The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization on Friday released the first global guidelines for bycatch management and reduction of fishing discards.
The guidelines were agreed on by fisheries experts from 35 countries at an FAO meeting last month. The guidelines cover bycatch management planning, fishing gear improvement, fisheries closures, economic incentives, monitoring and research and development.
“These are the first guidelines to cover all species encountering fishing gear. The guidelines extend the principles of fishery management to all species and all areas of concern,” said Frank Chopin, FAO fishing technology expert. “Although the Cod of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries refers to bycatch and discards, these guidelines elaborate more clearly how countries should address bycatch and discard problems in practice.”
Greig Seafood gets FOS accreditation
Salmon-farming and -processing company Greig Seafood Hjaltland on Friday announced that it earned Friend of the Sea certification for all of its finfish sites in Shetland and its processing operation in Lerwick.
“We are delighted to win recognition for the standards that we maintain across the company by Friend of the Sea — an internationally recognized non-profit-making body whose mission is to conserve the marine habitat,” said Michael Stark, Greig Seafood managing director.
NFI hires head of government affairs
The National Fisheries Institute on Friday announced that it hired Robert DeHaan to lead its government-affairs office.
DeHaan has previously held senior positions in the Bush administration for nearly five years, including in the U.S. Trade Representative and Department of Transportation. He takes over as NFI’s VP for government affairs and general counsel.
“Bob is a well-respected counselor to senior government officials and an expert on how government operates. His skills, broad experience and interest in advocating for the seafood community make him a great fit for NFI and a real champion for our members,” said NFI President John Connelly. “Bob has a solid reputation as a hard worker and a quick study in understanding new issues. He’s already thrown himself into learning our industry and issues so he can quickly assess the impact of a whole suite of federal policies.”
Aquaseed changes its name
Seattle-based freshwater farmed salmon company Aquaseed on Thursday announced that it changed its name to SweetSpring Salmon.
The new name reflects the vertical integration of the company from salmon egg and smolt production to the processing of whole food fish and branded salmon for sale to foodservice and retail markets.
“By leveraging our successful genetic selection program over the past 38 years and nineteen generations, we have developed the most robust and efficient line of Pacific salmon for food-fish production in land-based freshwater, full containment facilities. In addition, our industry-leading, environmentally friendly farms utilize strictly controlled re-circulated freshwater to produce outstanding and bio-secure fresh fish for market,” said SweetSpring Salmon CEO Phillip David.
“Our company’s production technology is years ahead of the rest of the industry and the quality of salmon that we can bring to market is superior in both taste and nutrition,” he added. “Vertically integrating our business is a logical strategic move that will drive much of our growth in the future.”
