Saving Seafood

Private Sector Demonstrates that Seafood Traceability is Possible and Profitable

March 9, 2016 — Ordering seafood off a menu in your favorite restaurant or from your local grocery store’s seafood counter may not be as simple as you think. Right now, it is far too difficult for consumers to know basic facts about the seafood on their plates, such as what species of fish they are actually buying, where the fish is coming from, and how it was caught. The prevalence of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing around the world means that you might be eating an endangered species caught in a protected area, and seafood fraud – the mislabeling of seafood products – means you probably wouldn’t know if you were. Fortunately, a new report released this week by Oceana demonstrates that full-chain traceability for our seafood – a full accounting of its path from catch to consumption – is both achievable and beneficial.

Last month, the Obama administration’s Presidential Task Force on Combating IUU Fishing and Seafood Fraud released a proposed rule that requires traceability to the first point of entry into U.S. commerce for certain species considered “at risk” of these activities. While it is an encouraging sign that the administration is addressing the problems of IUU and seafood fraud, the actions proposed do not go far enough. The proposed rule is currently open for public comment until April 5. Ultimately, the final rule should expand the documentation requirements to all seafood and extend traceability throughout the entire seafood supply chain.

Consumers deserve accurate information about the origins of their seafood, and Oceana’s new report, Fish Stories: Success and Value in Seafood Traceability, demonstrates the feasibility of such a practice. Oceana’s report spotlights the efforts of more than 15 companies that are using traceability now. As the report details, full-chain traceability isn’t just possible; it’s a profitable option for businesses that helps their customers make responsible choices.

Read the full story at The Huffington Post

Cape group pushes dogfish as viable seafood option

March 9, 2016 — BOSTON — The Seafood Expo is the largest seafood show in North America covering over 516,000 square feet of exhibition space this week at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

For the second year in a row, members of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance spent three days talking dogfish with international and national buyers and sellers, and executive chefs at the show as part of an ongoing campaign to put the small shark on restaurant menus and on the dinner table as a sustainably caught, local whitefish.

“I think the market is gigantic and, if you talk to the fishermen in Chatham, they will tell you, you can’t drop a hook in the water without getting a dogfish. Between those two facts, (the market) will continue to build over time, but it’s already gaining a lot of traction,” said Michael Dimin, founder of Sea to Table, a company that markets artisanal fish directly to chefs across the country.

Processers successfully campaigned to get dogfish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council a few years back because the population was booming and the dogfish daily trip limit is kept low at 5,000 pounds. Chatham catches about 6 million pounds out of the state’s 9 million pounds in annual landings. The total landings of 16 million pounds fall far below the 50 million pounds scientists consider a sustainable catch.

Compared with other species, dogfish, a small coastal shark, are close to shore and easy to catch. Cod are now far offshore, as are haddock, and monkfish involves a three-day trip, hundreds of miles roundtrip in relatively small boats.

Read the full story at Cape Cod Times

4 simple steps you can take to eat sustainable seafood

March 8, 2016 — Eat more locally caught seafood. Many of the fish we eat are at risk of being overfished or harmed because of destructive fishing practices. At the same time, there are plentiful fish in our waters, specifically in the Gulf of Maine, which stretches from Nova Scotia down to Cape Cod. When we expand our tastes and eat more local, underutilized species, such as Acadian redfish, Atlantic pollock, dogfish, whiting, and Atlantic mackerel, we relieve pressure on overfished species, reduce our dependence on imports (about 90 percent of the seafood we eat is imported), and provide living wages to local fishermen.

Specifically ask for local. When buying seafood in the market or ordering it at a restaurant, always inquire if it’s local.

Read the full story at the Boston Globe

2016 Seafood Expo North America Excellence Awards Finalists Announced

March  7, 2016 — The following was released by the Seafood Expo North America:

The 12 finalists for the 2016 Seafood Excellence Awards, the prestigious best new products competition at Seafood Expo North America, have been announced. Winners of the competition will be presented during the Seafood Excellence Awards ceremony, which will take place on Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 3:30pm in the Demonstration Theater during Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America in Boston, USA.

The Seafood Excellence Awards annually recognize the product leaders in the North American seafood market. Each year, exhibitors have the opportunity to submit their new products for consideration. Products are evaluated by three seafood industry experts based on their uniqueness and appropriateness to the market, taste profile, packaging, market potential, convenience, nutritional value and originality.

The 2016 finalists were selected from nearly 60 entries in the exposition’s New Product Showcase and compete for two awards: Best New Foodservice and Best New Retail Product.

The finalists for the 2016 Seafood Excellence Awards are:

Absolutely Lobster®, Booth #3014
Absolutely Lobster® Homemade Tomato Sauces

 

Alaskan Jack’s Seafood Corporation, Booth #2305

Frontier Harvest Alaskan Jack’s Gold Premium Pineapple-Teriyaki Sockeye

 

Aqua Star, Booth #2005

Crab & Shrimp Seafood Feast

 

Azuma Foods International Inc., USA, Booth #321

Tobikko Umami

 

Bantry Bay America Inc., Booth #2957

Mussels in a Creamy Stout Sauce

 

French Creek Seafoods, Booth #2833
Kickin’ Seafood Chili
High Liner Foods, Booth #1005
Simply Sauce Seafood Bites

 

Phillips Foods, Booth #959
Shrimp Toast

 

Premier Marine Canada, Booth #2981
Waterview Market Shrimp with Sauce

 

Santa Barbara Smokehouse, Booth #2310
Honey Glazed Oak Roasted Salmon

Trident Seafoods, Booth #805
SeaFusions™ Pacific Cod Bites

 

Vinh Hoan Corporation, Booth #2742

Char Marked Barramundi

 

Each finalist’s product will be showcased during the three-day event in Boston.

The Seafood Excellence Awards serves as the North American extension of the Seafood Excellence Global Awards competition, held at Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Belgium. Both Seafood Excellence Awards and Seafood Excellence Global are organized by Diversified Communications, producers of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global and Seafood Expo Asia.

View all of the entries of the Seafood Excellence Awards.   
SeafoodSource.com, a publication of Diversified Communications is the official media for Seafood Expo North America & Seafood Processing North America. As the global leader in seafood industry news and information, SeafoodSource.com will extensively cover the event.

Seafood-industry buyers and processors can learn more about Seafood Expo North America & Seafood Processing North America and register to attend by visiting the exposition’s website, seafoodexpo.com/north-america.

About Seafood Expo North America and Seafood Processing North America

Seafood Expo North America and Seafood Processing North America, formerly called the International Boston Seafood Show and Seafood Processing America, is North America’s largest seafood exposition. Thousands of buyers and suppliers from around the world attend the annual, three-day exposition to meet, network and do business. Attending buyers represent importers, exporters, wholesalers, restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, and other retail and foodservice companies. Exhibiting suppliers offer the newest seafood products, processing and packaging equipment, and services available in the seafood market. The exposition is sponsored by the National Fisheries Institute. SeafoodSource.com is the official media. The exposition is produced by Diversified Communications, the international leader in seafood-industry expositions and media. For more information, visit: www.seafoodexpo.com/north-america

About Diversified Communications

Diversified Communications is a leading international media company providing market access, education and information through global, national and regional face-to-face events, digital products, publications and television stations. Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food service, natural and organic, healthcare, commercial marine and business management. The company’s global seafood portfolio of expositions and media includes Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global, Seafood Expo Asia and SeafoodSource.com. Diversified Communications, in partnership with SeaWeb, also produces SeaWeb Seafood Summit, the world’s premier seafood conference on sustainability. Based in Portland, Maine, USA, Diversified has divisions in the Eastern United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit: www.divcom.com

View a PDF of the release

MASSACHUSETTS: Team Gloucester packs them in at international expo

March 7, 2016 — BOSTON — There was no shortage of foreign languages filtering around the cavernous exhibition hall at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center when the international Seafood Expo North America show opened Sunday.

Visitors walking the aisles criss-crossing the exhibition floor among the 1,240 exhibitors could hear, among other tongues, snippets of Japanese, English, Spanish, Norwegian, Hebrew, Vietnamese and Korean.

And Gloucester. They most definitely could hear Gloucester, whether they wanted to or not.

Operating with a basic strategy of go-big or go-home, Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken and her merry band of Gloucesterites certainly made their presence known at one of the largest seafood shows in the world.

“Come to the city of Gloucester booth at 1671 and try some of our red fish soup, made with local Gloucester fish,” Romeo Theken announced over and over, and with authority, into the microphone as thousands of visitors and exhibitors milled past. “Gloucester fish is fresh fish. Check it out at www.gloucesterfresh.com.”

Not satisfied with just belting out a looping commentary and commercials for her city, Romeo Theken began walking through the crowd holding a redfish fillet in her hand, beseeching the assembled to smell it.

Read the full story at Gloucester Daily Times

Invasive species? Try new culinary treat

March 3, 2016 — It’s not easy being green . . . crabs, that is. Then, how could it be?

The green crabs are the poster child of invasive seafood species, prompting their fair share of hand-wringing and vitriol — not to mention legislative action here in Massachusetts to figure out ways to mitigate the far-flung eco-damage they’ve foisted on animal and plant species throughout the state’s Great Salt Marsh that stretches more than 20,000 acres from Cape Ann to the New Hampshire border.

Many people talk about the green crabs, but Spencer Montgomery is actually trying to do something about them. In short, he’d like restaurants and large-scale institutional food purveyors to start using them in recipes and for the consuming public to start eating them. 

Montgomery, a seafood buyer for Woburn-based food vendor Dole & Bailey, is trying to build up a consuming market for the small, ubiquitous crabs, even if he has to do it one chef and harvester at a time.

“There’s really no reason we shouldn’t be selling hundreds of pounds of the green crabs each week,” Montgomery said. “It would be better to get them out of the water to help protect our other seafood species and the marine environment, but they’re also a real alternative for chefs looking to use crabs and crab flavors in different ways and at a far lower price.”

Montgomery said he recently filled orders for about 70 pounds of the crabs from three New England restaurants and now he’s looking to build up his network of harvesters to handle the future demand he envisions from restaurants, hotels, universities and hospitals.

Read the full story at Gloucester Daily Times

North Carolina Fisheries Association Releases Catch Summit info

March 2, 2016 — One final reminder about the NC Catch Summit coming up next week! This appeal is for all fishermen and interested folks. The Secretary of DEQ, the Deputy Secretary and the Acting Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries will be in attendance at the Clambake on Monday night!!

Please try to attend the Clambake and/or the event during the day on Tuesday in Beaufort. There is no charge for attending!

The Dinner & the Summit are completely free but you have to register (for the head count) at: email: 

rjohnson@hydecountync.gov

or call Rosemary Johnson at 252.926.4474.

Monday * March 7 * Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center; Harkers Island

5:30-8:30 Carteret Catch Down East Clambake & Frogmore Stew Dinner

Speaker: Wes Stepp, owner of Red Sky Cafe & author of “Tastefully Fit”

*Free trolley service will be available from the Beaufort Inn to the Museum

Tuesday * March 8 * Auditorium, NC Maritime Museum, 315 Front Street; Beaufort

8:30-9:00 Registration * Coffee & pastries

9:00-9:15 Host Welcome * Pam Morris, President, Carteret Catch

Conference Welcome * Jimmy Johnson, President, NC Catch

9:15-10:00 NC Commercial Fisheries: Economic Values, Trends, & Growth Potential

Presenter: Dr. Jane Harrison, Coastal Economics Specialist, North Carolina Sea Grant

10:00-10:15 Break

10:15-11:00 Sett ing Seafood Trends: How Chefs Do It

Moderator: Libby Eaton, Bistro-By-The-Sea

Panelists: Jeff Barney, Saxapahaw General Store; Wes Stepp, Red Sky Cafe; and Sandy Howard, Amos Mosquitos

11:00-11:45 Ocracoke Island: A Case Study of Successful Seafood Tourism

Moderator: Alton Ballance, NCCAT

Panelists: Hardy & Patt y Plyler, Ocracoke Fish Company; Vince O’ Neal, Pony Island Restaurant; TBA

11:45-12:30 Diamonds in the Rough: Local Success Stories

Moderator: Jess Hawkins, Carolina Eco-Tours

Panelists: Eddie & Alison Willis, Mr. Big/Core Sound Seafood; Fabian Botta, Ruddy Duck Tavern; and Mark Hooper, Hooper Family Seafood

12:30-2:00 Lunch – Generously sponsored by Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative

2:00-2:45 Cultivating Customers: Insights from Retail Seafood Markets

Moderator: John Day, Center for Environmental Farming Systems, NC State University

Panelists: Haag & Son’s Seafood; Fishtowne Seafood; TBA

2:45-3:00 Break

3:00-3:45 NC Seafood: It Tastes Great & It’s Good for You Too!

Presenters: Dr. David Green, NCSU; Candace Morris, ECU graduate student; and Sue Way, East Carteret High School

3:45:4:00 2016 NC Catch Summit Conclusion: Pam Morris and Jimmy Johnson

4:00-4:30 Networking and information tables available

Fishermen, restaurant, retail & wholesale folks who are able are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity and attend part or all of it. There are accommodations available at Beaufort Inn (1.800.726.0321) at a very reasonable rate, if needed. 

View a PDF of the Catch Summit poster

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Fishing Industry Helping to Protect the Environment

February 29, 2016 — The following was released by the Office of Mayor Jon Mitchell:

New Bedford, Fairhaven and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are working together with the fishing industry and other commercial vessel operators to prevent oil spills and keep New Bedford Harbor, home of America’s No. 1 Fishing Port, clean through the “Clean Bilge Program.”

New Bedford Harbor is home to more than 400 fishing vessels that harvest the sea and many seafood processing plants and other businesses that support the fishing industry are also located in New Bedford and Fairhaven. The Port of New Bedford is an important economic engine for New Bedford, Fairhaven and the region. With so much commercial activity in New Bedford Harbor (including 400 fishing vessels, 4,400 jobs, seafood landings valued at $329 million, as well as more than 30 processors and distributors) small oil spills became a frequent occurrence, and have threatened collaborative efforts to clean and improve water quality in the harbor.

According to recent U.S. Coast Guard data, there has been at least one recorded small oil spill in New Bedford Harbor each month since 2010 and contaminated bilge water is considered the most likely source of these spills. The vast majority of these spills are small, but even a single cup of oil has the potential to contaminate a football field-sized area.

However, an innovative pilot program to prevent oil spills is changing the tide and improving the health of the New Bedford Harbor. Funded by MassDEP and operated by the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission (HDC), Clean Bilge works directly with commercial fishing vessel operators and the operators of other commercial vessels to prevent oil spills.

An agent of the City’s Harbor Development Commission connects directly with vessel owners on both the New Bedford and Fairhaven sides of the harbor and provides advice on how to avoid oil leaks, refuel safely and maintain a clean bilge. In addition to helpful guidance, vessel owners can receive bilge pumping – the removal of unwanted water that can become contaminated with oil and collects in the lowest part of all vessels.

Since the program began in October of 2015, more than 120 vessels have signed up to participate, 48 vessels have had their bilge pumped and 14,117 gallons of oily bilge water was recovered and properly disposed of and kept out of New Bedford Harbor.

“The Port of New Bedford is one of Greater New Bedford’s most important economic assets and we are working on many fronts to ensure that New Bedford Harbor continues to be a strong asset for our region and protecting its environmental health is a critical component of our efforts. I am encouraged at the number of vessels that have signed up for the program thus far and thank the participating vessels for being good stewards of the environment,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell.

“Following the Buzzards Day oil spill, MassDEP has helped New Bedford and coastal communities respond to oil spills with funding for new cleanup equipment and response plans that protect sensitive resources,” said MassDEP Deputy Commissioner Gary Moran. “Now, with the new clean bilge pilot program, we are reaching out directly to vessel owners with a preventative measure that aims to stop spills before they happen.”

“The persistent “mystery” oil spill problem has no place in the New Bedford Harbor we are all working so hard to restore every day. The Buzzards Bay Coalition is excited to be a partner in this voluntary effort to improve bilge oil management. It has been wonderful to see the positive response and commitment from fishing vessel owners to cleaning up the Harbor,” said Mark Rasmussen, President, Buzzards Bay Coalition

More than 120 commercial vessels have signed up to participate in the program and each receives a complimentary inspection and specific recommendations on preventing oil spills. Rodney Avila, a former commercial fisherman from New Bedford was hired by the HDC to lead the program. Port Director, Edward Anthes-Washburn said, “By working with fishermen we have prevented countless oil spills and are maintaining a cleaner harbor. I think the education component of this program has been critical to the success we’ve had thus far.”

View a PDF of the release

Hawaiian fish-based meal takes the world by storm

February 27, 2016 — If you’re satiated with sushi and sick of ceviche but still crave the taste of raw fish, prepare to pile in for the latest pescatarian food craze: poke.

Hailing from Hawaii, poke – pronounced “poh-kay” – is usually a mix of raw cubes of fish (often tuna) with a soy sauce-based dressing, served in a bowl with rice and garnishes. It is big in the US, especially in Los Angeles and New York. And now it’s set to conquer the UK.

Pret a Manger is poised to become the first national chain to add poke to its lunchtime menu, following Bill Granger, an Australian chef who owns three London restaurants and offers a raw tuna and avocado poke dish.

Chefs love the potential for variety with poke, which means simply “to cut or section”. Anything goes when it comes to ingredients – mushrooms or beetroot are alternatives to fish. Hannah Dolan, a food developer at Pret, said: “Poke salad has been on our radar for a while and we’ll be introducing our own version inspired by the Hawaiian dish this spring. Poke salads are bright, fresh and vibrant … Ours will be centred around marinated mushrooms.”

Read the full story at Independent

Rep. Suzan DelBene Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Put U.S. Seafood in School Lunches

February 25, 2016 — The following was released by the Office of Congresswoman Suzan Delbene: 

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today introduced bipartisan legislation to require fish products purchased for federally subsidized school lunches be domestically harvested.

“The Pacific Northwest produces some of the world’s best and healthiest seafood. We should be supporting our local industries, especially when they are producing a superior product for our nation’s children,” DelBene said. “I want to ensure school district funds stretch as far as possible, but not at the expense of child nutrition. This bipartisan bill is not only good for our fishermen, but also our children, who will be receiving more nutritious fish as a result.”

Current law has unfortunately resulted in fish products caught and processed in foreign countries being included in school lunches at the expense of fish caught in America. For example, 60 percent of the pollock served in the school lunch program comes from Russia and is often processed in China because the Buy American requirement is only “to the maximum extent practicable.” This allows cheaper, but less nutritious Russian pollock to replace Alaska pollock. The bill would strengthen the Buy American provision in the National School Lunch program by stating “without exception” that federally subsided school lunches should use domestically sourced fish, or fish from a U.S. flagged vessel in the case of tuna.

DelBene serves on the House Agriculture Committee, which has part jurisdiction over the National School Lunch program. Reps. Don Young (R-AK), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Denny Heck (D-WA) joined DelBene in introducing H.R. 4617, which has a companion measure (S. 2529) in the Senate from Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

“We appreciate Congresswoman DelBene and her House colleagues’ continued support for the region’s seafood industry, especially this legislation to restrict federally subsidized seafood purchases by school districts to fish harvested in the U.S.,” said Joe Bundrant, CEO of Trident Seafoods Corporation. “Alaska pollock is a versatile, nutritious and affordable seafood product, ideal for the school lunch program. This legislation can help ensure that our children get the best choice at a good value for school districts.”

Read the release online