Seafood Headlines October 16, 2017

Alaska Crab Season Kicks Off with Harvest Opener

Beginning October 15, dedicated Alaska fishermen will once again brave the elements to bring sustainable Alaska crab from the pristine waters of Alaska to the world as the harvest season opens for wild Alaska king and snow crab, and continues for Dungeness crab. Taking place during National Seafood Month (October) and into the winter, now is the time to incorporate the sought-after pure taste of each Alaska crab species into fall meals and holiday celebrations. To read the full article click here. Source prnewswire.com.

Updated FIFO calculation by IFFO shows more salmonids produced than fish consumed in 2015

IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organisation, has calculated new Fish In: Fish Out ratios (FIFO) for 2015 and for the first time FIFO figures for salmonids are below 1. Calculated with FAO data, Fish In: Fish Out ratios (FIFO) have been used by as a way of reviewing the consumption of wild fish by the sector since the 1990s. Salmonids have drawn attention on this subject in the past, and have been criticised previously for their use of fishmeal and fish oil. In 2015 the sector produced more fish protein than it consumed. To read the full article click here. Source FIFO.

Consumers Eager for Solutions to Concerns Regarding Farmed Seafood

New research conducted by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), an international non-profit offering certification for socially and environmentally responsible seafood, finds that a majority of Swedish consumers are aware that 40% of the fish they buy is farmed, but fewer are aware of how to reconcile their concerns about the impact of farmed fish with their buying decisions. To read the full article click here. Source ASC.

Maine's Wild Mussel Harvest Declining Sharply, 2016 was Worst in 40 Years

The state’s blue mussels are loved by seafood fans, but the size of the annual harvest has dipped in recent years, bottoming out at a 40-year low in 2016. Harvesters collected less than 1.8 million pounds of mussel meat in 2016, the lowest total since 1976. To read the full article click here. Source Press Herald.

Fish-farm protesters visit Premier John Horgan’s constituency office

Protesters descended on Premier John Horgan’s Langford constituency office Friday to call for an end to open-net fish farming along wild salmon migration routes. The non-violent demonstration came the same day that RCMP escorted workers restocking a fish farm near Alert Bay, where Horgan this week met with First Nations to talk fish farming. A protest has been set up near the site for months. To read the full article click here. Source Times Colonist.

Producing seaweed for biofuels

Kodiak is at the center of a national push to produce biofuels from seaweeds. Agents from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) recently traveled to the island to meet with a team of academics, scientists, businesses and local growers to plan the first steps of a bi-coastal pilot project to modernize methods to grow sugar kelp as a fuel source. To read the full article click here. Source Sit News.

Fishermen share experiences, concerns about a changing climate

Fishermen are on the front line when it comes to the impacts of climate change. An ongoing project by The Nature Conservancy in Alaska is giving voice to what fishermen are experiencing in a project called Tidal Change.org. Click here to read some of what fishermen have to say.

Global Sole Shortages Shock the Fillet Market - What’s Going to Happen Now?

Unprecedented global Sole raw material shortages shock the fillet market, leaving many North American buyers empty handed. To watch the video click here. Source Tradex.

Drone adds modern twist to an age-old fishing method for fourth generation Eden fisherman

One piece of technology Mr Fourter's great grandfather would not recognise is the drone he uses to spot schooling fish from the air. "With beach fishing, you don't take the boat out unless you can see fish," Mr Fourter said. "We'd spend a lot of time sitting on high headlands and waiting. To read the full article click here. Source ABC News.

Welcome to the jungle: spectacular salmon adventure in Florida

Atlantic Sapphire goes large when it wants to produce salmon on land in the United States. “Behind, we can find The Everglades. It’s really just one damn big swamp of crocodiles and anaconda. We have actually found alligators here on the site.” To read the full article click here. Source Salmon Business.

Poor signs for N.L. snow crab

Once labelled a nuisance, snow crab are now key to Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishing industry, accounting for $274 million of $708 million in landed value in 2016. And that success story has become a problem. Higher crab prices are masking lower quota. Shellfish numbers are falling off, with no relief in sight. To read the full article click here. Source The Telegram.

Lobster Wars

Thousands of pounds of lobsters dumped in the forest, fishing boats stolen and set on fire and protests that have fishers divided largely along racial lines. These are just some of the signs of flaring tensions in southwestern Nova Scotia, the most lucrative part of Atlantic Canada's lobster fishing industry, The Globe's Jessica Leeder reports. To read the full article click here. Source The Globe and Mail.

China discovers sashimi

Chinese are falling in love with sashimi. It is a relationship that has become easy to indulge, thanks to logistical advances that allow seafood to make it to the dining table with all its flavors intact. There are other reasons -- a developing awareness of the role diet plays in health and Chinese people's affinity for vacationing in Japan. To read the full article click here. Source Nikkei Asian Review.

Port au Choix crab fishermen charged with obstruction of justice over May protest

Harvesters who took part in a protest in Port au Choix last May have now been told they will be charged with obstruction of justice and placing crab pots in a wrong zone. Fisherman Dean Olfrey was called in for a meeting Wednesday, Oct. 11, and was informed he and the other harvesters involved in the protest would be facing these two charges. To read the full article click here. Source northernpen.ca.

The Potential of Marine Aquaculture

11.4 million square kilometers have been detected with the potential for developing marine aquaculture farms worldwide, with an estimated potential production of 15 billion tons annually: 100 times the current worldwide consumption of seafood. To read the full article click here. Source Salvador Meza

Seafood calendar promotes sustainable, seasonal eating in India

The modernization of fishing practices over the past 50 years has secured India’s position as the world’s seventh largest seafood producing nation, with 3.4 million metric tons of marine animals caught in 2014, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. But some research indicates that this expansion has reached its limit and overall fish catches are likely to fall off in the future. To read the full article click here. Source mongabay.com.

Caught today, on your plate tomorrow

The Finlander and her five-member crew are headed to fishing grounds approximately 60 miles due east of Portsmouth, an ocean-going commute of four hours in five-foot seas. They will be fishing for Atlantic pollock, considered a successful and sustainable species of whitefish, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service FishWatch website, and whose popularity among Seacoast chefs is increasing. To read the full article click here. Source seacoastonline.com.

European sea bass show chronic impairment after exposure to crude oil

The new study tested the capacity of European sea bass to perform not just in typical seawater but also in low-oxygen level sea water. Researchers used a novel integrated respiratory assessment paradigm (IRAP) to screen both the fish's aerobic capacity and tolerance for low-oxygen (hypoxic) levels, grouping the fish into hypoxia tolerant and hypoxia sensitive phenotypic groups. They then exposed the fish to dispersed crude oil for 48 hours. To read the full article click here. Source Science Daily.

Chile's Sea Urchin Season Comes To An End.

The biological sea urchin ban began to govern this Sunday. The species is one of the favourite products of the sea not only in Chile but also in the world. During the ban, it is prohibited to catch and consume this resource for three months, until January 15, extending until March 1 in the regions of Los Lagos and Aysen. The measure - current since 1988 and in addition to a legal minimum size for its catch of 7 centimetres - seeks to protect the reproductive period of this appetizing seafood, which, in addition to the domestic consumption, is widely enjoyed in Japan, Italy, the United States, Taiwan and China, markets to which it is exported. To read the full article click here. Source FIS.

What is behind the sockeye salmon collapse?

The sockeye salmon run this year, is, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada and other reputable sources, down considerably. The reason for this, depends on who you talk to. Aaron Hill, executive director of Watershed Watch Salmon Society, says part of the problem is the fisheries ministry has dragged its feet on the Cohen Commission recommendations. To read the full article click here. Source squamishcheif.com.

How plastic is damaging planet Earth

Cheap, capable of being made into any conceivable shape, strong and durable, plastic is something of a wonder material. It has proved so useful to humans that since the 1950s we have produced an estimated 8.3 billion metric tonnes of the stuff. To read the full article click here. Source The Independent.