Seafood Business articles from April 2003

Seafood Business archives from April 2003

Chefs search for seafood. (Top Story).(seafood restaurants)
April 1, 2003... Shrimp with Asian sweet chile dipping sauce... grilled blue marlin with mashed potatoes and tomatillo stew... Welcome to the Brave New World of seafood menus. As competition among restaurants heats up, chefs and operators are...

Industry questions imported crabmeat recall in Alabama. (Food Safety).
April 1, 2003... The discovery of the banned antibiotic chloramphenicol in imported crabmeat products sold in Alabama has left seafood distributors perplexed. Citing the Food and Drug Administration's zero-tolerance policy, Alabama Agriculture and...

Buyers, feds give shrimpers a lift. (Trade).(shrimp-purchasing agreement)
April 1, 2003... Members of the American Seafood Distributors Association, which include Darden Restaurants and Sysco Corp., have committed to purchasing "major quantities" of domestic shrimp this year, according to Wally Stevens, president of the ASDA and...

U.S. seafood fuels the troops. (Late News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Seafood suppliers who sell to the U.S. military, including American Pride Seafoods/Southern Pride Catfish, have seen sales increases related to the deployment of U.S. troops fighting the war in Iraq. Sales are up 15 to 20 percent at...

Imported crabmeat tested for chloramphenicol in Louisiana. (Late News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The discovery of chloramphenicol in imported crabmeat prompted Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Bob Odom in mid-March to require that crabmeat products from Mexico, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and China be tested for the banned...

Red Lobster drops fresh swordfish nationwide. (Late News).
April 1, 2003... Red Lobster has pulled fresh swordfish from its 670 restaurants nationwide due to a controversial California lawsuit over proper labeling of mercury in seafood. Darden Restaurants, Red Lobster's parent company, is among the 15 companies...

Slade Gorton wins gold at IBSS new products competition: Asian citrus shrimp hits the mark, judges say. (New Product).(International Boston Seafood Show )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Slade Gorton's Asian citrus shrimp won the gold medal at the new products competition during the International Boston Seafood Show. Buffalo Popcorn Fish from Icelandic Seafoods won the silver and Channa fillets from Pacific Rim Enterprises...

New country-of-origin labeling could raise seafood prices: COOL could add a dime per pound to production costs. (Retail).
April 1, 2003... Processors may have to spend an additional dime per pound to produce seafood that complies with country-of-origin labeling, according to estimates from the National Fisheries Institute. The labeling scheme will add 3 to 10 cents per pound...

CPF launches U.S. seafood subsidiary. (Biz Briefs).(Charoen Pokphand Foods, Aqua-Agri Foods International)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Seafood Enterprises, a subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc (CPF) of Thailand, has established Aqua-Agri Foods International. The new subsidiary, located in Wilmington, Del., is responsible for expanding the company's seafood distribution...

"Big Phil" added to Baltimore skyline. (Biz Briefs).(Phillips Foods unveils mascot)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Phillips Foods has built "Big Phil," a red neon crab that scales the 100-foot smokestack of the company's headquarters in Locust Point, Md. Big Phil was designed as a new landmark for Baltimore and can be seen by travelers on Interstate 95.

Shrimp R&D lab opens in San Diego. (Biz Briefs).(Aqua Bounty Pacific)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Aqua Bounty Farms has established Aqua Bounty Pacific, a California subsidiary focused on improving shrimp broodstock, immunostimulants and disease diagnostics. The new subsidiary is headed by Dr. Kurt Klimpel, the company's COO and chief...

Smoki purchases Wards Cove plants. (Biz Briefs).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Smoki Foods has purchased a processing plant in Seward, Alaska, from Wards Cove Packing Co. Rodger May, co-owner of Smoki Foods with his wife, Lisa, says management of the plant hasn't changed. May plans to expand the plant's processing from...

FPI to market Polar Foods: Polar's lobster product distribution to expand. (Supply).(Fisheriy Products International)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Fishery Products International of St. John's, Newfoundland, has become the exclusive marketing agent for Polar Foods of Prince Edward Island and one of Atlantic Canada's largest lobster producers. The arrangement, announced in mid-March,...

Virginia to test Asian oysters in Chesapeake Bay: fast-growing, sterile oyster may reach market in one year. (Supply).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Virginia Seafood Council this summer will seed select Chesapeake Bay oyster beds with the spat of 1 million fast-growing, disease-resistant, sterile Asian oysters. The project will determine whether the non-native oysters can provide a new...

Tri-Marine unloads its tuna and swordfish steak division: California company focuses on supplying tuna to canneries. (Processing).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... In an effort to grow its canned-tuna business, Tri-Marine International agreed in late February to sell its frozen tuna and swordfish steak division to Far Ocean Sea Products of Singapore. The deal, the terms of which were not disclosed,...

Facts & figures. (News Line).(Salmon catch statistics)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Facts & FIGURES 15.1 2001 Bristol Bay salmon catch, in millions of fish 11.1 2002 Bristol Bay salmon catch, in millions of fish 16.8 Projected 2003 Bristol Bay salmon catch, in millions of...

Consumer wins blue ribbon: Great Eastern Mussel Farms holds recipe contest. (Contest).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Prosciutto and Tarragon Mussels beat out more than 100 recipes to capture the blue ribbon in Great Eastern Mussel Farms' second mussel recipe contest. The Tenants Harbor, Maine, company held its first nationwide mussel recipe contest in...

Commerce lowers preliminary tariffs on U.S. imports of Vietnamese basa: basa imports remain idle despite tariff change. (Trade).(Catfish imports)
April 1, 2003... U.S. imports of Vietnamese basa had yet to resume in early March despite the Department of Commerce's Feb. 26 decision to lower preliminary tariffs from an average of 50 percent to 39 percent. Commerce placed preliminary tariffs on basa...

Show exhibitors donate seafood to Greater Boston Food Bank: demand for food donations soars during recession. (Philanthropy).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Exhibitors at the International Boston Seafood Show in mid-March donated an estimated 13,930 pounds of fresh seafood, equal to 10,715 high-protein meals, for The Greater Boston Food Bank to distribute in eastern Massachusetts. The donation...

Fish helps smokers. (Line Items).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A report in the medical journal Circulation shows that cigarette smokers may benefit from treatments of vitamin C and taurine, an amino acid found in all kinds of fish. The treatments increased the diameter of the smokers' blood vessels. Narrow...

Captain D's to open in Miss., Tenn. (Line Items).(seafood restaurants)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Captain D's Seafood has signed two franchise development agreements to open four restaurants in Mississippi and Tennessee over the next three years, increasing the company's restaurants to 570, of which 240 are franchised.

McCormick & Schmick's lands in airport. (Line Items).(New bar and grill)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... McCormick & Schmick's plans to open a bar and grill in Oregon's Portland International Airport later this year. Airport concessionaire Anton Airfood will operate the seafood restaurant.

Air cargo not cold enough. (Line Items).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... A study by Digital Observer LLC of Kodiak, Alaska, found that fresh fish shipped by air from Alaska is not being kept cold enough in transit. The study showed some packaged fish heated up when it reached 36,000 feet, and product sitting on the...

SuperTarget sells `fun' food: seafood and sushi top product lineup. (Retail).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Target Stores opened three new SuperTarget locations in Texas in early March, bringing its big box stores selling food and general merchandise to 102 locations across the United States. Seafood and sushi are among the perishables sold at...

Retailers overlook Hispanic market, says expert: simple promotions can capture big opportunities. (Marketing).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Seafood marketers are missing an enormous opportunity to increase seafood consumption among the growing Hispanic population, according to Dr. Felipe Korzenny, principal and cofounder of Cheskin, a marketing and consulting firm in Redwood...

Captain D's. (On the Tube).(Seafood restaurant)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Editor's Note: Reviews of national seafood advertising campaigns will be joining cookbook reviews as a semi-regular feature. Captain D's quick-service seafood chain has a great history, good seafood and a welcoming atmosphere where families...

In my kitchen. (News Line).(Wish Restaurant, Miami, Florida)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... E. Michael Reidt Executive chef Wish Restaurant Miami Beach, Fla. Restaurant concept: Contemporary French-Brazilian cuisine Years in business: Four Notable dishes: Arborio Crusted Oysters, Shrimp & Japanese Octopus Ceviche ...

Conditions point toward stable Thai tiger prices through 2003: rise in vannamei and freshwater shrimp production in Asia brings stability. (Shrimp).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Expect prices of black tiger shrimp from Thailand, the largest supplier of shrimp to the U.S. market, to hold firm in 2003, barring any unforeseen influences. In the first quarter of 2003, Thai tiger prices held steady in the mid-$6 range...

Halibut prices are higher than usual: tight inventories and below-average landings blamed. (Groundfish).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Expect fresh Pacific halibut to cost a little more this spring. Last year, prices opened in the mid-$3 range and dropped to the high-$2 range after the first month of the fishery. But this year, prices opened in the high-$3 range and...

Snow crab cluster prices remain firm: the start of Newfoundland's fishery this month couldn't come soon enough. (Shellfish).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Is relief on the way? Newfoundland's snow crab fishery opens this month, to the delight of shellfish dealers and buyers alike. Prices of 5- to 8-ounce clusters held firm at $4.50 to $4.60 in late March, up around $1 a pound from a year ago. ...

Sablefish prices are up: bad weather hinders black cod harvest. (Focus).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The Pacific Northwest sablefish fishery opened March 1 and is off to a slow start due to inclement weather. Limited availability, coupled with strong Japanese demand, kept prices firm. Alaska's sablefish harvest, which totaled about 700,000...

The spot market for Atlantics heats up: lent and tightening supplies increase demand and prices. (Salmon).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... The days of rock bottom prices and lackluster sales appear to be over, at least for now. The spot market for farmed Atlantic salmon was heating up last month as buyers scrambled to fill last-minute orders for Lenten promotions. As a...

Take the olive branch. (Editor's Note).(Southern Shrimp Industry)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... History was in the making during this year's International Boston Seafood Show, although you may have missed it if you didn't attend the SeaFood Business summit. The conference addressed the Southern shrimp industry and its struggle to...

Work together to ensure industry is represented. (Issues & Answers).
April 1, 2003... We are all familiar with the old adage "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." This old saying rings truest in Washington, D.C. Individuals, companies and organizations are the wheels in the great machine of our democracy, and those constituencies...

Brands can increase profits, provide stability. (Marketing Forum).
April 1, 2003... In this economy, developing a brand is more than likely at the bottom of the priority list. But it should be at the top. Now is the best time to develop a branding strategy to surpass weak competitors and strengthen market position. Seafood...

Boston holds title as Northeast Hub: Beantown is the birthplace of the seafood industry. (On the Road).
April 1, 2003... Boston's seafood community is shrouded in history, inspired by the future and walks a fine line between the old and the new. For hundreds of years, Boston has served as the place to buy and sell the harvest from the waters of New England...

Seattle retailer satisfies educated customers: the Wild Salmon Seafood Market strives to find quality product for educated clientele. (Seafood Star).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... It must have been fate that Jon Speltz stumbled upon a classified ad for a Seattle seafood market eight years ago. The market just down the street from his house was for sale as he and his wife, Paula Cassidy, searched for a small business...

Seafood restaurants hold the line on menu pricing: in tough economic times, restaurants focus on providing value. (Trend Watch).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... If you sat down in Hemenway's Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar in downtown Providence, R.I., a complimentary native Poposquash oyster with mango sauce would likely arrive at your table. Or, perhaps, a complimentary tasting glass of Riesling would be...

L.A. chef recreates Martha's Vineyard menu: Menemsha introduces New England cuisine to Tinseltown. (On the Menu).(Restaurant Review)
April 1, 2003... It's a long way from Los Angeles to Martha's Vineyard, Mass., and that's the whole point of Menemsha. Opened in November 2002 in the beach community of Venice, Calif., the new restaurant touts New England-style seafood specialties, from stuffed...

Quality control means quality seafood: a few quick tips on maintaining proper quality control within your seafood department. (SeaFood University).
April 1, 2003... In this fourth installment of the SeaFood University program, we'll concentrate on quality control. Often referred to as the backbone of running a successful seafood department, quality control procedures ensure that your product inventory is...

Blue swimming crab: first it was crabmeat, now it's softshells, as Asian product increasingly dominates the U.S. market. (Species Focus).
April 1, 2003... Gumbo, crawfish pie, shrimp etoufee, she-crab soup, fried catfish (preferably all you can eat)--Southern folks do love their seafood. The bayous and marshes from the Chesapeake to Galveston Bay harbor a rich cornucopia of seafood delights that...

Freshwater shrimp: the prawn struggles to keep its identity in a market experiencing growing pains. (Product Spotlight).
April 1, 2003... Freshwater shrimp wasn't well accepted when it first hit the U.S. market a few years ago. Initially, many retailers were turned off by its delicate flavor. However, a couple of big supermarket chains thought otherwise and valued the...

It's in the bag. (Packaging).(Vacuum-sealed fish steaks)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Hilo Fish Co. introduces retail packaging of its line of 14-ounce bags of individually vacuum-sealed tuna (steaks and medallions), swordfish steaks, shark steaks and tilapia fillets. The fish is packed in thick, 90-mil plastic bags with...

Tough and transparent. (Packaging).(coated packaging)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Coated packaging that protects against moisture and abrasion is available for frozen seafood from Cueto Packaging Products. After printing the carton with six-color, high-quality graphics, a protective polypropylene coating is applied to the...

No-mess lobster. (Value-Added).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Cozy Harbor introduces frozen lobster meat in a consumer-friendly, 7-ounce package for the retail market. Recipes are included on the tamper-evident package. Maine lobster is steamed with a computer-controlled process, then flash frozen with...

Tempting tempura. (Value-Added).(Marlin and tuna steaks)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Tempura naturals, pre-fried marlin and yellowfin tuna steaks with a tempura coating, are new from Ibromar and marketed as Toppy's Tempura Naturals. The product is produced in Indonesia and can be produced to a customer's size and flavor...

Sushi party. (Value-Added).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Copper River Seafoods introduces a smoked salmon sushi kit packaged for retail sale. The kit is designed to serve four people and includes 8 ounces of Copper River smoked salmon fillet, 8 ounces of Kokuho Rose sushi rice, 5 ounces Kikkoman soy...

King & Prince Seafood Corp. (People In The News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Cindy Hicks was promoted to production and inventory planning manager at King & Prince Seafood Corp. Hicks is responsible for monitoring and controlling all finished goods inventory levels and planning production for all King & Prince products....

Fishery Products International. (People In The News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Brian Halloran was appointed corporate chef/director of culinary at Fishery Products International. Halloran oversees day-to-day product development activities at the company's Danvers, Mass., plant. Halloran also provides culinary support to...

USCS. (People In The News).(United States Cold Storage appointment)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... United States Cold Storage's board of directors promoted David M. Harlan to president and CEO. Patrick W. Fitzpatrick was appointed senior vice president of operations and COO. Fitzpatrick, previously senior regional vice president in charge of...

United Salmon Association. (People In The News).(Marcia Lynn)
April 1, 2003... Marcia Lynn is the new administrative assistant for the United Salmon Association's Kodiak, Alaska, office. She takes over the position created by Erin Harrington, who is leaving to pursue a master's degree in seafood marketing. Lynn will help...

Rubio's Restaurants. (People In The News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Ira Falls, CFO for Rubio's Restaurants, resigned to take the position of VP of finance for Mimi's Cafe in Orange County, Calif. Rubio's corporate controller, Gary Allen, will serve as interim CFO.

NMFS. (People In The News).(United States National Marine Fisheries Service)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Roy E. Crabtree has been appointed administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service's Southeast Region. Crabtree brings more than 20 years of scientific, teaching, and managerial experience to the position.

Aquaculture Certification Council. (People In The News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... William R. "Bill" More was chosen as acting director of the Aquaculture Certification Council. More has 40 years' experience in global aquaculture, including management of processing plants, shrimp farms and hatcheries. He is also HACCP (hazard...

Yum! Brands. (People In The News).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Aylwin Lewis was promoted to the new role of president, chief multi-branding & operating officer for Yum! Brands. Lewis is responsible for global operations of the company's 32,650 KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, A&W and Long John Silver's...

Calendar 2003.(Seafood industry)(Calendar)
April 1, 2003... APRIL April 10 Listeria Control Workshop for Seafood Processors Virginia Beach, Va. Contact Kinda Mines National Fisheries Institute (703) 524-8880; fax (703) 524-4619 www.nfi.org April 11-15 Anuga KolnMesse...

Rob Ross: executive director, California Fisheries & Seafood Institute. (One On One).(Interview)
April 1, 2003... Walk up to a seafood counter in California these days and chances are the first thing you'll notice is a big "Warning!" sign that tells pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children not to eat swordfish and recommends they limit their...