Supreme Crab & Seafood’s Mark Laubner Competes Against Food Network Star on ‘Beat Bobby Flay’

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] By Amanda Buckle - April 13, 2018

Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” pits two chefs against each other for a chance to battle celebrity chef Bobby Flay. And on Thursday Supreme Crab & Seafood’s executive chef, Mark Laubner, had a chance to throw down the gauntlet.

An energetic Laubner competed against Brendan Pelley, the chef de cuisine at Boston’s Doretta Taverna & Raw Bar. Since only one chef can compete against Bobby Flay, Laubner and Pelley had to go head-to-head to create a dish using ...

Russian Crab Auction Winners Will be Obligated to Construct New Vessels at Domestic Shipyards

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Eugene Gerden - April 13, 2018

Winners of crab auctions in Russia will be obliged to build new vessels at the capacities of domestic shipyards, according to recent statements from Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) official Ilya Shestakov. As currently planned, vessels will have to be built during the next 3 to 4 years from the date of the auctions.

The final plan is for half of the crab catch quotas in Russia, starting in 2019, to be distributed on an historical basis, while the second half will be sold at auctions with the obligation to build new vessels. At the same time, the government will finally abandon a mechanism of investment quotas for crab catch....

Captain D’s Launches Limited Time Crab Lovers Meals For $4.99

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - April 10, 2018

Crab lovers will want to make their way to Captain D’s. The fast casual seafood restaurant announced that for a limited time they will be serving some of their crab favorites for just $4.99.

Meals that are part of the $4.99 special include seafood stuffed crab shells, which are served with Captain D’s signature batter dipped fish and crispy butterfly shrimp, in addition to a choice of two sides and the chain’s “world-famous” hush puppies.” Captain D’s is also offering ...

Opening of California Commercial Rock Crab Fishery Extended to Sonoma/Mendocino County Line

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Susan Chambers - April 4, 2018

After months of problems with domoic acid levels being too high, the California commercial rock crab fishery is now open in most of the state.

Following the recommendation of state health agencies, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced recently it has extended the open area for commercial rock crab fishing from the Sonoma/Mendocino County line (38° 46.1′ N. Lat., near Gualala, Mendocino County) south to the California/Mexico border.

Closure of the commercial rock crab fishery north of the Sonoma/Mendocino County ...

New Seafood News Podcast: Alaska Halibut Prices, Red Lobster's New Lobster and Waffle Dish and More

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - April 2, 2018

Join Seafood News Podcast hosts Nicole Christie and Amanda Buckle as they talk Alaska halibut prices and the latest news with the Gulf of St. Lawrence crab fishery. Plus, listen as they read the funniest tweets about Red Lobster’s new lobster and waffle dish.

This podcast was sponsored by Urner Barry's new Comtell App. Download the Comtell app through Google Play for Android or the App Store for iOS.

Supreme Crab & Seafood Hires Well Known Chef to Manage North East Region

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - March 27, 2018

Chef Mark Laubner has joined Florida-based Supreme Crab & Seafood. The company announced the addition of  Laubner to their team on Monday.

Laubner has nearly 30 years of culinary and sales experience. He previously held the title of personal chef to American heiress and socialite Doris Duke, and has held positions as a corporate chef for Phillips Seafood and DuClaw Brewing company. His unique background will aid him in helping to launch Supreme Crab & Seafood’s newest items ...

Bonamar Corp. Expands Through Acquisition of International Pacific Seafood

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - March 26, 2018

Florida-based importer and distributor Bonamar Corporation is heading to the West Coast. The leader in premium crab meat and fin fish is expanding thanks to their recent acquisition of California-based International Pacific Seafood.

International Pacific Seafood is an importer and processor of ahi tuna, mahi-mahi, wahoo/ono, salmon, swordfish, halibut, albacore, cod, pollock, calamari and smoked salmon. The company has a nearly 20,000 sq. ft. state of the art facility in Brea, California, which houses their ...

Russian Crab Producers Accuse Leading Domestic Fish Producer of Attempts to Destroy Crab Industry

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Eugene Gerden - March 23, 2018

The Russian fish industry is on the verge of a serious conflict among its major players. Russian leading crab producers have publicly accused the country’s largest fish producer and processor, Russian Fishery Company (RRPK), of attempts to repartition the Russian crab market and destruction of the current system of crab quotas’ distribution in the country.

Alexander Duplyakov, president of the Association of Crab Producers of the Far East, said RRPK is trying to withdraw crab quotas from the distribution on "historical principle" and to ...

'Get Ugly' Campaign Aims to Get Alaska Crabbers More Money For Scarred or Darker Shells

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - March 15, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Alaska crabbers say it’s time to get ugly.

Any creature caught in the wild varies in appearance.

For crab, many that get pulled up in pots have darker, discolored or scarred shells, or they might be adorned with barnacles. While it’s every bit as tasty as prettier product, the uglier crabs fetch lower prices for fishermen.

Alaska crabbers and marketers aim to change that ...

Blue Star Foods Introduces ‘Grab & Go’ Seafood Products

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - March 9, 2018

Blue Star Foods has developed a product that will allow seafood lovers to indulge while on the run. The leader in pasteurized blue swimming crab announced on Friday that they have released a 4 oz “Crab N Go” and “Shrimp N Go” product using their patented Eco-Fresh Pasteurized Foil Pouch technology.

“The population is moving at a fast pace, we are on the go, and there is a significant movement of health-conscious consumers especially millennials that seek out healthy snack and meal alternatives ...

Russian Oligarch to Take 90% Control of Russian Fishery Co., Controlling Pollock Production

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Eugene Gerdern - February 26, 2018

Gleb Frank, a son-in-law of Gennady Timchenko, a Russian billionaire and friend of Russia President Vladimir Putin, will become a new main owner of Russian Fishery Company (RRPK), Russia’s leading fish producer.

The change will take place through the consolidation of a controlling stake in the company and the purchase of a share of Maxim Vorobyov, the brother of the Moscow region governor, another major shareholder and co-founder of RRPK.

According to Russian Ministry of Agriculture data, Frank currently owns ...

Barents Sea Russian Red King Crab Fishery First in World to Achieve MSC Certification

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - February 23, 2018

Independent certifier Acoura Marine has awarded MSC certification to the Russian Red King Crab fishery in the Barents Sea, making them the first king crab fishery in the world to achieve MSC certification.

“To become certified it was crucial that the fishery demonstrate a high level of management and, in particular, explicit harvest control rules,” Camiel Derich, MSC Regional Director for Europe, said in a press release. “This will hopefully encourage other king crab fisheries to enter assessment ...

Russia Concerned About Chinese Poaching Activities in Territorial Waters

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Eugene Gerden - February 21, 2018

The Russian government is increasingly concerned about the growth of poaching activities of Chinese fishermen in the domestic territorial waters.

According to some experts of Russian Rosrybolovstvo and representatives of local special services, one of the reasons for more poaching activity may be a shortage of fish in the Chinese territorial and inland waters. And those shortages could be due to the increase of harvests by Chinese fishermen, which has been observed over the last few years. This shortage currently forces Chinese ...

California Crabbers Slow Landings, Say Won't Deliver at $2.50 per lb.

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton - February 19, 2018

According to crabbers in California, prices for dungeness have dropped to $2.50, down 25 cents from the opening prices received on February 5^th.

As a result, some of the Del Norte Fishermen’s Marketing Association members are talking about a slow down.

Buyers have said they were plugged at the end of last week, and didn’t want more crab until Tuesday. Northern California ports such as ...

NFI's Crab Council Grows to 33 Members 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Amanda Buckle - February 16, 2018

The National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) Crab Council launched in 2009 with just seven companies. Now, nine years later, the Council has grown to 33 members. The group is certainly bigger – but their objective has stayed the same.

The Crab Council was created to fund blue swimming crab sustainability projects. And according to Gavin Gibbons, the National Fisheries Institute’s vice president of communications, the council currently makes up 90% of the total blue swimming crab imported into the U.S. ...

Fresco Fisheries Joins NFI Crab Council as 32nd Member

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - February 14, 2018

Fresco Fisheries, a UK-based seafood company, has become the 32^nd member of the National Fisheries Institute’s Crab Council.

The NFI Crab Council, which was founded in 2009, focuses on crab sustainability. Members represent approximately 85% of the total blue swimming crab that’s imported into the United States. The addition of Fresco Fisheries marks the council’s fourth international member.

“Fresco Fisheries has always equated sustainability with authenticity,” says product and sales manager Ed Gravestock. “As we venture into ...

Alaska Bering Sea Snow Crab Wraps Up Scratchy Season; Quota is Uncertain for Next Year

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - April 11, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – 

The season’s last delivery of snow crab is expected any day, wrapping up the 2017/2018 Bering Sea crab season until the fall.

It was a mixed bag for snow crab, or opilio, which had a 19.5 million pound catch quota.  Fishing was scratchy and tough going for most, while some got on the crab and filled up fast.

“It was a little tougher for snow crab. Weather wasn’t good. There were a few boats that ...

April Mixed for Alaska Fisheries, Sitka Herring Slumps, but Southeast Tanner Crab was Good

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio With Laine Welch] - April 4, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch --- Lots of fishing updates and salmon is just weeks away! 

April has brought a mixed bag so far for several Alaska fisheries, starting with a big slump in herring hauls at Sitka Sound. 

The fishery had openers on March 25 and 26 and managers closed it all down on April 3 when the bulk of the herring size and quality was just not up to snuff. The total harvest of 2,800 tons is down by ...

SIRF Sponsors Study to Review Best Practices for Blue Swimming Crab Stock Enhancement

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - April 2, 2018

The Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF) has commissioned a study to assist the National Fisheries Institute’s Crab Council in “formulating effective policies for bolstering blue swimming crab populations in South East Asia.” The study, which reviews best practices for blue swimming crab stock enhancement, was conducted by co-authors Dr. Anson H. Hines and Yonathan Zohar.

Hines and Zohar found that stock enhancement, or the use of hatchery-reared saltwater organisms to ...

Rosrybolovstvo May be Promising Lower Crab Prices in Russia in Exchange for Opening Up Auction

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Eugen Gerden  March 28, 2018

Russia may face a significant increase of prices for fish and seafood this year, according to recent predictions of some senior officials of the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo). That will take place despite record catches, which have been observed in recent years.

Ilya Shestakov, head of Rosrybolovstvo, comments:

"It is important to understand that wild fish catch is limited and will not grow more, therefore it is clear that the cost for natural fish will only grow".

According to predictions of Rosrybolovstvo, the growth of prices may be in the range of 15%-30%.

The statements of Shestakov have already been criticized by some leading Russian fishery analysts, who said they are contrary to earlier state promises to restrict the growth of fish prices in Russia through the fight with numerous intermediaries and retail charges. In addition, Rosrybolovstvo promised to establish its own railway operator for transporting fish from the Far East to the European part of the country.

Interestingly, the only market segment where ..

Letters:  Russian Fishery Company Denies Any Relationship with Govt Proposed Crab Auction Changes

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Letters]  March 26, 2018

To the Editor:   Re: SeafoodNews Article on March 23rd:  Russian Crab Producers Accuse Leading Domestic Fish Producer of Attempts to Destroy Crab Industry

The Russian Fishery Company has no relation with the recently proposed initiatives to adjust the mechanism of crab quota distribution. 

This has been repeatedly confirmed by the official statements of the Company. 

We understand the concerns of industry participants regarding the changes to quota allocation regulation which have been under discussion ever since, as such changes would also relate the RFC, one of the key market players. ..

Canada’s Seafood Exports to China Increased 25% in 2017; Lobsters Prove Most Popular

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Sohu] translated by Amy Zhong - March 26, 2018

Canada’s statistics show fish and other seafood exports increased during 2017. The export value rose by $312 million CAD to reach $6.9 billion CAD compared with 2016 and these seafood products are sold to 137 countries. Among all these, its seafood export value to China has grown the fastest at 25 percent. Japan is a close second at a 13 percent increase, while the export to the U.S. is comparatively stable. With regard to export species, the three most popular are ...

Russia Plans to Make Kara Sea Center of Domestic Fish Production

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Eugene Gerden - March 19, 2018

Russia plans to make Kara Sea, a part of the Arctic Ocean, separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya, one of the centers of the domestic fish production, according to an official spokesman of Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo).

The Federal Agency for Fisheries said the advantage of fishing in the Kara Sea is its location far from territorial waters of other states. That means Russia could establish the rules of fishing in the Kara Sea by itself without ...

West Coast Waters Returning to Normal; Some Fisheries Remain Disrupted

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Susan Chambers - March 12, 2018

Ocean conditions off most of the U.S. West Coast are returning roughly to average, after an extreme marine heat wave from about 2014 to 2016 disrupted the California Current Ecosystem and shifted many species beyond their traditional range, according to a new report from NOAA Fisheries' two marine laboratories on the West Coast. Some warm waters remain off the Pacific Northwest, however.

The Southwest Fisheries Science Center and Northwest Fisheries Science Center presented their annual "California Current Ecosystem Status Report" to the Pacific Fishery Management Council at ...

Oregon Allows Crab Harvesting Free of Evisceration Restriction in Southern Areas

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Susan Chambers - March 6, 2018

The Southern Oregon Coast is back in the crab business -- the whole-cook crab business, that is.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Monday the second all-clear domoic acid test results from Cape Blanco to the Oregon/California border. The agencies subsequently lifted the requirement that all crab harvested from that order be eviscerated, retroactive to the date of landing for the most recent sample, Feb. 27. Furthermore, no recall is ...

Supreme Crab & Seafood Enters Partnership With G&C Food Distributors

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - February 23, 2018

Supreme Crab & Seafood announced Thursday that they have entered into a “strategic partnership” with G&C Food Distributors.

G&C Food Distributors, a leading food service re-distributor in the U.S., currently re-distributes over 4,000 products to over 1,000 food service and retail customers in 28 states. Their partnership with Supreme Crab & Seafood will begin with the company’s blue and red swimming crab lines. Supreme Crab & Seafood is also launching a new item next week that G&C will be re-distributing ...

White Castle Brings Back Seafood Crab Cake Slider, Shrimp Nibblers For Lent

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] - February 21, 2018

The Lenten season kicked off on February 14, boosting sales of seafood at restaurants for those that observe. To coincide with Lent, hamburger chain White Castle is bringing back two of their seafood favorites – the Seafood Crab Cake Slider and Shrimp Nibblers.

“At White Castle, we’ve been innovators since 1921, when we started the first fast-food chain,” Jamie Richardson, vice president of White Castle, said in a press release. “Last year, we were again a leader by ...

Industry Responds to Erroneous Reports about Dungeness Fishery

SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton - February 20, 2018

The fact that many boats stopped fishing dungeness crab over the weekend spurred confusion in the market place, as some buyers heard that the fishery was halted due to a price dispute.

Our story yesterday focused on one report of a sale below the $2.75 price that has been standard along the coast since the season opened.

Buyers were quick to correct the mistaken impression about prices.

Many processors were plugged with crab, and needed the long holiday weekend to catch up and the crabbers took a ...

Processors Must Eviscerate Dungeness Crab from Southern Oregon Due to Domoic Acid Levels

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Susan Chambers - February 19, 2018

The Oregon Department of Agriculture on Friday afternoon sent out email and text alerts that domoic acid levels had risen in Dungeness crab from the South Coast and measures must be taken to protect the public. The notice included evisceration and recall orders.

The notice was similar to last year when, shortly after the South Coast crab season opened, state management agencies had to close an area due to elevated levels of domoic acid. Some companies issued voluntary recalls of Dungeness crab and there was a brief media ...

Russian Security Service Again Challenging Crab Quota Holders as Illegal Foreign Controlled Businesses

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Seafood News] by Eugene Gerden - February 16, 2018

The Russian government, together with special services, plan to start a massive investigation of some recent reports published by Russian media about illegal re-sales of crab quotas to Chinese and South Korean dealers.

This is not the first time that the security services faction has gone after quota holders by accusing them of foreign business ties. They led a major campaign against pollock quota holders a few years ago, upending many companies associated with Pacific Andes.

Several months ago, the Russian government finally refused to provide quotas on crab catch in its territorial waters to Asian fishermen, despite their numerous calls and business offers. Instead of allowing it, Russia tightened domestic legislation and the government started to annul quotas of ...