Here's a taste of this week's most read stories on SeafoodSource:
1) Defending the MSC: In an interview with SeafoodSource, the Marine Stewardship Council responded to criticism that its sustainable seafood certification program involves too much paperwork. The criticism surfaced during a European Seafood Exposition conference on the sustainability of Europe's fishing industry. James Simpson, the MSC's communications officer, told SeafoodSource that the paperwork required for MSC certification is inevitable and a "positive" mechanism.
2) Innovative fish: Birds Eye Iglo is challenging the consumer perception that fish is difficult to cook, an issue that is preventing seafood consumption from growing in the United Kingdom. The company is marketing a packaging innovation for freezer-to-oven seafood that it says will allay consumer fears over cooking fish. Developed by FFP Packaging Solutions, the Bake Perfect Bag is part of a major product launch called Simply Bake to Perfection.
3) Is farmed salmon greener than chicken, pork and beef? A study administered by fish feed manufacturer Skretting and conducted by Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology found that farmed salmon leaves a smaller carbon footprint than its terrestrial counterparts. Researches discovered that a salmon meal yields about the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions per kilogram of meat as a chicken meal, but half as much as a pork meal and one-seventh as much as a beef meal.
4) ISA in Shetland: SeafoodSource reported this week that no more outbreaks of infectious salmon anemia (ISA) have been recorded in Shetland since the end of March, leading local farmers to believe the disease is now firmly under control. However, the outbreak has caused serious financial problems for the islands' aquaculture companies, and a government-backed aid scheme will help farmers recoup only so much of their losses.
5) Looking to China: Exporters offering high-end seafood products such as lobster, abalone and shark fin are turning to China as a means to weather the global economic downturn. In late April, Mexican delegations visited seafood companies in China in hopes of tapping new markets and technologies for its seafood products.
