Fishermen Reopen Monopoly Suit Against Pacific Seafoods over Acquisition of Ocean Gold

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Oregonian] By Jeff Manning - January 23, 2015

After a two-year armistice, the legal warfare has resumed between Pacific Seafood Group and a handful of Oregon commercial fishermen who claim the large Clackamas company abuses its market power.

The fishermen sued Pacific Seafood Thursday claiming the company violated terms of the 2012 settlement of an earlier class-action anti-trust lawsuit. The fishermen are seeking a temporary restraining order to block Pacific Seafood's pending acquisition of a Westport, Wash.-based fish processing company, Ocean Gold.

Ocean Gold, which owns a single processing plant, is one of the largest processors of whiting on the Northwest...

Qingdao Imported 470,000 tons of Seafood with a Growing Amount Going to Domestic Market

China is quickly changing international trading patterns in seafood by using more imported product.  This story from Qingdao highlights some of these changes, with 15% of pollock and salmon now sold domestically.  Consumers have also stepped in and picked up the slack on products like king crab and lobster, after restaurants backed away due to the corruption campaign. The result is now a consumer driven demand for imported seafood that has broken far out of the old model - when most expensive imports went only to high end restaurants and hotels.  Amy Zhong has our report.

470 thousand tons of seafood are imported to Qingdao within one year and 60% of the seafood come from Russia.

Bankruptcies Plague Vietnam's Seafood Producers With Pangasius Market Oversupplied, Prices Down

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Vietnam News Summary] January 23, 2015

Many seafood processing companies in southwestern provinces of Vietnam have gone bankrupt, resulting in the instability of the largest aquaculture area of the country.

Ms. Truong Thi Le Khanh, Chair of Vinh Hoan Seafood, one of the 10 richest people in the stock market, said that easy credit had hurt the catfish industry in particular and seafood sector in general.

The overheated development of the seafood processing sector and the anticipation of price increases encouraged many firms to borrow bank loans to breed and process fish for export...

Russian Pollock Fishing underway, with 2015 Quota of 1.72 Million Tons

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Eugene Gerden - January 23, 2015

Moscow- Pollock fishing season has officially started in Russia, according to an official spokesman of the Department of Fisheries of the Russian Primorsky Krai.

Gulf Shrimpers Finish 2014 Season Strong With Landings Up 26% in December

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Michael Ramsingh - January 23, 2015 

For the fourth consecutive year total shrimp landings out of the Gulf of Mexico were up over 100 million pounds as a late surge in the 2014 fishing effort nearly made up for lost time from a delayed start to the season in May.

Gulf shrimp landings in December hit 8.7 million pounds, a 26 percent increase over last year and the highest total recorded since 2010. Landings were up in all Gulf states for the month...

Marine Harvest Canada's BC Salmon Farm is First in North America to Get ASC Certification

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] January 23, 2015

Marine Harvest Canada's March Bay Farm in British Columbia is the first aquaculture operation in North America to be certified against the Aquaculture Stewardship Council's standard for responsible fish farming.

The Marsh Bay Farm is Marine Harvest's ninth operation to earn certification against the ASC standard. The Operation was evaluated and fit the ASC criteria according to an independent assessment by SAI Global.

Altogether the ASC has certified 27 salmon farms in Australia, Chile, Norway and now Canada.

According to Marine Harvest Canada's Public Affairs Director Clare Backman the certification "validates [Marine Harvest Canada's] commitment to align our operations with the toughest standards and highest environmental and social principles. We are happy to celebrate this milestone which has been anticipated by the public and our customers."

North American Lobsters Are Latest Foodie Fad in South Korea

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Wall Street Journal] By Joshua Hall - January 23, 2015 - 

Forget macadamias and honey butter chips, South Koreans have it bad for lobsters.

A flurry of establishments serving the crustacean have opened recently, offering platters and lobster rolls in a country where the decapod has long been seen as limited to the realms of fine dining and marbled wedding halls.

Thanks to the FTA, U.S.  lobster exports to Korea have overtaken Canada’s, which are burdened with higher tariffs. Canadian lobsters accounted for 67% of imports in 2002, but last year U.S. lobsters held the majority with ...

AK Seafood Reps Impressed With Iceland's Marine Byproduct Industry During Trade Mission (Fish Radio)

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] January 23, 2015 

One thing that really stood out, Catterson says, was Iceland’s biotech collaborations –

"What we saw in Iceland was a model that doesn’t really exist yet in Alaska yet where smaller biotech companies that often are associated with the university in Iceland have partnered with some of the larger seafood companies to produce these high value marine products from fish wastes. They include a variety of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products as well as basic marine ingredients like collagen or other enzymes that have really valuable commercial applications worldwide."

Why New McDonald’s Discrimination Lawsuit Could Be Big Trouble for Fast Food

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Times] By Victor Luckerson - January 23, 2015 

A new civil rights suit is holding McDonald's responsible for a franchise owner's actions

The suit, filed in Virginia, alleges that a McDonald’s franchisee was acting in a racially motivated way when he fired several employees. But the workers are taking their grievances a step further by also suing McDonald’s national corporation, arguing the larger company is liable for the franchisee’s alleged actions.

The suit also comes just one month after the National Labor Relations Board took the unprecedented step of holding McDonald’s Corporation responsible as a “joint employer” for labor violations the agency says occurred at McDonald’s franchise ...

13 Fishermen Charged with Lacey Act Violations Involving 90,0000 Pounds of Striped Bass

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Virginia Pilot] By Lauren King - January 23, 2015 

Thirteen commercial fishermen have been charged in connection with the illegal harvest, sale and false reporting of about 90,000 pounds of Atlantic striped bass from federal waters off the coast of North Carolina from 2009 to 2010.  (These alleged Lacey Act violations can result in stiff penalties.)

According to the indictments, the fishermen transported and sold Atlantic striped bass, knowing it was unlawfully harvested from federal waters. The fishermen reported that the fish was harvested from state waters, which would have been legal.

All are licensed by North Carolina and NOAA to ...

McDonald’s Tried to Do It All, But Just Posted Terrible Sales Results

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Washington Post] - By Sarah Halzack - January 23, 2015 - 

McDonald’s is having some Big Mac-sized problems as it finds its image and menu are poorly suited for consumers’ increasing preference for fresh, healthy ingredients.

The restaurant chain said Friday that its global profit tumbled 21 percent in the most recent quarter, and its sales at U.S. restaurants open more than a year sank 1.7 percent.  Restaurant traffic was down in all its major markets across the globe.

But McDonald’s acknowledges that many of its problems are of its own making: As the company tried to take on these new competitors while also hanging onto its traditional business, its menu grew bloated and its pricing strategy became confusing.

Head of NOAA Fisheries Recommends Higher Halibut Catch Limits in Beleaguered Saint Paul Region

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  By Peggy Parker - January 22, 2015

In an unexpected move just five days before the start of the International Pacific Halibut Association’s (IPHC) annual meeting, Assistant Administrator for Fisheries Eileen Sobeck sent a letter to the IPHC commissioners and executive director Bruce Leaman urging them to “consider recommending catch limits that provide adequate harvest opportunity for the directed fishery in Area ...

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker's "Fish First" Policy Focuses on Fish Protection, New Entrants

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] January 22, 2015 

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – The top five fisheries priority from Gov. Walker’s transition team. More after 
this 

In November, newly elected Governor Bill Walker gathered more than 250 Alaskans into Transition Teams to identify the top five priorities in a wide range of categories, the barriers to success and ways to overcome them. A 25 member Fisheries Team included 25 commercial, sport, subsistence and science stakeholders.

All the reports are out. Topping the Fish Team’s list of priorities is the need for a clear “fish first” policy for...

Nofima Studying Ideal Conditions to Preserve Barents Sea Snow Crabs for Live Market

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Barents Observer] by Trude Pettersen - January 22, 2015

The snow crab has the potential of becoming the next big food resource from the Barents Sea. But does the snow crab also contain bioactive components that can be used in medicine and health food? The scientists have just started to search for an answer to that question.

Nofima, one of the largest institutes for applied research within the fields of fisheries, aquaculture and food research in Europe, have started studies of the snow crab’s biological characteristics.

Since the first five specimens of snow crab were found in the Barents Sea in 1996, the population has exploded. Model simulations indicate potential annual catches to reach the...

SeaPak to Focus on Easy Dinner Ideas to Increase Frozen Shrimp and Seafood Consumption During Lent

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] January 22, 2015

Major retail seafood distributor SeaPak Shrimp & Seafood will focus on simple dinner ideas  in its campaign to increase frozen shrimp and seafood consumption among US consumers for the upcoming Lenten season.              

Beginning in early February and continuing for nearly eight weeks, SeaPak said it will promote its shrimp brand in the frozen specialty seafood category focusing on showing moms and other meal-makers numerous ways to make the daily task of dinnertime both simple and delicious. The campaign will adverttisemultiple meal plans, recipe ideas and generous cost-saving opportunities that includes a sweepstakes where the winner will take home enough food to make dinner for a year.

Grim McDonald's Franchisee Survey Results: Comps Off 2.1 Percent in December  

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Nation's Restaurant News]  - January 22, 2015 -

McDonald’s Corp. same-store sales fell 2.1 percent in December, and don’t seem to be improving in January, according to the latest franchisee survey by Janney Capital Markets analyst Mark Kalinowski.

Surveyed franchisees estimated that January same-store sales would likely fall 1.7 percent, an early indication that McDonald’s efforts to reverse sales trends may not yet be taking hold.

The company is working on a lengthy list of efforts to reverse those trends, beginning with marketing changes that respond to critics, increase transparency and promote key menu items like the Big Mac, breakfast and Happy Meals. McDonald’s also wants to simplify the menu, give more regional control over...

Mark JoHahnson Assumes Role as President of Westward Seafoods and Alyeska Seafoods

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] January 22, 2015

Effective January 1 Mark JoHahnson has taken up the position as president of Westward Seafoods and Alyeska Seafoods, succeeding Rick Dutton.

JoHahnson is a veteran at Westward and Alyeska having worked for the company for 21 years. He has worked in various capacities and was named Vice President and General Manager of both companies in May 2014.

Dutton will stay on with Westward and Alyeska as a senior advisor...

Applebees Introduces 600 Calorie 'Pub Diet' Menu

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - January 23, 2015 - 

Casual dining chain Applebee's Grill and Bar has introduced a new Pub Diet menu with less than 600 calories.

The Pub Diet includes unexpected ingredients like quinoa and whole grains. Starting at $9.99, the Pub Diet dishes have fiber and protein.

The 4-item Pub Diet menu includes two seafood dishes: Shrimp & Broccoli Cavatappi and Savory Cedar ...

Featured Stories

Coldwater Shrimp Prices Up 7.5% Since the Start of January as Traders Brace for Lower Supply in 2015  

The Editor's View: Presidential Politics and Fisheries - Should we be Afraid?

Public Comments Wanted on Proposed Changes to the National Standards for Federal Fisheries

Falling Prices Prompts ASMI to Crank Up Alaska Sockeye Promos in Overseas Markets (Fish Radio)  

Retail Shrimp Volumes Appear to have Fallen in December, as Prices are Up Over Last Year  

Mississippi Seafood Markets Predict Fair Crawfish Prices On Expectations for Strong Harvest

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [WLOX] by Christina Garcia - January 23, 2015

Many seafood businesses are now offering crawfish and have been doing so since the beginning of January. This year's outlook for the red crustacean is a positive one, according to crawfish farmers. Biloxi seafood industry leaders said right now they are selling a few hundred pounds a day, but as the season continues they expect to sell thousands of pounds daily.

"Mudbugs, crawdads, mini-lobster, if you are from out of town," said Andy Gunkel general manager of Quality Poultry and Seafood in Biloxi.

You can call them what you like, one things for sure many people consider crawfish tasty...

Strong U.S. Dollar Pulling Clams from New Brunswick Leaving Nova Scotia Short

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [CBC] By Selena Ross -January 23, 2015 - 

Craving clams? You'll probably have to wait until the loonie digs itself out of its hole.

Until the Nova Scotia clam season reopens in April, supply will be nearly non-existent across the province, say sellers. The shortage is partly due to the poor exchange rate, with New Brunswick exporters taking advantage of the strong U.S. dollar to sell over the border.

Other factors are contributing to the shortage. Nova Scotia's clam harvest was poor last summer, with many beaches closed by the federal government because of red tide. That meant suppliers stored less for the...

Near Cyclical Bottom, Oregon's Dungeness Season will Barely Yield 10 Million Pounds

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Coos Bay World] by TIM NOVOTNY January 23, 2015

CHARLESTON — The Oregon Dungeness Crab fishery is a cyclical one, meaning it has its share of up-and-down seasons. This year is going to be one of the latter.

NOAA's 2013 Fishery Recap Shows Catches and Revenues Continue to Crumble in Massachusetts

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Gloucester Times] by Sean Horgan - January 23, 2015

The Northeast Multispecies Groundfish Fishery hit four-year lows in just about every pivotal category during the 2013 fishing season, including landings, revenues and the number of boats fishing in the inshore day-boat fleet.

The findings, contained in NOAA’s final report on the season released Thursday, sketch a pessimistic and dire portrait of an entire fishery under siege from economic, regulatory and environmental ...

Bi-Lo Holdings Names Turnaround Expert Ian McLeod CEO

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Supermarket News] By Jon Springer - January 23, 2015 - 

Bi-Lo Holdings on Thursday announced that Ian McLeod, an international retailer with turnaround experience on two continents, has been named its president and CEO effective March 2, succeeding Randall Onstead.

McLeod is known for leading a successful turnaround effort at Coles, one of Australia’s largest food retailers. He is a former chief executive of British retailer Halford Group and has 20 years of experience at Asda, where he was director of stores. He is also a one-time board member of Wal-Mart Germany, a former CEO of renowned European soccer club Celtic; and a director of pro soccer clubs in England and Australia, reports ...

Big Data Systems to Catch IUU Fishing Only Effective if Nations Enforce the Rules (Opinion) 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Economist] - January 23, 2015 - (Editorial Opinion)

Big data allow fish to be protected as never before. Governments should take advantage of this.

Crucially, given many governments’ ambivalence towards enforcing fisheries rules—especially when their own nationals are fishing in other people’s waters—the new technology will also help companies protect their supply chains.

The one-in-five illegal fish identified by Pew are often being sold by otherwise law-abiding firms that have no way of reliably tracing them back to the vessels that caught them. Soon, retailers will be able to do ...
 

Aquaculture License Finally Issued to Oyster Farm in Popponesset Bay Held up by Rich Homeowners

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Cape Cod Times] by Sean F. Driscoll - January 23, 2015

When the ice thaws on Popponesset Bay, Richard Cook hopes he will finally be able to get to work.

Cook, a Mashpee shellfisherman, has waited for nearly four years to establish a 1-acre oyster farm in Popponesset Bay. His plans have been fought at nearly every turn by homeowners on nearby Popponesset and Daniels islands, but last week the Mashpee Board of Selectmen issued him an aquaculture license after the most recent round of legal appeals ended in his favor.

Cook said receiving the license means he can finally stop dreading his daily trips to the mailbox where, time and time again, the mail brought notice of another legal battle in his case...

2,700 Pounds of Shrimp Seized from Louisiana Vessel Not Using a TED

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [The Times-Picayune] By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch - January 23, 2015 - 

The Coast Guard, along with the National Marine Fisheries Service, seized 2,700 pounds of shrimp catch after boarding a fishing vessel near the jetties off Cameron, the Coast Guard said Thursday.

A Coast Guard team from Lake Charles on Tuesday discovered the vessel Kathleen Yvonne was not equipped with the legally required turtle excluder devices.

The team escorted the vessel to Cameron Fish House where NMFS officials seized the ...

Coldwater Shrimp Prices Up 7.5% Since the Start of January as Traders Brace for Lower Supply in 2015

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Michael Ramsingh - January 21, 2015

Coldwater shrimp prices are on the rise this month in response to a global supply shortage with production in Maine, Canada and Greenland on the decline.

In early week trading Urner Barry prices for 150/250 count pandalus borealis ticked up over 6.5 percent from last week to $7.20 per pound, a five-year-high. Since the start of the month pandalus prices are up nearly 7.5 percent or $0.50 per pound...