Saving Seafood

Economic Impact

US holiday retail seafood sales outlook bright

December 3, 2022 — Analysts and retailers are maintaining a positive outlook for U.S. retail seafood sales this holiday season, despite inflation pushing down fresh and frozen sales in 2022.

Because Covid-19 restrictions are not in place – as they were during the previous two holiday seasons – analysts are predicting more social and family gatherings will occur. And with that, there’s hope Americans will continue their tradition of spending more on food – and seafood – during the holiday season.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Fair Trade Shrimp Announcement

November 30, 2022 — The following was released by Fair Trade USA:
Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods announced an exclusive initiative with two of its global shrimp suppliers, Thai Union Frozen PCL and Avanti Frozen Foods, making the company the largest importer of Fair Trade Certified™ shrimp in the United States. This marks not only the first fair trade seafood or shrimp certification in India, but also the first certification of two suppliers simultaneously from different geographic regions.
 
This recent fair trade certification is an extension of the Thai Union global sustainability platform, SeaChange, and the seafood giant’s commitment to protect the planet, improve lives, and fight poverty within the communities in which it operates. As part of Thai Union North America, Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods partnered with Thai Union Frozen and Avanti, a Thai Union affiliated company, on this important initiative to help drive sustainability and leadership in the industry and category. Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods is the #1 importer of frozen shrimp in the United States. With shrimp as the most consumed seafood in the country, this certification provides U.S. consumers with the volume of Fair Trade Certified options they are starting to demand.  
 
“Here at Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, we are proud to champion sustainability for both the sea and local communities through Fair Trade’s rigorous social, environmental, and economic standards,” says Bryan Rosenberg, CEO, Thai Union North America. “In an industry survey we conducted earlier this year, we saw that nearly 3/4 of food executives and buyers saw an increase in demand for sustainably caught/raised products. Fair trade certification gives us the opportunity to provide them with what they want in a clear, recognizable way.”  
 
An award-winning, rigorous, and globally recognized sustainable sourcing model, Fair Trade USA works to improve livelihoods, protect the environment and build resilient, transparent supply chains. Fair trade certification allows consumers to purchase with the trust that each product was made according to rigorous standards that protect workers, farmers, fishers, and their communities. This includes: 
 
“This initiative bolsters the efforts of conventional seafood partners getting involved in improving global environmental and human rights protections,” say Paul Rice, Founder & CEO of Fair Trade USA. “Thai Union’s commitment to sustainability and the fair trade shrimp initiative helps elevate customer confidence in their leadership in this space and ability to meet consumer demand for seafood they can feel good about. As the first global initiative of its kind, this is a step towards greater equity throughout the seafood supply chain.”

US restaurants to get USD 83 million in funds

November 28, 2022 — The Small Business Administration (SBA) began distributing USD 83 million (EUR 80 million) in unobligated Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) grants to U.S. restaurants last week.

Nearly 170 restaurants will receive the remaining funds in the program. The RRF has helped more than 100,000 restaurants and food and beverage business owners survive the Covid-19 pandemic, the SBA said in a press release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Whole Foods to ‘pause’ sales of Maine lobster after sustainable label downgrades

November 22, 2022 — The grocery chain Whole Foods will stop purchasing Gulf of Maine lobster after the Marine Stewardship Council suspended the fishery’s certification last week.

The Marine Stewardship Council suspended the fishery’s certification last week, only months after the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program red-listed the lobster because of risks to endangered North Atlantic right whales. The MSC says its decision was based on an independent audit of the fishery’s risk to the whales.

Read the full article at Maine Public

Looming railroad strike, barge back-up straining US supply chains

November 22, 2022 — An impending rail strike in the U.S. could further entangle supply chains and drive up inflation.

Four major railroad labor unions have rejected a tentative agreement with freight railroad companies brokered by the administration of U.S. Joe Biden over the summer. Even though eight of the 12 major railroad worker unions have ratified the agreement, several have pledged solidarity with those that have not.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Inflation’s next victim: U.S. offshore wind projects

November 15, 2022 — A rising tide of interest rates, supply chain bottlenecks and inflation is threatening the Biden administration’s ambitious offshore wind targets, creating a significant challenge for one of the president’s top climate priorities.

Recent weeks have seen a series of developers raise concerns over rising costs. In New Jersey, a developer warned earlier this month that a planned 98-turbine project off the coast of New Jersey could threaten its finances.

In New England, two developers with contracts to sell power to Massachusetts have sought to renegotiate the deals, only to get shot down by state regulators.

Many developers bid aggressively in state auctions to win those contracts but are now locked into agreements that didn’t account for rising costs, said Sam Huntington, director of North American power and renewables at S&P Global Commodity Insights.

The financial difficulties call into question the Biden administration’s goal of installing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by the end of this decade.

“We don’t see them hitting that,” Huntington said. “It is going to be something to watch. I don’t have a good sense of whether these will get renegotiated or canceled.”

The doubts are shared by other analysts. Bloomberg New Energy Finance sees the United States falling 3 to 4 GW short of its 2030 target due to long development timelines and an immature supply chain. The London-based renewables market intelligence firm Renewables Consulting Group estimates the United States will reach just over 25 GW by 2030.

Read the full article at E&E News

Alaska’s salmon worth $720.4 million this year

November 11, 2022 — It looks like Alaska’s commercial salmon industry is pulling itself out of a pandemic rut. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released its preliminary statewide summary for the year Nov. 10. The harvests for all five salmon species in all fisheries equaled $720.4 million. That’s $76.5 million more than last year and $425.2 million more than two years ago.

2020 saw a low of $295.2 million – one of the worst on record.

Sockeye salmon made up approximately 66% of the state’s total value this year. Most of that is due to the record-breaking Bristol Bay fishery at nearly 69.7 million fish.

Read the full article at KFSK

Disappearance of Alaska snow crabs means some businesses might disappear, too

October 25, 2022 — Some seven billion snow crabs have disappeared from the waters around Alaska. Experts are still investigating the cause, but rapid warming in the Bering Sea is a likely factor.

Alaska has canceled the snow crab harvesting season for the first time ever, and commercial crabbers and the economies that depend on the species stand to lose millions.

Just a few years ago, Alaska’s snow crab population was booming. Jamie Goen with the industry group Alaska Bering Sea Crabbers said businesses were making big investments.

Read the full article at Marketplace

US businesses propose hiding trade data used to trace labor abuses through supply chains

October 19, 2022 — A group of major U.S. businesses wants the government to hide key import data – a move trade experts say would make it more difficult for Americans to link the products they buy to labor abuse overseas.

The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee is made up of executives from 20 companies, including Walmart, General Motors, and Intel. The committee is authorized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to advise it on ways to streamline trade regulations.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource