Saving Seafood

No COVID-19 cases found on American Seafoods trawler in Alaska

June 18, 2020 — Health officials in Alaska found no cases of COVID-19 aboard an American Seafoods trawler that recently arrived in Dutch Harbor to fish for Bering Sea pollock. The ship, the Ocean Rover, docked in the Unalaska port on Sunday, 14 June, where, according to a press release from the city, local health officials worked together with American Seafoods to screen and test crewmembers.

“In a coordinated effort between the IFHS Clinic, City of Unalaska, State of Alaska Health and Social Services, and American Seafoods, all 121 members on board responded to health questionnaires and were tested for COVID-19 as warranted. Sixteen crew members were found to have possible symptoms of COVID-19 and were quarantined pending test results. All tests returned negative. The Ocean Rover is offloading frozen product and will return to sea,” the press release read.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Upcoming minimum wage hike may doom tuna-canning operations in American Samoa

June 18, 2020 — American Samoa continues to depend on the tuna-canning industry as a key pillar of its economy, according to a new United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released last week, but the government of American Samoa is worried that a planned minimum wage increase for 2021 will have a negative impact to the economy.

The report is the fifth iteration in a series of U.S. Government Accountability Office reviews to examine economic trends, including changes in employment and earnings since the minimum wage increases in American Samoa began in 2007. The reports also look into the status of the tuna canning industry and report on stakeholder views on the minimum wage increases.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ICCAT cancels annual meeting, SCRS plenary due to COVID-19

June 18, 2020 — This year’s International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) annual meeting, as well as the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS) plenary meeting, have been canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a letter from the organization’s commission chairman, Raul Delgado.

The SCRS meeting was to be held from September to October, and the annual meeting was to be held in November.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Canada unleashes slew of federal funding programs supporting its seafood sector

June 18, 2020 — The Canadian Fish and Seafood Opportunities Fund (CFSOF) has been reopened to help the country’s seafood industry access new consumer markets, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hurt its economy, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan announced on 17 June.

The fund, which was initially launched in 2018, is a national cost-sharing federal, provincial, and territorial program aimed at aiding Canada’s seafood sector in addressing new market-access issues and identifying branding opportunities. Ultimately, the program seeks to “maximize the value of Canada’s world-class fish and seafood,” the Canadian government affirmed in a press release.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Salmon Farmers Hit by China Boycott After New Virus Outbreak

June 17, 2020 — Salmon farmers have been hit by restrictions in China, where a new outbreak of the coronavirus was blamed on imported fish.

The red-fleshed fish is now being boycotted in China after new infections were traced back to the chopping board of a seller of imported salmon at a market in the capital. Orders have been canceled and “it’s difficult to ship fish to Beijing” in the near term, said Anders Snellingen, manager for global operations at the Seafood Council for Norway, the world’s biggest producer.

China still represents a small share of global salmon demand, making up less than 5% last year, but it’s also one of the fastest growing markets and fish farmers were already feeling the squeeze of pandemic restrictions.

“We had to rebook our shipments to China and direct it toward other markets,” Grieg Seafood ASA spokeswoman Kristina Furnes said by phone. While there is now closer scrutiny of salmon, the same applies to other food imports as well, she said. Grieg doesn’t export large volumes to China and hasn’t had any cases of Covid-19 in its organization.

Read the full story at Bloomberg

Pandemic Reveals Need for Connectivity Solutions for Fishing Industry

June 17, 2020 — Connectivity at sea has never been more important than during these difficult times. New regulations can be introduced at any moment and it is of great importance to ensure that this information is communicated to all marine sectors.

While large vessels are equipped with multiple channels of communication, including circuit-switch terminals and VoIP applications powered by VSAT, smaller vessels, like those used in fishing industry, are hardly reachable.

MarineStar is an easy-to-install terminal with built-in handset and small antenna, that operates using Thuraya’s extensive satellite network, providing dependable voice communications.

Nabil Ben Soussia, CEO Middle East, Asia & Turkey of IEC Telecom Group, said: “In the past crew communication has not been a high priority for many fishing vessels. Often the crew make use of one corporate satellite handset and switch sim cards in order to use it. This approach can be problematic – the phone can be lost, stolen, run out of charge, or be stored in areas with no signal, and therefore shore offices may not be able to call it. In light of fast-changing Covid-19 regulations, it is important for crews to remain reachable at all times – and with MarineStar you have a robust handset providing reliable always-on communication.”

Today the global fishing fleet is estimated to include some 4.6 million vessels, the majority of which are small boats with crew daily away from their loved ones. Such boats have neither the budget nor room for a costly satellite set up, but this does not mean that the crew has no other option but to stay disconnected.

Read the full story at The Maritime Executive

Report: Without Federal Aid, 85% Of Independent Restaurants Could Permanently Close

June 17, 2020 — The COVID-19 pandemic could force a staggering 85% of independent U.S. restaurants to shutter by the end of the year, according to a new report commissioned by recently formed trade group the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC).

Conducted by Compass Lexecon, a Chicago-based consulting firm, the report predicts a grim future for roughly 500,000 Main Street restaurants unless a more robust financial assistance program is established.

According to IRC, privately owned restaurants with fewer than 20 establishments — including fine dining spots, neighborhood joints, pizza parlors, bistros and food trucks, among other types of businesses — make up 76% of the industry and directly employ 11 million people across the country.

Read the full story at Forbes

Frozen premium seafood line debuts in Midwest, East Coast retailers

June 17, 2020 — Even as some large grocery chains are reducing the number of different frozen products they carry, many retailers are still seeking new frozen seafood meals, portions, and other items.

Sales of frozen seafood products increased faster than all other frozen food categories for the week ending 24 May, 2020, compared to a year ago, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI) data presented by 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerinkin a recent webinar hosted by the National Fisheries Institute.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

WTO talks on curbing fishing subsidies may restart in July

June 17, 2020 — There are some signs that talks at the World Trade Organization on ending harmful fishery subsidies may restart next month after being suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

A Heads of Delegation meeting has been announced by the negotiations chair for 25 June to begin discussing the latest draft proposal for a deal. A follow-up meeting for delegation leaders on 21 July will set a potential Autumn work program for negotiators.

Read the full story at Seafood Source