International & Trade

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — July 10, 2014 — Today, 91 percent of the seafood Americans eat comes from abroad, even as a third of the domestic catch is shipped overseas.

 Paul Greenberg's commitment to local seafood runs deep – so deep that the Manhattan-based writer once slurped down an oyster he'd plucked from the muck of New York Harbor, eliciting a gasp from a city official standing nearby.

But the author of the newly released American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood (Penguin) is aware there's a tidal wave of forces working against him.

Today, 91 percent of the seafood Americans eat comes from abroad, even as a third of the domestic catch is shipped overseas. Even New Jersey, known for Barnegat Light scallops and Cape May Salts, has given over more of its shoreline to vacation homes and less to aquaculture – with, Greenberg argues, real ecologic and economic consequences.

So, short of following Greenberg's lead and going clamming in the Delaware, what's a locavore to do?

Greenberg, 46, met us at Reading Terminal Market to help us navigate the contents of its fish cases.

First up, Wan's Seafood – which Greenberg says gets points just for being a fish market, an endangered species.

The case is well-stocked with shrimp: raw and precooked, deveined and butterflied. Most of it likely comes from abroad.

It was shrimp that first inspired American Catch. After the publication of his previous book – the James Beard Award-winning Four Fish – coincided with the BP oil spill in 2010, Greenberg had proposed a book about the spill's impact on the Gulf of Mexico. But, after a dozen others beat him to publication, he reconsidered.

Still, he kept the research trips he'd booked with Gulf shrimpers. He learned they were still catching shrimp – but getting rock-bottom returns.

The Asian shrimp flooding the market has driven down the price, they complained.

That's when Greenberg recognized the scope of this strange situation – one that wouldn't be obvious to the typical Wan's shopper.

Though the FDA mandates labels stating country of origin and method of production (farm-raised or wild-caught), most placards in this case offer only the fish's name, such as "croaker" or "spot."

At least those two, Greenberg said, are local (though the spot, it turned out, had been frozen; shoppers should check for freshness, looking for moist skin, clear eyes and red gills). And, of all the offerings, the sacks of Rhode Island mussels are Greenberg's top pick: high in omega-3s, low in toxins, and a deal at $4.49.

But there are also long-distance travelers here, such as branzino and tilapia. As for the squid, it may be local, foreign, or the product of a round-trip journey (it's often processed in China and reimported).

Sea scallops are local: They're a big business in New Jersey.

Ernie Panacek, dock manager at Viking Village in Barnegat Light, said his biggest, freshest sea scallops are distributed to U.S. restaurants and markets.

But about a third of the catch landed at Viking Village is sent abroad. For example, much of his monkfish goes to South Korea. "The market drives it," he said. "There's a lot more demand internationally for U.S.-produced seafood than there is here." He said high demand has driven up international prices, encouraging still more exports.

 

Read the full story at The Philadelphia Inquirer

 

 

 

July 4, 2014 — Commercial fishing operations in particular exist in an environment that is often referred to as a jurisdictional black hole – a situation where there is no real social or legal accountability – with those most likely to be abused, least able to have a say or stand up for themselves, says Thomas Harré, one of the legal team at Slave Free Seas (SFS). SFS is a charitable trust based in New Zealand “to fight the business of modern slavery on the seas”. It is the only NGO in the world with a specific focus on ending human trafficking for forced labor at sea.

“This is a group of people that has had little effective attention dedicated to them or their working conditions which are arguably the most harsh on the planet. The failure of many flag states and the international regulatory system to adequately implement and enforce international labor, human rights and criminal standards has exposed thousands of seafarers to exploitation and abuse globally.”

The underlying cause of sub-standard shipping practices is the commercial advantage, through cost shifting to crew and the environment. A shipowner can gain through avoiding international standards for safety, environment protection or labor conditions, he says. “The abuse and suffering experienced by these seafarers is a disgrace.”

New Zealand’s use of cheap labor on fishing boats was scathingly labelled ‘21st Century slavery’ in a US State Department report released in mid-2012. It cited conditions of forced labor, including debt bondage, imposition of significant debts, physical violence, mental abuse and excessive hours of work aboard vessels in New Zealand waters.

Read the full story and watch the video at Maritime Executive

VIETNAM — July 2, 2014 — Through May 2014, Vietnamese pangasius exports to the United States declined 26 per cent year on year, amounting to USD 126.6 million, according to statistics of Vietnam Customs.

Meanwhile, exports to European Union made up 20.7 percent of Vietnam’s total fish exports, surpassing those to the US and becoming the largest market of catfish, Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers (VASEP) informed.

In the fifth month this year, exported pangasius brought back to the country USD 682 million, down 3.8 percent year on year.

Pangasius exports to 8 Vietnam’s leading importing markets (EU, the US, The Association of Southeast Asian Nations [ASEAN], Brazil, Mexico, China and Hong Kong, Colombia, Saudi Arabia) reported decline while exports to the rest marked positive growth.

Read the full story at FIS.com

 

 

July 2, 2014 — Subsidized premiums and nationwide pilots are part of a big push to increase coverage of aquaculture by China’s government, worried about protecting an ever-expanding freshwater aquaculture sector.

One of the regions keenest to get covered is the easterly province of Jiangsu, home of a giant freshwater crab aquaculture sector, which has been forcing insurers and producers to work together.

“There is enthusiasm among fish farmers to get insured,” explained Chen Yao, secretary general of the Jiangsu Fishery Mutual Insurance Association, a government-supported body seeking to expand insurance among local producers. Based in Nantong city, Chen’s organization has since 2012 arranged cover for 42 cooperatives and 28,000 mu (15 mu equals a hectare) of mostly freshwater crab raising farms. “We are a non-profit body and must cross the river by feeling the stones,” said Chen. who believes he can get coverage up to 50,000 mu by year’s end.

The 2013 typhoon and high temperatures hurt producers locally but some believe compensation under the pilot remains modest: Changshu Jintangshi Aquatic Foods Co., one of the companies covered, operates 1,080 mu of ponds, of which 500 mu is covered at maximum CNY 2,000/mu (USD 322, EUR 236) in payable compensation. This figure is “negligible,” said company chairman Zhang Jianlong, referring to a clause that limits compensation to 2 percent if temperatures rise to 37 degrees Celsius. “The damage done at that temperature would be far greater than the insurance we’d get,” he explained.

 

Read the full story at SeafoodSource.com

 

COPENHAGEN — July 1, 2014 — The following was released by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) : The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) has released advice for several commercial fish stocks in the Celtic Sea, the North Sea, the Bay of Biscay, and Iberian waters. The advice includes stocks of cod, herring, hake, sole, and plaice, which are among the main sources of seafood on European dinner tables.

Today’s release also includes advice for mixed fisheries considerations in the North Sea, Skagerrak, and Eastern English Channel fisheries. The mixed fisheries approach takes into account that several types of fish get caught with the same fishing gear.

Popular versions of the advice will be available on the ICES website on 7 July.

Find the latest advice online:
Bay of Biscay and Iberian waters
Celtic Sea and West of Scotland
North Sea
Mixed fisheries

To follow ICES advisory process, visit ICES website.

For further information, please contact:
Terhi Minkkinen, Communications Officer
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)
Tel. +45 33 38 67 16
E-mail: terhi.minkkinen@ices.dk

July 1, 2014 — There are 52 commercial fish species in waters surrounding Japan, managed as 84 stocks. Of these, the resource levels of 12 (14 percent) were high, those of 36 (43 percent) were medium, and those of 36 were low. The Pacific Ocean mackerel fishery and the Tsushima Current sardine fishery, both of which had low resource levels in 2012, recovered to the medium level in 2013.

Japan manages most species using a Total Allowable Effort (TAE) system, in which the number, size and period of operation of fishing boats, and the types of gear allowed are regulated. In comparison with other countries, Japan has set a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for only a few species: saury, Alaska pollock, sardines, mackerel, Southern mackerel, horse mackerel, squid and snow crab.

Japan faces a challenge in preventing foreign vessels from poaching in Japanese waters. Illegal fishers often set nets without buoys to avoid detection, which then entangle the gear of Japanese fishing vessels. They also use high-performance radar to detect approaching Japanese Coast Guard vessels. While the number of inspections has increased, seizures of gear have declined, indicating that it is becoming harder to catch poachers in the act. Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese vessels are most often involved.

In recent years, extreme weather such as local heavy rains and abnormally high summer temperatures has increased. The average temperature in West Japan from June to August 2013 was the highest ever recorded, and seawater temperatures were the highest since 1985.

This has caused fish preferring warmer waters, such as Spanish mackerel, to migrate north. Bluefin tuna and yellowtail are increasingly seen in Hokkaido. Meanwhile, fish that prefer cold water, such as saury, have delayed their fall migration to Japanese waters, resulting in a shorter season.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource.com

June 30, 2014 — The government is being pressed to alter the charitable status of environmental groups after a Liberal MP successfully argued to his party that the groups are not “real charities” like the Red Cross or the Salvation Army.

A motion introduced by MP Andrew Nikolic to the Liberal federal council called for environmental groups to be stripped of charitable rights, such as the ability to receive tax-deductible donations.

Nikolic, the federal member for the Tasmanian electorate of Bass, said the groups should not be subsidised for political activism, some of it which he claimed was illegal. The conference motion passed the motion unanimously.

“Real charities include the Red Cross and the Salvos,” Nikolic told the conference. “Believe it or not, organisations like the Wilderness Society, Australian Conservation Foundation, Bob Brown Foundation and all the environmental defenders offices around Australia are currently recognised as charities as well; the latter provides free legal advice to greens groups.

“The Bob Brown Foundation currently campaigns against the government and is soliciting tax-deductible donations to fund that campaign, while real charities like St Vinnies and Salvos struggle for donors.”

The conference motion states that “eco charities be treated as corporations under consumer and competition law” and “should not be eligible for deductible gift recipient status when advocating political issues”.

Read the full story at The Guardian

WASHINGTON — June 23, 2014 — Ten Asian and Pacific nations have told the Office of the United States Trade Representative that the Agriculture Department’s catfish inspection program violates international law, and their objections could hamper Obama administration efforts to reach a major Pacific trade agreement by the end of next year. They say that the inspection program is a trade barrier erected under the guise of a food safety measure and that it violates the United States’ obligations under World Trade Organization agreements. Among the countries protesting are Vietnam and Malaysia, which are taking part in talks for the trade agreement — known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership — and have the ability to derail or hold up those negotiations.

The complaints are outlined in a May 28 letter signed by diplomats from the 10 countries. The letter does not threaten retaliation, but it emphasizes that the American catfish program stood in the way of the trade talks.

Vietnam, a major catfish producer, has long complained about the program, but it has never before won international support for its fight. Several of the countries whose representatives signed the letter — including the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia — do not have catfish industries to protect and are not involved in the trans-Pacific trade talks.

But the letter expresses the concern that the inspection program could lead the Agriculture Department to expand its ability to regulate seafood exports to the United States, catfish or not.

Read the full story at The New York Times

THAILAND — June 26, 2014 — Thailand is still shipping seafood to the United States and Europe as normal despite the recent accusations of slave labour, according to the Commerce Ministry's survey of trading partners and Thai exporters.
"Importers are still ordering Thai fishery products as usual. Exports to the US and the European Union should not be affected by the problem," Srirat Rastapana, permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry, said yesterday.

However, the Thai fishery industry needs to fix its image soon, as it could make sales abroad difficult and factor into consumers' decision-making in the future, analysts warn.

Thai trade officials in the US and EU markets have reported that Thai shipments to the US have not yet slowed down after Washington downgraded Thailand in its human-trafficking report because most importers and consumers still have high confidence in Thai fishery firms, which have done business with them for many years.

Japan is the largest market for Thai fishery exports so far this year, taking 27.1 per cent of total exports by value. In the first four months, the US accounted for 17.1 per cent, the EU for 13 per cent, mainland China 6.1 per cent, Vietnam 5.2 per cent, South Korea 5.1 per cent, Hong Kong 3.9 per cent and Canada 2.8 per cent.

The labour issue just recently popped up. The Commerce Ministry will closely monitor the impact in the long run as initially it has only had a psychological impact on customers. The government and fishery-related industries need to prove to the public urgently that Thailand has high concern for labour problems and strongly opposes forced labour, Srirat said.

Fishery exports this year should grow as normal, except for only shrimp exports, which will decline as the disease outbreak in hatcheries has not been clearly solved.

Seafood exports, including shrimp, dropped 12.2 per cent in the first four months to US$1.99 billion (Bt64.6 billion). Seafood exports make up 2.7 per cent of the country's total export value.

Poj Aramwattananont, president of the Thai Frozen Foods Association, said seafood traders had tried to sell products to various markets and reduce the dependency on giant markets like the US and EU for many years, as emerging economies proliferate. Sales to the US and EU would not affect Thai seafood growth.

Read the full article at The Nation

June 25, 2014 — Increasing numbers of spiny dogfish reported in Nova Scotia waters are causing concern for fishermen and scientists.

An analysis done by Department of Fisheries and Oceans scientists shows the number of spiny dogfish has dramatically jumped in recent years.

"By comparison with some of the other sharks here, there's probably 1,000 times more spiny dogfish out there than other sharks," said Steven Campana, head of the Canadian Shark Research Labratory at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography​.

According to the report, in 2013 there were nearly six times more tonnes of spiny dogfish caught in the 2013 survey off Nova Scotia, compared to the 2012 survey. 

A total of 259,461 tonnes of spiny dogfish were recorded off the coast in 2013, compared to 44,310 in 2012 and just 3,353 in 2011.

"In the case of dogfish, it seems that people are the main influence on numbers," Campana said. "I would say while fishing remains light in Canada, we can expect more and more dogfish to appear, to be born and to grow in these waters. For the near future, it looks like the path for dogfish, onwards, is up."

Read the full story at the CBC