Saving Seafood

Will a Supreme Court decision in fisheries case tie the hands of all government regulators?

May 23, 2023 — Fishing for Atlantic herring may seem worlds away from restrictions on power plant emissions or responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. But a case before the U.S. Supreme Court could affect all those activities and more by altering how federal agencies apply scientific expertise in carrying out their regulatory duties.

On 1 May the high court agreed to hear a case brought by four family-owned herring businesses. They argue that the National Marine Fisheries Service has no authority to require them to pay for onboard observers who would monitor their catch to help the agency protect declining fish stocks.

But legal scholars and environmentalists say much more than fishing is at stake in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. When the high court rules, most likely in the spring of 2024, it may also take a step back from a long-standing legal doctrine, called the Chevron deference, used to determine whether government agencies have exceeded their authority. The doctrine has been applied for nearly 40 years to everything the government does, including regulations affecting businesses, schools, and the general population.

Read the full article at Science.org

Virginia Tech study shows consumer behavior pandemic repercussions threaten US aquaculture businesses

February 21, 2023 — Researchers at Virginia Tech are researching consumer market data to aid the survival of aquaculture businesses in the wake of the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The study, based on surveys completed in 2022, is examining a wide array of consumer data to analyze the “abrupt changes” in the food supply chain, and how that impacted consumer purchasing of food. In turn, the researchers said they hope to provide information to guide aquaculture businesses in marketing efforts to respond to the changes.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Price of Japan’s top tuna highlights country’s recovery from Covid-19

January 13, 2023 — The top bluefin tuna sold during the first auction of the year at Tokyo’s Central Wholesale Market in Toyosu reached JPY 36,040,000 (USD 274,120, EUR 256,785), carrying on a tradition started at the market’s former location in Tsukiji and signaling some recovery from the pandemic.

The high price has nothing to do with the actual value of tuna, nor with its relative scarcity. As in years past, it’s a PR stunt and a reasonably inexpensive way for the purchaser to get worldwide name recognition.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US holiday retail seafood sales outlook bright

December 21, 2022 — Analysts and retailers are maintaining a positive outlook for U.S. retail seafood sales this holiday season, despite inflation pushing down fresh and frozen sales in 2022.

Because Covid-19 restrictions are not in place – as they were during the previous two holiday seasons – analysts are predicting more social and family gatherings will occur. And with that, there’s hope Americans will continue their tradition of spending more on food – and seafood – during the holiday season.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US holiday retail seafood sales outlook bright

December 3, 2022 — Analysts and retailers are maintaining a positive outlook for U.S. retail seafood sales this holiday season, despite inflation pushing down fresh and frozen sales in 2022.

Because Covid-19 restrictions are not in place – as they were during the previous two holiday seasons – analysts are predicting more social and family gatherings will occur. And with that, there’s hope Americans will continue their tradition of spending more on food – and seafood – during the holiday season.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Midwest’s seafood sector “a different world” post-COVID-19

July 21, 2022 — The seafood sector in the U.S. Midwest was upturned during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now is coming back structured differently than it was prior to 2019.

Like the rest of the U.S. seafood industry, farmers, traders, and sellers of seafood in the center of the country experienced an existential challenge when COVID-19 first hit the country in early 2020, forcing nearly every company – large and small – to make drastic changes to their operating models to remain solvent.

Read the full article at Sea Food Source

Over 100 Maine seafood dealers and processors awarded more than $15 million in grants

June 30, 2022 — More than 100 Maine seafood dealers and processors have been awarded more than $15 million in grants through the Seafood Dealer and Processor COVID-19 Response and Resilience Program.

Businesses in every coastal county received awards, with more than half them coming in at over $115,000.

Gov. Janet Mills made the announcement of $15 million in grants to local seafood dealers and processors at Hollander & de Koning, a six generation, family owned and operated shellfish company in Trenton.

The company is a grant recipient, and has recently purchased a machine that will bag mussels in small quantities, allowing them access to being in grocery stores as well as restaurants.

Read the full story at WABI-TV

Shrimp starring on summer menus as restaurant sales rise

June 27, 2022 — Many U.S. restaurant operators are choosing shrimp to be the start of their summer menus, thanks to its steady pricing and availability compared to other seafood species.

Shrimp sales to the U.S. foodservice sector rebounded in 2021 from a significant drop in 2020 that was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Roughly 275 million pounds of shrimp was sold to foodservice channels in 2021, up by 50 million pounds from 2020, according to data shared during the National Fisheries Institute Global Seafood Market Conference in January 2022.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource