Seafood Headlines August 9, 2017

Processor Will Flash Freeze Bristol Bay Salmon in the Round in 2018

Two commercial fisheries veterans are renovating a former helicopter logging barge in Sitka this summer, with plans to use it as a floating processor in Bristol Bay in 2018, flash freezing up to 300,000 pounds of whole sockeye salmon a day. To read the full article click here. Source Fishermen's News.

Neptune Exits Bulk Krill Oil Business, Aker BioMarine Buys Neptune’s Inventory and IP

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. (Laval, QC, Canada) is quitting its bulk krill oil manufacturing and distribution business. Krill oil supplier Aker BioMarine (Oslo, Norway) will be purchasing Neptune’s remaining krill oil inventory and krill oil IP for $34 million. To read the full article click here. Source nutritionaloutlook.com.

Albion Farms & Fisheries Pioneers State-of-the-Art Track and Trace System for Wild-Caught Salmon

 Imagine a salmon fleet in the offshore waters of the Pacific Ocean near the remote archipelago of Haida Gwaii, known as Canada’s Galapagos, catching fish that will change hands several times before landing on your dinner plate. What if you knew the story of that fish—the date, location, species, catch method and even the vessel’s skipper? Would you feel more at ease knowing it was handled with care and caught sustainably with a hook and line? To read the full article click here. Source Albion.

Landry's, Tilman Fertitta Win Joe's Crab Shack in Auction

Ignite Restaurant Group’s assets appear headed for familiar hands. Tilman Fertitta, head of Landry’s Inc., won the bankruptcy court action Monday to assume ownership of fledging casual dining chains Joe’s Crab Shack and Brick House Tavern + Tap. To read the full article click here. Source foodnewsfeed.com.

AK Board of Fisheries calls for agenda change requests for upcoming meeting cycle; deadline to submit is Aug. 17

The state Board of Fisheries is lining up the agenda for its December through March meeting cycle that will focus on regulation changes at Prince William Sound, the upper Copper and Susitna Rivers and Yakutat, along with Dungeness crab, shrimp and miscellaneous shellfish issues. To read the full article click here. Source Alaska Fish Radio.

No charges filed in horrific Mt. Polley mine disaster; same owner of Red Chris Mine in Stikine River watershed near Wrangell

The British Columbia government has decided to not file charges in the Mount Polley Mine disaster. 

Critics in Southeast Alaska say the lack of enforcement action increases their concerns about similar mines near salmon-rich transboundary rivers, which begin in British Columbia and flow through Southeast. To read the full article click here. Source Alaska Fish Radio.

EPA reaches agreement with Norton Sound Seafood Products over alleged wastewater discharge violations in Nome, AK

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with the Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, owners and operators of the Norton Sound Seafood Products Company, over alleged wastewater discharge violations at their Nome, Alaska plant. To read the full article click here. Source EPA.

THAI UNION GROUP 2Q SALES UP 1.2 PERCENT DESPITE MARKET CHALLENGES

Thai Union Group PCL (Thai Union) reported a 1.2 percent year-on-year sales increase in 2Q17 to THB 34,818 million despite significant currency exchange fluctuations and variable market conditions. Consolidated net profit was THB 1,411 million, down 7.6 percent from the same period last year. To read the full article click here. Source Thai Union Group.

THAI UNION DONATES 25,000 CANS OF SEALECT TO FLOOD VICTIMS IN SAKON NAKHON

Thai Union Group PCL, one of the world’s leading seafood companies and owner of SEALECT brands, delivered 25,000 cans of SEALECT mackerel products to Sakon Nakhon Provincial Administrative Organization Hall on 5 August 2017 to help provide relief assistance to flood victims in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. To read the full article click here. Source Thai Union Group.

SIRF Launches Redesigned Website

The Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF) has unveiled a newly redesigned website at Sirfonline.org. With a reformatted web-presence, the seafood research organization seeks to keep supporters current on its activities through an intuitive, interactive and educational visitor experience. To view their website click here. Source SIRF.

SIRF Funds DNA Testing Project for Fast Identification of Fish Species

The Board of Directors of the Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF) have funded research for the development of a fast, cost-effective identification of edible fish and fish products to prevent species substitution and fraud. The project will be led by Dr. J. Aquiles Sanchez, Ph.D. of the Department of Biology at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. To read the full article click here. Source SIRF.

SEAFOOD SUPPLIER EXPANDS WITH NEW FACTORY

Coast and Glen, which supplies fresh Scottish seafood and game, is continuing its expansion with a new factory at Wyndhill Industrial Estate in Muir of Ord, on the outskirts of Inverness.

The new fish and game processing factory which spans 2,631 sq ft adds to Coast and Glen’s existing industrial premises in Walker Road in Inverness. To read the full article click here. Source bqlive.co.uk.

Panel Upholds $42M Judgment Against Safeway for Online Markups

 A federal appeals court has upheld a $41.8 million judgment against Safeway Inc. in a lawsuit claiming the grocery chain overcharged customers who used its online delivery service. To read the full article click here. Source The Recorder.

Tuna won’t be listed as endangered, Trump administration says

Rejecting a petition from environmental groups, the Trump administration announced Monday that it will not list Pacific bluefin tuna — a torpedo-shaped fish that can grow to 1,000 pounds and which sells for $100,000 or more per fish in Japanese sushi markets — as endangered, despite that fact that the animal’s population has fallen 97 percent. To read the full article click here. Source The Mercury News.

St. Pete-based Newport Organization buys Mass. seafood company

St. Petersburg-based Newport Organization has acquired frozen seafood company Crocker & Winsor Seafoods, Newport announced Monday. Newport is the parent company of Newport International. To read the full article click here. Source Tampa Bay Times.

56.2 million: Bristol Bay 2017 fourth biggest total run, fourth biggest harvest ever

While the count is not officially complete, the 56.2 million total run is bigger than all recorded years but 1980, 1995, and 2015. The harvest of 37.5 million is bested only by 1993, 1996, and 2016. To read the full article click here. Source kdlg.org.

Sea urchin aquaculture not a sure thing: UMaine expert

A University of Maine Marine Scientist is cautioning Atlantic Canadian groups hoping to get into the "tricky" business of sea urchin aquaculture. Sea urchin farming research is underway in several countries including the US, Norway, Chile, and Canada. To read the full article click here. Source CBC News.

Don't shorten trap ropes to prevent whale deaths, fishermen urge

As federal fisheries officials consider changes in the industry to avert whale deaths, some lobster fishermen are concerned about the potential effect on their livelihood.

Last week, Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the federal government will bring "absolutely every protection to bear" to prevent further deaths of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. To read the full article click here. Source CBC News.

Marine reserves a solution to bycatch problem in oceans

Commercial fishermen may be able to catch more of the profitable fish they want with marine reserves than without them, according to a study in the journal PNAS led by the University of California, Davis. Using marine reserves as a management tool could also help the recently rebounded West Coast groundfish fishery sustain itself, the study notes. To read the full article click here. Source Science Daily.