Saving Seafood

Muddled communications on mercury causing consumer confusion

June 6, 2018 — It’s a rare occasion when representatives of industry, academia, and government all agree.

The fact that the U.S. seafood industry, an army of health experts, and the U.S. government all want to see the country’s population consume more seafood is a sign of how universal the agreement is surrounding the health benefits of seafood consumption.

But in seeking to achieve that objective, consensus often breaks down over the best way to communicate the benefits to consumers. One of the biggest points of division is the issue of mercury contamination in fish, since scientific studies on the potential harm of mercury in seafood are often conflicting and a source of frustration to consumers.

Jay Shimshack, an asssociate professor of public policy and economics at the University of Virginia and an expert in environmental and health policy, told SeafoodSource the problem lies with the way policymakers frame the message when issuing health advisories.

“Fish consumption advice is often complex and confusing. Message-framing matters a lot, and real-world constraints like affordability are as important as the true risks and benefits,” Shimshack said.

Consumers are told eating a variety of fish can be good for them, Shimshack said.

“But [they are told], ‘Do not consume some species [and be] careful not to consume too much of other species,’” Shimshack said. “Current U.S. commercial fish advisories list more than 60 species, and species names are not always consistent from one time and place to the next.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Proposed changes to food stamps program could take a bite out of seafood sales

February 16, 2018 — U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2019 budget proposal, which includes deep cuts to the U.S. food stamp program, could harm seafood sales at U.S. supermarket chains, organizations told SeafoodSource.

The Trump administration proposes slashing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or “food stamps” program, by USD 17.2 billion (EUR 13.8 billion) in 2019, or around 22 percent compared to last year’s funding.

In addition, the program would shift to a boxed food delivery program. The current system allows SNAP participants to purchase their  groceries at supermarket chains, farmers markets, and other retail locations.

Under the new proposal, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), would deliver packages of U.S.-grown commodities such as shelf-stable milk, juice, grains, cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans, along with canned meat, fruits and vegetables to recipients.

USDA estimates that it could provide the boxed delivery program at half the cost of the current retail program.

“Seafood is the only major food group that is not considered a USDA commodity. If the new food delivery platform is going to put an emphasis on commodity goods, then that will leave out lean, heart-healthy seafood, which is the only significant source of essential nutrients such as omega-3s EPA and DHA, as well as selenium,” Linda Cornish, president of Seafood Nutrition Partnership, told SeafoodSource.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Southeastern Fisheries Association Takes Firm Stand on Catfish Inspection Program

October 26, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — The Southeastern Fisheries Association (SFA) has issued a statement opposing the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new catfish inspection program.

According to the organization, the new program creates “impossible compliance situations” for fish farms and wild caught fisheries. SFA is standing with catfish fishermen and dealers who believe that the program is “unnecessary, inefficient and would needlessly harm dealers, processors and harvesters of wild-caught domestic catfish.”

“Wild-caught catfish harvesters and dealers will have extreme difficulty complying,” Bob Jones, the executive director of SFA, said in a press release. “The new regulations are onerous and unnecessary.”

SFA’s position on the new regulations is that fishermen and fish houses that sell wild-caught catfish should be exempt from the FSIS program. The organization believe that the inspection program, which will be conducted by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), will result in lost jobs.

FSIS is reportedly considering an exemption from the inspection program for wild-caught, domestic catfish.

 

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

 

SFA Members Speak Out on New, Impractical Catfish Rules

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — October 25, 2017 — The following was released by the Southeastern Fisheries Association:

Southeastern Fisheries Association (SFA) members have joined catfish fishermen and dealers across the country opposing a new catfish inspection program recently launched by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The new program imposes rules designed for fish farms and imports on wild caught fisheries, creating impossible compliance situations. The wild-caught catfish industry maintains the program is unnecessary, inefficient, and would needlessly harm dealers, processers and harvesters of wild-caught domestic catfish.

The new inspection program, to be conducted by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), was initially intended to provide additional inspections to farm-raised foreign catfish in competition with domestic farmed catfish. However, the new inspection program unnecessarily includes domestic wild-caught catfish.

“Wild-caught catfish harvesters and dealers will have extreme difficulty complying,” said Bob Jones, Executive Director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association. “These new regulations are onerous and unnecessary.

SFA members testified at a public hearing in August before the regulations went into effect in Webster, Florida, where representatives of the USDA and FSIS invited fishing industry stakeholders. SFA voiced its position that fishermen and fish houses that sell wild-caught catfish must be exempt from the FSIS program that will cost hundreds of jobs because the small fish houses that only buy smaller quantities of saltwater and freshwater catfish cannot meet the requirements of a plan designed for factory farms.

Unlike seafood farms, and imports where fish can be harvested or defrosted on a specific schedule, fresh wild-caught seafood is often landed in large quantities when the boats come back to the dock. “How can you clean 10,000 pounds of fish in an eight-hour day?” voiced Okeechobee catfish fishermen Tommy Ayers. His concerns were echoed by Ted Brozanski, President and COO of Stokes Fish Company.

“Tommy has been fishing for 58 years and you guys have cut his income by 38 percent because he can no longer fish on weekends or holidays,” Mr. Brozanski said.

He raised other issues with the new inspection program, including the fact that limited inspection hours can reduce the quality and value of product for fishermen and fish houses. For example, fishermen will not be able bring in fish that have to be cleaned over the weekend or outside normal hours, as many fish houses will be unable to afford the cost $70-per-hour overtime pay that FSIS inspectors are paid for working weekends and holidays.

FSIS representatives at the hearing indicated that a potential exception from the program was possible for wild-caught, domestic catfish. SFA urges FSIS to implement this exception.

About the Southeastern Fisheries Association
The SFA has served the commercial fishing industry for 65 years. SFA’s mission is to defend, protect and enhance the commercial fishing industry in the southeastern United States for present participants as well as future generations through all legal means while maintaining healthy and sustainable stocks of fish. SFA is headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida.

 

Maine’s local food economy gets $1M boost from federal government

October 10, 2017 — PORTLAND, Maine — is getting more than $1 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to support expanding the state’s local food economy.

The funding includes a $500,000 USDA Local Food Promotion Grant to Greater Portland Council of Governments for its “Scaling for Growth in the Portland Foodshed” project to address a lack of food processing infrastructure and an inefficient distribution network. The project will add processing capacity, reduce food waste by finding inefficiencies, and is expected to increase local food purchasing among retailers and institutions by $7.5 million.

“Increasing the production and consumption of local food represents a fantastic opportunity for Maine jobs and businesses,” U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine District 1, said in a news release announcing the awards. “From boosting local food processing in Greater Portland to marketing locally caught seafood, these federal investments will be terrific assets to building Maine’s food-based economy. That’s why I’ve advocated so hard for these kinds of investments in Washington and am actively working to strengthen them.”

Read the full story at Mainebiz

John McCain urges delay in new catfish inspection rules

September 1, 2017 — Sen. John McCain is mounting a last-minute plea to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to delay implementation of new catfish inspection rules slated to fully kick in Friday, saying all catfish inspections should be returned to the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration.

Mr. McCain said the new inspection regime under the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is a thinly-disguised trade barrier against Asian catfish imports at the hands of domestic farmers in southern states.

“This wasteful program is a classic example of shortsighted, anti-free market protectionism at its worst,” Mr. McCain wrote in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue this week.

“I request that you delay implementation of the USDA Catfish Inspection Program until Congress has an opportunity to reverse this duplicative, wasteful program,” he wrote.

Most fish is inspected by the FDA, but Congress — led by southern Republicans looking to protect their state’s industry — included language in the 2008 Farm bill that set the stage to transfer catfish inspections to a more intrusive process under FSIS.

Read the full story at the Washington Times

USDA to Host Listening Session of Catfish Rules Friday in Webster, Florida

SFA Members to Voice Concerns of Industry

August 24, 2017 — The following was released by the Southeastern Fisheries Association:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service will host a public “listening session” on new catfish inspection rules this Friday, August 25, in Webster, Florida. Members of the Southeastern Fisheries Association (SFA) will join other members of the industry in voicing their concerns over the new rules, which threaten the future of wild-caught U.S. catfish.

On September 1, the USDA will implement new inspection rules for catfish. Designed for catfish imported from large fish farms in Asia, the rules will also apply to small, domestic fish houses that land wild-caught catfish. Many of these small-scale operations will be unable to absorb the costs that these new regulations will impose, which may force them out of the catfish industry completely.

“There is no reason that small, local fisheries should be treated the same as large, industrial fish farms,” said Bob Jones, Executive Director of SFA. “These new rules will unnecessarily hurt small, rural businesses and decrease the availability of U.S.-caught seafood.”

In addition to being a financial burden on many small catfish harvesters, SFA believes that these rules are also unnecessary and duplicative. The Food and Drug Administration already inspects imported seafood and ensures that it meets all health and safety standards. The new USDA program increases will increase the regulatory burden on many fishermen without producing better results.

The following members from the Southeastern Fisheries Association will be in attendance:

  • Jimmy Hull – Chairman of the Board, Hull’s Seafood, Ormond Beach, Fl.
  • Peter Jarvis – President, Triar Seafood, Hollywood, Florida
  • Tony Lombardi – Vice President, Lombardi’s Seafood, Orlando, Florida
  • Mike Merrifield – Fish Section Chairman, Wild Ocean Seafood, Titusville, Florida
  • Jim Busse – Leadership Team, Seafood Atlantic, Cape Canaveral, Florida
  • Ben Williams – Leadership Team, retired fisherman, dealer, processor
  • Bob Jones, Executive Director, Southeastern Fisheries Association, Tallahassee, Florida

The listening session will be held from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Florida Bass Conservation Center, at 2583 CR 788 in Webster, Florida.

About the Southeastern Fisheries Association

The SFA has served the commercial fishing industry for over 60 years. SFA’s mission is to defend, protect and enhance the commercial fishing industry in the southeastern United States for present participants as well as future generations through all legal means while maintaining healthy and sustainable stocks of fish. SFA is headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida.

Read the release here

USDA offers cramming sessions on ‘wild caught’ catfish regs

August 22, 2017 — Ten days away from the beginning of full enforcement of USDA catfish inspections, the department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is doing a little remedial training for “wild-caught” producers.

The FSIS has scheduled educational meetings Thursday at the Holiday Inn Memphis Airport and Convention Center, and on Friday at the Florida Bass Conservation Center in Webster, FL.

The meetings are to “discuss the enforcement and implementation of the Final Rule on the mandatory inspection of fish of the order Siluriformes and products derived from such fish” with FSIS seeking out “participation from representatives from domestic wild-caught operations that process Siluriformes fish and fish products,” according to a notice from the government agency.

While most “wild-caught” catfish go home with those lucky enough to catch them, the FSIS rules cover some commercial operations. Under the rule, FSIS will inspect both wild-caught and farm-raised catfish processed in official establishments and test them for metals, dyes, pesticides and animal drug residues.

FSIS requires that fish harvested for human food, whether wild-caught or farm-raised, not be raised “under conditions that would render them unsound, unhealthful, or otherwise unfit for human food.”

A variety of “farm-raised,” methods including fish in pools and floating cages are covered.

Read the full story at Food Safety News

Virginia’s booming wild-caught blue catfish industry may weaken under federal regulation

July 24, 2017 — It’s been a rough year for Virginia’s seafood industry.

Earlier this year, the U.S. cap on foreign seasonal H2B workers forced some local seafood processing plants to shut down parts of their operations. Then came the bad news that blue crab harvests would be reduced this fall and next spring, after fisheries managers determined the juvenile population was low.

Now, the new wild-caught, blue catfish industry is at risk because of tighter inspection rules set for full implementation by the USDA on Sept. 1. It will be the only fish to come under USDA inspection.

Though the inspections were meant to help U.S. catfish farmers compete with Asian imports by leveling the playing field, it puts all catfish, including wild-caught blue catfish, under the same strict inspections as meat, poultry and eggs.

Mike Hutt, who promotes the state’s seafood industry, said Virginia has not had any problems with quality or recalls. He said many of the processors are small operations that have been in business for 30 or 40 years and won’t be able to afford the cost of coming up to code.

“With these rules put in place, I don’t know that we’ll have any processors left, or maybe one or two,” Hutt said. “All of these issues are putting impairments on them being able to run a business like they’ve run it for years, with a good, quality product.”

Read the full story at Fredericksburg.com

5 surprising benefits of U.S. farm-raised seafood

February 2, 2017 — You’re shopping for tonight’s dinner and decide fish sounds delicious. You visit the seafood section of your local market and are suddenly overwhelmed with choices. Salmon, tilapia, clams or shrimp? Imported or U.S. farm raised?

It can feel like there are endless options when shopping at the grocery store. Knowing what’s best for you and your family is difficult enough, yet alone weighing environmental concerns and other impacts of food choices.

When selecting seafood, there are various things to consider before deciding what to put in your cart. For many people, U.S. farm-raised options are their seafood of choice for a variety of reasons.

Low-calorie protein

U.S. farm-raised fish and shellfish are an amazingly nutrient dense food and are excellent sources of high quality, easily digestible protein. What’s more, they are packed with important vitamins and minerals including essential B-complex, A and D vitamins as well as selenium, iron and zinc. An average serving has less than 200 calories. Some of the leaner varieties like tilapia, clams, oysters, mussels and shrimp have less than 100 calories.

Read the full story at The Baltimore Sun