The list of stories that piqued SeafoodSource readers' interest this week ran the gamut from the European Commission's raids on North Sea shrimp producers to the status of North America's snow crab market. Here's a summary of this week's most read stories:
1) Shrimp cartel? On Tuesday, the European Commission's antitrust office confirmed that it raided the offices of North Sea shrimp companies on suspicion they violated EC antitrust rules prohibiting cartels. Dutch shrimp producers Heiploeg BV and Klaas Puul BV were among the companies the antitrust office inspected unexpectedly.
2) Addressing overfishing: The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission's annual meeting took place in Bali, Indonesia, this week. Several groups, including the recently formed International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, are calling for strengthened management of the Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna fishery, which is prone to overfishing.
3) Mercury misperception: According to a survey released Monday, the health hazards associated with methylmercury in fish are worrying a growing number of Americans. Mercury trails only salmonella, E. coli and trans fatty acids as consumers' top food-related concerns, yet no American has died from mercury toxicity from eating too much seafood. This misperception was the subject of Tuesday's commentary.
4) Too costly to upkeep: Ocean Beauty Seafoods confirmed on Tuesday it's closing its Los Angeles fish smokehouse in May. The 80-year-old facility, which produces mostly smoked Atlantic salmon products, became too expensive to maintain and upgrade. The difficult economic climate and reduced farmed salmon production in Chile also played a role in the company's decision to shut down the plant.
5) Opilio abound: There's no shortage of snow crab available as Alaska's fishery winds down and Newfoundland's starts up. One buyer expects once the Canadian season is under way in April that snow crab clusters will be a deal, retailing for as little as USD 4.99 (EUR 3.75) a pound in the Seattle area.
April 2, 2009
