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Monday, June 4, 2007 News: Fish Fraud to Bring Tougher Fines
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A restaurant that gets caught serving fake grouper will face some stiffer penalties.
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation has increased the fine for any proven offense of food misrepresentation at a food service establishment. The increase raises the minimum fine from $250 to $500. The action is a response to findings of restaurants selling mislabeled fish products to consumers, the state said. It also brings DBPR's enforcement in line with those of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Office of the Attorney General, a release said. Every restaurant in Florida is inspected at least twice a year by DBPR's team of inspectors. Inspectors have found some instances of restaurants selling artificial crab as the real thing as well as restaurants advertising grouper but selling another fish instead. "In addition to the violation of trust, there's potential danger associated with substituting foods without the customer's knowledge, so I am pleased to see this penalty increase," said Bill Veach, director of DBPR's Division of Hotels and Restaurants in a release. The rule change comes at an important time as some products, especially certain fish and other seafood, has become more expensive, the release said. – Jacksonville (Fla.) Business Journal Feature: Secret of Spelling Champ? F-I-S-H WASHINGTON - Evan O'Dorney always eats fish before his spelling bees. The brain food apparently has served him well: He's the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion.The 13-year-old from Danville, Calif., aced "serrefine" Thursday night to become the last youngster standing at the 80th annual bee. He triumphed after a tense duel with Nate Gartke of Spruce Grove, Alberta, who was trying to become the first Canadian to win. Evan won a trophy and a $35,000 prize, plus a $5,000 scholarship, a $2,500 savings bond and a set of reference works. He said he knew how to spell the winning word - a noun describing small forceps - as soon as the pronouncer said it. Evan said he wasn't surprised to win, but he confessed that spelling isn't his top interest. "My favorite things to do were math and music, and with the math I really like the way the numbers fit together," he said. "And with the music I like to let out ideas by composing notes - and the spelling is just a bunch of memorization." Evan and Nate went head-to-head for three rounds, matching each other's correct spellings until Nate flubbed the medical word "coryza" by adding the letter "h." Until then, Nate had been quite the showman, waving celebrity-like to the audience after each word and basking in the cheers from a row that waved red-and-white maple leaf flags. But Evan, who finished tied for 14th last year, was unflappable. The kid who juggles at home while his mother calls out words appeared to be in trouble only once during the finals - when he had to restart "schuhplattler," a German-based word describing a dance. – Associated Press News: Sea Lice from Farms Still Killing, Says Expert ECHO BAY, B.C. – Sea lice are still killing wild juvenile salmon, says biologist Alexandra Morton following her latest study in the Broughton Archipelago.“The problem is not under control,” said Morton, Director of Salmon Coast Field Station, in a press release. “Through a series of studies, we are now able to show with certainty that open-net pen farms are having a negative impact on wild salmon. Morton said she examined and released more than 10,000 salmon fry this spring. Despite the use of Slice to control sea lice in fish farms, juvenile salmon are still accumulating lice on their bodies as they pass by farms on their way to the sea, she said. “Now at the end of their migration routes, the sea lice are eating the fish, and the fish look terrible,” said Morton. “We’ve been watching their condition decline rapidly over the last week.” Morton’s comments come just days after the Legislative Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture released its report recommending all B.C. fish farms move to closed-containment systems in the next five years. Morton agrees that is one solution. “We can have both wild and farmed salmon; there are solutions,” said Morton. “Some of those solutions include siting open-net farms in areas where there is no risk to juvenile wild salmon and introducing closed containment technology.” - North Island Gazette (Port Hardy) News: Another Disease Found in Farmed Fish LAUNCESTON, Australia – Scientists from the University of Tasmania in Launceston have made an unexpected discovery that has rewritten 20 years of research.A team from the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute has identified a new species of parasitic amoeba as the cause of a disease in farmed Atlantic salmon, ABC News Online reported. Amoebic gill disease is caused by a single-celled marine organism that attaches to the gills and can cause heavy stock loss. For about 20 years it was believed a certain species of amoeba was responsible for the disease, PhD student Neil Young has found that it's actually caused by a previously unknown, but related species. Young says the discovery will help in the development of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines that will benefit salmon farmers. – Fish Farmer, U.K. News in Depth: A Dozen Years of Alaska IFQs KODIAK – The individual fishing quota (IFQ) program for sablefish and halibut longline fisheries was the first form of rationalization in Alaska, although it first appeared in the United States with the East Coast surf clam fishery.The IFQ program was implemented in 1995. Twelve years later, fishermen are taking a look at the inception of the halibut IFQ program and its challenges, and reflecting on how problems in the fishery could have been dealt with in ways other than privatizing the resource. An IFQ represents a percentage of the total allowable catch (TAC) set each year by fishery managers. It is a transferable right to obtain a specific quantity of fish. Individual fishermen are allowed to own up to 1 percent of the halibut TAC. Quotas for halibut were issued to those who owned or leased vessels that fished halibut between 1988 and 1990, but the transition from open-access to IFQs was a long process. In an open-access fishery, there is no limit on the number of participants. The controversial IFQ system, also referred to as a limited entry program, was the culmination of 14 years of deliberations by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Some reasons fishery managers wanted the IFQ system, despite organized resistance from many fishermen, was to gain greater control over a fishery where too many boats were going after the same fish. Increasing numbers of vessels participating in the halibut fishery resulted in shorter seasons, until there were two or three 24-hour openings a year. This is known as derby-style fishing, a "race for fish" because fishermen raced out during those openings competing for as much fish as possible, whether sea conditions were safe or not. IFQs were intended to allow fishermen more time to fish, resulting in safer working conditions and higher quality products. They were meant to give fishermen more economic stability and create a better balance of supply and demand. The initial allocation of halibut quota shares to eligible applicants began toward the end of 1994. By the end of 1995, most of the initial allocation was completed. From that time, the halibut season was extended to 245 days a year. Fishermen were able to deliver fresh halibut through most of the year, less gear was lost and fishing was safer. Harvests no longer exceeded managers' goals. But the number of people now participating in the halibut fishery is a fraction of what it was in pre-IFQ days. Many Kodiak fishermen did not want IFQs and rallied against giving a public resource to select private citizens. Two anti-IFQ demonstrations were held by more than 100 boat crews in the early '90s. But the real consequences of IFQs fell upon some of the original halibut fleet, mostly crewmembers, who did not receive quota share. Former halibut boat captain Dana Carros said about half the fishermen were for IFQs and half opposed them. The halibut fishery used to support about 3,000 families in Alaska, Carros said, but believes it will someday support a little more than 100 as people buy up the 1 percent shares. "It didn't hit home until crab rationalization went through, because people had enough livelihood outside of (halibut fishing). The sad part of it is (Sen.) Ted Stevens could have stopped it all," he said. Those who first received IFQs are called the original issuees. Since then, fishermen who want to enter the fishery have had to buy quota shares. Longtime fisherman Matt Shadle lived in Kodiak for 16 years, but has lived in Homer for the past seven years. He serves on the Homer City Council. Shadle said the best time to buy halibut IFQs was when the program was initiated. "I made the mistake of waiting," he said. "I made my purchases in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 and keep buying them here and there." He said a person would have to be exceptionally well-to-do to get into the halibut fishery now and estimates halibut IFQs for Area 3A now sell for $25 a pound and $18 to $20 a pound in Area 3D. In the 1980s, salmon seine permits sold for $300,000 and more, but now can be purchased for about $25,000, but $25,000 won't buy many pounds of halibut IFQs now, he noted. Shadle admits he was so busy fighting against IFQs he missed the chance to buy in at a lower price. "I spent tens of thousands of dollars of my own money traveling to (Washington,) D.C. lobbying and doing everything I could trying to inform people. I went up and down the East Coast teaching fishermen this is what IFQs are going to do, so be prepared," he said. He studied the IFQ system in other countries, including Australia and New Zealand, to see the effects on their communities and how to prepare for a quota system. "It's a matter of planning. In business, whenever you have people getting hurt, if you know what's going to happen, then you can plan ahead and you can actually turn something bad into something good," he said. With the death of one of the key members of Alaskans for a Fishing Future, the group dissolved and life moved on, Shadle said. Although he moved out of Kodiak in 1999, he still comes back to fish. Shadle's boat, the Risky Business, sank in March of this year and he is looking for a replacement. "Kodiak is what made me the man I am and I always come back to Kodiak," he said. – Kodiak Daily Mirror <<<•>>> Tuesday, June 5, 2007 Health News: Try the New Japan Diet In the never-ending pursuit of slimmer waistlines, GM Today, which bills itself as Europe’s “biggest” morning television show, prepared a list of the best diets. Most you know of.Here’s another to share with your customers: The traditional Japanese diet is based around fish, rice and vegetables, and is very low in red meat, dairy products and processed foods which is no doubt why the Japanese have topped the longevity charts for so long. The key points about the Japan diet:
12 steps to easily Japan style your life
Health Brief: Salmon is Good for Eye Health Of all age-related diseases, perhaps nothing is more dreaded than age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – a deterioration of the retina that leads to eventual blindness.Commonly diagnosed in people over the age of 55, instances of AMD have increased dramatically over the past decade as average life expectancy continues to reach all-time highs. Fortunately, experts state that preventing AMD can be as simple as selecting a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids. A new study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology states that consumption of fish rich in omega-3 can cut the risk of developing AMD by as much as 40%. The study comes on the heels of recent research by the Harvard University School of Public Health dispelling myths associating salmon consumption with mercury contamination. - HealthNewsDigest.com News: Good Humor Concept Used by Fishmonger EFORT MEYERS, Fla. -- There won't be any Mr. Softee tune or Good Humor bells coming from a converted ice cream truck in Matlacha, Fla., this summer.The sound coming from this truck? “Freeeesh fish. Freeeesh fish, get your freeeesh fish here!” That is the cry fishmongers used to sing as they pushed their carts through big-city neighborhoods in the early part of the last century. And now a Matlacha fishmonger, Andy Meltz, owner of Andy's Island Seafood, plans to carry his wares to customers in Naples, Punta Gorda, Bonita and Fort Myers Beach in the turquoise truck he converted from ice cream. “The truck is wired for the tunes,” Meltz said. “But I don't think we'll have to hook anything up.” Meltz plans to have his driver, Tom “T.B.” Barden, 62, a Pine Island resident and retired restaurateur from Nashville, Tenn., drive a route five or six days a week. He'll hit each city at the same time in the same location every day starting around June 15. Meltz hasn't got the route set up yet, but he will park his truck on a lot and he hopes customers will be attracted by the bright turquoise color. Customers should then expect the truck to remain on the same spot rather than parading through the streets. “Our shop gets people from all over coming in to get all sorts of fresh fish, crab cakes, chowders and a lot of other food,” Meltz said. “We have cooked and uncooked foods in the shop. We won't be cooking on the truck at first — we'll see how things go.” Things should go swimmingly for the new venture if customer Gay Thompson is any judge. She recently stopped in for some grouper filets, but she wanted a bigger one than was already cut and displayed. Without losing a beat, Meltz said, “How big?” He went in the back to cut Thompson a filet to order. “The truck is a great idea to let people get good, fresh fish. Andy never ever has it frozen,” Thompson said. “I've been coming here since 1994, and Andy took it over and changed everything for the better.” - News-Press, Fort Myers, Fla. News Brief: Marketing Council Urged by Feds WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In an attempt to help the tuna industry bounce back from plummeting sales attributed to lawsuits in California and Illinois that sought to put mercury warning labels on tuna cans, the National Marine Fisheries Service has decided to form species-specific seafood marketing councils.The marketing councils have sparked concerns among some in the industry. Comments logged with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency voiced worries that marketing councils could lead to overfishing and stock depletion. Seafood marketing councils are permitted under the Fish and Seafood Promotion Act of 1986 but have never been formed until now. How the councils do their job could significantly impact overall fish stock health, say John Battendieri and Tim Redmond, founders of Blue Horizon Organic Seafood. The two men, formerly of Horizon Milk and Eden Soy, say seafood interest boards could be a good thing if they take an ecological approach to their work, rather than selling fish at the risk of overfishing and stock depletion. Mike Garvey, general manager of Grand Central Oyster Bar, a sustainable seafood restaurant in New York City, says federal and state regulations already protect domestic fish stocks, so overfishing isn’t likely to be a problem. Instead, Garvey says, the prices for these fish could be affected. “The supply would be controlled or at least limited,” he says, “and if the marketing councils are effective, the demand would increase.” – Sustainable Industries Restaurant News: Bait and Switch Will Cost You Fla: A restaurant that gets caught serving fake grouper will face a doubled fine from the state.The Department of Business and Professional Regulation has increased the fine for any proven offense of food misrepresentation at a food service establishment to a minimum of $500 from a minimum of $250. The state said it is responding to finding restaurants selling mislabeled fish products to consumers. It also brings DBPR's enforcement in line with those of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Office of the Attorney General. DBPR's team of inspectors inspects every restaurant in Florida at least twice a year. The regulator said some inspectors have found restaurants selling artificial crab as the real thing as well as restaurants advertising grouper but selling another fish instead. "In addition to the violation of trust, there's potential danger associated with substituting foods without the customer's knowledge, so I am pleased to see this penalty increase," said Bill Veach, director of DBPR's Division of Hotels and Restaurants. The state noted the rule change comes as some products, especially certain fish and other seafood, has become more expensive. – South Florida Business Journal <<<•>>> Wednesday, June 6, 2007 Monster Squid Arrive Off California VENTURA, Calif. -- Four-foot jumbo squid have arrived off Ventura County and charter boats are pulling in up to 200 of the creatures each day in the biggest local run of Humboldt squid in decades."This is the first time we've had any kind of action like this," said Steve Volaski, owner of the Ventura Sport Fishing boat Coroloma which landed more than 80 of the 35-pound squids on Monday. Although the cephalopods have been caught farther south in recent years, state Department of Fish and Game biologist Dale Sweetnam said it's been 80 years since the last big run of giant squid off Ventura County. "The phones are ringing off the hook with people asking about them," Hueneme Sportfishing worker Gail Sechrist said. Although the squid are huge, they have not been used in the culinary trade. Rather, most that are harvested by commercial fishermen are frozen and used for bait for other species in other regions – Alaska halibut, for example. "They are gnarly; they've got more teeth than Jaws," said Jeff Grodin, owner of Oxnard's Capt. Hook's Sportfishing, where 200 were caught in a single day. Sweetnam said squid follow the fish they feed on, so they may have found a nice patch of mackerel or anchovies. – Associated Press News: Snapper Plan in Violation of Federal Law HOUSTON -- A new federal law mandates an end to overfishing in the Gulf of Mexico by 2010, and a federal court in Houston recently ruled that the current management plan for red snapper is in violation.While most everyone agrees in principle to sustainable fishing, it's never pretty in practice. Commercial fishermen feel the immediate threat to their livelihood; restaurateurs have to invent recipes for a new catch of the day; and even sport anglers complain when their limit for the season is lowered. Pain is felt and expressed along the Gulf from Houston to Destin, Fla. Despite the cost to the economy, the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council, which meets in New Orleans this week, must create a management plan for the red snapper fishery that sustains the population of this important sport and commercial fish. The council should support the recommended deep reduction in the total annual allowable catch of this popular delicacy. The catch limit has been reduced from 9.12 million pounds to 6.5 million pounds — a decrease of about one-third. This reduction is necessary to rebuild the population of red snapper by allowing fish to grow old enough to reproduce. Chris Dorsett, director of the Ocean Conservancy, says the red snapper was declared overfished by the National Marine Fisheries Service in the late '80s. Because policymakers ignored the threat, the reduction must be deeper than it might have been had action been taken earlier. The new limit will allow the population to be replenished by 2032. If the limits are respected, the catch level could begin to be increased by 2010 or 2011, he said. In order to replenish the fishery, the new management plan adopted by the council, a group of representatives from the five Gulf Coast states plus the federal government, must address the catch limit reduction and the problem of young snapper that get caught in shrimp trawlers' nets. - Houston Chronicle News: Bans Make Japan's Seafood Suppliers Crabby HONG KONG - Japanese and sushi fanciers everywhere are facing the prospects of a slimmer menu.With stocks declining sharply, Russia has banned the export of live crabs, the bulk of which go to Japan, and the European Union is moving to restrict catches of another Japanese favorite, eel. Russia, which in 2005 supplied about 60% of the crabs consumed in Japan, announced Wednesday that it had halted exports of live crabs to stop illegal fishing amid plummeting numbers. The price of eel, already running high in Japan due to a ban on live imports from China since the end of last year due to chemical contamination, is likely to climb even further if the countries taking part in a two-week meeting at the Hague that began Sunday agree on a proposal to list European eels as an endangered species. The proposal, under a multinational wildlife management treaty known as the Washington Convention, would cut back drastically on European eel exports, requiring the issuance of export permits by country of origin. The global supply of eels is already running dangerously low, with the EU forecasting an end to commercial eel fishing as early as 2015. This would be bad news for Japanese, who gorge on grilled eel in the summer, when they believe eating the slithery creatures imparts the stamina to survive the punishing July and August heat. Europe has been doing a booming trade in supplying northeastern Asian countries, the world’s main eel farming grounds, with larval eel. China and Taiwan import great quantities of European eel fry and raise them for export to Japan. The heavy reliance on European eel is due in part to a ban by Japan on the export of its own eel fry to conserve domestic production. As in Europe, Japan has seen eel stocks decline for decades because of overfishing and the construction of dams and the concreting over of shorelines that has blocked eels from making their annual migration upriver. Japan’s ban on the export of its eel fry has given rise to a prosperous illicit transport trade to China and Taiwan by smugglers who sterilize the baby eels and pack them in luggage in small plastic bags. The ban has caused resentment among Taiwanese eel farmers, who are considering restricting their exports to Japan and reserving production for rising domestic consumption. Japan continues to import roast eel from China, but it has recently tightened safety controls on concerns for food safety. While Japanese have long been known for their heavy consumption of fish, rising affluence around the world and the growing popularity of sushi has led to soaring demand and rising stress on fish stocks. - Forbes.com News: New Law to Increase Phillipines Tuna Production MANILA – The Philippines will likely emerge as the world's No. 1 tuna producer once the government fully carries out a new law spurring handline fishing, forges new bilateral fishing pacts and secures greater foreign market access for the high-value produce, according to Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, chairman of the House committee on fisheries and aquaculture.Villafuerte said the Philippines now ranks as the world's fourth biggest tuna producer. In Asia, he said the country is second to Taiwan in terms of tuna output. Citing figures from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Villafuerte said the Philippines produced last year an estimated 500,000 tons of tuna - more than 10 per cent of the world's total yield of four million tons. "In the demand side, we have to vigorously defend existing Philippine tuna markets abroad, apart from pushing open new outlets in North America, the European Union and Japan," Villafuerte pointed out. Villafuerte also cited the need for the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to adequately execute the new Handline Fishing Law - set to be implemented starting September. The new law is expected to further stimulate the highly lucrative tuna export industry, which provides livelihood to more than 150,000 Filipinos. Villafuerte authored the new statute in the House, along with South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino. The new law clearly classifies the handline method - the traditional use of a single hook and line while passively waiting for the fish to bite - as a form of commercial fishing. This means thousands of handline fishermen will gain lawful access to the rich trawling grounds of international waters, Villafuerte said. The new law amended the 1998 Fisheries Code, which did not recognize the handline mode as a form of commercial fishing. With the old Fisheries Code silent on handline fishing, vessels engaged in this method of catching great tuna were unable to register with the MARINA in the past, and thus barred from lawfully fishing in international waters. - Asia Pulse News: Sea Lice from Farms Still Killing, Says Expert ECHO BAY, B.C. – Sea lice are still killing wild juvenile salmon, says biologist Alexandra Morton following her latest study in the Broughton Archipelago.“The problem is not under control,” said Morton, Director of Salmon Coast Field Station, in a press release. “Through a series of studies, we are now able to show with certainty that open-net pen farms are having a negative impact on wild salmon. Morton said she examined and released more than 10,000 salmon fry this spring. Despite the use of Slice to control sea lice in fish farms, juvenile salmon are still accumulating lice on their bodies as they pass by farms on their way to the sea, she said. “Now at the end of their migration routes, the sea lice are eating the fish, and the fish look terrible,” said Morton. “We’ve been watching their condition decline rapidly over the last week.” Morton’s comments come just days after the Legislative Committee on Sustainable Aquaculture released its report recommending all B.C. fish farms move to closed-containment systems in the next five years. Morton agrees that is one solution. “We can have both wild and farmed salmon; there are solutions,” said Morton. “Some of those solutions include siting open-net farms in areas where there is no risk to juvenile wild salmon and introducing closed containment technology.” - North Island Gazette (Port Hardy) <<<•>>> Thursday, June 7, 2007 News: Virus Worries Midwest Fish Lovers MADISON, Wis. — A deadly fish virus has spread to Lake Michigan whitefish, which is the mainstay of the Door County commercial fishing industry and a key ingredient in popular fish boils."We're scared to death," Charlie Henriksen, a fisherman with a dock east of Sister Bay, said Monday. "In Door County, it's the complete commercial fishery. We have dozens and dozens of people relying on it for their living. I don't know what's going to happen." Mike Staggs, director of the state Department of Natural Resources' Bureau of Fisheries Management and Habitat Protection, said Monday that tests late Friday confirmed that three lake whitefish taken by commercial fishermen tested positive for viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS. Staggs said it wasn't surprising that whitefish were found with VHS because in 2005, whitefish from Lake Huron —which is connected to Lake Michigan as part of the Great Lakes — tested positive for the disease. Officials fear the virus, which was first found in Wisconsin last month, could decimate certain fish populations. However, they don't know how bad the effect of the virus will be. All that is certain is it will kill an unspecified number of fish. So far, the DNR has found fish that tested positive with VHS in the Lake Winnebago and Lake Michigan systems. The state Natural Resources Board passed rules aimed at halting the spread of the virus to other lakes. The virus can kill dozens of species of fish. So far in Wisconsin, it has been found in freshwater drum (more commonly known as sheepshead), brown trout, smallmouth bass and lake whitefish. The virus is not harmful to humans and officials say people can eat fish infected with VHS. In Door County, some people worry there will be no fish to catch, or eat. "That's our fear," said Ryan Krause, manager of the Old Post Office Restaurant in Ephraim, which hosts fish boils six nights a week in the summer. Krause said fishing and fish boils are important parts of Door County's heritage. Henriksen, who is president of the Wisconsin Commercial Fishermen's Association, said there are about 10 active fishing operations in Door County, each catching between 50,000 and 400,000 pounds of whitefish a year. He said a decline in the whitefish population could be devastating. "We are hanging on by our fingernails now," he said. "This is going to be horrible." - Post-Crescent News: Disease Outbreak Bad News for Crawfish LAFAYETTE — A disease that can kill off crawfish has been confirmed in commercial ponds across southwest Louisiana and in the Atchafalaya Basin, state officials said Monday.White spot disease, which is not harmful to humans, was first detected last month at a crawfish farm near Arnaudville. Further testing has confirmed the disease in 20 ponds in six parishes and in at least two samples of wild crawfish from the Basin, according to information from LSU Agricultural Center and the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry. State Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Bob Odom said the 20 positive results for commercial ponds were out of 29 tested, raising fears the disease is widespread. Test results are pending on more than 70 other samples taken since the disease was first discovered here. Mark Shirley, southwest regional aquaculture specialist for the LSU Agricultural Center, said samples of crawfish were collected last week from ponds within a mile radius of the first positive tests. Random sampling from ponds in all crawfish-producing parishes is expected this week, Shirley said. Crawfish season is drawing to a close and most farmers are draining their ponds. Farmers who are restocking with “seed” crawfish in preparation for next year have been cautioned to carefully screen for white spot disease. The disease is named for the spotty calcium deposits on the shells of infected shrimp, but crawfish with the disease don’t always exhibit the spots. Shirley said infected crawfish show signs of weakness and lethargy and may die. White spot disease has never before been detected in Louisiana crawfish. The disease is believed to pose less of a threat to wild mudbugs in the Basin than to crawfish raised in the confines of a pond. Still unknown by researchers is how the disease spread to crawfish and whether its effect on next year’s crop will be as severe as in shrimp farms in Asia, which were decimated when the disease emerged there in the early 1990s. - Arcadian Advocate, Louisiana News: FTC Blocks Whole Foods' Acquisition of Rival Chain BOULDER, Colo. — Wild Oats here said it had been informed that the Federal Trade Commission would file a lawsuit in Federal District Court to block the proposed acquisition of the chain by Whole Foods Market, its Austin, Texas-based rival.“We disagree with the FTC’s position and believe it is without factual merit,” said Greg Mays, chairman and chief executive officer of Wild Oats, in a prepared statement. “We intend to cooperate with Whole Foods and to vigorously challenge the FTC in court.” In a prepared statement, the FTC said it had determined that natural-organic stores like Whole Foods and Wild Oats are a different type of retailer from traditional supermarkets and attract a different customer, and therefore their merger would create the possibility of reduced competition. "Whole Foods and Wild Oats are each other's closest competitors in premium natural and organic supermarkets, and are engaged in intense head-to-head competition in markets across the country," said Jeffrey Schmidt, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition. "If Whole Foods is allowed to devour Wild Oats, it will mean higher prices, reduced quality and fewer choices for consumers." Whole Foods in February said it had agreed to acquire Wild Oats in a deal worth close to $700 million, including assumed debt. The $18.50-per-share tender offer has since been extended twice because of the FTC’s investigation. – Supermarket News News: Canadian Falls Short of Salmon Treaty Obligations OTTOWA -- Canada is failing to meet its obligations under an international treaty to protect and restore threatened wild Atlantic salmon stocks, say conservation groups.The federal government agreed in 2005, along with 17 other nations that make up the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO), to develop plans to restore wild salmon populations in its East Coast rivers. The species is in serious decline. The number of mature, spawning salmon in North America's Atlantic waterways has fallen from roughly 917,000 in 1975 to 113,000 this year -- a loss of 89% -- according to scientific estimates for NASCO. The decline is attributed to a range of problems including overfishing, pollution and habitat loss due to the building of dams and other development. Government officials from Canada and NASCO's 17 other member nations begin a week of closed door meetings in Maine today to assess what progress, if any, has been made in restoring wild salmon stocks. Conservation groups, which have seats at the NASCO table, will be questioning those countries that have failed to develop a rigorous protection program according to 13 established criteria -- such as scientific research, salmon habitat restoration, and regulation of the aquaculture industry. According to NASCO's own review, only the United States and England have developed conservation plans that meet all 13 criteria set out in 2005. Canada has only met seven of the 13 conditions. Russia, Greenland, Finland and Scotland have also failed to develop full conservation plans. Guy Beaupre, a senior official with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans who will lead Canada's delegation at the NASCO talks this week, says Canada is still writing its plans under the NASCO treaty. He also dismisses the importance of meeting every one of the 13 criteria. Beaupre says the federal government contributes $2 million a year towards Atlantic salmon scientific research, and has recently set aside a $30-million endowment to fund habitat restoration projects. But Sue Scott, spokeswoman for the Atlantic Salmon Federation, a New Brunswick-based conservation group, says Canada's performance is lackluster. "We have a strong heritage in wild Atlantic salmon, yet the federal government is actually cutting back resources and is often more involved in developing the salmon aquaculture industry than in protecting wild salmon." Among nearly 3,000 Canadians surveyed in 2006, more than 55% ranked Atlantic salmon as the highest or second-highest priority for conservation spending, ahead of sockeye salmon, Atlantic cod, the leatherback turtle and even the blue whale. In Canada last year, only Atlantic salmon populations on the island of Newfoundland had enough mature fish returning from the sea to meet minimum reproductive conservation requirements. – Calgary Herald Feature: And You Thought Fishing Was Dangerous Myrtle Beach, S.C. – Last month sword swallower Dan Meyer made history by being the first person in America to swallow a solid steel sword while submerged underwater in a tank of live sharks and stingrays at Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, SC.Sponsored by Ripley's Believe It or Not, the underwater event was designed to promote Ripley's Aquarium's "Pirates, Predators of the Sea" exhibit that educates visitors on the history of pirates, many of which frequented the Myrtle Beach area. "Captain Cutless", better known as Dan Meyer, is a professional sword swallower from Nashville, TN who has been featured in numerous documentaries, articles and medical studies for swallowing swords around the world. As the Executive Director of the Sword Swallowers Association International, Meyer is widely recognized as one of the foremost authorities in the world on the ancient art of sword swallowing. To stretch the boundaries of the art, Meyer swallowed a 30-inch long solid steel sword while submerged 15 feet underwater surrounded by more than 80 sharks and stingrays in 85,000 gallons of salt water. Of course, there are the obvious dangers in attempting a feat like this -- Sword swallowing can cause serious injury and even death. "Last year while swallowing five swords at once, I ended up in the hospital with a serious injury that almost killed me - a punctured stomach that caused pleurisy and fluid around my heart and lungs. The pain was incredible, and I couldn't swallow solid food for several weeks!" Meyer recounted. This time the dangers were multiplied with additional challenges besides the obvious risks of cuts, punctures and perforations. "The worst injuries occur when trying to swallow a sword when the throat is tender and swollen. I was really worried because I've had a 'sword throat' with swelling that had me really concerned and almost made me call it off." Meyer said. "Then when I got in the tank, it was much more difficult to lean my head back and open my mouth fifteen feet underwater and surrounded by 85,000 gallons of salt water. When I opened my mouth to swallow the sword, the air rushed up out of my lungs. Not only did I have to focus on swallowing the sword correctly without impaling myself, but I had to contend with the sharks and stingrays not bumping into me while concentrating on not drowning," Meyer explained. The historic feat occurred on Friday, May 18th at the Ripley's Aquarium Myrtle Beach in the 85,000 gallon "Ray Bay" exhibit that is home to over 80 sharks and stingrays. In 2006 "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin was killed on the Great Barrier Reef when a stingray stabbed him in the heart. Divers were standing by in the water, and an ambulance with trained EMTs was standing by in case of emergency. Meyer swallowed two different sized swords during the feat - a smaller sword first, followed by a longer 30-inch sword with 24-inch long blade. The viewing audience included local and national media, Bike Week tourists, and a class of students who were visiting the aquarium on a field trip. "I thought it was really cool because nobody else could do that," said student Miller Long. "When he swallowed the little one, I wasn't scared," said Hannah Ferguson. "But when he did the big one I was kind of scared!" Why would anyone want to attempt a feat this dangerous? "I've enjoyed performing stunts like sword swallowing for audiences around the world for several years." Meyer explains. "I also swam with sharks and stingrays when I lived on an island in the Bahamas for several years. So I knew I could do each of them separately. It just seemed natural to put the two challenges together," Meyer explained. "The big question was: Would I be able to do BOTH of them at the same time and survive? I'm glad to be able to stand here afterwards and say I did!" The feat makes Meyer the first person in America to ever swallow a sword underwater. – Ripley Entertainment <<<•>>> Friday, June 8, 2007 Brief: B.C. Salmon Farmers Charm Public VANCOUVER - British Columbia salmon farmers have been meeting with the public in a bid to promote the industry and the products it produces.The BC Salmon Farmers Association said its members enjoyed another successful booth at the recent Eat Vancouver, British Columbia’s “everything food and cooking festival." The BC Salmon Farmers expanded their offerings at the show, providing information, one on one chats with salmon farmers and a tasting station and product for sale. This year, featured products included pan seared Atlantic salmon portions, smoked salmon from Hardy Buoys and salmon sushi. According to the trade association, at several points during the show, lineups were six people deep, making it one of the busiest booths at the event. - Fish Farmer Food News: Stockfish Trendy in Norway Norway – Italy is the big stockfish country, but the semi-prepared fish can now also become trendy in the home market, says Fiskeriforskning in its fourth and final article about Norway's oldest export product.Almost all stockfish that is produced in Norway is consumed in Italy. Rehydrated stockfish is a small niche product here in Norway. But the increase in consumption is large - from about seven tons of ready-to-cook product in 2004 to 30 tons last year. At present, stockfish is largely restaurant food. "With good marketing work, we expect an annual growth of 40 to 50 per cent", says Frank Jakobsen, Leader of the Stockfish Forum in the Norwegian Seafood Federation. Marketing Researcher Morten Heide at Fiskeriforskning has a lot of faith in stockfish. "These are products with several positive properties. The taste is characteristic, and the texture is firm and delicate. They can be prepared in a variety of ways." Increasingly, more restaurants are adding stockfish to the menu. Dampen and Steakers, two restaurants under the same roof and ownership at Bryggen in Bergen, are noticing that more people are acquiring a taste for stockfish. There has been a 30% increase in recent years. The stockfish they use is pre-rehydrated, skinless and boneless, and ready to cook. "It's a very good product to work with, and it's easy to get a result that's 100 per cent successful," says Chef Jørgen Nielsen. "Stockfish is still an expensive product, and more expensive than tenderloin and monkfish, for example. Therefore, we can't count on the same profit as for other dishes; it would be too expensive for our customers." At Halvors Tradisjonsfisk in Tromsø, they are noticing a steadily increasing interest for stockfish. Ready-to-cook stockfish is the company's most important product. The raw material is "skrei", spawning cod from Lofoten, which is naturally dried outside. The stockfish must soak for several days before all the skin and bones are removed. "It's expensive to process whole stockfish into a skinless and boneless product. That's why I mostly use split fish", says owner Halvor Hansen. Hansen's experience is that split fish gives 20% more finished product and better quality control. – The Fish Site Food News: Fish for Breakfast NEW YORK - In the past decade or so, there have been a slew of books - including my own - suggesting that it is time to question the low-fat, high-carbohydrate breakfasts that so many dietitians recommend.If you've managed to miss this dialogue, here are some of the reasons why these so-called "perfect breakfasts" may be anything but:
This new information invariably leads to the same question, usually asked with mounting frustration: "What can I eat for breakfast?" The answer is: Quite a lot, actually. When I was in Tokyo, I was routinely served delicious fish and sea vegetables for breakfast, and in St. Martin we eat from a bounteous buffet of meats, seafood and fruits. If you were transported in a time machine to visit your caveman ancestors, you would probably find that they ate similarly morning, noon and night - I'm pretty sure that the wild bison caught by the pioneers functioned just as well as an early morning meal, and tasted just as good, as it did at the evening campfire. If giving up your morning bagel seems impossible at the moment, you can make that "conventional" bread-based meal a lot better by scooping out the doughy yeasty part of the bagel, putting in some organic nut butters and eating with an apple instead of juice. Or better yet, seek out some real whole-grain bread (try a non-wheat-based one, just for variety) and add some nut butter and a banana or apple. (If you're really adventurous, try filling that hollowed-out bagel with some water-packed tuna.) Break out of the "breakfast box" and you'll be surprised at what you can come up with. – Jonny Bowden in iVillage.com News: Climate Change Will Lead to Salmon Decline, Senate Told WASHINGTON - With snowfall diminishing at "statistically significant" rates, spring runoff coming earlier and a dead zone the size of Rhode Island in the ocean off the Oregon coast, senators were told Wednesday that global climate change is already being felt in the West.Dam operators, water district managers, farmers, conservationists and scientists all predicted mounting problems as scarce water supplies dwindle further in an area stretching from the Pacific Northwest to the desert Southwest. "The warming in the West can now confidently be attributed to rising greenhouse gases and are not explained by any combination of natural factors," said Philip Mote, head of the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington. Mote said some models show temperatures in the West could rise by 6 degrees Fahrenheit in the coming years. Signs of climate change, such as lilacs blooming earlier in the spring, are just a "harbinger of changes to come," he said. Among other things, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources water and power subcommittee learned:
"These changes will force us to adapt how we manage irrigation and agriculture, our hydropower system, salmon recovery, municipal water supplies and flood control," said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who chaired the hearing. "We need a real strategy to keep our region strong and to respond to any impacts we observe." - Mclatchy-Tribune News Service News: Two Arrested for Conspiracy to Import Falsely Labeled Catfish WASHINGTON — Two individuals, David S. Wong and David Chu, were arrested today in Chicago and San Francisco, respectively, for charges related to conspiracy to import falsely labeled fish, the Justice Department announced. The indictment, which was returned on May 24, 2007 by a federal grand jury in the Central District of California, charges 10 seafood companies and six individuals for a scheme to import millions of pounds of falsely-labeled Vietnamese catfish into United States.The companies named in the indictment include the Virginia Star Seafood Corporation, International Sea Products Corporation, Silver Seas Company, Blue Ocean Seafood Corporation, Cafatex, Anhaco, Antesco, Binh Dinh Import Export Company, Dakon International, and T.P. Company. The individuals include Henry Nguyen, Peter X. Lam, Arthur Yavelberg, David S. Wong, David Chu, and Henry Yip. According to the indictment, between July 2004 and June 2005, defendants Virginia Star Seafood Corporation and International Sea Products Corporation, illegally imported from Vietnamese companies Binh Dinh, Antesco, and Anhaco, over ten million pounds of Vietnamese catfish by identifying the fish to Customs Border Protection officials as other species of fish such as sole, grouper, flounder and conger pike. As part of the conspiracy, after the Vietnamese catfish was imported into the United States, defendants Henry Nguyen, Peter Lam, and Arthur Yavelberg marketed and sold the illegally imported catfish to seafood buyers, including defendants Henry Yip of T.P. Company, David Wong of True World Foods, Inc., and David Chu of Dakon International. An anti-dumping duty was placed on the importation of Vietnamese catfish on Jan. 31, 2003 after a petition filed by the catfish farmers of America alleging that this fish was being sold in the United States at less than fair market value. The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to deceive customs agents in order to avoid this duty. - U.S. Department of Justice |