Seafood Business articles from September 2008

Seafood Business archives from September 2008

Wild-caught, farmed-raised dilutes marketing message.(Editor's Note)
September 1, 2008... I have a gripe with the government (who doesnt.). Somewhere on the long and winding road to Country of Origin Labeling (COOL: mandatory for seafood sold at large retailers since April 2005, for those of you that need a reminder), Americans have...

Currence crowned King of American Seafood: Landry, Campbell round out top three winners of fifth annual competition.(competition)
September 1, 2008... Chef John Currence of City Grocery restaurant in Oxford, Miss., was crowned King of American Seafood at the 2008 Great American Seafood Cook-Off during the Louisiana Foodservice Expo in New Orleans early last month. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Rockfish acquired by Texas investors: casual seafood concept to be expanded.(foodservice)
September 1, 2008... Three Texas-based private-equity firms and individual investor Henry Leonard acquired Rockfish Seafood Grill early last month. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded by Randy DeWitt in Plano, Texas, in 1998, Rockfish operates 14...

Shrimp remains atop 2007 Top 10 list: Tilapia exceeds 1-pound benchmark.(supply)
September 1, 2008... Nearly all of the most popular seafood species consumed in the United States held their respective positions on the National Fisheries Institute's Top 10 list for 2007, released in late July. The top nine species on the McLean, Va.,...

American Seafoods Group.(Biz BRIEFS)
September 1, 2008... American Seafoods Group acquired the factory trawler Highland Light and the fishing vessel Tracy Anne from subsidiaries of Yardarm Knot of Seattle.

Great Eastern Mussel Farms.(Biz BRIEFS)
September 1, 2008... Great Eastern Mussel Farms of Tenants Harbor, Maine, ceased operations and laid off its 40 full-time employees. The company blamed its demise on increased regulatory challenges, rising energy costs and competition from Canada.

Phillips Foods.(Biz BRIEFS)
September 1, 2008... Phillips Foods was awarded a U.S. patent for its Culinary Crab[TM] crabmeat. The product is a formulation of large lumps of crabmeat made from smaller pieces.

Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association.(Biz BRIEFS)
September 1, 2008... The Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association of Anchorage, Alaska, purchased the western Aleutian Islands golden king crab processor quota from Unisea, Royal Aleutian Seafoods and Westward Seafoods and, with Atxam Corp.,...

Great Bay Aquaculture.(Biz BRIEFS)
September 1, 2008... Great Bay Aquaculture in Portsmouth, N.H., and the University of New Hampshire in Durham will receive funding totaling almost $940,000 for aquaculture research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Heartland Catfish acquires Southern Pride: USDA audit criticizes hurricane aid dispersal to catfish farms.(supply)
September 1, 2008... Heartland Catfish Co. last month acquired Southern Pride Catfish of Greensboro, Ala., from American Seafoods Group of Seattle. As of Sept. 1, Heartland assumed operational control of Southern Pride, one of the nation's largest catfish...

Site supports tilapia consumption: producers decry Wake Forest inflammation study.(health)
September 1, 2008... Tropical Aquaculture Products of Rutland, Vt., in early August launched www. abouttilapia.com, a Web site supporting tilapia producers by providing information about the species to buyers and consumers [see Top 10 Species, p. 32]. The...

Oceana presses retailers on mercury advisory: Costco among retailers warning consumers about the neurotoxin.(retail)
September 1, 2008... The Washington, D.C.-based conservation group Oceana released a report early last month titled "Super Markets" that claims 36 percent of major supermarkets nationwide, or about 6,400 stores, post the federal mercury advisory at their seafood...

Bonefish Grill.(Line ITEMS)(Bonefish Grill raises fund for Ocean Trust )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Bonefish Grill launched a TV series "Notes from the Road" featuring performances of touring U.S. musicians and highlighting ocean conservation foundation Ocean Trust. Each hour-long episode is shot on location at a Bonefish restaurant. The...

National Catfish Month.(Line ITEMS)
September 1, 2008... In celebration of National Catfish Month in August, the nation's top catfish producing states chose recipients of the "Catfish Farmers of the Year" award: John Williamson of Alabama, Charles Robb of Arkansas, Harris Russell of Mississippi and...

Margaret McLellan.(Line ITEMS)
September 1, 2008... Margaret McLellan, corporate chef of Shucks Maine Lobster and Native Maine Produce, was dubbed "2008 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year" at the Governor's Tasting and Cook-Off at the Blaine House in Augusta, Maine. McLellan's winning dish was Maine...

Giant Food.(Line ITEMS)
September 1, 2008... Giant Food, which is operated by Royal Ahold, has stopped selling shark, orange roughy and Chilean sea bass until the species' populations rebound. The Landover, Md.-based retailer, with about 184 stores in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and...

Tomalley advisory stymies lobster sales: lobster meat is safe, but warning causes marketplace confusion.(food safety)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory warning consumers to avoid eating tomalley stymied sales of live American lobster early last month. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Acting on similar advisories issued earlier this summer in New...

Clearwater Seafoods going private: Canadian supplier's profits drop 18 percent.(supply)
September 1, 2008... Clearwater Seafoods Income Fund in mid-August announced that it agreed to take the Bedford, Nova Scotia, company under private ownership. Under terms of the agreement, CS Acquisition Limited Partnership, owned by a consortium led by...

MSC market value nears $1 billion: Canadian fisheries covet seafood eco-label.(supply)
September 1, 2008... The Marine Stewardship Council last month announced that the retail value of seafood products bearing its eco-label is approaching $1 billion. This marks the second consecutive year of growth of around 100 percent in market value. Demand...

For love of tuna.(Off THE SHELF)(Tuna: A Love Story)(Brief article)(Book review)
September 1, 2008... In his ode to tuna, author Richard Ellis provides readers with everything they would ever want to know about the second most consumed seafood species in the United States. In "Tuna: A Love Story," Ellis covers all varieties of tuna, from...

Get used to changes in China.(One Man's Opinion)(seafood industry in China)
September 1, 2008... The recent Olympics in Beijing gave China a chance to showcase its remarkable economic progress to 4 billion people around the world. Those fortunate Olympic attendees saw glittering new skyscrapers and shopping centers. The swarms of black...

Vannamei prices finally stabilize after rising 20 percent: 'classic market correction' occurs after four-month price run-up; supplies remain adequate.(shrimp)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Prices of Pacific white shrimp, which shot up about 20 percent from April to July, finally leveled off last month. The price increase was caused largely by rising production costs, triggered by soaring fuel costs. Also, many Asian farmers...

Atlantic availability up despite ISA in Chile: Canadian production continues to drive U.S. supply.(salmon)
September 1, 2008... Despite the infectious salmon anemia virus, Chile's exports of salmon and trout through June eclipsed last year's first-half total by a surprising 14 percent in terms of volume. Chile exported more than 245,000 metric tons of salmon and...

Hoki prices climb: pollock shortage pressures all groundfish.(FOCUS)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... With strong global demand for whitefish and new markets emerging in South America and eastern Europe, prices are steadily rising for most groundfish species. Take New Zealand hoki, of which there is far less to go around these days. The 2007-08...

Global Chilean sea bass interest increases: worldwide demand causes price hike for Patagonian toothfish.(whitefish)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The global market for Chilean sea bass has increased considerably in the past two to three months. With the U.S. dollar weakening and heightened competition for a fish that is generally in very low supply, prices have skyrocketed. Prices...

King crab supply drop edges prices up: imports from Russia down 56 percent this year.(shellfish)
September 1, 2008... One quick glance at this year's king crab imports should tell you that prices for the upcoming peak season will be high, returning to levels of two to three years ago. With a startling decline in product from Russia, bargain packs of king...

Consistent cod: cod's sales growth outpaces overall seafood department growth.(cod)
September 1, 2008... The almighty cod is viewed by many as the quintessential American fish. Harvested from both the Pacific and Atlantic, cod is the eighth most popular fish in the United States, according to the National Fisheries Institute's per-capita...

Bargain hunters: value-conscious retailers, seafood specialists pull ahead of traditional supermarkets.(Top Story)(Company overview)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Retailers are constantly strategizing to meet consumers' ever-changing palates, dietary requirements and convenience needs. But this year a lagging economy and soaring fuel prices are forcing consumers to reassess...

Tilapia: China freeze hampers supply, pushes prices up for the popular fish.(Top 10 Species)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With China's position as the world's largest tilapia producer, importers openly admit they were scrambling after a winter freeze there killed off a large portion of the farmed fish. "When we were first aware of...

Seafood in need: SeaShare, America's Second Harvest struggle to get seafood to food banks.(Trend Watch)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Americans may be experiencing leaner times as a result of high fuel and food costs, but for organizations that feed the hungry, the situation is looking dire. Just ask America's Second Harvest, the largest charitable...

Good to be Kings: with rigorous training, Kings grows seafood sales.(Case Study)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For half a day every month, Kings Super Markets Seafood Director Tony Ruccio visits one of the Parsippany, N.J.-based chain's 26 stores to work with part-time associates on how to properly fillet and steak fish,...

Return to the kitchen: after traveling the world, Conley gets back behind the line at Azul.(In the Kitchen)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Clay Conley's menu reads like an itinerary of where he's been and the products he's cooked with. Born in Limerick, Maine, and now the chef at Miami's award-winning Azul in the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Conley's career...

Opah: chefs nationwide rave about moonfish.(Product Spotlight)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fifteen or so years ago if an opah was caught as bycatch it would have most likely been tossed overboard. The market for opah wasn't generated until the early 1990s, when the state of Hawaii challenged chefs to...

Bettcher Industries.(People in the News)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Charles Anderson is regional sales representative at Bettcher Industries, responsible for sales and service activities for Bettcher's Whizard[R] Trimmer and AirShirz[R] scissors product lines. He supports customers...

WeighPack Systems.(People in the News)
September 1, 2008... WeighPack Systems has hired Alan Benlolo as marketing manager and Alex Goyette as territory manager. Benlolo spearheads new marketing initiatives at WeighPack and its affiliated divisions. Goyette is responsible for developing sales in New...

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.(People in the News)
September 1, 2008... Joe Bundrant and Bruce Wallace were reappointed to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's seven-member board of directors. Bundrant has been VP of sales and marketing for Trident Seafoods in Seattle since 1997. He was first appointed to the...

Fishery Products International.(People in the News)
September 1, 2008... Fishery Products International appointed Jim LaBelle as VP of sales and marketing. LaBelle previously held the title of VP of marketing at FPI. Since joining the company in 2003, he has served as senior director of retail/ club sales and...

Harvest Select Catfish.(People in the News)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Harvest Select Catfish announced two appointments to its operations management team. With more than 24 years of catfish industry experience, Phil Craft assumed the position of VP of operations. Craft oversees plant operations at the company's...

Jeremy Anderson.(One on One)(Interview)
September 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jeremy Anderson, like many successful chefs before him, worked in restaurants as a teenager before steadily climbing the ladder--all the way from washing dishes to creating the cuisine that sits upon them. But even...