Saving Seafood

Unibond CEO challenges conclusions of study on Chinese processing

March 30, 2022 — A Chinese seafood industry executive has taken issue with a report by a group of Norwegian and U.S. academics that suggested mislabeling is commonplace in the huge Chinese seafood processing industry.

Unibond Seafood International CEO David Jiang said the data and conclusions in the report, “China’s Seafood Imports – Not for Domestic Consumption?” are incorrect because they don’t take into account the percentage of the fish volume reduced in processing.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Russian pollock keeps MSC certification, but certification body’s future in Russia uncertain

March 30, 2022 — The Vladivostok, Russia-based Pollock Catchers Association (PCA) will be able to keep its Marine Stewardship Council certification so long as it follows through on a plan to conduct more-sustainable fishing in three fishing zones in 2022.

The decision came as the association and the Russian government shared concerns that the MSC may be forced to suspend its presence in the country due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the international sanctions levied against Russia in response.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

A Russian seafood ban will drive up prices, but it’s too soon to say if Alaska fishermen will benefit

March 14, 2022 — President Joe Biden on Friday ordered a national ban on some imports from Russia, including seafood. It’s a move intended to punish that country for its invasion of Ukraine, but the ban has ripple effects that could wash ashore in Alaska.

Russian seafood competes with Alaska products for shelf space and consumer attention, particularly pollock and crab. Officials here said Friday’s announcement could benefit the Alaska fishing industry.

But the effects may be limited to a few key sectors — the major Seattle-based trawlers that haul up millions of pounds of pollock, largely for export, and hard-hit Bering Sea crab fishermen. There will be some effect on salmon fishermen, experts say, but the embargo’s impact is less clear in that industry.

“It’s a big deal for crab,” said Jamie Goen, executive director of Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers. The group represents about 350 members, including 60 boats in Alaska’s crab fleet.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Millennial flexitarians and “fish-friendly parents” targeted in new Alaska pollock marketing campaign

March 11, 2022 — Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), a trade group that has made a concerted push to expand the market reach of Alaska pollock in the United States and globally, will spend nearly USD 800,000 (EUR 730,000) on a new marketing campaign.

At its early March meeting, the GAPP Board of Directors approved a nearly USD 4 million (EUR 3.6 million) budget that includes the organization’s first national sustained marketing campaign.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Massachusetts vs. Alaska fish fight over Russian imports

February 24, 2022 — A proposal by Alaska’s two U.S. senators to ban seafood imports from Russia has met resistance in the form of Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass.

On Feb. 9 , Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, both R-Alaska, filed S.3614, the U.S.-Russian Federation Seafood Reciprocity Act, which seeks to respond to Russia’s embargo of American fish and other seafood products that was put in place after the U.S. with a reciprocal ban.

Sullivan sought to have the bill approved in the Senate by unanimous consent. However, Markey objected to the bill, saying it could create unintended consequences for U.S. seafood importers.

“I have heard from seafood processors in my home state with concerns about potential sudden effects of a new immediate ban on imports on their workforce, including hundreds of union workers in the seafood processing industry,” said Markey. “And that would be right now.”

Sullivan noted that Massachusetts processors handle a large amount of Russian pollock, and suggested that product could be sourced from Alaska instead.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

American Seafoods appoints new CEO, COO

February 23, 2022 — American Seafoods Group, one of the largest at-sea processors of Alaska pollock and Pacific hake in the world, announced it has appointed Einar Gustafsson to take over as CEO from Mikel Durham.

The company announced the shift on 18 February, as Durham announced she was stepping down and that was looking forward to “taking a break and spending time with family.” Durham was hired in 2016 and helped turned around the company’s operations after previous debt issues. She also led the company as Bregal sought a suitor for its stake – an effort that has thus far been unsuccessful.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Scientists turn underwater gardeners to save precious marine plant

February 3, 2022 — Whoever said there’s nothing more boring than watching grass grow wasn’t thinking about seagrass. Often confused with seaweeds and rarely receiving the attention they deserve, there’s nothing boring about seagrasses. In fact, they are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world.

Next time you are swimming and enjoying the sea’s cool embrace look down and try to spot the slender blades of seagrass, a remarkable marine plant that plays a vital role in the coastal environment but is now under threat.

Forming dense underwater meadows, seagrasses are vital to maintain fisheries, absorb carbon and protect coastlines from erosion—but their future is threatened by , pollution and other impacts of human activities, scientists say.

The plants grow in shallow coastal waters in all regions except the Antarctic. They act as nurseries or feeding grounds for hundreds of species of seafood, including sea bream, octopus, cuttlefish and Alaska pollock—one of the most fished species in the world.

Read the full story at Phys.org

Pollock could see big price increases as supplies drop amidst high demand

February 2, 2022 — Experts are predicting a sharp rise in the price of pollock in 2022, with expected strong demand hitting up against supply chain complications and a smaller global harvest.

The global pollock supply is facing its first “meaningful” reduction in supply since around 2008, according to a panel at the National Fisheries Institute’s 2022 Global Seafood Market Conference, which took place 18 to 20 January. Globally, the pollock catch total will decline from 3.49 million metric tons (MT) to 3.22 million MT in 2022, according to the panel. In the U.S., the total allowable catch for Alaska pollock has been set at 1.24 million MT, down 189,000 MT from 2021.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Wild Alaska Pollock Named a 2021 MSC US Ocean Champion

January 20, 2022 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC):

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) today awarded Wild Alaska Pollock the 2021 MSC US Ocean Champion Award for their continued dedication and longstanding commitment to seafood sustainability. Represented by the At-Sea Processors Association (APA) on the fishery side, and by the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) on the marketing side, the Wild Alaska Pollock fishery has been a leader in sustainable fisheries management for decades. GAPP and APA join three other MSC partners named Ocean Champion in 2021.

The Award was presented to APA last month in Seattle, and today GAPP received the award at the National Fisheries Institute’s Global Seafood Marketing Conference in Orlando.

“I am proud to recognize the At-Sea Processors Association (APA) and Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers for their collaborative efforts to ensure a sustainable wild Alaska pollock fishery,” said Erika Feller, MSC Americas regional director. “We at MSC appreciate the partnership with both organizations and the incredible job they have done to spotlight Wild Alaska Pollock as one of the healthiest and most sustainable sources of protein.”

The MSC US Ocean Champion Award is an annual award that was established in 2017 to reward fisheries and companies engaged in the MSC program who demonstrate continued leadership on sustainability. Wild Alaska Pollock is recognized not only for its results but the transparency provided by the industry: independent observers actively participate in the fishing process, and publicly monitored flow scales are used to verify the accuracy of the harvests of Wild Alaska Pollock and the low amounts of incidental catches of other species. Observers also collect critical information that enables fishery scientists to ascertain the overall and on-going health of the fishery.

“Wild Alaska Pollock is good for our consumers and harvested in a way that is good for the planet. This award is a well-deserved tribute to all who conscientiously operate this fishery and celebrates our passion for sustainable fishery management,” said Mikel Durham, Chair of the GAPP Board of Directors. “We feel so strongly about conserving our fisheries and reducing our impact that we self-funded an industry-wide, 3rd-party-verified assessment last year to further increase the transparency of our ecological footprint. This MSC award is another important step in our mission to share our story with customers and consumers who are looking to make food choices based on environmental impact.”

Past award honorees include the Annette Island Reserve Salmon Fishery/Metlakatla Indian Community, Bamboo Sushi and the Sustainable Restaurant Group, Bar Harbor Foods, EcoFish, Sam’s Club Health & Wellness Team, TransOcean, US Foods, Vital Choice Seafood, and Whole Foods Market. Awardees are selected based on their demonstrated leadership and the ability to spark positive change within the industry. The custom glass award featuring a wave is handmade in downtown Seattle, WA.

Sourcing sustainable seafood is increasingly important for planetary health, and a growing priority for consumers. The ocean feeds billions of people and provides 80% of the world’s biodiversity. A report by the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) shows that sustainable fisheries are more productive and resilient to change, and the UN Environment Program reports that sustainable fishing protects ocean biodiversity. For seafood consumers, eating sustainable fish is increasingly important, with 55% of U.S. seafood consumers believing we must consume seafood only from sustainable sources to protect the ocean. Furthermore, 64% of Americans want retailers’ and brands’ claims about sustainability and the environment to be clearly labeled by an independent organization, such as the MSC. APA and GAPP’s leadership in sourcing and marketing certified sustainable seafood is testament to their hard work and dedication to ensuring wild seafood is available for generations to come.

 

NMFS Revises TAC Amounts For Gulf of Alaska Pollock, Pacific Cod

January 6, 2022 — The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) revised the 2022 total allowable catch (TAC) amounts for pollock and Pacific cod in the Gulf of Alaska. The changes, which increases the pollock TAC and decreases the Pacific cod TAC, were put into effect at 12 noon Alaska local time on January 1, 2022.

According to NMFS, the pollock TAC will increase from 99,784 metric tons (mt) to 141, 117 mt. The TAC for Pacific cod decreased from 27,961 mt to 24,111 mt.

Read the full story at Seafood News