ANALYSIS: Retail Shrimp Promotions Very Stable

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Angel Rubio September 21, 2017

Urner Barry analyzed the number of promotions relative to the wholesale price—Urner Barry's quotations—and the prices offered to the consumer...

Changes Coming for Icelandic Brand in US, as High Liner Agrees to Renegotiate Licensing Terms

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by John Sackton  Sept. 21, 2017

The Icelandic Brand is an iconic whitefish brand in the US, and once belonged to Icelandic Seafoods, one of two Iceland seafood companies who marketed Iceland seafood exports in the US.

In 2011, High Liner purchased Icelandic, and also rights to use the brand that expire in 2018. The brand was not owned by Icelandic, but is owned by the Iceland Enterprise Fund, an investment fund owned by pension funds in Iceland, and at the time of the sale, High Liner signed a license agreement giving it the rights to use the brand in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

However, it recently came to the attention of Iceland authorities that fish such as Tilapia from China was being packaged 

Anti-MSC Coalition Wins a Battle in Fight to Prevent MSC Recertification of PNA Tuna by FAD vessels

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by John Sackton  Sept. 22, 2017 

A coalition of British Chefs led by Celebrity Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall along with a number of Eco foundations and University Researchers is turning the tables on MSC by mounting a public campaign with retailers against the MSC re-certification of PNA tuna.

At issue is the acceptance by the MSC that vessels can land certified tuna from FAD free sets even while on the same day and same trip making sets on FADs (fish aggregating devices), that have been shown to increase bycatch of juvenile tuna and sharks.

The group took a complaint to the Dutch Advertising Code Committee, and won a ruling that found that Princes is “misleading consumers” through statements made on its tins of tuna...

Russian Fishing Profits Fall in 2017; Industry on Verge of Financial Crisis

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Eugene Gerden - September 22, 2017

The latest financial indicators show the Russian fishing industry is on the verge of a serious crisis. According to data of the Russian Association of Fishermen (RAF), the balance profit of the industry in the first half of 2017 fell by18.7 percent, which happened for the first time since 2014.

Experts say the industry no longer feels any benefits from the devaluation of the ruble. Its profitability is also hampered by low global fish prices and poor purchasing ...

Walmart Testing Straight-To-Fridge Delivery Service

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 22, 2017

Online grocery shopping delivers perishable items to your door … but what if the order could go straight into your refrigerator? That’s a concept that Walmart is toying with.

The retail giant is teaming up with August Home, a smart lock company, to test out this new delivery idea, which was created to help busy families. How the concept works is that a Walmart shopper can ...

Salmones Camanchaca to Become Public Company, Langostino Lobster Gets MSC Certification

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 22, 2017

Chilean seafood company Camanchaca has had a busy week. Their salmon subsidiary, Salmones Camanchaca, is set to become a public company, while their langostino lobster fishery received Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.

According to a press release, one third of the company’s shares will be part of the public offering ...

Ralphs Grocery Store Launches Prepared Meal Kits with Fish Tacos, Peruvian Salmon

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 22, 2017

Southern California residents don’t need to subscribe to a home meal delivery company in order to get prepared meal kits. Supermarket chain Ralphs is now offering pre-measured and prepared meal kits at 25 of their SoCal locations.

The kit is called Prep+Pared and features fresh ingredients that are ...

Boston's North Coast Seafood Put up For Sale According to Norway Sources

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Undercurrent News] by Tom Seaman  Sept. 21, 2017

North Coast Seafood, one of the largest seafood distributors in Boston, along with related company Northern Harvest Sea Farms, are being put up for sale, reports Tom Seaman of Undercurrent News.

Norway's DNB Markets Bank is running the sale, which is focused on the farmed salmon value from Northern Harvest, mostly sold through North Coast.

Editor's View: Carlos Rafael Must Go to Prison; Forfeit Vessels 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by John Sackton (Opinion)  Sept. 21, 2017

The sentencing hearing for Carlos Rafael, who pled guilty to extensive cheating on his New England fishing quotas, is coming up Monday.

We fully support the prosecutions demand that he spend 4 years and 3 months in prison.

Prosecutors are also asking for a fine of $200,000, restitution to the US Treasury of $108,929, and full forfeiture of the 13 vessels involved in his scheme, plus a lifetime ban on  being active in the seafood industry.

In the run up to the sentencing and decisions about forfeiture of vessels, there has been a lot of smoke and disinformation.  For example, Brian Rothschild, a respected New Bedford ...

New Brunswick Seafood Exports to China Have Skyrocketed by 238 Percent

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fishfirst] translated by Amy Zhong - September 21, 2017

The export value of New Brunswick seafood to China has reached as high as $15.66 million CAD (~$12.6 million U.S.) in 2016, which is 23 percent of the Canadian total seafood export. The province’s seafood export has ballooned by 238 percent from 2015 to 2016. And it is still working hard to promote seafood in this huge market.

On Sept. 8, a small-scale meeting was held in the Consulate General of Canada (Guangzhou). New Brunswick’s governmental officials, along with representatives for its three leading ...

Sea Turtle Populations on the Rise, But Conservation Still a Concern

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 21, 2017

A recent study on sea turtle populations delivered some good news. Scientists analyzed nesting site surveys for 17 regions and discovered that “populations have been on the upswing in 12 regions.”  

Out of the seven species of sea turtles, six of them are in danger of extinction. Predators, as well as pollution and fishing, all contributed to the ...

Yukon and Norton Sound See Record Chum Salmon Harvest

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Peggy Parker - September 20, 2017

The 2017 fall chum salmon run size in the Yukon River is over two million fish so far, exceeding the preseason projection by more than double. It is the largest run since 1975.

Landings of summer and fall chum have exceeded 1 million fish as of September 18.

The estimated passage of summer chum salmon was over 3.0 million, which exceeded the upper end of the preseason outlook of 2.5 million fish.

As of September 14, 129,600 coho salmon have been harvested in the commercial fishery, marking it the 3rd largest...

Flanigan's Seafood Bar and Grill Releases Statement on Hurricane Irma Damage

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 20, 2017

Flanigan’s Enterprises, the owners and operators of Flanigan’s Seafood Bar and Grill, a restaurant chain located in Florida, has released a statement on the damage that Hurricane Irma caused to their locations.

According to the report, the franchises “sustained minimal damage.” Issues caused by the storm included loss of power, some minor roof damage and ...

Snow Crab Fishery Likely in Alaska This Year With Positive News from Survey; King Crab Will Be Down

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by John Sackton and Peggy Parker - September 19, 2017

Signs point to a snow crab fishery again this year in Alaska.

 Following an extremely poor stock survey in 2016, the ADF&G opened the Alaskan Opilo (Snow Crab) fishery with an allowable catch barely above the legal threshold.

Many in the crab industry, and their customers, feared that a negative survey this year could lead to a complete shutdown. So the results of the latest Eastern Bering Sea crab survey appear to offer some good news.

However, the survey data on red king crab was ...

Univ of Washington Urges Fishermen to Diversify Permits Across Multiple Species to Preserve Income

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton Sept. 20, 2017

A team of scientists at the University of Washington have published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analyzing harvester revenue for the past 30 years in fisheries off Alaska.

The study showed that harvesters who purchased multiple permits across fisheries and diversified their catch saw much less income volatility than those who specialized in fishing a single species.

Their paper is the first to track the effect of fishing practices on individuals, rather than fishing fleets or communities.

"Previous work has shown that individuals who fish commercially have higher income variability than farmers. Our analysis showed that fishers holding single permits expose themselves to exceptional risk of high year-to-year income variability" said lead author Sean Anderson, who conducted this research...

Researchers Discover Caribbean Queen Conch Populations Are Fragmented

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 20, 2017

Scientists with the Smithsonian’s Marine Conservation Program have made a discovery that could potentially help the declining queen conch populations in the Caribbean.

Queen conch shell populations have been on the decline due to demand for export to the United States. Fisheries have closed and restrictions on international trade have been put in place, but scientists are still struggling to determine how depleted conch populations will recover. What the Smithsonian Marine Conservation researchers discovered is ...

B.C. Atlantic Farm Raised Salmon Named "Good Alternative" By Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 18, 2017

Salmon farms are engulfed in a bit of a controversy following escapement issues, but that hasn’t stopped the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program from recognizing Atlantic farm raised salmon in British Columbia as a sustainable choice.

The program has recommended Atlantic salmon raised in British Columbia as a “good alternative.” The rating means that salmon farms have made improvements to habitat and escapes, and have increased their “independent, transparent, peer-reviewed data on the subject of ...

Sysco Now Offering Sustainable and Artificial Additive-Free Wild Caught Shrimp

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 18, 2017

Foodservice distribution company Sysco is launching a new product – Premier Gold Natural Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp.

The shrimp is sourced in the Gulf of Mexico, and then processed and frozen without artifical preservatives, antibiotics, or sulfites. The product is part of Sysco's Cutting Edge Solutions platform, which will bring ...

Scientists Pan Proposal to Open Pristine Pacific Islands to Fishing

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Science Mag] By Christopher Pala - September 22, 2017

Marine scientists are warning that if the Trump administration rescinds fishing protections around eight Pacific islands, the United States will lose one of its best laboratories for measuring how a warming climate affects marine life.

“We need baselines,” says Alan Friedlander of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu. “We need pristine reefs to see what we’ve lost elsewhere, to better manage damaged...

U.S. Coast Guard Refuses to Document “America’s Finest”; Congressional Action Still Possible

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Peggy Parker - September 21, 2017

In a letter dated August 31 to Dakota Creek Industries (DCI), the National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) found that the state-of-the-art catcher processor ‘America’s Finest’ will “not be eligible to be issued a Certificate of Documentation with fishery or coastwise endorsements upon completion of construction” at DCI.

Without this document, the vessel is not eligible to fish in US waters.

This is the latest, but certainly not the last determination on whether the 262-foot ’America’s Finest’, built as the most “environmental and carbon footprint friendly” vessel in the Bering Sea, will be fishing there this coming winter.

The problem rests in the vessel’s highly efficient hull shape which “reduces hull resistance when sailing in ice or at open sea,” according to the ship’s architects. The hull was built using steel plates that were cold formed in the Netherlands. Those foreign-processed plates were about 7 percent of the total weight of the steel hull, surpassing the Jones Act...

Four Arrested in California for Selling Abalone on the Black Market

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Susan Chambers - September 22, 2017

Wildlife officers recently arrested four suspects on charges of harvesting abalone with a recreational fishing license then selling it on the black market for profit, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) said in a press release. The arrests were preceded by a five-month investigation of the suspects, some of whom have been previously convicted of similar violations.

CDFW officers arrested Oakley resident Thepbangon Nonnarath, 48; El Sobrante resident Dennis Nonnarath, 45; and San Jose residents Thu Thi Tran, 45, and Cuong Huu Tran, 42.

The group ...

Whole Foods Offering Vegan Raw Tuna Alternative for Sushi 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 21, 2017

Whole Foods is continuing to expand their offerings. Los Angeles and New York shoppers who visit the grocery market will be able to purchase Ahimi, the “first ever plant-based alternative to raw tuna.”

Ahimi is a product from Ocean Hugger Foods, a company that creates sustainable plant-based alternatives to ...

Oceana Canada Executive Director Writes Open Letter To Raise Seafood Fraud Awareness

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 21, 2017

Oceana Canada executive director Josh Laughren is taking a stand against seafood fraud. In an open letter published on the Huffington Post, Laughren pleads for chefs, restaurant owners, seafood industry leaders and the Canadian people to call on the government to require seafood to be fully traceable in order to combat seafood fraud and ...

New Sea Grant Bulletin a Boost for Alaskans Wanting to Farm Kelp

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 21, 2017

The global market for seaweed products has grown exponentially in recent years to $10 billion per year. Demand is outstripping supply with major market buyers in China, Japan, and South Korea.

Of the more than 18 million tons produced each year, 96 percent is cultured and 4% gathered from the wild.

In the U.S. farming seaweed is a recent industry, but established farms are operating on both coasts.

Alaska is poised to take off as the state develops a mariculture policy for seaweed and institutions like Alaska Sea Grant, the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center and others expand research projects on kelp farming.

The new Sea Grant bulletin Seaweed Farming in Alaska, will help. Author Gary Freitag describes...

Tasmania Passes New Salmon Farming Laws

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] September 21, 2017

The Tasmania lower house of Parliament has passed new laws to police the salmon farming industry. The bill, which was created to ensure that Tasmania’s salmon industry continues to grow and remains “world class,” featured some of the “toughest regulations” that the state has ever seen.

Part of the changes brought on by the bill include the independent Environment Protection Authority taking over day-to-day environmental regulations from the ...

Cape Cod Oyster Company Purchases 23-Acre Aquaculture Grant in Massachusetts

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 20, 2017

Massachusetts’ Waquoit Bay has a rich history when it comes to seafood. The demand for oysters in the area goes back to the Native American tribes and the first European explorers. The location is also where early methods of aquaculture began – and Cape Cod Oyster Company is working to ensure that oysters and their story continue to grow there.

On Tuesday, the Massachusetts oyster producer announced that they purchased Atlantic Oyster LLC’s 23-acre aquaculture grant ...

Maine Department of Marine Resources Recovers 98% of Recalled Mussels

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle September 20, 2017

The Maine Department of Marine Resources has recovered 98% of mussels recalled due to potential amnesic shellfish poisoning. The announcement comes less than a week after the department issued a recall of any mussels harvested near Mount Desert Island between September 10 and the 14. The mussels were believed to be tainted with a neurotoxin produced by ...

Rafael Seeks to Sell Vessels, Pay Small Fine; Opposes Gov't Forfeiture Demand

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Undercurrentnews] by Jason Smith  Sept. 19, 2017

IUU Lobster Fishing and Dumping Must be Stopped Immediately in Canada (Editorial)

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  [Editorial Opinion] by John Sackton  Sept. 19, 2017

Lobster dumping has to stop.  Yesterday we published images of piles of dead lobster in the woods near Digby, Nova Scotia.  The lobsters that were dumped appear to include both female lobsters with notched tails, and undersized lobsters.  The fishing of these lobsters in Nova Scotia is strictly illegal.

The protection of egg bearing female lobsters has been the law in Canada since the 1870’s.

This dumping escalates a dispute over native fishing rights involving several Mi’kmaq bands and non-native commercial fishers in Nova Scotia.  Although there is no proven link between the out of season fishing of the Mi’kmaq and the lobster dumping...

US Lowers Indian Shrimp Duty Rates by 62%

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Foreign Trade Data] by Jarrod M. Goldfeder September 19, 2017

The Commerce Department published today its final determination in the eleventh administrative review of the antidumping duty order against Frozen Warmwater Shrimp from India.  This reviews cover Indian frozen shrimp entries during the period February 1, 2015 through January 31, 2016.  The final antidumping rates are as follows ...