Seafood Business articles from May 2005

Seafood Business archives from May 2005

A shift in the ratings.(Top Story)
May 1, 2005... In 2004, many family-run, private companies that are the mainstays of the seafood trade saw growth spurts. They now dominate the annual SeaFood Business list of Top 25 North American seafood suppliers. Trident Seafoods of Seattle, with...

USDA personalizes the food pyramid.(HEALTH)
May 1, 2005... In its newly revamped and personalized food pyramid, the U.S. Department of Agriculture advises Americans to eat more lean seafood than meat as they choose from the meat, poultry and bean food group. USDA on April 19 unveiled a new...

Seal hunt triggers boycott against Canadian seafood.(TRADE)
May 1, 2005... The Humane Society, the largest U.S. animal-rights group, in late March launched a boycott against Canadian seafood in protest of Atlantic Canada's commercial seal hunt, which it deems inhumane. By mid-April, Legal Sea Foods, a 31-restaurant...

Times expose finds farmed salmon labeled as wild.(Late NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... An expose that ran in the Sunday, April 10, edition of the New York Times revealed that some of the city's retailers are selling farmed salmon as higher-valued wild (see also Editor's Note and One Man's Opinion in this issue). On March 9,...

Senate, House spar over H-2B visa controversy.(Late NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Summer-dependent seafood employers were one step closer last month to rehiring foreign workers using H-2B visas. On April 19, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly (94-6) approved a measure allowing H-2B workers employed in any one of the past three...

Wal-Mart seeks farmed salmon eco-certification.(Late NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Wal-Mart is requiring its six farmed salmon suppliers to participate in a certification program the mega-retailer crafted with non-governmental organizations to address its concerns about environmental sustainability and social responsibility....

MSC clears Alaska pollock certification.(Late NEWS)(Marine Stewardship Council)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... An independent scientific panel dismissed environmental groups' objections to the Marine Stewardship Council certification of Gulf of Alaska pollock, clearing the way for the fishery to be certified and eligible for an eco-label, the MSC...

Taku, Stikine Rivers reopened after 30-year hiatus.(Late NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Seafood buyers hungry for wild Alaska salmon may benefit from the May 2 opening of the Taku and Stikine rivers in Southeast Alaska. The rivers have been closed to commercial fisherman for almost 30 years as part of a stock rebuilding program....

Fish City Grill to grow by franchising: Neighborhood Ventures plans to take its concept beyond Dallas-Ft. Worth.(FOODSERVICE)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Neighborhood Ventures is looking at franchising Fish City Grill, one of its two casual seafood concepts, to drive expansion of the concept beyond the Dallas-Ft. Worth area and possibly outside Texas. The Dallas company currently owns five...

Canada hits U.S. oysters, monkfish with tariffs: price of oysters expected to increase as a result.(TRADE)
May 1, 2005... Canada hit six U.S. products, including oysters, monkfish and frozen tilapia, with a 15-percent tariff, effective May 1, in retaliation against the Byrd Amendment, a 5-year-old U.S. law that allows domestic producers to collect antidumping...

Morey's Seafood International sold its New Mexico location to Seattle Fish Co. of New Mexico, which is owned by Red River Ventures.(Biz BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Morey's Seafood International sold its New Mexico location to Seattle Fish Co. of New Mexico, which is owned by Red River Ventures. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Tampa Maid Foods was named seafood vendor of the year by Kroger, one of the nation's largest retail grocery chains.(Biz BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Tampa Maid Foods was named seafood vendor of the year by Kroger, one of the nation's largest retail grocery chains. The Florida processor produces Kroger brand breaded shrimp, shrimp scampi and calamari.

Icicle Seafoods.(acquisitions of Woodbine Plant)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Icicle Seafoods recently acquired a Bristol Bay salmon cannery called the Woodbine Plant in Egegik, Alaska. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Taylor Shellfish Farms.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Taylor Shellfish Farms of Shelton, Wash., won the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2005 Award For Excellence In Business Leadership In Coastal And Ocean Resource Management.

Ocean Cuisine International presented Foresight Sales & Marketing of Phoenix and CDC Food Brokerage of Willow Grove, Pa.(Biz BRIEFS)
May 1, 2005... Ocean Cuisine International presented Foresight Sales & Marketing of Phoenix and CDC Food Brokerage of Willow Grove, Pa., its Brokers of the Year Award in the national category for their service and dedication in 2004.

Hanson Logistics.(Biz BRIEFS)
May 1, 2005... Hanson Logistics, a provider of technology-based temperature-controlled logistics, moved its corporate headquarters to 2900 South State St., Suite 4 East, St. Joseph, MI 49085, telephone (269) 982-1390, www.hansonlogisticsgroup.com.

Trans-Ocean Products, a Bellingham, Wash., processor, named CDS of Elmhurst, III, its 2004 Broker of the Year award winner.(Biz BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Trans-Ocean Products, a Bellingham, Wash., processor, named CDS of Elmhurst, III, its 2004 Broker of the Year award winner. CDS markets Trans-Ocean products to retail and foodservice accounts throughout the upper Midwest.

Fjord rears its first batch of 'Ecosmolt' fish: recirculating technology uses less water, eliminates need for antibiotics.(AQUACULTURE)
May 1, 2005... Four-million smolt, the first batch Fjord Seafood has hatched and reared using a new environmentally friendly process, will be transferred into ocean pens this year. The process involves a system that filters, cleans and recirculates...

Eating champ breaks her own oyster record: Louisiana bivalves capture the limelight at annual Acme World Championship.(MARKETING)(oyster eater Sonya Thomas)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Competitive eater Sonya Thomas ate 46-dozen Louisiana oysters in 10 minutes to win the 2005 Acme World Oyster-Eating Championship in late March, smashing the world record she set in last year's contest by downing 36-dozen oysters. The...

Miami smokehouse shut down: Listeria taints SeaSpecialties salmon products.(FOOD SAFETY)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... SeaSpecialties agreed on April 14 to halt operations at its Miami smoking facility until the Food and Drug Administration verifies that the plant is HACCP (hazard analysis critical control point) compliant and free of the bacteria Listeria...

Facts & figures.(News LINE)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
May 1, 2005... Facts & FIGURES 1969 Year the first Long John Silver's opened 3.8 Approximate number of guests LJS serves per week, in millions 1,200 ...

Shells opens its first new restaurant in six years: Florida chain seeks financing to refurbish remaining locations, open new ones.(FOODSERVICE)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Shells Seafood Restaurants opened its first new location since 1999 in Clearwater Beach, Fla., this spring, an indication the beleaguered chain, which hasn't turned a profit since 2002, is finally turning the corner. The restaurant, the...

Cooke nets Stolt's East Coast operations: the New Brunswick salmon farmer is also eyeing Heritage Salmon.(AQUACULTURE)
May 1, 2005... Cooke Aquaculture agreed in mid-April to acquire rival Stolt Sea Farm's East Coast operations. The deal, which is expected to close by the end of May, would make the St. George, New Brunswick, company the East Coast's largest farmed-salmon...

Philly landmark reopens.(Line ITEMS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Old Original Bookbinders, a Philadelphia seafood-restaurant institution since 1865, is back in business after a three-year shutdown. Part of a $21-million renovation, Bookbinders sports a new look in a 13,000-square-foot dining space that seats...

Another blow for trans fats.(Line ITEMS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... King & Prince Seafood Corp. joins the vanguard of processors reducing trans fats in their fried products. The company invested in new fryers, so the product absorbs less oil during par frying. It also converted to cottonseed oil, which is...

When zero means a lot.(Line ITEMS)
May 1, 2005... The Frozen Food Foundation is promoting cold chain integrity with the message "0[degrees] F: Nothing Tastes Better." The slogan, part of the new group's first educational initiative, stresses the link between proper product temperature and...

U.S. Gulf of Mexico fishery off to a productive start: tsunami's impact on South Asia's broodstock supply will catch up to the U.S. market soon.(SHRIMP)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The U.S. Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery yielded 7.7 million pounds in the first two months of 2005, up 486,000 pounds from the same two-month period in 2004 and up 790,000 pounds from the three-year average. Expect landings to increase once...

Alaska's Copper River fishery is here: Oregon's king fleet faces steep cuts in fishing days.(SALMON)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Alaska's Copper River salmon fishery is expected to kick off May 16. The state Department of Fish and Game usually makes the announcement a week before the prized fishery is due to open. On opening day in 2004, most fishermen received $4.25...

Catfish supplies are tight: expect tilapia prices to ease this year.(FINFISH)
May 1, 2005... Domestic catfish supplies are expected to remain tight through the end of 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's semiannual Aquaculture Outlook, released in late March. At the beginning of 2005, the number of market-sized...

Japan eyes black cod: prices, demand are down overseas.(PREVIEW)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... U.S. buyers are keeping a close eye on Japan's interest in Alaska's fishery for sablefish, or black cod, this month. Japan usually replenishes its sablefish inventories after Golden Week, a string of four Japanese holidays between April 29...

Newfoundland crabbers at a standstill: Oregon's Dungeness landings top 31 million pounds through early April.(SHELLFISH)
May 1, 2005... On April 13, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans increased the snow crab quota in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence from 26,600 metric tons in 2004 to 32,336 metric tons in 2005. The fishery opened April 16 and is due to close July 16....

Know what's in your seafood case.(Editor's NOTE)(Editorial)
May 1, 2005... It goes without saying that, if you're a retailer, you should know what you're selling. But considering the deception that goes on in the seafood industry, even an educated buyer can be duped now and then. Take, for example, the "Substitute...

Clarification.(Editor's NOTE)(Correction Notice)
May 1, 2005... The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board did not leave the International Boston Seafood Show early, despite what some readers may have inferred by the association's feature in the SeaFood Business Boston Seafood Show wrap-up...

Value-adding takes a nasty twist in New York.(One Man's OPINION)(Editorial)
May 1, 2005... This summer, more and more retailers and foodservice operators will jump aboard the wild-salmon bandwagon--especially if the fish is fresh and has red meat (think king, sockeye and coho). If it's boneless, that's an added bonus. But...

Seafood industry's future is tied to aquaculture.(NFI FORUM)(National Fisheries Institute)
May 1, 2005... Most Americans' vision of aquaculture might be a scene from an old sci-fi thriller about an underwater universe of farmed plants and animals. In reality, farmers have been growing water plants and animals for thousands of years. And aquaculture...

Don't let sales ebb when red tide hits: educate consumers about the causes and effects of this natural event.(Seafood FAQ)
May 1, 2005... To the average beachgoer, red tide--a naturally occurring phenomenon that affects the nation's shores year-round--is nothing more than a nuisance. But to seafood restaurateurs and retailers, red tide can be bad for business. When state...

Carb craze shifts to a focus on overall nutrition: consumers are finding that healthful dieting is more complex than just counting carbohydrates.(Trend WATCH)
May 1, 2005... Down, but not yet out, the low-carb-diet trend continues to pull in consumers, albeit at a slower rate than at its peak in early 2004. It appears people are looking beyond just carbs and are considering a number of factors, including fat...

Oceana's menu draws from global pantry: Cornelius Gallagher sources fresh seafood the world over to pair with seasonal bounty.(On the MENU)
May 1, 2005... Global seafood is the niche that Executive Chef Cornelius Gallagher has helped carve out for Oceana, and that approach informs everything from purchasing to menu development at the New York City restaurant. "I didn't set out to specialize...

The right image can spark sales: do consumers see your product as an attractive meal option or dead fish on ice?(SeaFood UNIVERSITY)
May 1, 2005... Some departments in American grocery stores are changing rapidly, their evolution fueled by smart marketing and positioning strategies that capture consumers' attention. Sadly, for the most part, the seafood department is not among them. ...

Swordfish: the industry struggles to retain market share amid methylmercury and overfishing concerns.(Species FOCUS)
May 1, 2005... The swordfish industry is fighting to alleviate consumer concern about methylmercury, which has jumped to the forefront of the public-relations battle to retain market share. Since 2001, the Food and Drug Administration has warned pregnant...

Croaker: this bony bycatch has a loyal following in the Southeast and the potential for larger markets.(Product SPOTLIGHT)
May 1, 2005... Croaker has a bit of an image problem. The fish is bony, it's sometimes considered bycatch, and its name isn't particularly appetizing. But thanks to its lean, tender flesh and near-sweet taste, croaker remains popular with many U.S....

Tampa Maid Foods.(People IN THE NEWS)(Mike Bury; Jim Veclotch; Ty Barber)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Three new appointments were made to Tampa Maid's sales force. Mike Bury, most recently with Icelandic USA, was appointed sales manager of national accounts, responsible for business within Technomics' Top 200 chain accounts. Jim Veclotch,...

PanaPesca.(People IN THE NEWS)(Steve Becker)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Steve Becker joined PanaPesca USA Corp. as a regional sales manager. Becker, who has 18 years' experience in the seafood industry, was formerly a regional sales manager for Clearwater Seafoods of Canada.

King & Prince.(People IN THE NEWS)(Louis Hughes)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Louis Hughes, quality-control manager for King & Prince Seafood Corp., was elected president of the Georgia Association for Food Protection for 2005. The non-profit organization, whose 400-plus members represent industry, government and...

Marine Stewardship Council.(People IN THE NEWS)(Appointed Will Martin as Chairman)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Elected chairman of the Marine Stewardship Council's board of trustees in March was Will Martin, succeeding the Right Honorable John Gummer, who stepped down after eight years in the position. Joining Martin on the board are new members Murray...

AKMA.(People IN THE NEWS)(Cheryl Cummings)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Alaska Manufacturers' Association named Cheryl Cummings managing director. She was previously marketing director for the group. In her new role, Cummings will manage and implement the Alaska Quality Seafood Program statewide.

Ossid Corp.(People IN THE NEWS)(Mike White)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Mike White is now operations manager for Ossid Corp., a manufacturer of high-speed wrapping, tray-lidding and weighing/pricing/labeling machinery.

Cameron Mitchell.(People IN THE NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Cameron Mitchell Restaurants executives presented the following awards to its management team: General Manager of the Year, Mark Weiss, Mitchell's Fish Market in Birmingham, Mich.; Executive Chef of the Year, Brian Hinshaw of M in Columbus,...

Tubular treats.(VALUE-ADDED)
May 1, 2005... Intershell International Corp., winner of the International Boston Seafood Show New Product Competition for best new foodservice item, developed Seafood Naturals[TM], fully cooked, 8-ounce portions of pasteurized seafood in a 1 1/4-inch tube....

Hungry man's shrimp.(VALUE-ADDED)
May 1, 2005... Samband of Iceland[R] introduces Big Bob's Belly Buster Colossal Shrimp. Available in round and butterfly U/10 styles, the shrimp feature a light tempura batter that gives a delicate crunch while allowing the natural flavor to come through. The...

Perfect pasta.(VALUE-ADDED)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Phillips Foods presents a new line of frozen seafood-and-pasta entrees in three varieties: Penne Alfredo with Shrimp, Penne Pesto with Crab and White Wine Risotto with Shrimp. Loaded with premium shrimp, blue-swimming-crab meat and vegetables,...

Island fare.(VALUE-ADDED)(Wonton Shrimp)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Joining Ocean Cuisine International's Tiki Island Shrimp[TM] line is Wonton Shrimp[TM], featuring straight 21/25 shrimp coated with shreds of crunchy wontons. The shrimp deep fry in 2 minutes or bake in 5 minutes. They are sold in four 3-pound...

Clean and fast.(LABELING)
May 1, 2005... Koch Equipment introduces the new MATRIX[TM] Crossweb package labeler. Designed to meet or exceed the AMI sanitary design criteria, the MATRIX can be installed on virtually any form/fill/seal roll-stock and reportedly increases...

Easy rotation.(LABELING)
May 1, 2005... A customized, preprinted-label and labeler system from Paxar Corp. makes food rotation more cost effective. The FreshMarx[TM] Monarch[R] 1152[TM] handheld labeler features individual bands that allow the user to set and print an employee...

Calendar 2005.(Calendar)
May 1, 2005... May 9-13 World Aquaculture 2005 Bali International Convention Center Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia Sponsored by the World Aquaculture Society www.was.org/meetings/ ConferenceInfo.asp?Meeting Code=WA2005 May 10-12 Seafood Expo Latin America...

Brad Birnberg: COO, Joey's Seafood & Grill.(One ON ONE)(Interview)
May 1, 2005... The restaurant business is a family thing for Brad Birnberg. It was no surprise, then, that in 1993 he joined Embers America Restaurants, a company his father co-founded in 1956 with the father of Joey's Only Seafood Restaurants CEO David...