Here’s a look at this week’s can’t-miss SeafoodSource news stories and commentaries:
• For Louisiana oyster processors, a lack of supply from rotating oyster bed closures has reached a “critical stage,” as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill may force businesses to shut down and restaurants to remove oysters from the menu. This week, SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Christine Blank talked to John Tesvich and Pat Fahey of Ameripure Processing Co. in Franklin, La., about the spill’s mounting toll on the region’s oyster industry. To help fishermen and seafood workers cope with the financial and emotional consequences of the spill, Kevin Voisin of Motivatit Seafoods in Houma, La., this week formed the Horizon Relief Corp.
• This year, the title of “King of Louisiana Seafood” has never been more meaningful. Chris Lusk, executive chef at Café Adelaide in New Orleans Hotel, was crowned the “King of Louisiana Seafood” during the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience, and this week he talked to Blank about the significance of serving as a Louisiana seafood ambassador and the importance of spreading the word that Gulf seafood remains plentiful and safe to eat.
• Keith Decker, president and COO of High Liner Foods USA in Danvers, Mass., talked to SeafoodSource about everything from the recession’s effect on seafood sales at the foodservice and retail levels to the importance of product innovation to the company’s sustainability initiatives. Part one ran on Monday, and part two ran on Tuesday.
• SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Mike Urch on Tuesday took an in-depth look at the potential for value-added pangasius products in the European market. Given that the depreciating euro is eating away at European importers’ profit margins, that potential may be realized quicker than expected. But the demand for ready-to-cook seafood products is definitely there, and it’s growing, explained Urch.
• The call for a more streamlined approach to regulating Europe’s aquaculture industry is growing louder. On Monday, SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Lindsey Partos detailed the effort to bring the rules governing European fish farming — which is currently scattered across several different agencies, including trade, health and the environment — under one body. Also this week, fish farming giant Marine Harvest released its 2009 sustainability report, including an update on its efforts to control the infectious salmon anemia outbreak and to reduce its antibiotic use.
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