Seafood Business articles from August 2003

Seafood Business archives from August 2003

Turnaround for tuna?(Top Story)(generic marketing campaign by StarKist, Bumble Bee Seafoods LLC and Chicken of the Sea)
August 1, 2003... US. canned tuna producers finally have cause for celebration--for the first time in more than a decade. As the industry marks its centennial anniversary this year, the top three producers--StarKist, Bumble Bee Seafoods LLC and Chicken of...

Red Lobster 'shares the love' to create a new image.(Marketing)
August 1, 2003... Red Lobster launched a new, $60 million advertising campaign and brand identity on July 7. As part of its identity change, the 673-restaurant chain dropped its "Go Overboard" campaign, which featured amusing commercials portraying diners'...

DOC opts to keep inspection in house.(Safety)(Department of Commerce reverses privatization plans for seafood inspection)
August 1, 2003... The seafood industry and its supporters in Congress successfully lobbied the U.S. Department of Commerce to reverse its plans to privatize the Seafood Inspection Program. The National Marine Fisheries Service operates the program, which...

Chicken of the Sea buys Empress.(Late News)(Thai Union International, owner of Chicken of the Sea)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Thai Union International, owner of Chicken of the Sea, acquired Empress International, a large importer and distributor of frozen shrimp and other seafood, on July 24. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition will allow Chicken...

ITC sides with domestic catfish farmers.(Late News)(U.S. International Trade Commission favors United States over Vietnam)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled late last month that the domestic catfish industry was injured by imports of Vietnamese basa and tra. The ITC ruling, announced July 23, essentially delivered final judgment in the case brought by...

Red Lobster opens in Times Square.(Late News)(New York City)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Red Lobster opened a three-story restaurant in New York City's Ernst & Young Building on July 22. The prime location--5 Times Square, at the corner of 7th Avenue and 41st Street--is part of the company's expansion in New York's boroughs. A...

Nutrition Facts labels to include trans-fat content.(Late News)(changes announced by Food and Drug Administration )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Food manufacturers and some makers of dietary supplements will be required to include the trans-fatty-acid content of products on the Nutrition Facts panel. The Food and Drug Administration announced the change on July 9. The additional...

McCormick & Schmick's summer promo highlights Alaska's Bristol Bay salmon: slush-ice system produces top-quality fish that fetches premium price.(Foodservice)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... McCormick & Schmick's restaurant chain promoted Bristol Bay Alaska salmon with special menu items and national advertising from June 20 to late July. The Portland, Ore., restaurant company featured sockeye and king salmon fillets grilled...

Salmon becomes first wild-caught product to carry "California-grown" label: fishermen, processors use label to distinguish their product from competition.(Marketing)(partnership of the industry and the state)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... California fishermen and processors are packaging whole king salmon in plastic bags labeled "California Grown" in an effort to differentiate their product in the marketplace. The label, which looks like an old blue California license plate...

Sea Watch International.(celebrates 25th anniversary)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Sea Watch International, a leading U.S. supplier of clams and clam products founded in 1978 in Milford, Del., celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co's.(wins Best Seafood Product for 2003)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co's Pemaquid Point Lobster Pot Pie was declared the Best Seafood Product for 2003 in the Product Awards Competition at the Fancy Food Show in New York City in early July.

Preferred Freezer Services.(opens new cold storage facility)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Preferred Freezer Services opened its second state-of-the-art Northeast cold-storage facility in Raynham, Mass., which is also the company's 10th facility nationwide.

Trident Seafoods Corp.(received an Export Achievement Certificate)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Trident Seafoods Corp. last month received an Export Achievement Certificate from U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans, who recognized several Alaska businesses for significant global-export sales.

IncredibleFresh.(moved into new facility)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... IncredibleFresh moved its wholesale seafood operation into a brand-new 20,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse, processing and distribution center at 7560 NW 43rd St. in Miami.

Trolled albacore gets plug: industry urges users to think "beyond the can".(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The West Coast troll-caught albacore tuna industry began a big push this summer to expand into new markets by educating chefs and home cooks about its fresh, frozen and specialty canned product. Albacore caught by troll gear near the...

Tariffs on Chinese crawfish reinstated for five more years: importers, buyers try to convince the ITC to revoke the penalty.(Trade)
August 1, 2003... The International Trade Commission voted on July 15 to keep tariffs on Chinese crawfish tail meat in place for another five years. The tariffs, ranging from 8 percent to 223 percent, were imposed in 1997 when the Crawfish Processors...

Whitefish guide will give buyers an edge.(Off the Shelf)("Alaska Whitefish Buyer's Guide" from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The comprehensive, 22-page "Alaska Whitefish Buyer's Guide" from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is designed to educate foodservice operators about all aspects of the state's pollock, cod, sablefish, halibut and various sole species. ...

Facts & figures.(News Line)(2001 average household spending for seafood, poultry, meat, tobacco and alcoholic beverages)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Facts & FIGURES 114 Average amount U.S. households spent on seafood at retail in 2001, in dollars 152 Average amount U.S. households spent on chicken at retail in 2001, in dollars 177 Average...

Lobster conspiracy busted: two exporters face imprisonment, steep fines.(Enforcement)(illegal lobster exported from Nicaragua to Neptune Fisheries, United States)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Two seafood exporters face up to five years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for their role in a conspiracy that exported 190,000 pounds of undersized spiny lobster worth $2.8 million from Nicaragua to the United States....

Jimmy Buffet-inspired shrimp from FPI a hit at club stores nationwide: Margaritaville Shrimp to roll out in Northeast supermarkets early next year.
August 1, 2003... Fishery Products International of St. John's, Newfoundland, is using the images of leisure conveyed by the 1977 Jimmy Buffet hit "Margaritaville" to market its new retail line of value-added shrimp. Sales of Margaritaville Shrimp have...

More seafood on Olive Garden menu.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Olive Garden, Darden Restaurants' Italian casual-dining chain, has added some seafood items to its menu. Salmon Piccata, a new signature entree featuring salmon with a white wine and lemon sauce, capers and fresh lemon, will be a permanent...

Maine lobster is favorite seafood.(among 35% of respondents to poll)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Thirty-five percent of the 1 million respondents in Food & Wine magazine's second annual Food in America poll said that Maine lobster is their favorite seafood. Poll results appeared in the publication's August issue.

Alaska Airlines serves sockeye.(partnership with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Through a partnership with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Alaska Airlines last month began serving Alaska sockeye salmon to first-class passengers on East and West coast flights. The airline's upgraded, cyclical menu will ensure that...

IBSS to run Sunday through Tuesday in March 2004: show organizers gear up for move to new site in '05.(Trade Show)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Some big changes are in store for buyers and exhibitors at the annual International Boston Seafood Show. In March 2004, show days and hours will be different, and the following year, the event will move to the new Boston Convention and...

Thai tiger farmers ask their government to control prices: Hurricane Claudette delays the start of the Texas shrimp fishery.(tiger shrimp)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Prices of Thai black tigers could rise in the foreseeable future. Early last month, Thai farmers asked their government to help prevent cheaper tiger imports from India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and China, which have increased considerably this...

Alaska pollock supplies are plentiful: halibut prices hold firm due to strong demand.(Groundfish)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Supplies of Alaska pollock are ample, thanks to a productive Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands fishery and a decline in U.S. exports. About a month into Season B, catcher/processors and inshore vessels delivering to shoreside plants were...

More king crab may be on the way: Newfoundland's snow crab harvest winds down this month.
August 1, 2003... The Bristol Bay red king crab catch may increase by 25 percent this year if a survey conducted this summer indicates the crab population is strong enough to support a larger harvest. The Alaska Board of Fisheries made the announcement in...

Crawfish prices soar: supplies of Chinese tail meat tighten.(Focus)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Prices of Chinese crawfish tail meat have increased 30 to 40 percent in the past six to nine months. Tight supplies are largely to blame. Through May, U.S. imports of Chinese crawfish, which totaled 1 million pounds, were down 40 percent from...

West Coast troll kings are a bargain: demand for Atlantics is sluggish amid competition from wild product.(Salmon fisheries)
August 1, 2003... Erratic weather on the West Coast has made it difficult for California king-salmon trollers to fish this season. In late July, they were forced to tie up for several days. However, the timing couldn't be better, because ex-vessel prices...

Food is not a controlled substance.(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... There has been a steady effort recently to blame restaurants and food manufacturers for the growing obesity problem in America. Consumer advocates and lawyers recently held a two-day summit in Boston titled "Conference on Legal Approaches to...

More farmed-salmon facts.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... I recently read your "Top Story" in the June 2003 edition: "Farmed salmon: Fact or fiction." I appreciate your efforts to dispel myths perpetrated by organizations opposed to any form of aquaculture. As your story points out, many of the myths...

Advocacy groups call shots in fisheries science.
August 1, 2003... In science, there are no final answers. Science is, by its very nature, revisionist, changing as new theories are tested and new findings are validated. In the seafood industry, shifting science challenges us as we struggle to manage fisheries,...

U.S. crawfish industry is in the gumbo.
August 1, 2003... Louisiana crawfish processors cheered in 1997 when U.S. antidumping authorities hit imports of low-priced Chinese frozen crawfish tail meat with tariffs as high as 201 percent. This was "a huge victory," said Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry...

Cooking classes give seafood retailers an edge: seafood departments report marked sales spike after teaching shoppers how to prepare a featured species.
August 1, 2003... Once a month, 40 Central Market customers pack into a classroom at the gourmet grocery store in Austin, Texas, for a two-and-a-half-hour Seafood 101 class. They learn how to judge freshness when buying seafood as well as how to fillet fish,...

Desert Sweet Shrimp an Arizona oasis: Gary Wood diversifies his sales approach to compete with low-cost shrimp imports.(Company Profile)
August 1, 2003... Gary Wood was considered crazy by many in the seafood industry when he developed a shrimp-broodstock operation in the middle of the Arizona desert about 10 years ago. It was by chance that Wood discovered he could produce succulent, sweet...

Koi 'bolds up' Asian flavors for Angelenos' palates: at this unique LA seafood restaurant, Pan-Asian cuisine becomes California-style fusion.
August 1, 2003... East meets West on the menu at Koi, a year-old restaurant in Los Angeles that specializes in creative sushi and other Japanese-influenced seafood inspirations. That's not to say that Koi is a sushi bar, by any means. Owner-brothers Nick...

Good service keeps customers coming back: attentiveness, education and suggestive selling are all part of the service package.
August 1, 2003... It's hard to find good help these days." This often-heard statement usually follows the account of an unfortunate experience with retail counter staff who is supposed to render customer service. Instead of assisting customers by taking...

Tilapia: production keeps increasing, but suppliers manage to keep prices stable.
August 1, 2003... We don't want to end up like the salmon guys," is the common refrain heard these days from companies in the tilapia business. Considering the plight of the salmon farmers in places like Norway, where prices are at their lowest levels since...

Mako shark: mako has established an identity as a versatile, low-cost steak fish.
August 1, 2003... Chefs and retailers nationwide are finally recognizing mako shark as more than just a swordfish substitute. They are featuring the fish on menus and at seafood counters whenever it's available. Its resemblance to sword in taste and texture...

Processing machinery: the latest designs in seafood-processing equipment focus on procedural efficiency.(Equipment Focus)
August 1, 2003... In the still-downturned economy, seafood processors have learned to cut out the fat in more ways than one. With increasing emphasis on maximized output, processing equipment is geared to making the best use of fish in the simplest and most...

FPI.(Steve Spinelli joins Fishery Products International)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Steve Spinelli joined Fishery Products International as manager of fresh fish sales and procurement. He brings to the job more than 20 years of fresh-seafood sales and brokerage experience at A&S Associates seafood brokerage, Clouston Foods,...

Aquafarms.(Jason Paine replaces Jim Ruos)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Jason Paine assumed the role of general manager, U.S.A., and VP of sales and marketing for Aquafarms International in Miami, replacing Jim Ruos, who has left the company.

Seafood Producers Co-op.(hired Thomas M. McLaughlin to succeed Barry S. Lester)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Seafood Producers Cooperative hired Thomas M. McLaughlin as president and CEO, succeeding Barry S. Lester, whose contract expires Dec. 31, 2003. McLaughlin comes to the co-op with more than 30 years' experience in the food industry, most...

Shells.(Leslie Christon named CEO and president of Shells Seafood Restaurants)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Casual-dining veteran Leslie Christon was named CEO and president of Shells Seafood Restaurants. She was formerly president and COO of Sutton Place Gourmet, owner of Hay Day Markets, Balducci's and Sutton Place Gourmet. Before that she was...

Fulton's Crab House.(Franklin Walason Jr. appointed executive chef)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Franklin Walason Jr. was appointed executive chef of Fulton's Crab House in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. He was previously chef of Lombard's Seafood Grille, a 400-seat restaurant at Universal Studios Florida and Walt Disney World's Epcot Center.

NESPA.(New England Seafood Producers Association names Corey Lewandowski executive director)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The New England Seafood Producers Association has named Corey Lewandowski executive director to lead the association into its second year. Lewandowski will oversee all aspects of NESPA's operations, membership outreach and development and media...

OOCL.(employee changes at Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Philip Chow, president of North America Trade Management and OOCL (USA) was appointed COO of Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. He will relocate to OOCLL's Hong Kong headquarters and over-see all the company's territorial trade businesses....

NOAA.(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employee of the year Dan Torquemada and Guy Holt)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recognized Special Agent Dan Torquemada as employee of the year for leading development of methods to assess compliance with Endangered Species Act regulations. Torquemada has been with NOAA's...

Maine Lobster Promotion Council.(Susan Barber resigns)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Executive Director Susan Barber tendered her resignation from the Maine Lobster Promotion Council, effective Sept. 8. Barber, who was head of the council for 10 and one-half years, plans to move to St. Petersburg, Fla., with her husband.

Institute of Food Technologists.(Barbara Byrd Kennan replaces Daniel E. Weber)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Barbara Byrd Keenan was appointed executive VP for the Institute of Food Technologists, replacing Daniel E. Weber, who retired.

Consumer-friendly cookware.(Packaging)
August 1, 2003... The Voridian division of Eastman Chemical Co. now offers retailers direct access to Versatray[R] cookware. The branded, dual-ovenable, plastic food trays let consumers heat packaged food in a microwave or conventional oven and serve it in the...

Freshness in the bag.(Packaging)
August 1, 2003... Sealed Air's Cryovac[R] 10K OTR seafood bag complies with the Food and Drug Administration's permeability-rate guidelines for vacuum-packaged fresh fish. With the Cryovac[R] 10K OTR bag, fresh finfish can be chilled quickly with an ice brine...

Safe seals.(Packaging)
August 1, 2003... PTI Seal-Scan systems detect invisible defects in the seals of retort, pouched seafood products. A manual Seal-Scan system inspects the seal with a moving sensor, producing an image of any defect and a summary of its location. Seal-Scan 550, a...

Fire up the grill.(Value-Added)
August 1, 2003... Slade Gorton highlights its convenient, grill-ready Gourmet Bay[R] line of marinated salmon products, including Salmon With Bourbon Marinade, featuring bayou seasonings; Salmon With Orange-Ginger Glaze for a spicy-sweet flavor; and Salmon With...

Squat lobster goes retail.(Value-Added)
August 1, 2003... Ambassador Seafoods now offers Silver Net Brand frozen lobster chunks for retail. Made of 100 percent tail meat from squat lobsters (Pleuroncodes planipes) harvested off El Salvador, the bite-sized chunks are easily prepared from frozen. They...

Rob George: owner, The Crab Broker.(One On One)(Interview)
August 1, 2003... As the seafood industry continues to consolidate and the big fish get bigger, there are still a surprising number of small fish who have carved out profitable niches. Rob George, a.k.a. The Crab Broker, is one of them. Whether it's riding out...