StarKist Samoa Cannery to Shut Down Due to Fish Shortages

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Radio New Zealand] August 18, 2017

American Samoa's largest private employer, the StarKist Samoa cannery, will shut down operations next week because of fish shortages.

Our correspondent in Pago Pago said it remained unclear when the next vessel would call into the port with more supplies.

In October last year the cannery shut down for just over a week, also because of a shortage of fish.

The US-based StarKist Company said it realised the shutdown was a disruption for workers and ...

ANALYSIS: Gulf Oyster Gallon Meat Prices Spike

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by Nicole West  August 17, 2017

Gulf oyster gallon meat prices advanced this week amid limited seasonal production.

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Washington Hosts Exhibit On Early Years of Salmon Derbies

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [The Daily News] August 18, 2017

ANALYSIS: Atlantic Salmon Frozen Fillets and Portions also under Downward Pricing Pressure

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Janice Schreiber August 17, 2017

Farmed salmon weakened or barely remained steady through most of the summer, and frozen fillet and portion markets are also under downward pricing pressure...

Northern California Petitions for More Squid Permits

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Susan Chambers - August 17, 2017

Northern California fishermen and processors want a piece of the squid action.

Four processors and businesses in Fort Bragg, Calif., fishermen Dan Yoakum and Bill Forkner and the Fort Bragg fishing community petitioned the California Fish and Game Commission in June to allow fishermen in northern California to harvest 5 tons of market squid per day, with a cap of 950 tons total in the waters from Point Arena north to the California/Oregon border. 

The group said ...

COLTO Responds Forcefully to Baseless Amazon Petition Asking to Ban Sale of Toothfish

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 17, 2017

Richard Ball, chair of the Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators (COLTO), has released a statement in response to a petition that is circulating online requesting that Amazon “ban the sale” of Patagonian toothfish.

“The petition is inaccurate, misleading and untruthful — and we are doing what we can to work with Amazon to ensure it is removed as fast as possible from all websites and public distribution,” Ball wrote ...

Danish Fish Scandal Hints at illegal Quota Manipulations Going Back Years

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by John Sackton  August 17,2017

A fish scandal brewing in Denmark suggests that the administration of fish quotas and licenses by the relevant ministry has been the site of illegal activity, and some referrals to the Danish police have been made.

An external review of fishing quotas by the National Audit Office produced a damaging criticism of the Ministry of Environment and Food, but also specified wrong doing in assigning quotas that went back as far as 2002, under 8 different ministers.

The Danish parliament has for years instructed the ministry not to allow extreme concentration in quota holders.  However, that mandate has been violated, says the report.

The report, according to Danish News reports, says:

-the ministry has failed to investigate compliance with rules

GAA and Fishin’ Company Partner to Promote Positive Aspects Of Aquaculture Industry

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 17, 2017

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) and The Fishin’ Company have teamed up to promote the positive aspects of the aquaculture industry.

The Fishin’ Company is an importer of tilapia and other frozen fish, and supplies large retailers and food service companies all over the world. The company is already doing their part to promote responsible aquaculture by sourcing their tilapia from farmers in China who are part of the BAP third-party certification program. But according to CEO Manish Kumar, they could be ...

Prices Drop as Sick Shrimp in China Flood the Market Again -- Except in Guangxi

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Shuichan] translated by Amy Zhong - August 16, 2017

China shrimp prices are higher this year than recent years and insiders expected a slight increase in shrimp prices this August. However, the prices have contracted slightly in most production regions of China. They declined around 1 yuan/jin in the Pearl River Delta region while about 1 to 2 yuan/jin ($0.30 to $0.60/kg US) in Hainan and Fujian. The prices plummeted by 3 yuan/jin ($0.90/kg US) for those ...

Southeast Alaska Dungeness Fall Season Reduced to One Month

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 16, 2017

Petersburg -- The Dungeness crab season this fall will open October 1 and close at midnight October 31, 2017 rather than the end of November. 

ADF&G based their decision on an analysis of the incidence of legal-size male soft-shelled crabs caught early in the summer season, data from port sampling and fish tickets. 

The good news was that the proportion of legal-size male soft-shelled Dungeness crabs discarded during the first week of the summer season was above the previous three-year average. 

The bad news is that amount is not a contributing factor in failing to meet the 2.25 million pound harvest...

Canada Announces Largest Marine Protected Area in High Arctic

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 16, 2017

A section of the Tallurutiup Imanga/ Lancaster Sound in Canada will be protected as part of a national marine conservation area (NMCA).

The conservation area is approximately twice the size of Nova Scotia and is home to whales, polar bears, migrating birds and other wildlife. The decision to protect the area was spurred by climate change and human activity that has begun to not only affect the landscape, but the “traditional way of life in ...

Sea Pact Announces 2017 Request for Grant Proposals 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 16, 2017

 Sea Pact, an alliance of seafood industry companies committed to furthering sustainability projects, opened of their sixth annual Request for Grant Proposals today.  

Member companies, who all contribute financially, include Albion Fisheries in Vancouver, Fortune Fish & Gourmet in Chicago, Ipswich Shellfish Group in Boston, Santa Monica Seafood in Los Angeles, Seacore Seafood in Toronto, Seattle Fish Co. in Denver, A.C. Covert in Halifax, J.J. McDonnell in Baltimore and Stavis Seafood in Boston.

Sea Pact contributes to selected projects that are engaging in efforts relating to bycatch reduction, innovations in aquaculture, or social responsibility within the seafood supply chain. Projects impacting the top seafood species consumed on a global level are preferred.

Twelve specific project categories are outlined in the RFP such as fishery and aquaculture improvement projects,..

Calysta Trial Reveals FeedKind Protein Could Replace Fishmeal in Shrimp Feed

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 16, 2017

Trial results from Calysta, Inc., a biotechnology company, reveals that shrimp fed a diet featuring FeedKind protein had “equivalent or higher survival and growth when compared to shrimp fed a standard fishmeal-based diet.”

The study focused on post-larvae Pacific white shrimp, which were fed a control diet featuring fishmeal as their primary source of protein and a test diet replacing the fishmeal with FeedKind Protein. Results from the end of the study revealed that ...

As right whales move into Gulf of St. Lawrence Protection Creates Dilemma for Canadian Gov’t

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [The Globe and Mail] by Lindsay Jones] August 16, 2017

Cargill Survey Reveals U.S. Consumers are Willing To Spend Extra for Sustainable Seafood

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 16, 2017

Cargill — a global corporate feed company that produces feed for salmon, tilapia, shrimp and more  — has conducted a survey with 1,000 U.S. residents to find out what they care about when it comes to seafood. The poll results revealed that “seafood is in higher demand than ever before” and that a majority of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable and responsibly sourced seafood.

“The majority of American consumers believe seafood is ...

Trū Shrimp Company, Schwan’s Company Enter into Partnership to Provide Safe, Natural Shrimp

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 15, 2017

Two Minnesota-based companies —  trū Shrimp Company and Schwan’s Company —  are partnering in an effort to provide consumers with safe, natural shrimp.

Trū Shrimp Company, an affiliate of Ralco, raises safe and clean shrimp “through a sustainable and environmentally responsible approach.” Their TidalBasin technology creates a natural, low stress environment, and their facilities protect shrimp from disease and predators. Schwan’s company is involved in food manufacturing ...

ANALYSIS: Shrimp Imports Continue to Soar

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by Paul Brown August 15, 2017

Shrimp imports continue heavy and on record pace for the year...

North Atlantic Traders President Seeking Attorney Fees After Being Cleared of NOAA Bluefin Charges

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 15, 2017

Marblehead businessman Robert Kliss has been cleared of charges that he schemed to illegally catch and export bluefin tuna — and now he’s seeking to have his attorney fees paid.

Kliss, president of North Atlantic Traders Ltd., was accused of conspiracy, smuggling and falsifying records. The jury cleared Kliss in July, but now his attorney, Barry Pollack, wants an award of attorney’s fees, according to WickedLocal.com.

One of the biggest issues with the case was that witnesses were pressured to provide testimony against Kliss. But for Pollack, the “most damning pieces of evidence” revolves around Agent Shawn Eusebio and his team not realizing that his client was not in the country when the alleged scheme was taking place. Kliss had been accused of creating and filing false documents in Massachusetts during a period of time where he was in British Columbia.

ANALYSIS: Imports of Mexican Shrimp

Let's take a step back to analyze the volumes imported from Mexico in recent years. Total imports in 2016 amounted to 55 million pounds, about six less than in 2015, but slightly...

High Liner Will be Looking for New CEO Says Henry Demone

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by John Sackton  August 16, 2017

Henry Demone, who has taken back the CEO positon at High Liner Foods, joked with analysts that "I can promise you I won't be here as long as I was the first time," on a conference call.  That stint was 23 years, from 1992 until 2015.

Demone said he was not an interim CEO, but that he was there full time with all his energy and talent "to do the job as well as I can."

However the board is going to do a search for a new CEO, said Demone.  "We will be looking for a new CEO ..

Striped Bass Being Caught in Labrador Which is Far Beyond their Normal Range

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [CBC News] by Geoff Bartlett August 17, 2017

Striped bass that are turning up in Labrador have locals and researchers perplexed, but a biologist says it's too early to start calling them an invasive species.

People have been posting on social media, as well as contacting the NunatuKavut natural resources office in recent weeks with reports of having caught striped bass — a species not usually found north of the lower St. Lawrence River.

The bass have been found in rivers and ponds in Forteau, L'Anse au Clair and L'Anse au Loup, which has ...

Annual Fishing Ban in South China Sea Lifted

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] August 17, 2017

The annual fishing ban in the South China Sea, which went into effect on May 1, has been lifted.

According to a report posted on the Business Standard, a record high of 18,000 fishing boats returned to Chinese ports when the ban started. Over the course of the three and a half month ban, there were 92 cases of illegal fishing reported. The ban ended Wednesday with approximately 100 fishing vessels departing from China’s Hainan province. 

NOAA Endorses Eating Small Haddock — But What About Cod?

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 16, 2017

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are giving their stamp of approval to eat small haddock.

In the July issue of the NOAA Fisheries Navigator, the government agency reports that smaller haddock does not necessarily mean an unhealthy stock. Looking at stats dating back to 1995, the size of the fish has been decreasing — but the population has been growing.

This trend is something that the organization has seen in the past. “A decline in the average size of Georges Bank haddock ...

Midwest Supermarket Chain Hy-Vee Offering 100% Responsibly Sourced Fresh and Frozen Seafood

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 16, 2017

Midwest supermarket chain Hy-Vee is taking the responsibly sourced route when it comes to their seafood. The store’s national brand of frozen seafood is now 100% responsibly sourced in compliance with its Seafood Procurement Policy.

“At Hy-Vee, we take pride in our dedication to high-quality, environmentally and socially responsible seafood, and we are thrilled to be the first Midwest retailer to make this kind of commitment,” Brett Bremser, executive vice president of perishables at Hy-Vee, said in a statement. 

Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission Looking to Fill Staff Position

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Susan Chambers - August 16, 2017

The Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission has big plans -- and to help make them happen, it's adding a position to its staff.

Executive Director Hugh Link said the assistant administrator position has been empty since former director Nick Furman retired three years ago and Link took over leading the commission. The office also has an office manager.

"We're looking forward to getting the team back," Link said.

The assistant position will also be the communications manager, "to better communicate with the users, industry, the public," he said.

Several issues, such as ...

Washington Governor Appointments Former PFMC Director to Fish and Wildlife Commission

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Susan Chambers - August 16, 2017

OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Don McIsaac, recently retired executive director of the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and reappointed Larry Carpenter to the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission.

The commission is a nine-member citizen panel that sets policy for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Members are appointed by the governor to six-year terms and are subject to state Senate confirmation. Three members must reside in eastern Washington, three in western Washington, and three may live ...

Henry Demone Returns as CEO of High Liner Foods, Effective Immediately, As Company Stumbles in 1st Q

SEAFOONEWS.COM by John Sackton August 15, 2017

The pressures affecting breaded fish sales seem to be on display, as High Liner’s Board of Directors announced Monday that Henry Demone, Chairman, will take back the CEO role from Keith Decker, effective immediately.

Demone was CEO of the publicly listed company from 1992 to 2015, and led the company through a series of acquisitions to become a billion dollar sales company, and one of the two surviving large value added whitefish processors on the East Coast.

Acquisitions under Demone included Fishery Products International in 2007, Viking Seafoods in 2010, Icelandic Groups US and Asian operations in 2011, American Pride Seafoods in 2013, Atlantic Trading Co., in 2014, and Rubicon Resources in 2017.

"The Board and I are confident that the Company is pursuing the right strategy..

Boston Seafood Hall of Fame Inducts GAA Executive Director Wally Stevens

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 15, 2017

Wally Stevens, seafood industry veteran and Executive Director of the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), was inducted into the Boston Seafood Hall of Fame during the sixth annual Boston Seafood Festival on Sunday.

Stevens has held a great number of titles in his 47 years, serving as the president of Slade Gorton, president of Ocean Products and senior vice president of operations at Booth Fisheries. When he took the role of executive director at GAA in 2007, Stevens helped grow the ...

West Coast Groundfish Marketing Group Hires Jana Hennig as Director

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Susan Chambers - August 15, 2017

The brainstorm by fishermen, processors, environmental groups and seafood certifiers of telling the West Coast rockfish story has taken a major step forward: The Groundfish Marketing Development Initiative hired Jana Hennig as its director this month.

Mostly absent from markets in both coastal and inland areas, rockfish moved from a mainstay on menus and in seafood counters to an insiders-only secret over the past 15-plus years. Stock assessments in the early 2000s showed low populations of some species, ...

Aquaculture Could Satisfy Global Seafood Demand Using Ocean Space the Size of Lake Michigan

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle August 15, 2017

What if a spot in the ocean the size of Lake Michigan could provide as much fish as all of the world’s wild-caught fisheries combined? That’s something that could become a reality, according to a new study posted on Nature.com.

The study’s lead author, marine ecologist Rebecca Gentry, set out to find if aquaculture could potentially “satisfy global demand by using a tiny fraction of oceans.” With the population growing and concern over ...