Seafood Headlines January 31, 2017

Italian Supermarkets Halt Sales Of Pangasius Fish

Italian supermarkets have decided to stop sales of pangasius fish, due to the high level of pollution in fish farms.

Retailers such as Esselunga have already banned sales, and Coop has excluded pangasius from its private label assortment, reports daily Il Messaggero.

Carrefour’s Italian unit is expected to join them after ceasing sales in France and Belgium, warning that “the pangasius farms have a high environmental impact”, adding that “once stocks of this species are depleted, this fish will no longer be sold”. To read the full article click here. Source TV/C News.

First Commercial Fish Farm Proposed for Strait of Juan De Fuca

A proposed commercial fish farm would be the first of its kind for the Strait of Juan de Fuca. If allowed, the fish farm would increase Atlantic salmon production in the Port Angeles area by 20 percent.

Because the farm would sit at the entrance and exit for fish in Puget Sound, some environmental activists are sounding their concerned about disease, especially in an area with endangered salmon already on the decline. To read the full article and watch the video click here. Source KING 5 News.

Scottish fishermen welcome new report on recovering fish stocks 

Scottish fishermen have welcomed a new report which highlights that most major whitefish stocks have increased in Scottish waters since the mid-2000s while fishing pressure has reduced significantly.

The report – Trends in Scottish Fish Stocks 2016 – produced by the NAFC Marine Centre UHI in Shetland draws upon the most recently published data from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on the state of commercially important fish stocks in waters around Scotland.

The report shows that the general overall picture is of increasing abundance of stocks and declining levels of exploitation, with some stocks at historically high levels. To read the full article click here. Source Scottish Fishermen's Federation.

5 Steps Toward Working with FDA on Human and Animal Food Guidance Documents

The FDA’s Foods and Veterinary Medicine (FVM) program drafts documents, called guidances, that provide the agency’s current thinking on how best to comply with laws and regulations governing food, feed and other FDA-regulated products.

But the FDA is not the only source of guidance documents on best practices for compliance with regulatory requirements. Associations or organizations associated with a specific industry and universities also draft guidance documents to capture the best practices to produce food, feed and other regulated products in a way that helps to ensure their safety in accordance with federal regulations. To read the full article click here. Source US Food & Drug Administration.

Klaas Puul to build new shrimp processing plant

The board of directors of the producer and supplier of fishery products, Klaas Puul B.V., plans to build a shrimp processing plant in Volendam.

The company's executives made the decision mainly due to the ever increasing hygienic requirements and the need to adhere to the highest BRC certification standards.

According to the company, the new factory will have a surface of 5,506 m2, where the packing lines will be installed. To read the full article click here. Source FIS.

New study reveals how seafood ties indigenous communities to the global economy

Along the arid coastline of northwestern Mexico, indigenous Seri communities, who first resisted Spanish rule and then Mexican extermination efforts, eventually gained formal titles over a small part of their ancestral coastal and marine territories. The ocean has always sustained their livelihood, but now they must contend with outside competition over declining fish resources.

This is a familiar story for almost 30 million coastal indigenous peoples around the world from the Arctic to the South Pacific. But until recently no one had ever quantified how intensively they relied on seafood, or its importance for their existence as distinct peoples. To fill this gap, we developed a global database of more than 1,900 indigenous communities, including 600 unique groups. To read the full article click here. Source Newsweek.

Solution in sight for organic salmon

A solution is in sight for Norwegian organic salmon after Iceland today dropped its requests for adaptations to the EU rules.

‘This is very good news for Norway. We had already informed the EU that we were ready to incorporate the legislation in the EEA agreement, but we were unable to go ahead without Iceland,’ Minister of Fisheries Per Sandberg said. To read the full article click here. Source Government.no.

World's first pizza chain to switch to 100 percent sustainable seafood

Finnish pizza chain, Kotipizza today announced it has switched all of its seafood to sustainable products, traceable to MSC certified fisheries. As the world’s only pizza chain to offer this assurance to its customers, Kotipizza is promoting its commitment to sustainable seafood with a marketing campaign fronted by national TV advertising. To read the full article click here. Source FIS.

DNA analysis of seawater detects 80% of fish species in just one day

A Japanese research group has used a new technology that identifies multiple fish species populating local areas by analyzing DNA samples from seawater, and proved that this method is accurate and more effective than visual observation.

Until recently, marine surveys of fish species relied on diving or capturing methods that classified fish based on appearance. In addition to requiring a lot of manpower, these methods also depend upon specialist knowledge for fish classification. A new solution to the survey issue has recently drawn attention: environmental DNA metabarcoding, a method which can simultaneously detect multiple species. To read the full article click here. Source Science Daily.

Bipartisan support for union's rally backing Tasmanian salmon industry

A union-led rally backing Tasmania's salmon industry and its plans to expand along the east coast has drawn bipartisan support from politicians.

About 150 people gathered on Parliament House lawns in Hobart to fight back against an advertising campaign opposing the expansion.

The crowd of salmon workers and industry members also included senior Liberal and Labor MPs. To read the full article click here. Source ABC News.

Andalusia seeks to ensure viability of swordfish fleet

The Andalusian Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development has set up a working group to draw up a future plan to ensure the viability of the Andalusian Mediterranean surface longline fleet, mainly engaged in swordfish and tuna fishing.

The announcement was made by counsellor Carmen Ortiz, in a meeting held in Almeria with representatives of the fishing sector of Almeria and Granada. To read the full article click here. Source FIS

A look at a Chinese fishery with a giant integrated solar array – feeding a world hungry for clean energy

Last week, a 200MW solar fishery came online in Cixi City in east China’s Zhejiang Province. This photo shows the immensity of the project. Dual use solar power comes in many forms: parking lot solar is always getting attention, walkable solar glass – like the project built by Apple (though I don’t think the Apple campus solar counts), and solar even roadways are now a thing. With the State of California considering requiring solar in all new construction, a slew of cities pushing the envelope already and Tesla’s Solar Roof coming, the near-term future has plenty of motivation for innovation in the building integrated photovoltaic market (BIPV). Will seeing things like solar-powered fisheries and roadways motivate more infrastructure integrated photovolatics? To read the full story click here. Source electrek.

True Grit

I’ve often spoken of the dangers that our fishermen face at sea (and on land) in their timeless pursuit of wild seafood. Indeed, with an unprecedented nine lives being tragically lost in the first half of 2016 alone (Seafish) and more life-changing accidents being recorded than the Alaskan Crab fishery, so graphically portrayed in the riveting documentary Deadliest Catch, the UK’s most dangerous peacetime occupation has certainly been living up to its reputation recently. To read the full article click here. Source East Coast Advocate.

Omega-6s and the threat to seafood’s healthy halo

This year, 1 million acres of U.S. farmland are expected to be planted with a new kind of soybean. By 2023, the acreage will total 18 million acres, according to soy industry forecasts. The new soybeans are called “high-oleic” because they mimic the fatty acid profile of olive oil.

That’s good news for aquaculture, said Tom Brenna, professor of human nutrition and chemistry at Cornell University, who served on the scientific advisory committee that crafted the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

Soybean oil made from the new beans contains fewer omega-6 fatty acids than conventional soybeans – which account for about 26 percent of aquaculture feed crop production, according to research from Johns Hopkins University. To read the full article click here. Source Global Aquaculture Advocate.

Genomic tool enables selection for increased growth and SRS-resistance in coho

The first genomic tool for assaying whole-genome variation in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) has been developed. This achievement will be crucial for genetic improvement of production traits such as growth rate and SRS-resistance in this increasingly important aquaculture species.

The new tool, a so-called SNP-chip, is based on whole-genome sequencing of animals from the coho breeding population of AquaGen Chile, established on the basis of superior strains of domesticated coho acquired by AquaGen Chile between 2013 and 2014. To read the full article click here. Source AquaGen.

Herring Fishing Comes to Sausalito

A frenzy of fishing activity was centered just off the Sausalito waterfront beginning early this morning and lasting through the mid-day high tide, video link (Sausalito Fishing). Marine mammals, birds and of course the commercial fleet were easy to spot from Bridgeway.

The fleet finally had a chance to land a few fish today and as of this afternoon approximately 18 tons of herring had been landed at Fisherman’s Wharf. Fisherman are expecting to have a shot at a few more fish before the weekend closure at noon Friday. Stand by for an update as the weekend approaches. To view original article click here. Source CDFW Pacific Herring Management News

Study says grass carp have invaded 3 of the Great Lakes

Invasive grass carp have reached three of the Great Lakes and pose a significant environmental risk there, but time remains to prevent them from getting out of hand, according to a scientific analysis released Friday.

The voracious grass carp is among four Asian carp species threatening to reach the world's largest surface freshwater system. Bighead and silver carp, the most feared, would compete with native fish that eat microscopic plants and animals, while grass carp feast on aquatic vegetation that provides crucial habitat and spawning grounds. To read the full article click here. Source Chicago Tribune.