September’s most-read: Legal, lacks, lists

Curious what your fellow SeafoodSource readers are viewing? Here’s a rundown of the website’s five most-read stories and commentaries of September 2011:

5) SeafoodSource’s fifth most-read story of September was also the cover story of SeaFood Business magazine’s September issue. SeaFood Business Associated Editor James Wright took an in-depth look at the future of finfish farming in U.S. waters. What did he find? The federal government badly wants to expand aquaculture, but the dearth of explicit rules to govern industry growth and steward the marine ecosystem is holding back finfish farmers.

4) Legal Sea Foods is known for its edgy, humorous approach to marketing. And it delivered with its latest TV ad campaign, pitting the issue of sustainability against the act of eating seafood. Some in the environmental community weren’t so amused. But, as Roger Berkowitz, president and CEO of the Boston-based restaurant chain, explained in an interview with SeafoodSource Assistant Editor April Forristall, the ad campaign is designed to trigger an intelligent debate about seafood sustainability, not to antagonize environmentalists.

3) There’s a serious disconnect between the production side and the selling side of Vietnam’s burgeoning pangasius industry. There’s a shortage of raw material, as exporters are turning away orders and farmers are going out of business because they can’t break even. So what’s the solution? SeafoodSource Contributing Editor Mike Urch takes a stab at the problem in his 12 September commentary “Acting in isolation.”

2) It’s becoming increasingly clear that U.S. per-capita seafood consumption has hit a wall. The U.S. government on 7 September reported that it totaled 15.8 pounds last year, compared to 16 pounds in 2008 and 2009 and the lowest amount since 2002’s 15.6 pounds. However, Americans are spending more on fish, dishing out USD 80.2 billion on seafood last year — USD 54 billion at foodservice and USD 25.8 billion at retail, with industrial seafood products representing USD 432 million.

1) Though total U.S. per-capita seafood consumption has stalled, the same can’t be said for consumption of two increasingly popular farmed finfish species — tilapia and pangasius. For the first time, tilapia overtook Alaska pollock to become America’s fourth most popular seafood item, at 1.45 pounds per capita in 2010, while pangasius, which made its debut on the top 10 list in 2009, surpassed clams to become America’s ninth most popular seafood item, at 0.405 pounds. Also, check out my 13 September commentary, as I ask the question, “Will pangasius follow tilapia to the top?

Click here to view August’s most-read stories and commentaries.

Click here to view July’s most-read stories and commentaries.

Click here to view June’s most-read stories and commentaries.

Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
None