The Mazzetta Company Suspends Fish Production at Gloucester Seafood Processing to Focus on Lobster
The Mazzetta Company’s Massachusetts-based operation Gloucester Seafood Processing announced a temporary suspension to fresh fish processing so the company can focus on lobster production. According to a statement, GSP is reconfiguring its production process, which will only affect fish processing at the plant. “GSP plans to concentrate on lobster production, which includes cooked lobster meat, split blanched lobster, whole cooked lobster, whole raw lobster, lobster tails, and scored claws and arms,” said Mazzetta's Joe Chekouras. “Mazzetta Company's overall strategy is to further vertically integrate its lobster supply chain.”
Indian fish farmers in Andhra Pradesh are reporting good initial results at tilapia operations in Vishakhapatnam. Survival rates for the first fry planted were reported at around 90 percent. MPEDA has set a target to produce 1.2 million metric tons of tilapia by 2019. The plan includes developing both domestic and international markets for farmed Indian tilapia.
In other news, Vietnamese pangasius farmers say sales of larger fish to Chinese buyers have dropped dramatically. The sudden fall in Chinese demand for larger pangasius has pushed down prices for the fish to five-year lows according to farmers.
Meanwhile, the European Union's committee on invasive species is expected to release its recommendation on whether it supports Sweden's proposed live lobster ban on Aug. 31. So far there is no indication where EU authorities are going to land on Sweden's proposal. US and Canadian authorities have been critical of the lack of scientific evidence to support Sweden's ban. "To say that it's an invasive species, we think, is wrong. There's no scientific basis for it. The risk assessment that they've provided has been picked apart by Canadian and American scientists," said Geoff Irvine, the Lobster Council of Canada's Executive Director.
Finally, Bumble Bee Seafoods announced that its lines of canned Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water and in Oil is now Non-GMO Project Verified. The canned tuna producer also has plans to certify the rest of its canned and pouch tuna products by the end of the year. "As the national brand leader in Solid White Albacore Tuna, certifying our Solid White Albacore line was the initial priority and we are targeting to have the balance of our canned and pouch tuna products Non-GMO Project Verified by the end of December," said Dave Melbourne, a senior vice president at Bumble Bee.
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