Saving Seafood

Seafood for Heroes providing meals for first responders in Ukraine

March 14, 2022 — The Seafood for Heroes program, organized and managed through the Napa Seafood Foundation, is using donations from seafood companies to provide healthy meals to first responders in Ukraine through the World Central Kitchen.

The Seafood for Heroes program was formed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a way for seafood companies participating in the Napa Seafood Foundation to give back to first-responders and healthcare workers on the front lines.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Seafood industry powers through the pandemic with ingenuity, flexibility

March 14, 2022 — The COVID-19 pandemic period has been riddled with loss and upheaval, yet the industry has remained resilient, with many seafood suppliers successfully pivoting their business strategies to target retail and e-commerce channels in the face of sudden and severe foodservice constrictions.

Such shifts proved crucial, especially given the dramatic spikes in demand and sales seen at retail for fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable seafood beginning in 2020. That year saw more consumers eating at home and going on pandemic-fueled buying sprees, which drove retail seafood sales to new heights. In 2021, those record sales were eclipsed, according to research firms IRI and 210 Analytics.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Boston Highlights: What to see at SENA

March 11, 2022 — The seafood industry is on the move, converging in Boston this weekend for Seafood Expo North America. The event, located at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, runs from Sunday to Tuesday, March 13-15.

This international seafood event is a don’t-miss for our domestic seafood industry. If you are planning to attend, be sure to check out some of these must-see new products and conference sessions — including National Fisherman’s booth #167!

After a two-year hiatus, the industry is primed for this rush of productive in-person meetings, in-depth discussions, big announcements, and of course, a range of fun bonus events at and around the show. These are my picks for things to see and do at the show — whether you have the luxury of being there for one day or all three days.

For fishermen, the Processing section of the show floor — Seafood Processing North America — is a great spot to shop a wide range of fishing gear (boots, gloves, foul-weather gear, knives), as well as packaging options and a full range of machinery and technology for onboard handling and processing.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

Ukraine asks seafood companies to send donations of chilled, frozen fish

March 11, 2022 — The Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine has sent out a request to the globe’s seafood companies, asking for help replenishing Ukraine’s food stocks in the face of Russia’s ongoing invasion.

In a letter released on Tuesday, 8 March, the Ukraine Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Roman Leshchenko requested seafood products to be sent to Ukraine, which is in “dire need of replenishment.”

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Biden bans Russian seafood imports in latest economic response to Ukraine invasion

March 11, 2022 — U.S. President Joe Biden announced a ban on Russian seafood imports on Friday, 11 March, amid a raft of new economic sanctions he’s imposing in response Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and other members of that state’s congressional delegation, who called for blocking Russian seafood imports as the country prepared to invade Ukraine, backed Biden’s move. A bill introduced into the Senate by Sullivan and fellow Alaskan GOP U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was blocked just prior to when the invasion began in February.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Continued growth at Long John Silver’s pushes it to expand internationally

March 10, 2022 — Long John Silver’s posted its sixth-consecutive quarter of same-store sales growth, while also scoring record-breaking average unit volumes in 2021.

Despite COVID-19 pressures that pushed its sales down 30 to 40 percent at the start of the pandemic, the Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A.-based operator realized a 2.5 percent increase in sales year-over-year throughout 2020 and 2021, according to the international seafood chain’s recently released its 2021 results.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Josh Donlan: Mislabeling more complex than believed, needs targeted solutions

March 4, 2022 — Seafood fraud or mislabeling is a misunderstood and thinly researched problem requiring more input from seafood companies, according to academic and ecologist Josh Donlan, the founder and director of Advanced Conservation Strategies, which describes itself as providing “design-driven solutions for people and the environment.” Splitting his time between Spain and the U.S. state of Utah, Donlan is also a research fellow at the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. SeafoodSource talked to Donlan about his research into the origins and complexities of mislabeling.

SeafoodSource: What are the key difference and similarities in the E.U. and U.S. approach to tackling mislabeling and seafood fraud?

Donlan: The U.S. government’s approach to tackling mislabeling is evolving, with the latest policy being SIMP [Seafood Import Monitoring Program] and even more recent dialogue about implementing changes to the SIMP. In general, the E.U.’s approach is more progressive, both in terms of traceability and labeling. For example, mandatory seafood labeling in the E.U. includes the scientific name, production method, the FAO fishing area where the seafood was caught, the name of the fishing vessel or aquaculture production unit, and fishing gear [used].

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Consequences of Russia’s Ukraine invasion rippling through global seafood industry

March 1, 2022 — Russia’s place in the global seafood trading market – and its strategy of growing its exports through value-added processing – have been jeopardized by the country’s  invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in blowback that is already creating large-scale disruption to Russia’s seafood industry.

The world’s energy and food markets are in turmoil, with a wave of sanctions being levied by the European Union, United States, and other countries against Russia, a major producer of natural gas and wheat. And supply chain bottlenecks created by the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to worsen as a result of the conflict. Glenn Koepke, general manager at supply chain consultancy FourKites, said ocean-shipping rates could grow to USD 30,000 (EUR 26,900) per container, and airfreight costs could rise even higher.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

ASC launches public consultation for new ASC farm standard

March 1, 2022 — The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has launched one of its largest-ever rounds of public consultation starting 1 March and running to 30 April, 2022, seeking comments on the new ASC farm standard that will align all ASC-certified species under one standard.

The new single standard will benefit farmers and auditors through greater efficiency, and make it easier for stakeholders, such as NGOs, to assess and compare the ASC’s requirements for public consultation, the ASC said. Additionally, with this single, comprehensive standard, the ASC will be able to respond to changes in markets and the industry quicker than before.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource