Saving Seafood

USDA planning USD 22 million West Coast seafood buy

July 17, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is planning to purchase USD 22 million (EUR 20 million) worth of Pacific rockfish and whiting (hake) from fishermen along the U.S. West Coast.

The USDA will buy USD 14 million (EUR 12 million) in West Coast whiting fillets and USD 8 million (EUR 7 million) in rockfish fillets, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), along with U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon), U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Oregon), and U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon), said in a press release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Fishing groups praise US Senate Farm Bill for including fisheries support

June 18, 2024 — U.S. fishing groups are praising federal lawmakers for incorporating significant fisheries support into a U.S. Farm Bill framework recently released by Senate Republicans.

The Farm Bill is the main piece of legislation governing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and fishing industry groups have been working to use the forthcoming renewal of the law as an opportunity to raise the profile of seafood within the department.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

OREGON: Oregon U.S. lawmakers seek federal help for West Coast seafood industry

June 11, 2024 — Last year, Oregon’s seafood industry got a much-needed boost from the federal government. But it continues to struggle and still needs help.

That’s the message from five Democratic members of Congress from Oregon, who’ve written to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to request aid for West Coast seafood fishermen, processors and distributors. U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas asked USDA Administrator Bruce Summers to again include Oregon seafood in its commodity purchases. Summers oversees the agency’s Agricultural Marketing Service, which buys U.S. products for nationwide food assistance programs.

Read the full article at the Oregon Capital Insider

OREGON: Oregon legislators urge USDA to make more West Coast seafood purchases

June 11, 2024 — Agroup of U.S. senators and representatives from Oregon are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase government purchases of seafood originating from the West Coast.

The USDA made USD 52 million (EUR 48 million) in seafood purchases from the U.S. West Coast in 2022 at the legislators’ urging but, previous to that, had not requested Pacific Coast seafood in its commodity-purchasing programs, according to a letter sent to USDA Administrator Bruce Summers from U.S. senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and U.S. representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, and Andrea Salinas

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Silver Bay Seafoods, Channel Fish and More Win Latest USDA Seafood Purchase Requests

May 20, 2024 — Earlier this month the USDA issued a handful of bid invitations for seafood products, including catfish, salmon and walleye, and Alaska pollock. While offer invites for the Alaska pollock products ends today, the USDA has already announced the winners for the catfish, salmon and walleye products.

Looking first at catfish, the bid invitation from the USDA went out on May 2. The bid was for a total of 392,000 lbs of catfish products for use in domestic food distribution programs, including unbreaded raw fillets and breaded oven ready strips. The Purchase Award Description that was released is for the entire 392,000 lbs, which has a value of $2,068,318.68

Read the full article at Seafoodnews.com

Silver Bay Seafoods lands USD 7.35 million USDA supply contract, publicizes Bristol Bay sockeye pricing

May 19, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded more than USD 8.8 million (EUR 7.5 million) in U.S. salmon and walleye contracts.

Sitka, Alaska, U.S.A.-based Silver Bay Seafoods won the biggest share and will deliver USD 7.35 million (EUR 6.8 million) worth of canned pink salmon to several U.S. cities between July and December of this year as part of the USDA’s Child Nutrition Program and other domestic assistance programs.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USDA announces financial relief for drought-stricken Louisiana crawfish producers

May 15, 2024 — Louisiana crawfish producers suffering from drought conditions now have access to emergency financial relief, following requests from state officials and representatives for federal action.

Last year was a difficult one for Southern crawfish producers, with extreme heat and a subsequent freeze causing a sudden decrease in crawfish production. The Louisiana State University’s Agriculture Center estimated the potential losses from the extreme weather to be nearly USD 140 million [EUR 130 million].

Read the full article at National Fisherman

USDA widens school meal standards to allow purchases of more local seafood; Trident, Channel Fish earn USD 21.8 million in federal contracts

April 30, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced new child nutrition standards for school meals that will likely benefit domestic seafood producers.

Under a new final rule published 25 April 2024, the USDA will allow schools to have greater flexibility with menu planning, an enhanced ability to purchase local seafood, and other standards that include reduced sugar and sodium. The standards will be gradually rolled out between the 2025 and 2027 school years.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

USDA updates SNAP rules to include more seafood

April 11, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program updated its rules to include more seafood.

The program, which provides nutritious foods to more than six million women, infants, and children who are at risk of not getting enough nutritious food, will add six ounces of canned fish to food packages for all children up to four years of age, up from the previous rule of five ounces for children between two and four years old. The USDA is also now accepting canned light tuna and chub mackerel in addition to salmon, sardines, and Atlantic mackerel.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource