Here’s a look at this week’s must-read SeafoodSource news stories and commentaries:
• SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Nicki Holmyard attended the European Aquaculture Society’s annual meeting in Portugal, where the latest developments and innovations in fish farming were on display. An aquaculture conference may not seem immediately applicable to wholesalers, retailers or consumers, but without research the industry would not know how to farm new species, improve product quality and better the eating experience, explained Holmyard.
• Speaking of the latest developments and innovations, British scientists are now using Nintendo Wii-style gaming technology to devise a tool to improve the complex task of assessing fish stocks. The United Kingdom’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science will plant three axis accelerometer sensors into fish to track their metabolic rate and movement.
• SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Christine Blank caught up with Jens Dahlmann, executive chef of Epcot Food & Beverage, this week. Dahlmann talked about the upcoming Epcot Food & Wine Festival in Orlando, Fla., in which seafood is featured in 50 of the 190 entrées on display. He also talked about the importance of sustainable seafood.
• Fish-farming giant Marine Harvest had three pieces of news to report this week. On Wednesday, the company posted a third-quarter operating income of approximately NOK 750 million, up from NOK 625 million during the same period last year. Also on Wednesday, the world’s largest salmon farmer said it produced 64,000 metric tons of fish in the third quarter of 2010, down from 82,000 metric tons during the same period last year. Earlier in the week, Marine Harvest filed a complaint with the European Free Trade Agreement’s Surveillance Authority, arguing that Norway’s ownership restrictions are preventing it from growing.
• Good news for suppliers who source fish from the Barents Sea — Norwegian and Russian fishermen will be allowed to catch more Barents Sea cod, haddock and capelin next year. The 2011 cod quota has been set at 703,000 metric tons, up 16 percent from this year, while the 2011 haddock quota has been set at 303,000 metric tons, up 25 percent from 2010. The 2011 capelin quota has been increased 5.5 percent, to 380,000 metric tons.
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