Saving Seafood

Changes to MSC fisheries standard up for public review

February 4, 2022 — The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has initiated a 60-day public review of its proposed updates to the MSC fisheries standard, with stakeholders having until 4 April to review and provide feedback.

More than 446 fisheries, representing about 17 percent of the global wild marine harvest, are certified to the MSC fisheries standard – which is regularly reviewed for best practices in fisheries management. The current fisheries standard review began in 2018, and has included the participation of over 1,000 stakeholders. The draft standard has been approved by the MSC’s board of trustees and is now moving into the final stage of public review.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Oceana report calls for SIMP to cover all species, tougher US stance against IUU fishing

February 3, 2022 — A report released by Oceana on Tuesday, 1 February, calls on the U.S. to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), saying that the federal legislation designed to prevent fraudulently labeled products and specimens harvested from illegal fishing practices from entering the country includes too many loopholes.

The 36-page report notes a report by the U.S. International Trade Commission found that of the seafood imported into the U.S. in 2019, USD 2.4 billion (EUR 2.13 billion) worth was fished illegally. Examples of illegal fishing include crews harvesting fish in unpermitted areas, exceeding catch limits, mislabeling products, and using forced labor.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

China promoting consumption of distant-water catch to tame inflation, conserve local fisheries

February 2, 2022 — Government officials and executives from China’s distant-water fishing sector are teaming up to promote increased consumption of the distant-water catch in interior regions of the country as a way of taming price inflation and conserving local fisheries.

Officials from China’s Ministry of Agriculture joined members of China’s Distant-Water Fishing Association in Chongqing recently for the “Promoting Ocean Seafood Inland” roadshow, which since September 2021 has also included stops in Changsha, Wuhan, Hefei, and Xi’an. The events have taken place in luxury hotels in the inland cities and have featured seafood exhibits and cooking demonstrations.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Cooke appoints Michael Szemerda as Global Chief Sustainability Officer

February 2, 2022 — The following was released by Cooke Inc.:

Cooke Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Szemerda as Global Chief Sustainability Officer. 

“Cooke’s core purpose is ‘To cultivate the ocean with care, nourish the world, provide for our families, and build stronger communities’ and our approach to sustainability is central to this,” says Szemerda, who has been with Cooke for 30 years and works as the Vice President of Saltwater Operations for Cooke Aquaculture’s North American Operations. “Across all our subsidiary companies, we are fortunate to have some of the best and brightest minds in wild fisheries and aquaculture working to innovate and implement practices using sound science and advanced technologies to ensure our seafood is sustainable. I’m excited to unify these efforts and continue this important work with our colleagues around the globe.” In this newly established role, Szemerda will oversee all environmental programs and regulatory programs, industry certifications, and sustainability initiatives across Cooke’s global wild and farmed subsidiaries.  

“Michael has shown great leadership throughout his career with Cooke, and he has vast experience with all of Cooke’s saltwater operations around the globe,” says Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke Inc. “We’re thrilled that he has accepted this role at such a pivotal time of growth for our company. We know his experience with our operations, and knowledge of the seafood industry will help us in our commitment to protecting and enhancing the marine environments we work in.”  

Cooke is proud to offer True North Seafood products that meet a variety of certifications and recommendations to support sustainability. The Cooke family of companies ships one billion pounds of seafood annually through harvesting 30% wild species (wild salmon, whitefish, and shellfish) and 70% farmed species (Atlantic salmon, steelhead trout, white Pacific shrimp, sea bass, and sea bream).

Read the release here

 

Alaska lawmakers take up seafood trade deficit

February 1, 2022 — Seafood is Alaska’s biggest export by far, and state lawmakers are getting tough on trade policies that unfairly trounce global sales.

Two resolutions (SJR-16 and SJR-17) were advanced last week by the Alaska House Fisheries Committee that address Russia’s ban on buying any U.S. foods since 2014, and punitive seafood tariffs by China since 2018. Meanwhile, the United States imports increasing amounts of seafood from both countries.

Both resolutions were introduced by Sen. Gary Stevens (R-Kodiak) and “urge more attention” by Alaska’s federal team in Congress to restore pathways for fair trade.

“In order to remain competitive in the world seafood market, our Alaska seafood processors need some help from our partners federally. These resolutions would attempt to restore focus on negotiations with China to ease this tariff war that’s underway and level the playing field with Russia in favor of Alaska,” said Stevens’ aide Tim Lamkin at the hearing.

The heck with that, said a chorus of Fish Committee members who applauded the intent but said it doesn’t go far enough.

Read the full story at National Fisherman

 

Unprecedented demand for seafood battling inflation headwinds

February 1, 2022 — Inflation is expected to be a major issue impacting the food industry this year, but will hurt the seafood sector less than others, according to executives at Santa Monica Seafood and Steve Connolly Seafood.

A Reuters quarterly survey of more than 500 economists conducted in January, resulted in a general consensus that 2022 will bring with it higher inflation. Economists also reduced their global growth forecasts to 4.3 percent growth in 2022, down from the 4.5 percent predicted in October, in part because of steeper interest rates and higher costs of living.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

USDA trade officer in Japan sees opportunity for US seafood exports

January 28, 2022 — The Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintains Agricultural Trade Offices (ATOs) in U.S. embassies and many consulates. The ATOs provide market information and help to coordinate promotions for U.S. exporters. SeafoodSource talked with the new director of the ATO in Osaka, Japan, Alexander Blamberg. Before taking up the post in August 2021, he was agricultural attaché at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo, where he focused on trade policy, working to expand exports of U.S. livestock, dairy, and poultry products to Japan.

SeafoodSource: What are your priorities coming into the post? Are there any new initiatives that you intend to try?

Blamberg: Japan is a highly developed market. It’s the fourth-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports overall, and it’s the third-largest market for U.S. seafood products. Still, it’s a very dynamic and competitive market. One of the most significant changes to the market in the last few years has been Japan’s implementation of new trade agreements – the CPTTP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership], an agreement with the European Union, and of course, a bilateral agreement with the United States.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Restaurant menu shifts punishing seafood sales to foodservice sector

January 26, 2022 — The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled major restaurant menu shifts – some that favor seafood and others that don’t, according to Datassential Director Kelley Fechner.

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.-based Datassential annually provides updates on menu trends in the restaurant industry at the National Fisheries Institute’s Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC). At this year’s event in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A., Fechner said 60 percent of restaurants have shrunk their menus since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in the U.S., by an average of 10.2 percent.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Economic report for Alaska fishing industry economic offers some surprising numbers

January 25, 2022 — Where do most Alaska fishermen live? Which Alaska region is home to the most fishing boats?

The answers can be found in an easy to read, colorful economic report by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute for 2019-20 that includes all regions from Ketchikan to Kotzebue.

Many will be surprised to learn that nearly 40% of Alaska’s more than 31,000 fishermen live in the Southcentral towns of Anchorage, Kenai, Cordova, Seward, Homer, Valdez and Whittier. They earn more than half of their paychecks from fisheries outside of the region, with the Bristol Bay driftnet fishery being the main source of income.

Southeast’s 5,316 resident fishermen in nine communities own nearly one-third (2,655) of Alaska’s fishing fleet, more than any other region.

Overall, the industry includes 8,900 fishing vessels with 5,417 (61%) measuring in the 23-49 foot range. Each is a small (or big) business and if all the vessels were lined up bow to stern, they would stretch nearly 63 miles! The fishing boats harvested nearly 5.7 billion pounds of seafood in 2019, worth $2 billion.

Read the full story at the Anchorage Daily News

Wells Fargo, Rabobank economists predict continuing supply-chain woes

January 24, 2022 — Robust U.S. demand for goods and ongoing transportation and logistical challenges will result in continued supply-chain challenges through the rest of the year, according to economists from Wells Fargo and Rabobank.

Speaking at the 2022 National Fisheries Institute Global Seafood Market Conference, Wells Fargo Senior Economist Tim Quinlan said strong retail sales in the United States, driven by rising wages and government stimulus, kept demand for goods high through 2021, putting pressure on the import market to keep pace. But delays due to COVID-19-related transportation slowdowns, workforce shortages, and lack of competition in the shipping industry prevented supply chains from catching up with demand, and delays will continue for the foreseeable future, Quinlan said.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource