Here’s a summary of this week’s can’t-miss SeafoodSource news stories, commentaries and market reports:
• It came as a surprise. But a speech Michael Taylor, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration senior advisor, gave at last week’s biennial Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference meeting has ignited a firestorm. Taylor said the agency would by 2011 require new post-harvest processing methods for raw Gulf oysters, which would prevent sale of the unprocessed product during a five- to eight-month period. Numerous shellfish organizations, states agencies and legislators, including U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, decried the proposal, saying it would cripple the Gulf oyster industry.
• French scallop fishermen are fed up. Illegally harvested scallop imports are pouring into the French market, and fishermen are urging that controls be tightened up. The glut of product is making it difficult to sell scallops. With the help of Food, Agriculture and Fishing Minister Bruno Le Maire, fishermen are asking retailers such as Carrefour and Groupe Casino to heavily promote French scallops.
• The U.S. shrimp market was “exceptionally quiet” in September and October, a sign that buyers will still be feeling the effects of the recession come November and December when pre-holiday spot purchasing kicks into gear. Case in point: Some Indonesian packers are unable to meet contract obligations due mostly to a white spot virus outbreak. However, shrimp prices are holding firm or even dropping despite the production hiccup from the United States’ No. 2 shrimp supplier.
• Anthony Migacz, president of Registry Steaks & Seafood, is slighted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Better Seafood Bureau are calling out his Bridgewater, Ill., company for something he thought he had cleared up months ago. In an interview with SeafoodSource, Migacz responded to allegations that his company illegally substituted grouper for rock sole and short-weighted shrimp. “I've been very proactive about this,” he said.
• SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Lisa Duchene dug a little deeper into Monterey Bay Aquarium’s new “The State of Seafood” report in her sustainable seafood column this week. “For seafood buyers this report is a worthwhile read ? a “one-stop shop” ? about the many factors to consider for environmentally responsible seafood purchasing: fishery management, threatened and endangered marine animals, habitat, overfishing and aquaculture issues,” wrote Duchene.
