Southstream Seafood to Distribute Ocean Fish's Ecuadorian Farm Raised Cobia to N. American Market

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 30, 2016

Southstream Seafood has partnered with Ecuador’s Ocean Fish S.A to distribute farmed raised cobia to the North American market.

The partnership will have Southstream import Ocean Fish’s frozen cobia fillets. Sizes available include 5-7 oz; 7-9 oz and 9-12 oz fillets.

Ocean Fish’s cobia operation in Manta, Ecuador is vertically integrated. The company owns a hatchery where breeding stock are created. The cobia are then raised in cages nine miles offshore.

The cobia are harvested and processed at Ocean Fish’s state of the art facility before they are sold to the North American market by Southstream...

Bonefish Grill Celebrates National Seafood Month with Special Dine & Discover Menu

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [Seafood News] - September 30, 2016

TAMPA, Fla. -- The fresh fish experts at Bonefish Grill are catching the spirit of National Seafood Month this October, offering guests a celebratory Dine & Discover menu debuting on October 4 featuring seasonal fresh fish and seafood dishes.

To celebrate National Seafood Month, Bonefish Grill created a three-course dinner for two priced at $50 featuring a choice of entree, complemented by signature appetizer Bang Bang Shrimp and a delectable dessert to share – designed to delight the taste buds. Entrees include fall favorite Fresh Swordfish with Pumpkin Ravioli, NEW Wild Snapper & Shrimp, NEW Cedar Plank Maple Bourbon Salmon and regional wood-grilled fish selections.  

"We're offering our guests the opportunity to discover new taste sensations and experience the freshest fish of the season," said David Schmidt, President of Bonefish Grill. "With our chefs' culinary creativity and delicious flavors of fall, Bonefish Grill guests will be wowed all month long."

To accompany the seasonal dishes, a selection of wines given top 90 point ratings by well-known wine experts are available for $9 per glass to please even the most discerning palates.  ...

China Continues to Grow as Market for Chilean Salmon

SEAFODNEWS.COM  [Technopress]  September 29, 2016

Long John's Silvers Unveils New Logo During National Convention

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 30, 2016

Long John Silver’s unveiled a new branding strategy and logo at its national convention this week in Louisville, Ky. 

The fast food seafood chain made the announcement in front of 400 attendees including franchisees and vendors. Long John Silver’s also gave away many first-time awards including a Jim Patterson Founder’s Award, named after the man who founded the brand in 1969.

The leadership team presented the updated logo along with the brand strategy during a new uniform fashion show featuring the Long John Silver’s television spokesperson, Kenneisha Thompson...

IUCN Call that 30% of all Marine Areas be Closed Sparks Outrage from Scientists, Fisheries Officials

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by John Sackton September 29, 2016

Few Options Left for Industry to Avoid Multi-Year Closure of (Bairdi) Tanner Crab in the Bering Sea

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Peggy Parker - September 28, 2016

Unless the Alaska Board of Fish agrees to schedule an emergency hearing on bairdi (tanner) crab in the next 11 days, the industry is looking at no season until 2019 at the earliest.

This summer's survey showed the female population of bairdi below a threshold for Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game to calculate a total allowable catch (TAC) for the upcoming season, which starts on ...

Aquaculture Stewardship Council Hires Duncan Leadbitter As First Commercial Rep in Australia

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 29, 2016

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has hired Duncan Leadbitter as its first representative to lead commercial outreach and strategic growth in the Australia and New Zealand markets.

Leadbitter is now in partnership with the ASC through Fish Matter, his Australia-based fisheries and natural resource consulting company.  The deal supports ASC’s global plan and lead the regional strategy to promote the availability of ASC-certified seafood for consumers in Australia and other markets...

SeaPak to Bring Back "Shrimptacular" Retail Promo for Fifth Straight Year In October

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 29, 2016

For the fifth straight year SeaPak Shrimp and Seafood Co will bring back its “Shrimptacular” promotional campaign this October.

The multifaceted program coincides with National Seafood Month and is designed to engage consumers in buying more of SeaPak’s shrimp and seafood products.

This year’s campaign SeaPak is telling customers to “Make It Shrimptacular” during the month of October through various promotional tactics...

The Saucy Fish Co. Debuts Frozen Seafood Line As Part of Launch Into Canadian Market

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 28, 2016

The Saucy Fish Co. will launch its ready-to-eat chilled seafood product line and debuts its frozen seafood products to the Canadian market.

Loblaws will carry UK-based Saucy Fish’s products at its 349 stories across Canada. Other stores that will carry Saucy Fish’s product include  Zehrs, Your Independent Grocer, Valu-Mart, Provigo, Dominion and Atlantic Superstore.

The Canadian market rollout feature Saucy Fish’s new frozen seafood products in addition to its existing line of ready-to-eat seafood line...

NY's Mt. Kisco Smokehouse Voluntarily Recalls Smoked Salmon Products for Possible Listeria

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 27, 2016

New York-based smoked salmon producer Mt Kisco Smokehouse announced a voluntary recall for two types of its smoked salmon because of a chance the product is contaminated with listeria.

According to Mt. Kisco’s recall submitted to the FDA, the was distributed in New York and Connecticut through retail 
stores and restaurants between 9/6/2016 to 9/16/2016.

The whole product is packed in an unlabeled paper box and delivered to restaurants.  The sliced product is sold in a clear plastic package and labeled on the back with lot and use by date...

EU Commission Cuts 2017 Western and Eastern Baltic Cod Quotas 88% and 39% Respectively

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 27, 2016

The European Commission published sharp reductions in Baltic Sea cod quotas for the 2017 season.

The quota now proposed for Western cod amounts to 1588 tons, down 88% compared to 2016 levels. The quota proposed for Eastern cod amounts to 24927 tons, i.e. 39% less than in 2016. These figures are based on scientific advice and are in line with the newly-adopted Baltic management plan.

These quotas are based on scientific advice received earlier this year from the Council for the Exploration of the Seas, which recommended severe reductions in fishing to help these stocks recover from very low levels...

Garden State Seafood Assoc.'s Dir. Greg DiDomenico Part of Seafood Panel at NYTimes Food Conference

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 27, 2016

Garden State Seafood Association (GSSA) Executive Director Greg DiDomenico will discuss sustainable fishing issues at the New York Times’ “Food for Tomorrow” conference, which is going on this week at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York.

The conference seeks to “uncover and assess the most important issues and trends affecting the nourishment of our nation and the world.”

DiDomenico is panel member that will discuss marine issues and fisheries management. He will be joined by Sean T. Barrett, Co-Founder of Dock to Dish and Bren Smith, Owner of Thimble Island Ocean Farm and Executive Director of GreenWave...

Xiamen Airlines Rolls Out New Service to the US: Xiamen-Shenzhen-Seattle

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 26, 2016

XIAMEN, SHENZHEN, China and SEATTLE -- Xiamen Airlines launched its Xiamen-Shenzhen-Seattle service today, creating an air bridge connecting two of China's major special economic zones and an economic heavyweight on the U.S. West Coast. This is not only the first long haul route originating in Xiamen with an end point in the United States, but also the first direct international service between Shenzhen and the U.S.

Xiamen Airlines chairman and general manager Che Shanglun said, "The launch of the Xiamen-Shenzhen-Seattle service is an important reflection of the results of the meeting between Chinese and American leaders in 2015. On the heels of these events, a Fuzhou-New York and a Xiamen-LA service will also be initiated, making air travel, and, by consequence, exchanges between the two countries much easier."

The Xiamen-Shenzhen-Seattle service is the sixth long haul...

Thai Union Notes Progress Made to Fight Seafood Labor Abuses in Response to AP Follow-Up

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 26, 2016

Thai Union Public Group highlighted the progress it and the entire Thai seafood industry has made in the last year since a report found the use of slavery and other labor abuses in the country’s seafood processing industry.

The company released a statement after the Associated Press published a story last week about the progress that’s been made to tackle labor abuse in Thailand’s seafood industry. The story followed-up the AP’s major news story in 2015 that first uncovered modern day slavery in shrimp peeling sheds used by Thai seafood companies that were supplying shrimp to the US market.

Last week’s AP story said Thailand has made notable progress in eliminating rampant labor abuse in the seafood industry. However, shrimp peeling sheds were still being used by some members of the Thai Frozen Food Association, the group that banned its members from using the peeling sheds...

Vietnam's Shrimp Producers Forced to Increase Raw Material Imports Because of Domestic Shortages
 

Vietnam's Shrimp Producers Forced to Increase Raw Material Imports Because of Domestic Shortages

Shrimp producers and exporters in Vietnam fear they could start losing market share in the US because of raw material shortages. Extended periods of drought in the region has forced producers to increase their import of raw materials from foreign suppliers. This has increased Vietnamese shrimp production costs and the overall price of shrimp intended for the export market. Vietnamese shrimp prices are higher than Indian and Thai prices. Compounding the problem is a recent duty rate decision by the US Department of Commerce that hiked antidumping rates for Vietnamese exporters except for Minh Phu.

Kim Gorton, President and CEO of Gorton's Seafood, blasted House leadership in an editorial published in Forbes this week over their inability to get a floor vote on a bill that would repeal the USDA's Catfish Inspection Program.  Over 200 House Representatives said they would vote in favor of repealing the program if a bill initially passed by the Senate could get to the floor for a vote. However, a small faction of House Reps from Southern catfish states have been able to keep the bill from the House floor. "In the face of clear political will, [Paul] Ryan and [Kevin] McCarthy’s inaction repeats a message that I and American business owners have heard far too often from Congress: Sorry, lady, we’re busy," writes Gorton. 

In other news, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council will meet in Anchorage from Oct. 5-11 to overview crab season projections, hear further discussions of halibut management, and decide what to do about a recent federal appeals court decision that will require more attention to salmon management. This just one of several upcoming meetings among different governing bodies that will address Alaskan fishery issues over the next several months. 

Meanwhile, Icicle Seafoods and the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation are among several Alaskan businesses that are participating in a program to recruit and train workers to fill industrial positions that require a unique set of skills, including seafood processing. The “Maritime Works” partnership was presented at the annual Southeast Conference meeting in Petersburg last week. “As employers we noticed that we had a lot of skilled jobs but not a lot of skilled Alaskans to fill those jobs. So we knew we had a problem because it was absolutely crucial to our operations that these skilled positions are filled," said Kris Norosz who does government relations for Icicle Seafoods in Petersburg.

Finally, a $520 million payment due in October is expected to be BP's last payout in seafood claims related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The disbursements will essentially close out the $2.3 billion seafood compensation program arising from the disaster according to Patrick Juneau, the administrator of the claims.

Have a great weekend. 

GAA's GOAL Conference in Guangzhou was One of the Best in Years 

For anyone who is participating in the Chinese Seafood Market and depends on Asian aquaculture, the recently concluded GOAL conference in Guangzhou was one of the best in years writes John Sackton. The conference was heavily integrated into the Chinese seafood industry. Altogether, there were 20 to 30 Chinese exporters at the conference Sackton reports. Additionally, what was improved over past years was the focus of many of the roundtable discussions, which were generally framed with a detailed presentation, and then reactions and observations. Another issue discussed very candidly at the conference was the conflicting certification schemes. Finally, there was also a good technical focus on disease, which continues year after year to be the most significant problem facing the aquaculture industry. "Overall, it was an amazingly substantive conference. Next year, GOAL 2017 will be held in Dublin the week of October 2nd," writes Sackton. "Put it on your calendar."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski and others have introduced legislation that they hope might stop future presidents from using the Antiquities Act to carve out lands and waters for new environmental protections. The proposed legislation is an attempt to curb executive authority over establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPA) that undermine existing fishery management and environmental protection protocols under Magnuson. The Obama Administration has already used the Antiquities Act to expand a Marine Monument in Hawaii and establish the very first MPA in Atlantic waters all without the use of a scientific process.

In other news, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and NOAA will develop an aquaculture management program for the Pacific Islands Region. The entities are preparing a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) analyzing the possible environmental impacts of the proposed management program and alternatives. “The purpose of it is to develop a management program to support sustainable, economically sound aquaculture in the Pacific Island Region,” said Joshua DeMello of the Western Pacific Council.

Meanwhile, key players charged with relocating Japan's Tsukiji market fish to a new site are blaming a communications breakdown over structural changes at the site to deal with toxic ground soil. The famed seafood market was slated to relocate to a new site in Toyosu this November. However, the site's soil was contaminated since the area was home to a Tokyo Gas Co. factory. An expert panel issued several requirements to elevate the site with replacement dirt before the seafood market could be relocated, steps that never were fulfilled by the contractors.

Finally, at least 24 percent of salmon processing workers in Chile were laid off by producers including AquaChile, Multiexport, Australis Seafoods and Camanchaca, according to public information submitted to Chile's Superintendency of Securities and Insurance (SVS). Since 2014, Chile’s salmon processing workforce has declined from 13,303 workers to 10,697 workers. The steep drop has been blamed on consolidation within the industry and because of the severe algae bloom at the beginning of 2016. One association representing Chile's salmon workforce said the job losses are even more severe when indirect jobs related to Chile's salmon industry are tallied.

We've also uploaded a new Weekly News Recap video after taking a week off. Our latest show highlights some of last week's original market news among other topics. We welcome comments about the video series. 

Target On Track to Achieve 100% Sustainability Certification for its Entire Seafood Supply Chain

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 23, 2016

Target says it has nearly met its goal to source all of its fresh and frozen seafood from fisheries that are either certified sustainable or on their way toward achieving sustainability certification.

The retailer set a goal in 2011 to source all of its seafood from fisheries that were sustainably managed or in the process of achieving certification. Target’s senior seafood buyer Nic Berkeland and its brand buyer Gry Engen teamed up to achieve the goal by partnering with Fish Wise.

FishWise helped Target develop a comprehensive sustainable seafood program with strict guidelines that every fresh or frozen seafood product dol met specific sustainability guidelines...

Russian Gov't Says IUU Crab Poaching Making Comeback in Sea of Okhotsk

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Eugene Gerden  Sept. 8, 2016

Icewater Seafoods Calls for Balance in Newfoundland Cod Allocations, Management

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by John Sackton  Sept. 28, 2016

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  [SeafoodNews]  Sept. 28, 2016

Hawaii Longline Group Progressing with Universal Crew Contract; Plans Rapid Vetting of Conditions

 SEAFOODNEWS.COM  by John Sackton  Sept. 27, 2016

The Hawaii longline fleet says they are making rapid progress implementing reforms following an AP story that uncovered forced labor,  trafficking and poor working conditions on Hawaii longline vessels that use foreign crew.

WWF Promoting Five-Point Plan to Rebuild Chile's Pacific Hake Stocks

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 28, 2016

WWF Chile has launched a five-point plan to help rebuild Chile’s depleted commercial hake stock.

First, the plan proposes to set a minimum harvest of 37 cm for hake so that younger fish have an opportunity to reproduce.

Next, the WWF wants trawling banned in certain zones that identified as key feeding and spawning areas for the fishery.

Fishing quotas would be set at their lowest possible threshold based on scientific stock assessment reports...

GAA’s GOAL Conference in Guangzhou was One of the Best in Years

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton - September 26, 2016

For anyone who is participating in the Chinese Seafood Market and depends on Asian aquaculture, the recently concluded GOAL conference in Guangzhou was one of the best in years.

Like other standards organizations including MSC and ASC, GAA is riding a gusher of money as companies pay logo licensing fees for third party certification, and it showed.  The quality of the panels and the experts speaking at the conference was excellent.

First, this conference was heavily integrated into the Chinese...

Icelandic Puts Cod Processor Ný-Fiskur Up for Sale as Part of Strategy to Shrink Operations

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 26, 2016

The Board of Icelandic Group announced its plan to sell its Icelandic subsidiary Ný-Fiskur as part of the company’s plan to streamline its operations.

Ný-Fiskur is one of Icelandic’s four subsidiaries. The operation, which is based in Sandgerði, specializes in the production and sale of fresh seafood products and processing about 6,000 metric tons of raw material annually. The company also owns a commercial fishing vessel, Von GK-113, and 800 metric tons of cod quotas.

Ný-Fiskur distributes a significant portion of its products, with air freight, to customers in Belgium and other European countries. The company is projected to post about EU23 million in revenues this year...

California Dungeness Crab Get Qualified Thumbs-Up in Tests for Domoic Acid 

California is testing Dungeness crabs for domoic acid early this year and so far the results are positive for the season to get going on time. Crabs are testing positive for domoic acid but that is normal for this time of the year according to California state health officials. “We’re at the tail end of the time we would normally expect to see pseudo-nitzschia and domoic acid present in certain species. It’s not alarming," said Patrick Kennelly, chief of food safety at California's State Health Department. Around this time last year, crabs collected up and down the coast had unusually high levels of domoic acid. California's commercial fishery was delayed for fourth months because of high levels of domoic acid last season. So far, this does not seem like it will be the case. The commercial fishery scheduled to start on November 15.

Red Lobster has opened 21 overseas locations since it spun-off from Darden Restaurants when it was acquired by Golden Gate Capital in 2014. The expansion has brought the total number of Red Lobster’s overseas restaurants to 51, not including Canada. “We think the biggest opportunity is Asia,” Red Lobster Chief Executive Officer Kim Lopdrup said in an interview. “And China is a particular interest to us.”

In other news, China is continuing to import more Chilean salmon. The figures for Los Lagos (Lakes Region) released by the National Statistics Institute show that salmon accounted for 73.9% of the region's export value. Salmon experienced a 33% decline in volume, but only a 3.1% decline in value, due to the rapid increase in salmon prices. The US continues to be the primary market, accounting for 40.3% of export. However, China remains the highest growth market with imports up 41.5% in volume, and 125.3% in value over the past twelve months.

Meanwhile, a federal fishery management plan is needed for the Alaskan salmon fisheries in Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound and Alaska Peninsula after an Appeals court ruled last week that the area needs federal oversight. The decision was a victory for the United Cook Inlet Drift Association and the Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund that sued NMFS to return salmon management back to federal authorities.

Finally, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) formally adopted a resolution calling on State and Government Agency Members to close off 30 percent of all marine areas from extractive activities by 2030. However, John Sackton writes that according to Europêche, the IUCN takes decisions on fisheries issues whilst disregarding the huge socio-economic impacts that closure would have on coastal communities and food security. The decision caused outrage to Europêche and the European body representing producer organisations (EAPO). “This is a typical broad brush approach which will lead to unworkable situations in coastal areas and estuaries," said Pim Visser, President of EAPO. "A 30 percent closure will erase all fishing activities in these areas and negatively affect fishermen, their families and their communities."

Fresh Tilapia Farmer GeneSeas is Brazil's First Aquaculture Operator to Get BAP Certified

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] September 26, 2016

Tropical Aquaculture’s tilapia production farm and processing partner GeneSea has become Brazil’s first aquaculture company to earn certification against the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices program.

GeneSeas’ farm and production plant, located along the Paraná River, near the western edge of São Paulo, Brazil, received this certification on September 12th.

“We are honored to be the first company in Brazil to receive such an important certification that assures GeneSeas’ commitment with the best global practices in aquaculture and the development of the region where we are located, the most important tilapia producers in Brazil,” said CEO Breno Davis...

Few Options Left for Industry to Avoid a Multi-Year Closure of Tanner Crab in the Bering Sea 

Unless the Alaska Board of Fish agrees to schedule an emergency hearing on bairdi (tanner) crab in the next 11 days, the industry is looking at no season until 2019 at the earliest writes Peggy Parker. This summer's survey showed the female population of bairdi below a threshold for ADF&G to calculate a total allowable catch (TAC) for the upcoming season, which starts on October 15. Since it was not met this year, both next year’s survey and the 2018 survey would need to surpass that threshold before ADF&G could consider opening the fishery. The Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers filed an emergency petition earlier this month, asking the Alaska Board of Fish to reconsider their harvest policy for tanner crab. The Board has a month to respond, which would be October 9. “A complete closure of the Bering Sea tanner fishery will have extremely negative socioeconomic impacts on harvesters, processors, coastal communities, and the State of Alaska when this level of revenue is unnecessarily foregone for the next several commercial seasons," said Ruth Christianson, Science Advisor for the Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers.

In other crab industry news, the Russian government is considering additional measures aimed at suppressing crab poaching in the Sea of Okhotsk and other regions where Russian crab is produced. Russia's Border Service says crab poaching is still rampant despite recent measures taken by the government to fight the problem. Up to 30 ships have been arrested by the Russian Coast Guard in the Sea of Okhotsk under suspicion of poaching since the start of the year.

Meanwhile, Tokyo's Governor Yuriko Koike said she will investigate why the new site for the Tsukiji fish market was built without a planned soil embankment that was intended to protect the market from known pollutants. The Tsukiji market is supposed to relocate to Toyosu; a move that is on hold because the site, which formerly housed a gas production facility, is contaminated with polluted soil and now water. Contractors were supposed to remove the soil and elevate the area with new dirt. Instead, concrete basements were built, which are now collecting water that is contaminated with the polluted soil.

American Samoa's largest private employer, StarKist Samoa, will shut down operations during the week starting October 10th because of a lack of fish. This is  the second time in the past year StarKist Samoa has temporarily shut down due to fish supply issues.

Finally, in a statement to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans Icewater Seafoods called for a more balanced approach to the exploitation of Northern Cod stocks. The company said that under a precautionary approach, building the stock to the necessary reference limit will take five to ten years, and should not be short-circuited by prematurely increasing fishing pressure.

Hawaii Longline Group Progressing with Universal Crew Contract; Plans Rapid Vetting of Conditions 

The Hawaii longline fleet says they are making rapid progress implementing reforms following an AP story that uncovered forced labor, trafficking and poor working conditions on Hawaii longline vessels that use foreign crew. A task force came up with a universal crew contract that was designed to reveal features of labor agreements that can lead to abuse and forced labor. The industry also identified access to the Honolulu Fish Auction as a choke point in the distribution process that would allow for enforcement against vessels that do not use either the standard contract, or permit full interviews and audits of their crew practices. Additionally, longliners say a rapid assessment of the working conditions and treatment of the crew in the fleet is being implemented.  "I am confident that with the added layer of oversight from the advisory group, the allegations of forced labor, labor abuse and poor working conditions will be quickly understood and resolved,” said John Kaneko, Task Force member and Program Director of the Hawaii Seafood Council.

Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development expects to issue national technical standards for glazing and moisture standards for pangasius by the end of the year. Vietnam has failed to meet several self-imposed deadlines to set standards for pangasius glazing and moisture content over the last few years.

In other news, some members of Newfoundland's commercial fishing industry want to ban the use of gillnets when the province is ready to revive commercial cod fishing. Opponents of gillnets support the hook and line method of fishing, which they say is a more effective way of maintaining quality. Harvesters and other industry participants say Newfoundland cod will have to be sold as a premium product in order to rebuild the market for the fish.

Meanwhile, New York-based smoked salmon producer Mt Kisco Smokehouse announced a voluntary recall for two types of its smoked salmon because of a chance the product is contaminated with listeria. According to Mt. Kisco the product was distributed in New York and Connecticut through retail stores and restaurants between 9/6/2016 to 9/16/2016. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the recall.

Finally, production estimates are low for Mississippi's upcoming oyster, scheduled to start this Monday on October 3. Most recently, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources says a natural mortality event has killed many of the harvestable oysters. Oystermen believe bag limits should be lowered from 25 sacks per day for dredgers, down to 15 sacks or so. They say that would make the price better and would help the season last a bit longer.

Gov. Bill Walker Asks Feds to Declare Alaska's 2016 Pink Salmon Season a Disaster 

Governor Bill Walker has officially requested the federal government to declare the 2016 pink salmon season a disaster for four Alaska regions. "After consulting with the Dept. of Fish and Game and the Dept. of Commerce, Community and Economic Development I am making a formal request to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce for a declaration of fishery disaster in the Kodiak management area, Prince William Sound, the Chignik management area and the Lower Cook Inlet management area," Gov. Walker said in a letter. The total Alaska pink salmon catch to date is 38.2 million on a 90 million harvest forecast. A federal disaster declaration would qualify Alaska's fishermen to receive disaster funds. Alaska received nearly $8 million in federal money in 2012 due to low king salmon runs on the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers and in the Cook Inlet region.

In other news Alaskan salmon news, Bristol Bay's sockeye run was the second best season in the last 20 years. A report from the ADF&G said the commercial harvest was 26 percent above the preseason forecast. “The 2016 inshore Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run of 51.4 million fish ranks 2nd out of the last 20 years (1996–2015) and was 46 percent above the 35.1 million average run for the same period,” according to a season summary from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. At the same time, the ADFG estimates the ex-vessel value of the haul at $156.2 million, which is 40 percent above the 20-year average of $111 million.

Meanwhile, Pacific Aquaculture International officially launched its North American headquarters near Saltery Bay in British Columbia this week. The company plans to expand its land-based operation into one of North America’s largest shellfish hatcheries within its first four years. Pacific Aquaculture will start by harvesting scallops, but also has a federal commercial fishing licence for 23 other shellfish species, including clams, geoducks, oysters and mussels.

Target says it has nearly met its goal to source all of its fresh and frozen seafood from fisheries that are either certified sustainable or on their way toward achieving sustainability certification. “Today, we’re proud to say we’ve made it 97 percent of the way to our goal, and that we’ve already achieved it for 100 percent of our owned-brand seafood products. And we’re still pushing ahead to achieve full compliance across the remaining products later this year,” Target said in a blog post on its website. Target partnered with FishWise to develop its sustainability policy and buys seafood rated Green or Yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program.

Finally, Vietnam's seafood exporters warned pangasius producers in the Mekong to dial back plans to expand production for the time being. VASEP issued the warning since pangasius sales to China have been in decline.

Remember to download or stream our podcast content to your iPhone or Andriod device using iTunes, Google Play or SoundCloud. 

Have a great weekend.