SeaFood Business

MAY 2014

SeaFood Business is the global trusted authority for seafood buyers and sellers. We are the seafood industry's leading trade magazine with more than 30 years of experience. Our coverage is based on the "business" of buying and selling seafood.

Issue link: https://seafoodbusiness.epubxp.com/i/300651

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 10 of 42

News Recap Direct QUOTE On my frst night, when I walked into the restaurant, the sushi chef looked at me and declared, 'Tonight, you chef.' I countered, 'No, I server,' but he was adamant. He needed me and from that moment on, I became his student. I didn't fnd sushi — sushi found me. — David Bouhadana, chef and co-owner, Sushi Dojo (see Behind the Line, page 28) 6 SeaFood Business May 2014 For updated NEWS, go to www.SeafoodSource.com T he National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration (NOAA) is exploring whether to establish a sustainable seafood la- bel and certifcation program. Te U.S. seafood industry was given just one month to submit comments on a "sustainably caught in the U.S." type of eco-label for wild fsheries after the Marine Fisheries Advisory Commit- tee (MAFAC) fnal- ized its recommen- dations on such a label in December. "We haven't de- cided whether or not to do it. We have several large fshery management councils that requested labeling as part of the Magnuson Stevenson Act," says NOAA Fisheries Deputy Adminis- trator Sam Rauch. NOAA asked all interested par- ties to submit comments by the end of April. While some fshery management councils want to see a NOAA-administered business- to-business sustainable label, oth- ers feel diferently. "Some that have certifcation from labels like MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) are not supportive of a competing gov- ernment label," Rauch says. However, the diference between MAFAC recommendations and current sustainable certifcation schemes is that MAFAC envisions a B2B certifcation and labeling program that would be visible to buyers such as supermarkets, and not a consumer-facing eco-label. "MAFAC thinks the labels like MSC are much more consumer-focused and meant to talk directly to the con- sumer," Rauch says. Te MAFAC rec- ommendations in- clude establishing a NOAA sustainable certifcation pro- gram that utilizes the agency's cur- rent seafood inspec- tion program and only charges fees to producers and busi- nesses that want to participate. Tere should not be a charge to taxpayers, according to MAFAC. NOAA has not yet developed cost models on what the fees would be, Rauch says. Te certifcation program would focus frst on wild seafood from federally managed waters, and then phase in seafood from state- managed commercial fsheries and aquaculture products. Rauch is not sure how long it would take NOAA to develop a sus- tainable certifcation program, if the majority of comments support it. "It is hard to determine if there will be support or opposition," Rauch says. "We can't give an ex- act date. We have never done this and, as with any startup, it takes a while to get this up and running." — Christine Blank In BRIEF A California Senate bill, if passed, would assess seafood suppliers and restaurant owners in the state a $1,000 fne and up to a year in jail for selling mislabeled seafood. Authored by state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, SB 1138 would require labeling fsh by its "common name or market name … identifed in the Seafood List issued by the federal Food and Drug Administration." The National Fisheries Institute Crab Council expanded its membership with Mark Foods of New York and Sea Pearl Tradelinks, the frst affliated company based in Australia. Both blue-swimming crab importers emphasize responsibly harvested and sourced product. The council funds fshery improvement projects in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and now Sri Lanka. Morey's Seafood International has received chain-of-custody sustainability certifcation under the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's Responsible Fisheries Management program. The certifcation, based on standards from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, applies to salmon purchased from Alaska by the Minnesota-based company. Diversifed Communications, producer of North America's largest seafood trade event, reports that this year's edition of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America was the largest ever. The Boston event spanned 197,430 square feet, an increase of 6 percent over last year. There were 1,113 exhibiting companies, representing a 9 percent increase, and more than 20,000 seafood professionals attended. Deanie's Seafood Restaurants and Seafood Market is the frst retail outlet in New Orleans to earn the right to use the "Certifed Authentic Louisiana Wild Seafood" label, which guarantees its seafood is natural, sustainable and sourced from Louisiana waters. At their annual meeting in Palm Springs, Calif., members of the Pacifc Seafood Processors Association committed $100,000 in donations to SeaShare. The Seattle nonproft is one of the largest sources of nutritious protein for the nation's food banks. WASHINGTON, D.C. NOAA explores sustainability certifcation Facts & FIGURES 4.7 Millions of dollars in net losses in 2013 reported by AquaBounty Technologies, producer of AquAdvantage salmon 59.85 Percent of the Maynard, Mass., company owned by Intrexon of Germantown, Md. 18 Years since the company frst sought U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its genetically modifed Atlantic salmon NOAA Fisheries Deputy Administrator Sam Rauch 06_11NewsRecap.indd 6 4/22/14 1:33 PM

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of SeaFood Business - MAY 2014