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Issue link: https://seafoodbusiness.epubxp.com/i/139359
Photo courtesy of LSPMB U.S. News NEW ORLEANS Control of Louisiana seafood board in transition A Louisiana House of Representatives committee approved a measure shifting operation of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board (LSPMB) to the state's Culture, Recreation and Tourism (CRT) department. Te state's Senate had already approved S.B. 167, and now the bill will be voted on by the full house. "It is likely to pass," says Chef John Folse, owner of Restaurant R'evolution in OLYMPIA, Wash. Washington approves seafood labeling law Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law a bill that tackles seafood fraud. House Bill 1200 — which passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously — requires any fresh, frozen or processed fsh and shellfsh be labeled by the common name so buyers can make an informed purchasing decision. Te Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife defnes the common names of fsh, and if one is not already defned, then the market name becomes an acceptable name, as provided by U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. Te bill specifcally states that only Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) or Pacifc halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepsis) can be labeled as halibut. Also, the legislation requires that salmon species be labeled by their scientifc or accepted common name, which is especially important in the Pacifc Northwest and Alaska, where 8 SeaFood Business July 2013 New Orleans and Chef John Folse & Co. Manufacturing, who was elected chairman of the LSPMB last month. Folse (pictured) is "extremely concerned" about the bill, which shifts the LSPMB away from an autonomous board attached to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. "Te mission of our board when it started 30 years ago was to represent the fshermen and women of our industry who go out every day … and consumers face the possibility of farmed Atlantic salmon being substituted for species of wild Pacifc salmon. WARRENTON, Ore. Fire destroys Pacific plant; 130 jobs affected A devastating fre ripped through Oregon-based Pacifc Seafood's Warrenton facility on June 4, but CEO Frank Dulcich quickly responded that the company was up and running, assuring "no disruption of the supply of seafood to the market." Employees received full pay and benefts and helped clean up the damage, Dulcich says, and were temporarily relocated to a Del Mar Seafoods facility in nearby Astoria about a week later. Te exact cause is unknown, but U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators fnished examining the site with no criminal investigation started, Dulcich says. He did not say whether the company would rebuild at the same Warrenton location. to build a brand. After the BP oil spill, they depended on us even more to put out the word that our seafood is safe," he says. "We have $16 million in the cofers from the BP oil spill. When that money runs out, we hope that it would be totally dedicated to the mission." As the head of the CRT, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne is active in promoting Louisiana seafood to the rest of the world, adds Folse. "We know that the LSPMB going under WRANGELL, Alaska his jurisdiction will certainly be a great focus to him," Folse says. However, he is not sure how Dardenne will decide to administer the BP funds, in addition to $10 million the oil giant has not yet issued to the board; its future operating budget is also concerning to Folse. "Te funds have moved out of our jurisdiction. Our budget of nearly $400,000 from licenses and fees that was under the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will move to the CRT. Te budget is basically cut in half; we don't know how that will afect stafng [of the board] and there are a lot of other questions," Folse says. WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. seafood marketing program plan stalls Trader Joe's now atop old nemesis' scorecard After the Senate declined to include funds for a national seafood marketing program in the Farm Bill, its supporters say they will keep trying. Sen. Mark Begich's (D-Alaska) proposal wasn't even discussed, according to the National Seafood Marketing Coalition. "Tat was disappointing. We are in the food business, which takes product development and market expansion," says Bruce Schactler, director of the coalition, which will work with legislators to tack on a similar amendment to the House version of the Farm Bill. Schactler, however, is skeptical. "Te Farm Bill is not a hospitable place. It is a very partisan, closed business, which is not interested in most sectors of input, unless you are part of traditional agriculture," he says. Te coalition wants at least $20 million annually for marketing and development. Greenpeace, in its seventh seafood sustainability scorecard, granted a "green" rating to Trader Joe's, a company the group criticized in the past for supporting what it called unsustainable practices. Trader Joe's joins Safeway and Whole Foods in earning the rating this year, in part because Trader Joe's is now ofering sustainably caught tuna, according to the 2013 Carting Away the Oceans report. Greenpeace praised Walmart for introducing fsh aggregating device (FAD)-free skipjack and pole-and-line albacore tuna. "Tis means there's now a more sustainable seafood option available to almost every consumer in the country, so people don't have to choose between their bank account and the planet," says Casson Trenor, Greenpeace senior markets campaigner. For updated NEWS, go to www.SeafoodSource.com