Here’s a rundown of this week’s can’t-miss SeafoodSource news stories and commentaries:
• Protesters across Europe took to the streets on Wednesday to demonstrate against new austerity measures proposed by the European Commission. In Spain, striking workers grounded fishing and selling activity in Vigo — Europe’s largest fishing port — and brought the city’s airport to a near standstill. Will the uproar impact the distribution of seafood throughout Europe in the long term? Stay tuned.
• The news out of Spain this week wasn’t all bad — a joint initiative by Epic Aqua Cádiz and Fortuna Blue took a step closer to building a sole and turbot aquaculture facility in Cádiz, Spain, that would include a hatchery, nursery and fattening units. The goal is to produce 3,300 to 3,600 metric tons of sole and turbot (mostly sole) annually using a recirculating system — a method that’s just beginning to realize its potential among Spanish fish farmers.
• Genetically modified salmon, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s potential approval of the AquAdvantage® Salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies, remains a hot topic in the mainstream media. Amid all the hubbub, one aspect that’s getting lost in the argument in support of GM salmon is the notion that it will make closed-containment farmed salmon more economically feasible, said SeaFood Business Editor-in-Chief Fiona Robinson in her commentary “Brouhaha over GM salmon.”
• Consumer misperception over the safety of Gulf of Mexico seafood remains a big concern in the wake of the oil catastrophe. But that hasn’t stopped Louisiana restaurateurs like Michael Farrell from opening new seafood concepts. Earlier this month, Farrell launched Bistreaux in New Orleans as a casual alternative to the adjacent Le Meritage, where he’s executive chef, and to be part of the city’s renaissance. Check out SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Christine Blank’s interview with Farrell.
• Earlier this month, Whole Foods Market launched a ratings system for wild seafood based on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s popular Seafood Watch traffic-light guide. As part of the new system, the 300-store natural-foods retailer advises its customers not to buy certain seafood species it sells because they’re unsustainable. Though Whole Foods’ intentions are clearly in the right place, this unconventional seafood-merchandising tactic has seafood professionals asking, “Why sell something you don’t want anyone to buy?” Take a look at my commentary “Don’t read this column.”
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