Herring Spotted in Sitka, Fleet on Two-Hour Notice

All eyes are on Sitka as Alaska’s annual ramp up to the herring fishery begins. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported yesterday that an aerial survey showed herring schools were showing up, but no herring spawn has been seen yet. 

The schools were seen by air from Silver Point to Deep Inlet. ADF&G management biologists look for predator activity to help them pinpoint locations. 

“The highest concentration of herring predators was seen south and west of Vitskari Rocks where numerous whales were seen working in...

Trident Seafoods Debuts Versatile 10g Protein Noodles at Seafood Expo North America

Those walking around Seafood Expo North America in Boston earlier this week were bound to see people wearing “I’m hooked” stickers. And attendees certainly were hooked… on Trident’s new 10g Protein Noodles.

As we previously reported, Trident Seafoods took their 10g Protein Noodles to Boston with the goal of expanding the reach of their new product, which is made from wild Alaska pollock. And they certainly succeeded in doing so. The unique high-protein, lower-carb, gluten-free noodle had many attendees talking about the...

March 2019 Alaska Fishing Updates

This is Alaska Fish Radio – You know spring is near when herring start arriving at Sitka Sound and other parts of Southeast Alaska.

Herring pounds are going in the water near Craig and the fleet is on two hour notice at Sitka Sound. They’ll be hoping to pull in a nearly 13,000 ton harvest of herring for their roe.

And their fingers are crossed for a better catch: Last year’s Sitka fishery was a total bust with a catch of just 2,800 tons, 75 percent below the pegged harvest of 11,128 tons...

Latest Oceana seafood fraud report takes aim at SIMP, but misses mark

The recent Ocean report was covered by media as more evidence of widespread seafood fraud.  In fact, it was a poorly designed study that deliberately conflated issues with poorly known and barely fished species with more popular and widely consumed species.    

Jack's commentary is reprinted below:

The intention of Oceana’s most recent report was to call for an expansion of the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP). SIMP is an electronic traceability program designed to reduce fraud in the import of seafood into the United States. The program was created under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 and is managed by U.S. Customs and NOAA. Currently, SIMP requires importers to maintain records for shrimp, abalone, Atlantic...

Meet the Sustainable Shopper: Young Transitionals Who Are Tech-Savvy

“Sustainability” is a trending topic in the seafood industry and beyond. Everyone wants to convey that their product is sustainably produced. But who exactly are these companies targeting with the term? According to Nielsen, the sustainable shopper tends to be “well-educated young transitionals who live in smaller households and live in urban cities.”

Based on Nielsen’s data, the purchase of sustainable products is on the rise, with 64% of households buying items that are sustainable, which is up 4% from the year prior...

Hardee’s Partners with Mississippi Catfish Farm to Create New Catfish Sandwich at Select Locations

Hardee’s is testing a new fish sandwich at select Mississippi locations during Lent. The fast-food chain, which is operated by CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., announced this week that they have partnered with America’s Catch, one of the largest producers of U.S. farm-raised catfish, to bring a new item to four locations: Hardee’s new Catfish Sandwich.

The new menu item features America’s Catch catfish fillets, which are coated in cornmeal breading and topped with Duke’s Tartar Sauce. The Catfish Sandwich is currently available at...

INSIGHT: Fishmeal Producers Need to Capitalise on 'Point-of-Difference' Factors

In a Well-Designed Study, MSC Finds Labeling Fraud Rates of Less Than 1%

Recently Oceana released a new part of their ongoing targeting of seafood mislabeling claiming that 20% of their samples failed a dna test to be the species they were being sold as.  Oceana then extrapolate this to claim that “1 in every five fish tested was mislabeled’.

Today, the MSC released its own mislabeling report.  The report also tested DNA against the species on the label, and the MSC found that less than 1% of its samples were mis-labeled.

Which is more representative of the ...

Seafood Importers Support Measures to Save the Vaquita

Eight U.S. based importers of Mexican seafood have joined efforts to remove illegal fishing gear and develop alternative gear to protect the critical endangered vaquita porpoise.

The eight importers -- Aquastar, Artisan Catch (Orca Foods), Del Pacifico, Inland Seafood, Meridian Products, Ocean Garden Products, Santa Monica Seafood, and Seattle Fish Company—donated $12,000 to VaquitaCPR, an effort to remove illegal fishing gear from the upper Gulf of California.

All eight companies participated in a Mexican Seafood Supply Chain Roundtable facilitated by Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. 

The most recent population estimate... 

Slade Gorton Launches ICYBAY Iceland Retail Bag Line at Boston Seafood Show

Slade Gorton’s new ICYBAY Iceland retail bag line of frozen cod, haddock and Arctic char were on display at Seafood Expo North America in Boston this week.

The ICYBAY Iceland products were created with the consumer in mind. Each 1-pound bag is individually vacuum-packed to put the focus on seafood, and features step-by-step cooking instructions on the back.

“These retail-ready ICYBAY Iceland seafood bags are our latest innovation to get more sustainable, delicious and...

Fishermen Identify Projects to Improve Fisheries Development in the U.S. Pacific Islands

Projects to develop fisheries topped the list of needs identified by fishermen from Hawai'i, American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands during their March 15 and 16 meeting in Honolulu. The group, which constitutes the Advisory Panel of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, also highlighted the importance of fishing to the communities of each of the island areas.

Advisory panel members said the social and economic value of the local and regional fisheries also needs to better communicated...

SENA 2019: Corbion Teams Up With Celebrity Chef Sammy Monsour for Short Film on Algae-Fed Salmon

Corbion and celebrity chef Sammy Monsour teamed up at Seafood Expo North America in Boston this week to premiere a short film documenting the impact of AlgaPrime DHA on sustainable aquaculture.

“With algae-fed salmon brands gaining distribution at U.S. retailers, we are excited to work with Chef Sammy Monsour to start a dialogue with consumers and chefs about the impact of sustainably produced salmon,” said Marc den Hartog, Executive Vice President of Innovation Platforms at Corbion...

Salmon Sisters Donating 1% of All Sales to Food Bank of Alaska

Salmon Sisters, the sibling-owned Alaskan seafood and design company has expanded it’s charitable subsidiary to donate one-percent of all sales to the Food Bank of Alaska. 

Launched in 2016, the Give Fish Project has donated one can of wild salmon to The Food Bank of Alaska for each order placed on the Salmon Sisters website, a total of over 100,000 cans to date. The new one-percent model expands the brand’s overall donation, and better accommodates the needs of the food...

Coastal Villages Sets 2019 Budget for Community Benefits at Over $18 Million

The Coastal Villages Region Fund (CVRF) Board of Directors finalized its annual community benefits budget with over $18 million in projects set for 2019. The board met last week for their quarterly meeting in Anchorage.

The approved $18 million in community benefits funding will support a wide range of projects and programs, including scholarships, internships, a growing offering of youth pathways programs, another round of the popular People Propel program, regional support buildings and staff, and the second phase of CVRF’s...

LISTEN: The Boston Seafood Show Podcast Episode!

Get the most out of Seafood Expo North America with SeafoodNews podcast co-hosts Lorin Castiglione and Amanda Buckle.

This week's episode is brought to you by Urner Barry's Comtell. Urner Barry will be at Seafood Expo North America in Boston from March 17-19. Visit Booth #364 for your chance to enter to win free registration to Urner Barry's 2019 Executive Conference and Seafood Import Workshop, taking place in Las Vegas from April 28-30. Find more information at www.urnerbarry.com/executive.

SENA 2019: Seafood Champion Awards Finalists Announced at Boston Seafood Show

The 2019 Seafood Champion Awards finalists were announced at Seafood Expo North America in Boston on Sunday.

The Seafood Champion Awards, which were first established by SeaWeb in 2006, recognize individuals and companies for their outstanding leadership in promoting environmentally responsible seafood. Award categories include: leadership, innovation, vision, and advocacy. Check out the finalists for each award category here...

China Overtakes Japan as Alaska's Largest Seafood Importer

China used to mean nothing more than just an Asian country for fishermen in Alaska, but in recent years it has become a magnet, attracting sellers and seafood products with increasingly great demand and deep-pocket buyers. Its seafood imports from Alaska has risen by about 20% in 2017 compared with that of 2016, while the import value was around $1 billion USD that year, according to media reports. And now, China has overtaken Japan and become the largest seafood importer of Alaskan seafood...

CleanFish Brings First ‘Green Rated’ Marine-Farmed Atlantic Salmon to Boston Seafood Show

The first “Green Rated” marine-farmed Atlantic salmon is at Seafood Expo North America.

CleanFish announced that they will be debuting Nordic Blu, the world’s first and only marine net-pen farmed Atlantic salmon rated “Green - Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, at their booth, number 3176.

“We’re proud to be the chosen partner of Salten Aqua Group in bringing this remarkable salmon and the Nordic Blu brand to North America,” said CleanFish Managing Director Mike Moniz...

Cooke Inc. Acquires California Distributor All Seas Wholesale, Inc.

Cooke Inc. announced on Tuesday that they have acquired California seafood distributor All Seas Wholesale, Inc.

“Purchasing All Seas allows us to continue to strengthen our vertical integration and distribute our True North Seafood products to additional markets,” said Cooke Inc. CEO Glenn Cooke. “All Seas prides itself on being able to receive an order early in the morning and have it delivered fresh to the customer to serve on their lunch menu that same day, and that fits very well with our drive for high standards in both... 

Sustainable Oceans Leadership Institute Seeking Applicants; Set to Kick Off Program at Brussels Seafood Show

The new Sustainable Oceans Leadership Institute (SOLI), a partnership between Global Seafood Assurances and Diversified Communications, is seeking applicants for their 2019 class.

Wally Stevens, the Executive Director at Global Seafood Assurances, and co-founder of the National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) Future Leaders program, introduced the SOLI program to a small group of attendees at Seafood Expo North America on Monday.

The program is seeking 25 men and women from around the world to participate in four sessions that will cover climate change and...

Pebble Dam Breach Modeled, Comments Open to May 31

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – What would a dam breach from the Pebble Mine look like? 

The proposed Pebble Mine would include a 550 foot high tailings dam that would hold roughly 30 billion cubic feet of mining wastes. But how a dam breach of any size might affect the Bristol Bay watershed is not included in the draft environmental impact statement now out for public review.

“There are so many things that are not being considered in the draft EIS, so many holes that...

Push to Standardize Traceability Efforts Launched by Retailers and International Seafood Companies

A group of major retailers and international seafood companies have announced an effort to standardize traceability requirements.

As traceability becomes more important in the seafood industry, major retailers find a need to avoid siloing of information by the vendor providing the traceability software.

The goal of the new effort is to provide guidance that would first, develop a shared expectation about what types of information and the quality needed that enter into traceability systems.

A second goal is to promote inter-operability among systems...

FishWise Releases RISE, a Labor Rights Roadmap for Seafood Businesses

FishWise, a non-profit sustainable seafood consultancy in Santa Cruz, Calif., released the Roadmap for Improving Seafood Ethics -- RISE -- this week. RISE was developed in partnership with members of the seafood industry and leading conservation and human rights experts. The RISE website, riseseafood.org, offers streamlined guidance and steps companies can take to understand the labor conditions throughout their supply chains and make improvements to protect workers and mitigate their own regulatory and reputational risks, the company said in a press release.

“Seafood companies understand...

Global Aquaculture Alliance Launches Aquademia Podcast at Boston Seafood Show

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) launched their new Aquademia Podcast, hosted by GAA team members Shaun O’Loughlin and Justin Grant, while at Seafood Expo North America in Boston this week.

The Aquademia podcast, which is available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher, will be released biweekly. The podcast aims to educate consumers and industry professionals on “how seafood is connected with the issues facing our planet, what consumers can do to help, arm them with the knowledge to make better seafood choices...

Stolt Sea Farm Expands European Production for Turbot and Sole

Stolt Sea Farm is building two new facilities in Spain and one in France, and planning for expansion of their farm in Iceland to boost their sole production.

The new production farms in Cervo, Spain and Tocha, Portugal in addition to the remodel of Stolt’s Anglet, France sole farm, will bring the company’s total capacity for sole from 850 mt to 2,800 by 2023. Stolt says that it plans to expand the company’s sole production to that of turbot, some 5,400 mt.

Stolt will focus on technology...

Two New Trustees Named Int’l Pole and Line Foundation

LONDON -- The International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF), the charity that is committed to developing and supporting responsible one-by-one tuna fisheries and supply chains, named Jurgita Rhodes and Rahim Hoosen to its Board of Trustees.

Rhodes is Senior Partner at Marquis Media Partners and Hoosen is the Trading Head of Groceries, Household, Pet, Personal Care, Print Media at Woolworths South Africa. their appointments are effective immediately.

Rhodes has extensive experience across fintech, media and disruptive technologies, and has led pioneering commercial transformation programmes at the forefront of ...

Legal Seafoods and CP Foods to Introduce Legal Branded Shrimp Products for National Distribution

Legal Seafoods is adding more products under its own brand for national distribution.  At the Boston Seafood Show, they announced a partnership with Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) to co-pack premium shrimp products for distribution in North America.

With both companies sharing the same view of expansion in the US branded shrimp market,  Mr. Roger Berkowitz, CEO of Legal Sea Foods, and Dr. Sujint Thammasart, COO (Aquaculture Business Unit) of CP Foods, say it is a proud moment for both companies to jointly introduce...

Low Prices Overshadow China's White Shrimp Industry

Usually shrimp that survive freezing winters are known as cash cows in China. However, things started to change this year, and their prices plummeted in South China since late January. For example, in mid-February, farm gate prices dove by 13 yuan/jin (1 jin=0.5 kilo; $1.94/jin USD) to only 23 yuan/jin ($3.43/jin USD)for those at the size of 40 shrimp/jin in Zhanjiang compared with two weeks ago. Low prices are seen everywhere and it is even as low as 14 yuan/jin ($2.09/jin USD) in Hainan for those at the size of 50 shrimps/jin.

Luckily, white shrimp ...

Chilean Salmon Marketing Council Introduces 'Promise of Patagonia' Campaign for US

The Chilean Salmon Marketing Council (CSMC), a U.S.-based entity dedicated to strengthening the reputation of Chilean Salmon, announced a new creative campaign, "The Promise of Patagonia," at the annual Seafood Expo North America in Boston today.

"The Promise of Patagonia" is focused on forging the connection for American consumers between the cold, clear waters of Chilean Patagonia, and the salmon they put on their table. Starting this month, it will go live on print, online and out-of-home channels.

"The mystique of Patagonia is well-known...

Change Is in the Air: Western Pacific SSC Suggests New Approaches for Suite of Issues

The Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council concluded a three-day meeting last week in Honolulu with a suite of recommendations to more effectively address issues facing fisheries in the U.S. Pacific Islands. The Council will consider those recommendations this week.

Regarding false killer whales, the SSC recommended inclusion of a population variability analysis to supplement the use of and reduce the variability of potential biological removal estimates.

The Southern Exclusion Zone (SEZ), a 132,000 square mile...