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More than 50,000 square meters of floor space sold for Seafood Expo Global’s 30th edition

February 8, 2024 — The 30th edition of Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global will be the largest version of the event in its history, according to Portland, Maine, U.S.A.-based organizer Diversified Communications on Thursday, 8 February.

For the event’s third edition at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via in Barcelona, Spain, taking place from 23 to 25 April 2024, Diversified Communications has sold more than 50,530 square meters of exhibit space, following up on previous records set at the 2023 events.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US prison labor used to make products in seafood supply chain

February 6, 2024 — McDonald’s, Walmart, and Cargill are among the hundreds of U.S. food brands whose production processes have been tied to prison labor by a recent Associated Press investigation.

The AP report, published 29 January, traced at least USD 200 million (EUR 215 million) worth of sales of farmed goods and livestock to products grown by U.S. prisoners over the past six years. The products include soy, corn, and wheat bought by aquafeed producers and suppliers Cargill, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus, Archer Daniels Midland, and Consolidated Grain and Barge directly from U.S. prisons. Products made from those raw materials are frequently exported, including to China, according to the AP.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Trident drops out of National Fisheries Institute over Russian fish ban

January 21, 2024 — Trident Seafoods has terminated its membership in the National Fisheries Institute – the largest seafood industry trade group in the U.S. – and ended its participation in NFI’s Executive Committee.

In a Jan. 17 statement, Trident said the decision was in response to a disagreement with NFI on the latter organization’s desire for the U.S. to import Russia-sourced seafood.

“Trident has been a proud member of NFI since 1978, and the decision to change our membership status is not one we take lightly. Unfortunately, Trident has hit a crossroads with NFI as it relates to two important areas,” Trident said. “NFI did not stay neutral on a significant public policy disagreement within its membership and made no effort to address opposing views clearly and transparently, contrary to well-established rules of the road for trade associations.”

The U.S. seafood industry has been split in its reaction to U.S. President Joe Biden’s effort to ban Russian seafood through two executive orders – the second of which, issued Dec. 22, includes imports of Russia-originated seafood processed in third countries, including China.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Seafood Expo North America continuing to grow year-over-year in 42nd edition

January 17, 2024 — The 2024 edition of Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America – the largest seafood event in North America – will continue the show’s growth trajectory in its 42nd edition.

The event, running from 10 to 12 March in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. is currently slated for 244,965 net square feet of exhibit space and is still growing, event organizer Diversified Communications said. This growth builds on the momentum set in motion at last year’s event, when the show increased by 25 percent in size year over year. [Editor’s note: Diversified Communications also owns and operates SeafoodSource.]

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

David and Lucile Packard Foundation place equity, justice at the forefront of its ocean grants

December 27, 2023 — Trustees of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation have approved an initiative to make justice and equity central tenets of the organization’s grantmaking efforts.

The initiative, which aims to provide more equitable and durable support – both regionally and locally – to Indigenous peoples, fishers, and other communities dependent on the ocean, is currently in a transitional phase as it consolidates several strategies into a single, integrated ocean initiative structured around three primary portfolios of work: global fisheries, ocean habitats and communities, and ocean-based climate solutions.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Filmmaker Helgeland drew on his New Bedford fishing past for ‘Finestkind’

December 26, 2023 — In a final scene of the film “Finestkind,” as the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge slowly pivots open, a father and son cross paths for what might be the last time. One is handcuffed in the back of a police van. The other is outward bound on a fishing trip.

Most in New Bedford know the bridge as little more than a morning traffic jam. But for Brian Helgeland, the 62-year-old New Bedford-raised screenwriter who returned to his hometown to shoot his newest film, the bridge is a symbol of his childhood and his development as a writer.

As a boy, Helgeland rode his bicycle over the bridge. As a young man working on scallop boats, he passed through the bridge as the first leg of a long voyage out to sea. And now, three decades later, the same bridge is also a set in his own film.

“That bridge is a memory, a movie location and a metaphor,” Helgeland told a local audience at an unofficial premiere of the film at the New Bedford Whaling Museum earlier this month.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

SENA Panel: Artificial Intelligence for Smarter Fisheries Management: The What, How, Who, and When

December 19, 2023 — The 2023 Seafood Expo North America, which took place 12 to 14 March in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., and the 2023 Seafood Expo Global, from 25 to 27 April, 2023, in Barcelona, Spain, featured a comprehensive conference program of live panel events focusing on topics chosen to be of vital interest to the seafood industry.

The 28 individual presentations from SENA and the 21 sessions from SEG featured exclusive information and insight from seafood industry experts, including economic forecasts and analysis on the trends and topics impacting the global seafood industry as it navigates issues of trade, food safety, traceability, aquaculture, sustainability, and consumption trends. Now, a video recording of each of these sessions is available for on-demand replay.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Future of Fish Feed krill replacement challenge names 10 finalists

November 29, 2023 — The Future of Fish Feed (F3) has selected the 10 companies that will get to compete in its krill replacement challenge, the latest in a series of contests designed to increase innovation in the aquaculture feed ingredient space.

F3 selected the 10 finalists from 40 different companies that signed up to participate in the competition. F3 has run the challenge every year since 2015, and requires participants to innovate and sell a new fish-free variety of aquaculture feed that in the past has focused on metrics like the presence of omega-3s in the alternative feed, and feeds targeting a specific species raised via aquaculture such as salmon or shrimp.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Sockeye nuggets, breakfast sausage win Alaska Symphony of Seafoods awards

November 16, 2023 — Ocean Beauty Seafoods’ Echo Falls Smoked Wild Alaskan Sockeye Nuggets and Trident Seafoods’ Kraken Stash IPA Beer Battered Wild Alaska Pollock Fillets won the retail and foodservice awards at the 2023 Alaska Symphony of Seafoods.

The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) announced the winners at the Pacific Marine Expo on 9 November. The competition, organized by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation since 1994, is for commercial-ready, value-added products, with the goal of promoting new products made from Alaska seafood.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

National Fisheries Institute Sets Membership Record

November 16, 2023 — The following was released by National Fisheries Institute:

America’s largest seafood trade association continues to grow.  With 22 new members in just the last 12 months, NFI illustrates why it’s known as the leading voice of the seafood industry.

 
Just over two decades ago the trade association made fundamental changes to its governance, board of directors, and membership structure. While membership has been strong even through COVID,  this is the largest new member enrollment since those changes. Why now?
 
“These are challenging times for the industry. More and more seafood leaders see the benefit of working together to solve issues. Companies choose to invest in NFI for a whole host of reasons,” said Gerrie Thomas, Vice President for Membership & Training. “Some companies need help with specific regulatory issues, communications, or policy matters. While others see clear value in precompetitive collaboration and want to work towards common industry goals. We celebrate this commitment to NFI.”
 
NFI invites new members to get involved immediately, whether that means attending meetings, or taking on a leadership role in the association.
 
“21st century NFI is not your grandfather’s organization,” said Rob Hallion of Crocker and Winsor, Chair of NFI’s Membership Committee. “The core tenets and essential industry advocacy pillars are, of course, in place but this is an organization that’s helping its members react to things that are happening today while at the same time prepare for five years down the road.”
 
The latest group of members come from every corner of the industry including wholesalers, distributors, restaurants, biotechnology, and finance. And there’s been an increase in digital logistics, software, and technology companies who are supporting the industry via training and sponsorships.
 
“We are committed to working for our member companies and being their go-to resource,” said NFI President and CEO Lisa Wallenda Picard. “Our goal is to be a genuine extension of their business. We’re humbled by the trust they put in us and delighted to be part of their team and family. If you are thinking that NFI might be able to help your business, come to the Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) and let’s chat.”
 
NFI committees and councils will next meet at GSMC in Orlando, January 21-25.