Christine Blank

It is a terrible blow to seafood businesses whenever there is an oil spill, but it is especially harmful during the profitable Lenten season.

On 22 March, more than 160,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from a barge in Galveston Bay, Texas, closing the 50-mile Houston Ship Channel. Soon after, the Texas Department of State Health Services warned consumers not to eat fish, shrimp or crabs from the areas impacted by the spill.

As was the case

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Foodservice buyers who have haddock on their buying list are running into problems lately. The North American haddock this year are running small, yet fish from Norway are running large. A reduction in the ideal plate-size fillet, coupled with Lenten season demand, means haddock prices are going up.

"The foodservice business wants natural whole fillets that are plate-presentable. There is a big demand for a 4-ounce, 5-ounce or 6-ounce fillets,"

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Originally published in Seafood Business Magazine

Millennials represent a new frontier for seafood marketers

Millennials are an elusive lot. These 20- to 35-year-olds have varying tastes and preferences and have become one of the most powerful purchasing groups in America. Around 77 million consumers, almost 25 percent of the U.S. population, are classified as millennials. This is a massive demographic that rivals the other big generational

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The U.S. seafood industry has one month to submit comments on whether the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should establish a sustainable seafood label and certification program.

NOAA is considering the establishment of a "sustainably caught in the U.S." type of eco-label for wild fisheries after the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee (MAFAC) finalized its recommendations on such a label in December.

"We haven't decided

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A new organization to boost efficiencies and sustainability in Southeast Asia fisheries will be established with the help of a USD 100,000 (EUR 72,648) grant.

San Francisco, Calif.-based Give2Asia partnered with the David & Lucile Packard Foundation and Our Source Consultancy to provide the initial grant that will establish the Marine Change Enterprise (MCE) organization.

MCE will analyze the current state of Asia’s fishing industry and

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For many seafood retailers, Lent is the golden season. It is the period of time — unofficially starting with the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day and continuing through Easter — during which retailers record peak sales. In recent years, grocers and fish markets have wisely upped their fresh and frozen promotions throughout the season and added volume and variety to their fresh seafood departments.

“For the past three to four years,

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The new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Korea and Canada will significantly increase Canada’s exports of lobster and other seafood to the country.

The Canada-Korea FTA, finalized by the two country’s governments in mid-March, is expected to boost Canada’s economy by USD 1.7 billion (EUR 1.2 billion) and increase Canadian exports to South Korea by 32 percent. The agreement mandated that all tariffs, which averaged USD 0.165 (EUR 0.119),

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New government regulations could have a devastating impact on South Australia’s seafood exports, which bring USD 250 million (EUR 181.2 million) into the state very year, commercial fishing groups say.

The Labor Government established “no take” sanctuary zones in the 19 marine parks in South Australia waters that will cause “some of the most viable fishing grounds — particularly for Southern Rock Lobster fishers — to be lost,”

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