Saving Seafood

Scallop fishermen poised for fight over shellfish

April 19, 2016 — PORTLAND, Maine — Scallop fishing has increased dramatically off some parts of New England recently, and fishermen and regulators will soon meet to discuss how to avoid overexploiting the valuable shellfish.

The concern over scallop fishing centers on the northern Gulf of Maine, a management area that stretches roughly from the waters off of Boston to the Canadian border. Scallop grounds off of northern Massachusetts have been especially fertile, prompting increased fishing in that area.

The New England Fishery Management Council, a regulatory arm of the federal government, will hold a public meeting about the issue Wednesday and decide how to proceed.

Part of the concern arises from the fact that different classes of fishing boats harvest scallops in the area, and not all of them are restricted by a quota system. Alex Todd, a Maine-based fisherman who fishes off of Gloucester, Massachusetts, said he and others feel the rules are not equal.

“We’re playing by two different sets of rules,” Todd said, adding that fishermen who follow the quota system could reach quota as soon as next month.

But Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney for Fisheries Survival Fund who represents many fishermen who don’t have to abide by the quota system, said he thinks the boats can coexist.

Read the full story at The Salt Lake Tribune

MASSACHUSETTS: Will Sea Bass Quota Go Up or Down?

April 7, 2016 — Last year, sea bass literally put some commercial fishermen in the black.

The black fish with the delicious pure white meat abundantly filled local waters and made up some financial losses for fishermen curtailed by otherwise stringent regulations on striped bass, cod, flounder and other lucrative species.

But that might change soon.

In a memo dated March 18 from the Division of Marine Fisheries in Boston, while regulations for striped bass, bluefish, fluke and scup will likely remain unchanged this year in Massachusetts, “Regulations for black sea bass have been amended to achieve a mandatory 23 percent harvest reduction.”

The Massachusetts regulatory agency says these revisions are being implemented along the entire Atlantic seaboard via “emergency rulemaking” to take effect prior to the onset of the 2016 season. Public hearings will be held to discuss proposals before changes are finalized.

Read the full story at Newport This Week

BOSTON HERALD: ‘Monument’ plan dries up

April 4, 2016 — It turns out there are limits to how far even the Obama administration will go to please the green lobby. The White House has opted not to designate an area of the Atlantic off Cape Ann as a national monument, which would have closed it to commercial fishing and activities such as oil or gas exploration or extraction — permanently.

Gov. Charlie Baker last fall had written to President Obama of his objections to the pending national monument designation for Cashes Ledge and a second area known as the New England Canyons and Seamounts, largely because of the unilateral nature of the decision. Some members of the state’s congressional delegation had also raised concerns.

Commercial fishing is already restricted around Cashes Ledge, an underwater mountain range. The monument designation was expected to make those restrictions permanent, but the White House Council on Environmental Quality told a gathering of fishermen and regulators March 24 that Cashes Ledge is no longer being considered (no decision has been made on the other area).

Read the full editorial at The Boston Herald

Traceability in seafood chain about money, not just ethics

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 28, 2016) — A coalition of environmentalists and seafood industry professionals is campaigning to make the case that traceability in the seafood industry is about success in the marketplace as much as it’s about ethics.

Ocean conservation group Oceana, based in Washington, D.C., has assembled the contingent of fishermen, processors, wholesalers and others to make the case that customers will pay a premium for verifiable seafood. They seek to link customers with the backstory of the product, such as where the fish was caught, whether it was sustainably harvested and when it was brought ashore.

The group includes representatives from more than a dozen businesses, including Virginia oyster farmers, a Boston seafood distributor and the fishmonger for a D.C. restaurant group. It is making its case as federal regulators consider tightening seafood importation standards.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Why Gulf of Maine waters won’t be a national monument

March 28, 2016 — Despite substantial pressure from environmental groups, Obama administration officials this week said the president won’t declare a national monument in a distinct portion of the Gulf of Maine that features glacier-sculpted mountain ranges and billowy kelp forests.

Over the past year, environmental advocates have lobbied the administration to designate an area known as Cashes Ledge as a national monument, a decision that would have permanently banned fishing around the submerged mountain range.

The ecosystem, about 80 miles off the coast of Gloucester, is home to an abundant array of life, from multicolored anemones to massive cod. Fishermen have opposed the designation and said they were relieved when they learned about the decision in meetings this week with officials with the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

MASSACHUSETTS: Politicians seek historic recognition for Boston Fish Pier

March 11, 2016 — A group of South Boston politicians is pushing state officials for new measures to protect the Boston Fish Pier, including putting the 102-year-old wharf on the National Register of Historic Places.

The effort comes as the Seaport area undergoes massive changes, with high-end offices, restaurants, apartments, and condos opening near the pier. Meanwhile, the pier continues to operate as the city’s primary fishing port: More than 20 commercial fishing boats have berths there, and 15 seafood businesses, primarily processors and distributors, occupy two of the pier’s three buildings. It’s also home to the No Name Restaurant, a popular seafood eatery.

Last month, five politicians wrote to Secretary of State William Galvin, asking for his direct involvement in preserving the Fish Pier. Galvin chairs the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which administers the National Register program in this state on behalf of the National Park Service.

A National Register listing brings recognition for a property, the potential for tax incentives, and some limited protections from federally funded projects. The listing also automatically puts a property on a similar state register, which then offers eligibility for state-funded grants for restoration projects.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

New Oceana Report Highlights Success and Value in Seafood Traceability

March 7, 2016 — WASHINGTON — Today, Oceana released a new report titled Fish Stories, showing the success and value in seafood traceability. The report, which highlights how seafood traceability benefits more than 15 companies interviewed along the supply chain – from fishermen and distributors to grocery stores and restaurants – was released at Seafood Expo North America in Boston.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here:http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160307006385/en/

“Traceability is the future of seafood,” said Beth Lowell, senior campaign director at Oceana. “Testimonials from these pioneers show that full-chain traceability isn’t just feasible, but that it’s also profitable. These businesses are telling the stories of their products, growing their seafood’s value, and establishing trust with their customers. Fishermen and wholesalers are able to earn more for their catch when they can tell the story of their fish, empowering consumers to make more informed decisions. The federal government should require boat-to-plate traceability for all seafood sold in the U.S. so that the entire supply chain can reap its benefits.”

Here are a few of their stories:

“We have learned that consumers care about where their fish comes from,” said Jared Auerbach, owner of Red’s Best in Boston, Massachusetts. “We built proprietary web-based software that starts at the point of unloading and makes it really easy for us to package the story of the catch so it stays with the fish throughout the supply chain.”

“Working directly with local growers, delivering product within 24 hours of harvest, and product traceability are all major components of our company’s success,” said Brad Blymier, founder and co-owner of War Shore Oyster Company in Onancock, Virginia. “Traceability of product is not a request, but rather an expectation of our customers. Empowering them with the knowledge of exactly where their shellfish was grown and harvested is an invaluable asset and has helped make War Shore Oyster Company a trusted supplier to the region’s top chefs, restaurants, grocers and shellfish connoisseurs.”

“Traceability in its simplest form is being able to see where the product is being caught and what stores or restaurants it ends up at,” said Reese Antley, vice president of Wood’s Fisheries in Port St. Joe, Florida. “However, Wood’s Fisheries sees traceability in a much more detailed way — we believe that you can’t have true sustainability and fishery improvements without traceability. For our customers, we are 100 percent transparent; if you want to know every step in the supply chain, it’s at your fingertips.”

“Seafood traceability allows the consumer to make factual decisions about their purchases,” said John Rorapaugh, director of sustainability at ProFish in Washington, D.C. “In turn, it allows our company to present the finest products, free of comparison to illegally harvested or inferior quality ones. Transparency is the key to a sustainable global food chain, and seafood traceability is a key component.”

Read the full story at KLTV

South Boston seafood processor to anchor development

March 7, 2016 — As luxury housing and shiny new offices went up near Stavis Seafoods’ home on the South Boston waterfront during the past decade or so, the fish processor and distributor continued to expand as well.

First, there was the addition to its Channel Street site. Then came the new corporate office at the Boston Fish Pier, and finally a plant near the Harpoon Brewery.

Now, a new stage has been reached: Stavis unveiled plans on Monday to put its 100 or so waterfront workers under one roof, as it becomes an anchor to a new development on Fid Kennedy Avenue, on a property in the city’s industrial park known as the Massport Marine Terminal.

The project represents an important milestone for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which has struggled to develop the roughly 30-acre property where Stavis will move. The site is specifically designated by the state for marine industrial uses, a designation that appeared to hamper past development efforts.

Read the full story from the Boston Globe

2016 Seafood Expo North America Excellence Awards Finalists Announced

March  7, 2016 — The following was released by the Seafood Expo North America:

The 12 finalists for the 2016 Seafood Excellence Awards, the prestigious best new products competition at Seafood Expo North America, have been announced. Winners of the competition will be presented during the Seafood Excellence Awards ceremony, which will take place on Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 3:30pm in the Demonstration Theater during Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America in Boston, USA.

The Seafood Excellence Awards annually recognize the product leaders in the North American seafood market. Each year, exhibitors have the opportunity to submit their new products for consideration. Products are evaluated by three seafood industry experts based on their uniqueness and appropriateness to the market, taste profile, packaging, market potential, convenience, nutritional value and originality.

The 2016 finalists were selected from nearly 60 entries in the exposition’s New Product Showcase and compete for two awards: Best New Foodservice and Best New Retail Product.

The finalists for the 2016 Seafood Excellence Awards are:

Absolutely Lobster®, Booth #3014
Absolutely Lobster® Homemade Tomato Sauces

 

Alaskan Jack’s Seafood Corporation, Booth #2305

Frontier Harvest Alaskan Jack’s Gold Premium Pineapple-Teriyaki Sockeye

 

Aqua Star, Booth #2005

Crab & Shrimp Seafood Feast

 

Azuma Foods International Inc., USA, Booth #321

Tobikko Umami

 

Bantry Bay America Inc., Booth #2957

Mussels in a Creamy Stout Sauce

 

French Creek Seafoods, Booth #2833
Kickin’ Seafood Chili
High Liner Foods, Booth #1005
Simply Sauce Seafood Bites

 

Phillips Foods, Booth #959
Shrimp Toast

 

Premier Marine Canada, Booth #2981
Waterview Market Shrimp with Sauce

 

Santa Barbara Smokehouse, Booth #2310
Honey Glazed Oak Roasted Salmon

Trident Seafoods, Booth #805
SeaFusions™ Pacific Cod Bites

 

Vinh Hoan Corporation, Booth #2742

Char Marked Barramundi

 

Each finalist’s product will be showcased during the three-day event in Boston.

The Seafood Excellence Awards serves as the North American extension of the Seafood Excellence Global Awards competition, held at Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium. Both Seafood Excellence Awards and Seafood Excellence Global are organized by Diversified Communications, producers of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global and Seafood Expo Asia.

View all of the entries of the Seafood Excellence Awards.   
SeafoodSource.com, a publication of Diversified Communications is the official media for Seafood Expo North America & Seafood Processing North America. As the global leader in seafood industry news and information, SeafoodSource.com will extensively cover the event.

Seafood-industry buyers and processors can learn more about Seafood Expo North America & Seafood Processing North America and register to attend by visiting the exposition’s website, seafoodexpo.com/north-america.

About Seafood Expo North America and Seafood Processing North America

Seafood Expo North America and Seafood Processing North America, formerly called the International Boston Seafood Show and Seafood Processing America, is North America’s largest seafood exposition. Thousands of buyers and suppliers from around the world attend the annual, three-day exposition to meet, network and do business. Attending buyers represent importers, exporters, wholesalers, restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, and other retail and foodservice companies. Exhibiting suppliers offer the newest seafood products, processing and packaging equipment, and services available in the seafood market. The exposition is sponsored by the National Fisheries Institute. SeafoodSource.com is the official media. The exposition is produced by Diversified Communications, the international leader in seafood-industry expositions and media. For more information, visit: www.seafoodexpo.com/north-america

About Diversified Communications

Diversified Communications is a leading international media company providing market access, education and information through global, national and regional face-to-face events, digital products, publications and television stations. Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food service, natural and organic, healthcare, commercial marine and business management. The company’s global seafood portfolio of expositions and media includes Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global, Seafood Expo Asia and SeafoodSource.com. Diversified Communications, in partnership with SeaWeb, also produces SeaWeb Seafood Summit, the world’s premier seafood conference on sustainability. Based in Portland, Maine, USA, Diversified has divisions in the Eastern United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit: www.divcom.com

View a PDF of the release