seafoodsource News – Today's Commentary

Making the Grade

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Expect Greenpeace's second sustainable seafood report card to make no more of a splash than it did in June when it debuted. Instead, let it serve as a wake-up call to seafood suppliers that aren't actively collaborating with their retailer customers to discuss sustainable purchasing programs.

What's in a Name? Everything

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Negative characterizations are tough to shake.

Frank About Fish

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A consumer panel about seafood held in Las Vegas last week was a revealing event, to say the least. Eight people were asked everything under the sun about their seafood consumption, and what they had to say was absolutely priceless.

Russia: Proceed with Caution

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With an expanding middle class, living standards are improving in Russia. But how the world's eighth-largest economy and its curious politics fit into the global trade picture is as mysterious as a Cold War spy novel.

Gulf Donations Needed

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Gulf shelters and hunger-relief organizations are overwhelmed as a result of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. Seafood non-profit SeaShare has put out a call for donations to help the region's food banks, which are in desperate need of nutritious food to feed people who have nothing left.

Gulf Shrimpers Could Use a Lift

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This year's active Atlantic hurricane season may be a blessing in disguise. Storms can stir up shrimp and the marine nutrients on which the crustacean relies - the so-called "Bubba Gump effect." However, the Gulf shrimp industry's woes don't lie as much with the resource as they do with high fuel prices.

Trading Catfish For Corn

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Increasing demand is driving up the price of agricultural products, which in turn is making farmed fish more expensive. The aquaculture industry is working more with their feed manufacturers on new formulations in an effort to keep costs down.

Mercury Awareness Rising

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Retailers and restaurateurs need to step up and better educate consumers about the perceived health risks associated with eating seafood relatively high in mercury. If they don't, there are a number of entrepreneurs, state legislators and activists who will do it for them. One activist, San Francisco physician Dr. Jane Hightower, is about to release a book tying mercury poisoning to seafood consumption.

China May Seal Deal for GAA

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

By partnering with a leading farmed-seafood trade association in China, the Global Aquaculture Alliance strengthened its position as the foremost third-party certifier of imported farmed seafood. It'd be surprising if the U.S. government doesn't lean on the GAA to improve its food-safety efforts.

Offshore Aquaculture Takes On Water

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Alaska Gov. and Republican VP hopeful Sarah Palin on Friday opposed a rule authorizing the Minerals Management Service to issue leases, easements and rights of way for fish farms in federal waters, adding to the throng of lawmakers and special-interest groups challenging the Bush administration's provision and hindering the effort to expand the U.S. offshore aquaculture industry.

Give Moms the Right Message

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The healthful benefits of seafood are well documented - yet another study in a respected medical journal released this month confirms as much. The muddled message of a 2004 federal advisory, however, is confusing to those who need a seafood-rich diet the most: pregnant women and their children.

Calorie Counting: Good for Seafood?

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

A bill awaiting California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signature would require chain restaurants with a total of 15 or more outlets to list the calorie content of each menu item.

Sustainability Sacrifice

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

To enhance its sustainability profile and attain a better rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, one aquaculture company made a bold series of moves to reduce the quantity of fishmeal from its feed. But in doing so, it lost a major nationwide customer.

Finding a Safe Harbor from Mercury

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Mercury in seafood — has any other food-safety issue been more grievously misreported by the mainstream media and, as a result, less understood by consumers?

Malachite Green a Mystery for Canadian Officials

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

By Steve Hedlund — This week, Canadian food-safety officials gave Creative Salmon Co. and Marine Harvest Canada the green light to resume harvesting salmon from their Vancouver Island, British Columbia, farms after numerous fish samples tested negative for malachite green, a fungicide banned for use in food production because it’s a potential carcinogen.