The tension caused by the spread of infectious salmon anemia (ISA) and the global economic downturn continues to mount in Chile. On Monday, SalmonChile's Puerto Montt office was set ablaze. "SalmonChile office firebombed" was the most read story on SeafoodSource this week. Here's a look at what piqued readers' interest:
1) Violence in Chile: Tension turned to violence in Chile on Monday when SalmonChile's Puerto Montt office was firebombed, destroying much of the property but hurting no one. Anger over layoffs prompted a group, May 3 Autonomous Commando, to target the salmon industry group. Chile's farmed salmon producers had fired nearly 7,500 workers by November 2008, and thousands more have been laid off since then, as they continue to battle the spread of ISA.
2) Who's in the Top 25 this year? SeaFood Business' annual list of the Top 25 North American seafood suppliers is one of the publication's most popular features. James Wright's commentary on the list, which appears in the May issue of SeaFood Business, was the second most read story on SeafoodSource this week. "Change among the ranked companies is inevitable, but for the most part the 2008 list has a lot of familiar players, many of them performing respectably in a year marked by economic and financial turmoil," said Wright. "Yes, the seafood industry's heart is still beating."
3) Brussels recap: SeafoodSource readers who were too busy at last week's European Seafood Exposition caught up on the news from their offices on Tuesday. Among the show's top 10 highlights was the ninth annual Seafood Prix d'Elite new products competition, won by Germany's Deutsche See GmbH and Spain's Alfocan SA.
4) Traffic jam: The recession continues to dog restaurant operators. On Wednesday, The NPD Group released a report that found U.S. restaurant traffic dipped below last year's levels for the second consecutive quarter. But Mother's Day on Sunday, the most popular day of the year to dine out, should give restaurants a boost. Bonefish Grill, McCormick & Schmick's, the Oceanaire Seafood Room and Captain D's are among the seafood chains promoting Mother's Day specials to lure families into restaurants this weekend.
5) Alaska salmon: This week's market report on Alaska salmon drew a lot of reader interest. The global economic slump may take a bite out of demand this summer, and prices of higher-end Pacific salmon, particularly troll-caught silvers, reds and kings, are expected to come back down to Earth. Alaska's summer salmon season unofficially kicks off on Thursday when the Copper River harvest opens.
