Curious what your fellow SeafoodSource readers are viewing? Here’s a rundown of the website’s five most-read stories and commentaries of July 2011:
5) The cause, or causes, of the dramatic fall in farm-gate prices of salmon was a hot topic at the Aqua Nor conference in Trondheim, Norway. There are a lot of theories out there. But perhaps prices collapsed simply because salmon became too expensive for many consumers, so they stopped buying the fish, theorized SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Mike Urch, who attended the biennial event.
4) Let’s face it: Celebrity chefs move product. So Young’s newest endeavor with Jamie Oliver is sure to be a success. The two teamed up to launch a frozen fish range using sustainable alternatives to species like cod and haddock, from Alaska pollock to North Sea whiting. Then, at the end of August, Young’s commissioned a survey that found about half of British consumers fail to eat fish twice a week as the UK government recommends, while one in 10 avoid fish out of fear of choking on a bone.
3) China is the world’s largest crayfish producer. So when opposite weather conditions — drought then flooding — struck eastern China this year, importers from Europe to North America took notice. Urch talks to Alain Schmit of Luxemburg’s Crawfresh Import, who explained that the region’s inclement weather has led to “the worst situation in crayfish production for the last 20 years.”
2) One Welsh company is on the brink of something very big following a successful blind trial of its alternative, fishmeal-free feed in the United States. Check out out SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Jason Holland’s interview with Dragon Feeds’ Tony Smith. It’s a must-read.
1) U.S. seafood importers beware: A new fee is slated to go into effect on 1 October will significantly increase the cost of inspecting product suspected of a food-safety violation. The fee — USD 225 per hour, USD 335 per hour if foreign travel is required — is for any “re-examination” of product, required when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detects a food-safety violation. SeafoodSource Editor Steven Hedlund talks to Benjamin England, a 17-year FDA veteran and founder of FDAImports.com, about the fee’s potential impact.
