 21, 2018 — The EU Council has agreed on the total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for certain deep-sea stocks in the EU and international waters in the North-East Atlantic, for 2019 and 2020.

The fish stocks concerned are deep sea sharks, black scabbardfish, alfonsino, roundnose grenadier, and red seabream.

“In view of the vulnerability of deep-sea species to human activity, and in order to prevent their over-exploitation, the Council decided to raise the TACs for the two stocks and to reduce the TACs for ten stocks as proposed by the Commission.”

It said it had decided to make cuts to fishing opportunities to protect the maritime environment and help the industry in the longer term.

It confirmed the Commission proposal to increase quotas for red seabream around the Azores and roundnose grenadier in South Western waters over the next two years, “in line with positive scientific advice”.

“Given the small number of fish being caught and in line with the scientific advice, the TAC management system for greater forkbeard in the North-East Atlantic, roundnose grenadier in the North Sea and black scabbardfish in the North Sea and Skagerrak was canceled. Fishing for orange roughy remains prohibited.”

Following finalization by the legal/linguistic experts, the agreement will be submitted for final adoption without discussion at a forthcoming Council meeting. The regulation will apply as from Jan. 1, 2019.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

Partial transcript of Rafael’s meeting with undercover IRS agents revealed

December 12, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Documents filed in U.S. District Court in Boston Thursday show seafood mogul Carlos Rafael implicating his whole family in his alleged scheme to smuggle cash to the Azores and turn large catches of protected fish into large amounts of cash by selling them under the table.

Rafael is also quoted as boasting that he pressured Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson, into giving Deputy Sheriff Antonio Freitas a raise and promotion, and in turn using Freitas to get large amounts of cash around immigration and customs at Logan Airport.

The document is an official response to requests by Rafael and Freitas to be tried separately to preserve their individual rights.

The items are contained in a partial transcript of a meeting Rafael had with two men he thought were Russian businessmen but who were actually IRS agents operating under cover to learn how Rafael did business.

Rafael explained that as many as eight people in his family would make the trip to the Azores carrying cash that Freitas could bypass from customs.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times