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News In Depth: Expert Says Seafood Aids Mental Health
EDINBURGH -- World renown nutrition expert Michael Crawford told a UK conference there is a direct link between the decrease of seafood in the diet in Scotland and the rise in mental illness and heart disease.
Addressing delegates at “Aquaculture Today 2007” in Edinburgh last week, Dr. Crawford said marine fats played a key role in brain development in evolutionary terms. Referring to the fact that the Scottish population used to eat a diet rich in herring or salmon, he said: “My interpretation of the demise of herring is that, having lost this tradition, I would certainly say from the evidence we have today that this has been a major factor in the rise in mental ill health. “Scotland is now also one of the worst countries for cardio-vascular disease.” Crawford said he also supported international research findings that contradict advice from the UK Food Standards Agency and the US Food & Drug Administration that pregnant women should eat seafood no more than twice a week. Crawford cited the findings published in the The Lancet (Feb 19), where researchers found that higher maternal fish consumption during pregnancy benefits a child's neurological development. The researchers maintained that “risks from the loss of nutrients were greater than risks of harm from exposure to trace contaminants in 340 grams of seafood eaten weekly.’ ” Seafood Services Australia (SSA) Managing Director Ted Loveday said SSA, an Australian national industry-government body working to highlight the health benefits of seafood, welcomed this further confirmation of the important role of seafood in fostering public health. “Community-wide consumption of seafood, particularly oily fish, three or more times a week would prevent thousands of premature deaths and save hundreds of millions of dollars in health costs every year,” Loveday said. “Australia’s National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has already recommended replacing high-calorie, low-nutrient food and drink with foods rich in fats called long-chain Omega-3s, mainly fish such as tuna, salmon, mackerel and mullet. Loveday said seafood was by far the most abundant source of long-chain Omega-3 oils, with 100 grams of the average fish containing 210mg, oysters 150mg, prawns 120mg and lobster 105mg compared with just 22mg (twenty-two) in beef, 19mg in chicken, 18mg in lamb and virtually none in pork. Loveday added that SSA had established a website where further information about the health benefits of seafood was available. Note: Posts held by Professor Michael Crawford include: Director, Institute of Brain Chemistry & Human Nutrition, Faculty of Science, Computing & Engineering, University of North London; The Millennium Danone Chair at the University of Ghent; Honorary Professor of the Albert Schweitzer University; and Consultant to the World Health Organisation. - Seafood Services Australia News: Study Says Pregnant Women Should Eat Fish In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency issued an advisory for “women who might become pregnant, women who are pregnant, nursing mothers and young children,” cautioning them to limit seafood consumption to 12 ounces a week because of concern that mercury in fish and shellfish could affect the health and development of their babies and children. Overnight, young women, pregnant or not, quit eating tuna and other fish species identified as possibly high in mercury contamination and therefore risky to eat. In a new study entitled “Maternal seafood consumption in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood,” researchers found beneficial effects on child neural development when pregnant women ate more than 12 ounces of seafood (two servings) a week. Seafood contains omega-3 fatty acids which are essential to neural development. The study, which used the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to assess possible benefits and disadvantages of seafood consumption, was published in The Lancet medical journal Feb 17. Other studies suggesting that women and young children should eat more seafood like tuna, which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, are cited in an interview with Dr. James A. McGregor, a visiting professor at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine, featured on the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition's Web site. Evidence presented in The Lancet medical research study suggests that the FDA's intent in 2004 to limit fetal exposure to trace amounts of neurotoxins could result in pregnant women ingesting inadequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids for fetal neurodevelopment. The five most commonly eaten fish/shellfish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. Another commonly eaten fish, albacore “white” tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week. While the nutritional value of tuna is being lauded, women (and men, too) might also appreciate the fact that canned tuna is a good buy. – Capital Cities Press Culinary Editorial: Chef Says B.C. Prawns the Best VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Nothing says spring to me more than fresh live spot prawns.From May 1 until July 1, we get to devour some of the freshest and best-tasting prawns in the world here in British Columbia. They even get delivered right to our back door. Every morning in and around Vancouver Island the traps that have been out all night get collected. By 2 in the afternoon, the fishermen arrive at Granville Island, sell their catch right off the boat, and deliver the rest to market. Normally the best prawns are exported to Asia - when picking live prawns, the bigger the better - and we are often left with the smaller, less desirable ones. But if you get to know the right fisherman, in my case my good friend Steve Johansen (his company is Organic Ocean) you can get your hands on the large ones - the crème de la crème. They are like gold. If you order in advance, fishmongers will usually hold on to the big ones for you. Like many chefs these days, I am very much in support of sustainable fishing. The great thing about spot prawns is that they are so well regulated that the stocks are constantly repopulating, and prawn lovers can feast without feeling the least bit guilty. I have learned over the years that, when it comes to cooking seafood, simple is always best; the last thing you want to do is overcomplicate a seafood dish. You don't want to overpower the prawns' indescribable sweetness - which is the best thing about them. Living in Scandinavia in my late teens opened my eyes to an entire new world of food, which inspired my decision to become the Chef I am today. At exactly this time of year I went with my host family to the fish market in Gothenburg to pick up what seemed to me at the time to be pounds and pounds of prawns. We brought them home, steamed them with a little white wine, garlic and dill, and served them in a huge basket in the middle of the table with nothing more than mayonnaise and crusty bread. Remember: Keep it simple and buy a ton of fresh prawns while they're here. – By Rob Feenie for Toronto Globe and Mail. Rob Feenie is co-owner and chef at Vancouver's Lumiere and Feenies, a cookbook author and Iron Chef America champion. News In Depth: Manila Clams Grow Succulent in SF Bay SAN FRANCISCO -- Martin Strain, founder and owner of Point Reyes Oyster Co., has been farming shellfish in Tomales Bay for 22 years. On this morning at low tide, he is checking clam beds half a mile from shore.While most Bay Area seafood aficionados know that Tomales Bay is rich with oyster farms, few are aware that the bay is also home to sweet, tiny clams. Yet, without fanfare, clams have moved up to second in volume behind oysters. In recent months, the clams have become more widely available, and by summer, a new grower, Drakes Bay Family Farms, will enter the retail market. This is welcome news for many cooks, who might long have assumed the only way to make chowder and pasta sauce was to buy clams flown in from the East Coast, settle for canned clams or just live with a lack of the versatile shellfish, at its sweetest when fresh. Clams are fragile, and once out of water die more quickly than oysters, making them difficult to transport. They're also relatively cheap, so distributors aren't as motivated to haul them in from the East Coast. These factors help make clams a natural for local aquaculture, and Strain and others are perched to meet local demand. Strain began by selling them to restaurants once he knew clams were viable ecologically and business-wise. Strain's farm, along with nearby Hog Island Oyster Co. in Marshall and Drakes Bay Family Farms in the Point Reyes National Seashore, raise the Manila clam. It has taken well to certain bays and esteros in Marin County and can be raised from seed to maturity in less than two years. The clams are small, sweet and easy to cook. In the bay, long lines that stretch far as the eye can see -- about 1 million clams can grow on an acre of the bay bottom. The lines are attached to wire-mesh bags in which the clams are raised. Harvesting the clams often means digging the bag out of the muck because the natural action of the tide, as well as the mud itself, sucks them down. A bag might yield 300 1 1/2- to 2-inch clams, if Strain is lucky. Sometimes a bag yields less than 100. Strain buys clam seed in Humboldt County or Washington state. The seed, a starter baby clam, is about the size of a shirt button. As far as aquaculture goes, clams and oysters are benign -- in some ways, better than benign. Without aquaculture, Tomales Bay would be a lot dirtier, says Tom Moore, marine biologist and marine aquaculture coordinator for the Department of Fish and Game. Oysters and clams, he says, "perform a valuable service" filtering out micro-algae and other microorganisms from the water. "Tomales Bay is as pristine as it is because of shellfish aquaculture." Hog Island devotes about 5 acres of its land to clams -- compared with about 50 to 60 acres to oysters -- and sells them wholesale to restaurants and retail at its oyster bar in the Ferry Building Marketplace and at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturdays. Other shellfish farms are following suit. Drakes Bay Family Farms in the Point Reyes National Seashore, which took over leased lands of the historic Johnson's Oyster Farm, seeded about 1 million clams last year. When buying clams, make sure they are tightly closed and kept damp and cool (they last for up to three days in the refrigerator). Strain suggests keeping them in a plastic bag with a damp cloth or paper towel. Once they begin to gape -- open to 1/8 inch or less -- and do not close when touched, they are dead and should be discarded. However you choose to prepare them, these clams don't need to be pre-shucked, scrubbed or, as with mussels, debearded. Simply cook them until they are no longer clammed up, and release their wonderful succulent flavor. Scraping and sucking the clams and their juices out of the shells is one of the delights at the table. – San Francisco Chronicle News Brief: Think Tea when Smoking or Brining Seafood Tea is one of those ingredients you don't often consider cooking with.And that's a shame, because it is a nearly effortless way to add or accentuate flavors. Fruity teas are the most obvious choice, as they easily complement baked goods and fruit-based desserts. For example, try poaching pears or apples in a blend of berry tea and honey. Or use cooled fruit teas as some of the liquid in baked goods. And tea infusions are exceptional in smoothies. But tea can lend itself to savory preparations, too. Finely ground black teas can be added to spice rubs and barbecue sauces. A handful of damp leaves also can be added to the wood chips used in smoking meats and seafood. Brining is another option. This recipe calls for brining shrimp in an oolong tea to which salt and sugar have been added. The same brine would work just as well on poultry and pork. The brining technique is simple. Bagged tea (loose tea leaves work fine, too, but the resulting tea then must be strained) is steeped in hot water. The tea bags then are discarded and salt and sugar are stirred in. The brine then is cooled to room temperature. (A handful or two of ice can be added to cool it more quickly.) Shrimp sit in this brine for about 20 minutes, then can be prepared as desired. Baking is easy, but grilling or stir-frying work fine, too. The tea brine imbues the shrimp with a succulent flavor and tender texture. (The salt helps the shrimp absorb and hold moisture.) If you find the shrimp too salty, either cut back on the amount added to the brine, or give the shrimp a quick rinse in cool water after brining. – Associated Press News Brief: Authorities Warn Against South California Seafood LOS ANGELES - Citing concerns over the domoic acid poisoning that has sickened hundreds of birds, California health regulators on Friday urged people not to eat certain types of seafood - including sardines, crab, lobster and other shellfish - caught off the Southern California coast.The state warning covers only seafood caught by recreational fishermen, and officials say they know of no one who has been sickened. Health officials typically issue a warning against eating mussels about May 1. But this year, regulators decided to expand the quarantine after finding high concentrations of domoic acid in some samples of other shellfish, said Lea Brooks, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Health Services. Friday's warning comes as hundreds of sick or dead birds are being found washed ashore up and down the coast, their conditions linked to a particularly virulent outbreak of the naturally occurring domoic acid toxin, scientists say. – Salinas Californian Analysis: Few Imported Foods Inspected But the global dinner plate also comes with dangers, as painfully demonstrated in the recent scare of melamine in pet food that wound up in the human food chain. "This whole debacle where you've got a plastic getting into a food supply shines a huge spotlight on a broken, broken system," said Elisa Odabashian, the West Coast director of Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. According to consumer and food safety experts, a vast array of foods and ingredients pours into the United States every year with little or no scrutiny. Much of the food comes from countries with less stringent regulations on pesticides, processing and sanitation. In the past, grapes from Chile, raspberries from Guatemala and onions from Mexico have sickened consumers or even led to their deaths. Recently, consumers learned that pet food contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine had been fed to hogs destined for market, some of which were consumed. Only about 1 percent of food from other countries undergoes inspection at U.S. points of entry. Often, reviews include little more than a paperwork check. For years, the United States exported more food than it imported. Recently that balance shifted. In 2006, the nation exported $62.6 billion in food items, and imported $75.1 billion from 175 countries, a jump of more than 60% in the last decade. The bulk of what Americans eat still is produced in this country. About 15 percent comes from other countries, said Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. For some categories, he noted, imports run higher. For example, 80% of seafood, 50% of tree nuts and 45% of fruits eaten in this country come from elsewhere. How much arrives from abroad is anyone's guess. Currently, seafood is the only food required to carry a label showing the country of origin. Packages of processed foods must list only where the "final transformation" of the product took place, according to Allen Matthys, a regulatory specialist at the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Food companies must keep records on their ingredient suppliers, but they don't have to disclose that information to the public -- or even to the government -- unless regulators suspect public health is at risk, said Benjamin England, an attorney who worked at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for 17 years. The nation's food inspection system is disjointed and inadequate, consumer and food safety experts said. Recent U.S. outbreaks of E. coli from contaminated spinach and salmonella from tainted peanut butter illustrate the need for a stronger food safety network, they said. The FDA has jurisdiction over 80% of food produced in this country, including seafood, fresh produce and processed foods. Yet it has only several hundred inspectors for at least 60,000 food processing plants across the nation, Doyle said. In contrast, the USDA, which oversees meat and poultry, has 7,600 inspectors for 7,000 U.S. plants. When it comes to imports, the inspection picture is even worse. The FDA is charged with assuring the safety of roughly 17 million product shipments each year, about two-thirds of them food. The volume has more than tripled since 1999, while the nation's inspection force has remained static in size. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the federal government created new food safety measures but has followed through on few of them. Under agency targets, about 1% of import shipments are supposed to get a close look from FDA officials. Such inspections can range from simply reviewing paperwork to actually sending a product to a lab for testing, England said. According to FDA spokesman Mike Herndon, the FDA has 558 import inspectors. England, however, said the number of full-time-equivalent staff positions devoted to work on food imports is likely less than 200. A bigger problem is the agency's outdated tracking software, which makes it difficult for inspectors to target likely violators, England said. In March, FDA inspectors rejected 1,526 shipments -- mostly food but also drugs and medical devices -- from 75 countries. Many food contamination problems come from unsanitary or faulty processing. But the revelation about melamine and related chemicals turning up in two commonly used protein ingredients -- wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate -- raised a different specter: deliberate contamination for mercenary purposes by manufacturers in China. Federal officials are investigating whether the proteins were spiked with the chemicals to make them appear to have higher protein content. In an unprecedented move, the FDA announced last week it would start testing imports of six proteins that are used not only in pet foods, but in breads, baby formulas, protein bars and a huge array of other foods. Targeted proteins are mostly used to make foods more nutritionally functional and appealing to consumers. – Sacramento Bee News: Alaska Braces for Anti-whaling Protests ANCHORAGE -- Emergency response agencies and the National Guard are ready for riots when the International Whaling Commission convenes in Anchorage early next month -- but they say it's just in case.Any protests will probably be peaceful, officials said. Greenpeace International plans to behave at the always controversial meeting, said Anchorage-based activist Melanie Duchin. But officials know the group's history of harassing Japanese whaling boats, and other civil disobedience. Greenpeace agrees with the U.S. position opposing efforts to increase Japan's whaling program, Duchin said. And Greenpeace doesn't oppose subsistence whaling, so there's not much to protest, she said. More than 800 people, including delegates from 70-plus nations, scientists, commercial whaling supporters, opponents and others are expected to descend on Anchorage in May. The visitors will ring up Anchorage cash registers to the tune of $750,000, Mayor Mark Begich said. About 200 people will attend two weeks of scientific presentations on such things as worldwide whale stocks and management proposals that begin May 7 at the Hotel Captain Cook. Others, including 200 members of the media, are expected around May 28. That's when the voting begins and a fight could break out. Federal officials are worried Japan will lobby friendly delegates to oppose subsistence whale hunting, including bowheads by Alaska Natives, unless Japan is allowed to harvest minke whales commercially. A global ban outlaws commercial whaling, but Japan and Iceland harvest some whales under loopholes, such as for scientific research. And Japan seems determined to expand its hunting. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said Thursday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe promised him Japan won't hold Native whaling hostage. – Anchorage Daily News Food Focus Brief: Think Locally, Eat Globally At this very moment, you’re undoubtedly asking yourself: “What are the most distinguished seafoods in the Welsh national cuisine?”Glad you asked. Here are a few, as compiled by the Western Mail of Wales. Cardigan Bay lobster One of the most popular dishes at the Aberaeron Seafood Festival is lobster, fresh out of Cardigan Bay. The dish caught in lobster pots and brought inland by fisherman is particularly popular with foodie tourists. Wild Sea Bass from the West Coast of Wales Customers have been duped into buying farmed sea bass and sea bream that was being sold as wild by some British retailers. But food mapping could now prove the origins of Welsh sea bass without a doubt. Anglesey Sea Salt This 100% natural Welsh sea salt is harvested from the fresh Atlantic waters that surround the Island of Anglesey. Fans like chef Gordon Ramsay and Delia Smith don’t accept any imitations. Gower Cockles The Gower cockle is among the most eco-friendly types of seafood people can eat, according to an online guide. – Western Mail Food Focus: New Appreciation for Overlooked Mollusk MILWAUKEE -- This is crustacean fit for a crew of family and friends. Nothing complicated: just mussels steamed in their shells, eaten with the fingers, and served with the local lager.Mussels are quick-to-cook and inexpensive. And while they are low in calories and fat, they still contain a dose of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. But above all, they are prized for their flavor. Landlubbers might be surprised to discover how delicate-tasting and tender these humble bivalves are. One of the most evocative descriptions comes from the late Julia Child, who first encountered mussels in Paris in 1948. "I loved the crustacean stands in front of cafes, and began to order boldly. Moules marinieres was a new dish to me; the mussels' beards had been removed, and the flesh tasted lovely in a way I had never expected it to." Moules marinieres is a classic preparation; and the simplest version is one in which mussels are steamed in white wine flavored with lightly sautéed aromatic vegetables such as shallots and garlic. But what's with the beards? Thanks to aquaculture, the wiry rock-clinging fibers that must be removed from the shells of the wild ancestors just before cooking are almost completely absent from cultivated mussels. Another virtue of cultivated mussels, which are raised on ropes or strings above the sandy ocean floor, is that they are virtually grit-free. John Edgerton, seafood manager at Grasch Foods, 13950 W. North Ave., Brookfield, sees a rising tide of popularity for these mollusks, especially the farm-raised ones from Maine and Prince Edward Island, which are known as blue mussels because of the blue-black color of their shells. "The word is out on them - how good they are," he said. New Zealand green or green-lipped mussels, which are available at the store by special order, are larger and, in Edgerton's estimation, "not as sweet." - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Brief: Pro Basketball Star Celebrates with Seafood Think all big-time athletes don't leave home without their posse?Josh Howard doesn't need one. The Dallas Mavericks' super-hip swingman turned 27 on Saturday and to celebrate he decided to chill on his own in Berkeley where the team's been staying. "I went to a nice little seafood restaurant by myself," Howard said. "It reminded me of LA, it had an LA feel." What'd the birthday boy have? "The seafood stew, the fried calamari, they gave me a little birthday molten chocolate cake, oh yeah, and an appetizer -- potato cakes and shrimp," Howard divulged. - Star-Telegram News: Canned Fish Good Source of Omega 3 Alice H. Lichtenstein, D.Sc., senior scientist and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center, says the benefits of these polyunsaturated fatty acids reach beyond heart health and link omega-3s to the prevention of a variety of health problems. Because of their anti-inflammatory, anticlotting, and antiarrhythmic properties, omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure. Ample consumption of omega-3s may also enhance mood and sharpen memory. Eating fresh or frozen salmon and tuna are good ways to obtain omega-3s, but for an easy and economical alternative, consider canned fish. It offers the same health benefits, and the culinary possibilities go well beyond sandwiches. Tuna varieties offer differing amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Albacore, often labeled "white meat tuna," has the most: One (four-ounce) serving packed in water delivers 1.06 grams, while you'll get 0.5 gram from the same size serving of albacore packed in oil. Canned salmon is also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids -- one (four-ounce) portion contains up to 2.2 grams. Because there's no significant difference in omega-3 levels among salmon varieties, let flavor and texture guide your choices. – CNN News: Newfoundland Seafood Giant to Sell Out ST. JOHNS -- Newfoundland's flagship seafood processor, has struck a tentative deal to sell its plants and trawlers to Ocean Choice International and High Liner Foods Inc. (TSX:HLF), derailing a strike by 1,700 workers that was set to begin Monday.The agreement in principle has to clear several hurdles - namely the approval of the federal and provincial governments - before it can be finalized, said John Risley, a major FPI shareholder. Ocean Choice, a St. John's-based fishery enterprise, was bidding for FPI's Newfoundland-based assets, which include plants, vessels and a 20,000-ton groundfish quota, as well as the company's offshore shrimp, turbot and scallop business. High Liner of Lunenburg, N.S., was in the running to buy FPI's North American marketing and manufacturing businesses. Workers at seven FPI plants throughout Newfoundland were poised to go on strike Monday but agreed not to picket in hopes of establishing better relations with Ocean Choice and High Liner, said Earle McCurdy, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union. Labor relations between FPI and the union have been rocky for more than two years. FPI has been trying to restructure its fish processing operations in Newfoundland to cut losses and become more efficient, but could not strike a new deal with its workers, who have been without a contract since March 31, 2005. Last month, the Newfoundland government gave a provisional go-ahead to sell its assets to Ocean Choice, a privately owned company. Any offer must contain operational plans that would outline how many people would be employed and how much product would be processed over the next three and five years before receiving the province's blessing, Newfoundland Fisheries Minister Tom Rideout said Monday. FPI, which catches and sells seafood products globally, announced in March that it raked in a profit of $1.9 million in 2006, despite a fourth-quarter loss of $1.7 million. FPI was formed by the federal and provincial governments in 1984 from the ruins of eight failed seafood companies. – Canadian Press News News: Price of Bait May Hold Up Price of Lobster TIVERTON, R.I. - At $10 per pound, the price of lobster is unseasonably high and could go higher if a restriction on commercial menhaden fishing takes effect, said local lobsterman Jim Mataronas.As the owner of Sakonnet Lobster in Little Compton, R.I., Mataronas uses 80,000 pounds of menhaden - also known as pogies - per year as bait for his offshore lobster traps. And less menhaden fishing, said Mataronas, means higher bait prices. Like many Rhode Island fishermen, Mataronas buys his bait from one source. Ark Bait, of Fall River, supplies pogies for approximately 250 commercial fishermen in and around Narragansett Bay. But a bill before the Rhode Island General Assembly would restrict the type of net fishing used by Ark Bait, and perhaps end commercial fishing for the popular bait. Proponents of the bill, sponsored by state Rep. Raymond E. Gallison Jr., D-Bristol, R.I., say the ban would protect the mehaden fish population, which is a critical food source for other fish, such as striped bass, as well as a natural filter for reducing water pollution. But the commercial fishing community and even some environmentalists say the menhaden population is not necessarily suffering. A report issued in March by Mark Gibson, deputy chief for Marine Fisheries at the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, states "there is no strong evidence that menhaden overfishing is occurring either locally or on a coastwide basis." The report concludes that the menhaden bill be postponed pending future studies. Crab fisherman Gilbert Guimond, of Tiverton, spoke before the council on several occasions to express his disapproval for the bill. "It comes down to dollars and cents," said Guimond, who buys approximately 600,000 pounds of menhaden annually from Ark Bait for his crab boat. Fuel, food, rain gear and traps are a few of the items he purchases locally for the 40 offshore trips his 94-foot boat, Diamond Girl, makes each year. "This is new money coming into the state of Rhode Island," said Guimond, who employs a captain and five crewmembers on his boat. "It goes into everything. It comes right down to the food on your table." - The Herald News News: U.S. Seeks End to Subsidies for Fishermen GENEVA - Fishing subsidies should be banned to make global trade more equitable and prevent overfishing of already depleted high-sea stocks, the United States told World Trade Organization members on Tuesday.Some 2.6 billion people around the world depend on fish for their food, and millions of livelihoods in the fishing industry are under threat if no action is taken, American ambassador Peter Allgeier to the trade body said after presenting the U.S. proposal. 'We see obvious trade benefits from it, but also benefits in terms of protecting the marine environment and also sustainable development, since so many countries depend on fishing as an important part of their economy,' Peter Allgeier told reporters in Geneva. Environmental groups have backed the U.S. proposal, saying it provides an opportunity to save global fish stocks from collapsing. Oceana, a Washington-based pressure group, cites a Canadian study estimating that the world's fishing industry each year receives some $20 billion - a quarter of its revenue - in subsidies that encourage overfishing of species including swordfish, tuna and marlin, or sustain environmentally damaging practices such as dredging the sea floor. The 27-nation European Union, which gives out hundreds of millions of euros a year to fleets in Spain and other member countries, is the biggest single subsidizer, followed by China, India, Japan and Brazil, according to Oceana, whose most recent figures were for the year 2000. The U.S. proposal, which would prohibit all trade-distorting subsidies but make exceptions for poorer countries and research purposes, would be part of a package of agreements to be discussed under the organization's stalled Doha round of trade talks. Japan, Korea and Taiwan - all large subsidizers of their fishing industries - have previously opposed U.S. moves to limit the amount of direct payments they can provide. The EU was not immediately available to comment. – Associated Press Food Fests Abound in May From salad to crab, there are a bunch of food festivals scheduled across the country this month. (One of our favorites is the Kodiak Crab Festival.)Check out a list of the Kodiak festivities and others. News: California Salmon Trollers Ready to Fish This year's salmon season is expected to hold more promise, even though sport fishermen have struggled in their quest for the big catch. A healthy supply of 3-year-old Chinook is expected to return to the Klamath River in the fall, a forecast that led the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fishery Service to prohibit fishing only in June — from Point Arena to Point Sur. Last year, fishermen lost hundreds of thousands of dollars after their season came to an abrupt halt in most of the Pacific Northwest. Restrictions to protect the parts of the Pacific Ocean from overfishing, however, aren't the only obstacle that salmon fishermen have had to face in the past few decades. Increasingly they find themselves competing against farm-raised salmon, which is flooding the marketplace — mostly from Canada and Norway. Add the high price of diesel fuel into the mix — from 80 cents a gallon 15 years ago to the present day $3-plus a gallon — and there's a reason why the number of commercial salmon licenses in the state have plummeted from 10,000 in 1980 to 1,500 in 2006, according to the Department of Fish and Game. Chuck Tracy, a staff officer for the Pacific Fishery Management Council, an advisory council to the National Marine Fishery Service, admits that salmon season used to be "much more liberal." "But back then, we didn't know what kind of effects the fishing had on the stocks," he said. "We've got a lot of endangered stocks out there, and we're mandated to protect them." – Santa Cruz Sentinel Brief: A Glance at One Mother’s Day Menu NEW YORK -- Mother’s Day 2007 is May 13. To find out which wild seafood might be on the menu at one of the nation’s best known establishments, we checked in with the Russian Tea Room., 150 W. 57th St. at 7 Ave.Executive Chefs Charles Grund Jr. and Jeremy Flowers have put together an exquisite three-course menu of Russian favorites, including: Golden Beet Borscht; smoked salmon; fluke ceviche; braised rabbit perogi; wild mushroom blinchik, pain perdu (brioche, caramelized bananas, toasted almonds, orange rhum syrup); caviar omelette; champagne poached John Dory; scallop and coddled egg (russian fingerlings, tarragon white wine reduction, black caviar); seared duck breast; and lamb shaslik. Desserts include “Oh! St. Petersburg” (valrhona “manjari,” chocolate dome, cherry cremeux); Fraisier cake (strawberries, almond genoise, vanilla whipped cream); and vanilla bean crème brulee. It’ll cost you only $95 per person, or $130 per person with champagne service. Bon appetite! Brief: Feds Crack Down on Illegal Fishing on Mississippi The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and state agents from Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee teamed up to crack down on illegal sturgeon fishing in the Mississippi River.Commercial fishing for shovelnose sturgeon on the Mississippi has grown over the last couple years. Fishermen can get big money for them because their eggs can be made into caviar, an ounce of which can go for $20. Fish & Wildlife and state agents patrolled the river along the Missouri border on Tuesday and Wednesday last week looking for violations. State regulations govern sturgeon fishing on the river, although Fish and Wildlife has jurisdiction if fish taken illegally crosses from one state's side of the river to another. Mary Jane Lavin is the special agent in charge of law enforcement in the Fish and Wildlife's Twin Cities Regional Office. She helped coordinate the sweep. She said she doesn't have total numbers of citations compiled from the states yet, but agents discovered many instances of pallid sturgeon, an endangered species, getting caught in fishermen's nets. - Lexington Herald-Leader News In Depth: B.C. Review Eyes Moratorium on Salmon Farms VICTORIA -- A new moratorium on salmon farming expansion on British Columbia’s north coast and the compulsory conversion of existing farms to closed-containment systems are among the recommendations expected this month from a government review of B.C.’s aquaculture industry, according to salmon farmers.The recommendations will be presented to the legislature later this month and arise from 18 months of study and community consultation by an NDP-led committee on aquaculture reform. B.C. Salmon Farmers Association Executive Director Mary Ellen Walling said that she has received what she describes as “leaks” of details of the committee’s report. Walling said “several sources” say the committee supports expansion of salmon farming along the southern B.C. coast — but wants a moratorium on salmon farming expansion north of Cape Caution. The committee also recommends that the government compel existing salmon farms to stop raising fish in open net sea pens within three years. Instead, it wants farmers to convert to closed containment systems that would fully segregate farm-raised fish from contact with any marine organism, including wild salmon, sea lice and opportunistic sea mammals looking for food. “We know this is a long-time goal of environmental activists, and we expect the NDP are going to recommend this despite the fact that it’s not a proven technology on a commercial scale,” Walling said. “It’s not used anywhere in the world with salmon. We’re always very interested in new technologies ... but we have some B.C. sells about $400 million worth of farmed salmon each year — mainly to the United States. “Chile last year exported $2.2 billion worth of salmon. Norway exported $2.9 billion. Those numbers give you a context for B.C.” In addition, some companies made significant capital investments in processing facilities and hatcheries after the moratorium was lifted — but have not had an opportunity to realize any return from those investments. Walling said those delays, coupled with the recommendations coming from the aquaculture committee, could put a chill on foreign investment in B.C. — noting that salmon farming is only one aspect of some companies’ investments. - Vancouver Sun Brief: Fish Fraud Spurs Restaurants to Yank Grouper TAMPA ,Fla. -- Columbia Restaurant Group in Tampa has removed grouper from the menus of its seven restaurants in Florida in the wake of shortages and news of some suppliers and restaurateurs attempting to pass off other species as the popular white fish."We are taking a pro-active response to the difficulty in meeting the demand for authentic Florida grouper by taking all grouper items off of our menu," said Richard Gonzmart, president and member for the Columbia Restaurant Group. "We will offer grouper as a special only if we receive the entire fish from our supplier, not just a filet; this way ensuring that we know we are serving what we say we're serving." Grouper is popular among diners because of its mild flavor and white, flaky meat. Florida is known for grouper because it's caught in the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Attorney General's office recently tested fish sold as grouper at 24 restaurants in the Tampa area and found that 17 served a different fish. "We will never compromise our family's name and reputation by serving our guests any kind of substitute item. If we say it is grouper, it will be grouper caught in Florida," Gonzmart said. – PR NewsWire News: Eat Salmon to Save It, Chefs Say A national campaign, led by renowned chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in San Francisco and backed by 200 chefs nationwide, calls on Congress to protect Pacific wild salmon habitats. A letter signed by the chefs will be presented to legislators at an event on May 8 in Washington D.C. in honor of wild salmon. While this year's wild salmon fishing season is expected to be better than last, the long-term outlook for the native fish and fishermen is uncertain. The chef's letter to Congress requests that legislators take steps to protect the declining Columbia and Klamath fisheries by restoring healthy habitat for wild salmon. Select chefs are encouraging consumers to show legislators that this issue is important by creating increased demand for the fish, frequently asking for it in restaurants and at markets. One main reason for uneveness in salmon populations on the West Coast is the degradation of wild salmon habitat. Some west coast king salmon populations have been suffering due to a decision by the current administration in spring 2002 to continue maximum water withdrawals from the Klamath River in Oregon to serve Klamath Basin farmers. This occurred despite already low water levels in the river resulting from drought, and warnings from federal biologists and others. The resulting low flows and unhealthy conditions of the river decimated native salmon populations. More recently, federal mismanagement of Columbia and Snake River salmon stocks had led to restrictions on salmon fishing off the coast of Washington. Consumers can find wild salmon recipes and urge Congress members to take action to safeguard salmon habitat at the Earth Justice, Save Our Wild Salmon, and Trout Unlimited Web sites. - CSR Wire Brief: Restaurant Proclaims Novel Reward After Theft BRIGHAM CITY, Utah -- Bounty hunters are usually the only ones drooling about reward offers, but a local restaurant owner has an offer that could get anyone's salivation started.Joe Cottam, owner of Melina's Fine Mexican Restaurant in Brigham City, is offering 500 tacos for information leading to the arrest of a person who stole about $3,000 sometime between April 21 and 23. Someone broke through a glass door of the restaurant, at 40 W. 700 South, and stole cash and checks that had been prepared for deposit, but not been taken to the bank, Cottam said. It was all the earnings for the entire weekend. "We're offering a food reward because all the cash got taken," he said. If someone receives the reward, it will consist of some type of certificate that can be redeemed for the tacos, Cottam said. With each taco priced at more than $2 on the menu, the reward is worth about $1,200, he said. - Standard-Examiner, Brigham City Utah Editorial Analysis: Americans Need Full Service Seafood Departments LONG ISLAND, N.Y. -- Seafood is one of our healthiest and easiest-to- prepare foods. So why last year did the average American consume just 15.6 pounds, as compared to a whopping 118 pounds of red meat?A lot of us are confused about fish. After all, there are more than 500 species and lots of questions about taste, cooking, preparation and what is safe to eat. Which is why, when I read that some supermarkets, including Stop & Shop on Long Island, are eliminating most of their full-service seafood departments, I have to shake my head. Vishal Singh, an assistant professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, has studied the impact of seafood and other full-service departments. He found, for example, that the arrival of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, where the seafood department is self-service, results in an almost immediate 17 percent sales loss for nearby grocery stores. But consumers most likely to stay loyal to their regular, non-full-service supermarket tended to spend more on seafood. AC Nielsen's Homescan panel, which monitors shopping behavior and purchasing, says there is much unrealized potential in fresh seafood: Shrimp and salmon are bought by slightly more than 20 percent of American households, and catfish and scallops by 10 percent - mere fractions of the 80 percent for hot dogs, 75 percent for ground beef and 70 percent for steak. Tuna is the No. 1 seller, followed by shrimp, salmon, crab, clams (including mussels), sardines, oysters and tilapia. Why would any supermarket that says it is concerned about profits walk away from maximizing the added potential? And why do I want to keep my fishmonger? Because we need to know more about health, food safety, labels and cooking. Seafood is an important and necessary food that can help reverse America's languishing state of health and wellness. In a study published last October in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the life-saving message to consumers is that even a moderate amount of seafood consumption can reduce coronary death by 36 percent and total mortality by 17 percent. Who's going to explain the difference between wild or farm-raised fish when the issue makes headlines? Who is going to explain that farmed salmon has a pink coloring added to give it the color that comes naturally to wild salmon (from eating other smaller fish)? We need the fishmonger to separate fact from fiction. I receive hundreds of e-mails each month from consumers complaining about seafood. And almost all are focused around its proper cooking. Without a full-service seafood department manager, who can help? Unlike meat, seafood requires short cooking times at a high temperature. Fish is naturally tender and contains very little connective tissue. As a result, most people overcook fish and find it dry and tasteless. We need our fishmongers! Full-service departments in supermarkets are what make a store fun, exciting and empowering to shoppers. Can you picture a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or Stew Leonard's without service departments? Of course not. And by the way, it's important to note that these retailers continue to grow and attract new shoppers, while the others that move more toward cost-saving measures generally are seeing their customer base decline. - Phil Lempert, food editor and a contributor to NBC's Today show, host of Before You Bite on Lime Radio (Sirius 114), author of five books and editor of SupermarketGuru.com, in Newsday. In Depth: Don’t Forget the Whole Fish There it is at the seafood market, a whole fish, about a pound or two in weight, gleaming fresh, looking as if it just flopped up from the ocean. It's so gorgeous you have to buy it. The question is: What the heck are you supposed to do with it?The answer is simple: Just about anything. There are few things easier to cook than a whole fish. Not only is a whole fish more beautiful to serve than a fillet, but it tastes better, too. Just like any other meat cooked on the bone, fish cooked in the round is more moist and more flavorful. Probably the easiest is simply steaming it, Chinese fashion: Put the fish on a plate; sprinkle it with shredded ginger, green onions and a little soy sauce; put the plate in a steamer and cook. In 10 or 15 minutes, you'll have a perfectly moist, beautifully fragrant dish. No, wait, maybe it's roasting: Stuff the cavity with herbs and lemon slices, put the fish on a baking sheet, scatter lemon slices on top and bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. The skin will crisp slightly, and the meat will pick up hints of the herbs and lemon. Or you can grill it over a medium-hot fire or under the broiler; the only thing the fish needs to be complete is a light drizzling of flavored oil. The list goes on: You can poach a whole fish in a pan of simmering, fragrant fish broth. You can deep-fry it by dusting it with flour or cornstarch and submerging it in bubbling oil. Use a slightly lower temperature of 350 degrees to avoid scorching the outside before the center is cooked through. Among the fish to look for are New Zealand snapper or tai snapper ("tai" is the Japanese word for this kind of fish), also sold as red snapper (New Zealand) or, in Mexican markets, huachinango. Though it is a very good fish, it is not truly a snapper; it is a porgy. Neither is it real Japanese tai. It's a cousin, along with the fish the French call "daurade." It is caught mostly off New Zealand. Another fish that is increasingly popular at restaurants is the variety that is alternately called "loup de mer" or "branzino," depending on whether the market is feeling French or Italian that day. This fish, once hard to find in the United States, has become widely available now that it is farmed in several Mediterranean countries. The wild is still available, but only rarely and at elevated prices. From time to time, you will also find wild striped bass. Don't mistake it for its farmed freshwater cousin, which often tastes as muddy as tilapia. You also can still find rockfish sometimes, though conservation has made it much more scarce than it used to be. Firm flesh All of these fish have a sweet, mild flavor. Their flesh is firm and flaky - at least compared with sole, which is soft and flaky, and shark and swordfish, which are firm and meaty. Forget about them: Any store that sells whole fish will also do most of the advance preparation for you as well. Do not pass up this service. There are few tasks that will wreck a kitchen faster than scaling fish - the scales are transparent when wet and will stick like glue after they've dried. Gutting a fish is something that all cooks should do at least once to familiarize themselves with its anatomy, but that's a chore that can safely be left to the professionals most of the time. This leaves you with just a bit of neatening up when you get home - basically just removing the fins. The best tool for this is a sturdy pair of poultry shears. Trim the fins behind the gills and along the back and the two pairs underneath. Trimming the tail is optional, though it is sometimes necessary for the fish to fit in the pan. Most good fishmongers will do all of this, too. The only thing left is to score the skin lightly along the midsection on both sides about every 2 inches. Use a sharp knife; the cut should just break the skin and the first layer of flesh but not go to the bone. This helps the heat penetrate to the center of the fish. The most important choice is whether you want to use dry heat, which will firm the flesh and crisp the skin, or moist heat, which will turn the flesh silky and leave the skin moist. Add other flavors Braising keeps the fish moist and gives you the opportunity to add other flavors. Add enough liquid to come barely halfway up the fish - with the cooking juices it'll be practically covered by the time it's done. For a Provencal braise, lay the fish on a bed of sliced tomatoes and black olives, and pour over it a quick broth made from herbs, white wine and water. When it emerges from the oven 45 minutes to an hour later, you'll have a lovely fish stew bursting with a complex perfume. Pan-roasting is a combination of sauteing and roasting that crisps the skin but allows the center to cook more gently. Wrapping the fish in prosciutto allows you to add another layer of texture and is even better when you loosely stuff the fish with sauteed mushrooms. The crisped ham is a perfect foil for the moist, mild fish. Roasting works much the same way but with less intense heat, allowing you to incorporate more ingredients. You might stuff the fish with a sprig of rosemary and lemon slices and cook it on a bed of herb-scented fingerling potatoes. It's a full meal that looks impressive but takes only a few minutes of work. – L.A. Times |