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May 24, 2014 — A scaly treatment for chronic wounds caused by diabetes and other circulatory disorders: See how fish skin is being used to help human tissue regenerate.

View the video at the Boston Globe

May 7, 2014 — The foilowing was released by the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition:

TAMPA, FLORIDA — Marking its third year at Cooking for Solutions at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition (Coalition) is continuing the legacy of sharing wild, delicious Gulf seafood while highlighting its unique flavors and versatility at the annual event, held this year May 16 through 18 in Monterey, Calif.

Each year, the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions event brings together celebrated chefs from across the country to highlight fine food and wine, while discovering ways to preserve the oceans.

Renowned chefs, including Chef Briana Sammut of Beach House Restaurant at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove, Calif.; former private chef to Oprah Chef Art Smith; Food Network Canada Star Chef John Ash; and Hawaii-based Kai Lanai Restaurant chef/owner and television personality Chef Sam Choy will be representing the Gulf of Mexico States by preparing fresh Gulf shrimp, provided by Cox’s Wholesale Seafood and Wood’s Fisheries. Both distributors’ shrimp are traceable via Gulf Seafood Trace, a program that allows consumers and retailers to discover their seafood’s story from boat to plate, ensuring that the species is sustainably managed.

Attendees can find Gulf shrimp at the Meet the Chefs reception on May 14, Sustainable Foods Institute 2014 Luncheon and Cooking for Solutions Gala on May 16, A Street Food Extravaganza on May 17, as well as DIY: Grilled Pizza with John Ash and DIY: Pupus and Poke with Sam Choy on May 18.

The Coalition’s continued support of Cooking for Solutions each year is rooted in the Gulf of Mexico’s commitment to maintaining a sustained ecosystem for generations to come. This year, among many sustainability practices already in place, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission launched GulfFINFO, an all-inclusive website for everything consumers and chefs need to be confident that Gulf seafood is harvested from sustainable fisheries.

“With FINFO launching just earlier this year, this is an exciting time to be at Cooking for Solutions to share insight, information and appreciation about sustaining the wonderful resource of Gulf seafood for the future,” said Joanne McNeely Zaritsky, marketing director for the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition. “Both home and professional chefs already know and love Gulf seafood for its exceptional flavor and quality, and now FINFO offers a new resource to communicate the sustainability of Gulf seafood.”

FINFO is a compilation of the complex and potentially-confusing data from the Gulf of Mexico’s responsibly-managed fisheries, synthesized into easy-to-understand answers about the source of your seafood. 

Gulf of Mexico fisheries and organizations are constantly researching and monitoring seafood stocks to remain a leader in sustainability practices. Many of the Gulf States have received exemplary scores and designation for their enforcement groups. Gulf Coast seafood has been an integral part of our culture for decades, and the seafood community is dedicated to responsible fishing for future generations.

To extend the opportunity to enjoy succulent, sustainability-raised Gulf seafood at home, Chef John Ash is sharing his Grilled Gulf Shrimp Pizza recipe that he is preparing at the DIY workshop at Cooking for Solutions (recipe below).

For more information about the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition and its sustainable practices, please contact Joanne McNeely Zaritsky atjoanne.zaritsky@gmail.com, 850-224-1129 or 813-286-8390 or visit www.eatgulfseafood.com and follow the Coalition on Facebook at Gulf Coast Seafood and Twitter at @eatgulfseafood.

Grilled Gulf Shrimp Pizza
Provided to the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition by Chef John Ash

Ingredients for Dough
1 envelope (2½ teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1½ teaspoons table salt (or 3 teaspoons kosher salt)
½ cup finely-ground corn meal or whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 – 4½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Ingredients for Toppings
1 pound peeled and deveined Gulf shrimp (21 – 25, depending on size)
Prepared pizza dough divided into six portions
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil for brushing and drizzling
2 cups loosely packed shredded Sonoma Jack cheese
½ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese
6 ounces fresh mozzarella, drained and sliced
3 cups canned and crushed tomatoes in puree, preferably with basil
⅓ cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
Big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for each pizza

Slice the shrimp in half lengthwise.  Blanc for 1 minute in simmering salted water.  Drain and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking.  Drain again and set aside.  The shrimp will be just barely cooked at this point.

Prepare a two-level (one side cooler than the other) charcoal fire, setting the grill rack 4 inches or so above the coals.  Alternately, you can use a gas grill with one side hotter than the other. With a lightly floured work surface and rolling pin, roll the dough portion into 10 inch or so free-form circles as thinly as you can, about ¼-inch thick.  Don’t worry about the shape, as even thickness is the goal. Place them on a sheet pan divided by parchment or waxed paper.

When the coals are evenly lit and medium hot, brush the dough with olive oil and place it oiled side down onto the hot part of the grill.  Within a minute or so the dough will puff and bubble, the underside will stiffen and grill marks will appear.

Using tongs or a spatula check to see that it is not burning.  If so, move it to the cooler part of the grill.  Flip the crust over, onto the cooler part of the grill and quickly brush the grilled surface lightly with olive oil.  Spread a thin layer of the tomatoes on the dough and then quickly top with a bit of each of the cheeses, shrimp and basil.  Remember that you don’t need or want to cover the entire surface of the pizza.

Immediately put the hood down and cook for another minute or two or until the cheeses are melted.  Move pizza to a cutting board and cut into wedges and serve immediately. Cook remaining pizzas in the same manner.

Chef’s note:  When you have topped the pizzas if after a couple of minutes the cheese has not melted and bubbling a bit, either the coals were not hot enough or you have used too much cheese and toppings.  A longer time on the grill will only dry out the pizza and toughen it.  The ideal crust should be both chewy and crisp.  This is why a good 2-level fire is so important.

To make the pizza dough, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook stir the yeast into the warm water with sugar.  After 5 minutes it should begin to bubble, then stir in the salt, corn meal and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Add the flour, stirring at low speed until the dough forms a rough ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 4 minutes.  You may need to add a little flour or water here.  Let the dough rest in the bowl for 15 minutes.  It should be fairly soft.

Remove from the bowl and divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.  Gently round each piece into a ball and brush or rub with a little olive oil.  Place each into a zippered plastic storage bag and drizzle remaining olive oil (1 teaspoon or so) over each ball and seal the bags closed.  Let the balls sit for at least 30 minutes.  You can also refrigerate them overnight at this point and roll out and make pizzas the next day.  Sitting overnight actually gives you a better flavor in the dough.

If you’ve refrigerated them, plan to take them out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before you plan to make the pizzas.  Alternately you can freeze the dough for up to 3 months.  Again, plan to let the dough thaw and come to room temperature before using.

Makes six 10-inch pizzas

May 13, 2014 — Last week, while most of my colleagues were covering Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, I had the privilege of attending the first of four sessions of the 2014 Future Leaders program, presented by the National Fisheries Institute.

Future Leaders has been a growing success since it was launched in 1998. Last year’s attendee count of 38 was a pleasant surprise that set a record; this year’s class has 43. The program has offered new players in the seafood industry and even the occasional seasoned veteran a chance at professional development via a hands-on look at the inner workings of the seafood industry.

I spent 6 to 8 May in the Southeastern United States, in Jacksonville, Fla., and on the islands off the southern coast of Georgia. Much of the time we were on Jekyll and St. Simons Islands. With a history dating back to the American Civil War (a long enough time for us Yankees), the islands today are popular resort spots full of plenty of Southern culture and food.

Read the full story at Seafood Source 

 

May 9, 2014 — Despite some behind-the-scenes wrangling for ownership of the event, The Great American Seafood Cook-off is still on for 1-3 August, with the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board (LSPMB) remaining the popular event's sponsor.

Every year, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) awards funding to an organization to put on the event. For the past 10 years, the funds have been awarded to the LSPMB. However, after the LSPMB switched from Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to the state’s Department of Tourism last year, the funds were not awarded to the LSPMB.

Instead, NOAA awarded funds to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission in late March. The GSMFC, in turn, said it would partner with the Gulf Seafood Institute, the Louisiana Restaurant Association, the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, and the GSAFF’s marketing arm, the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition, to hold the event.

Read the full story from SeafoodSource

May 7, 2014 — Serendipity has played a major role in Gulf Seafood Institute’s (GSI) board member Bob Gill’s life and career. His first attempt at forestry and wildlife management studies at the University of Maine ended in his second year when he decided to pack his bags and head to the Great Northwest to work on Mt. Hood for the U.S. Department of Forestry.

Gill left Maine, but not his serendipitous lifestyle. On a day off from his job on the mountain, on a lark he decided to visit a Navy recruiting office to find out how to enter the Naval Academy.

Both fate and luck again sided with Gill when New Jersey Senator Harrison Williams, one of those convicted for taking bribes from the Abscam sting, gave him his appointment.

After graduating from the Naval Academy with a degree in engineering, he did tours of duty on various vessels and in shipyards for ten years. During this time, Gill was selected to continue his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he obtained degrees of Ocean Engineer and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

After leaving the Navy, he joined Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS to outfit and deliver the USS David R. Ray, a Spruance Class destroyer. Subsequently, he helped design and promote marine gas turbine propulsion systems worldwide for General Electric’s Marine Gas Turbine Unit.

Read the full story from the Gulf Seafood Institute

SEATTLE — May 5, 2014 — Billy Frank Jr., a tribal fisherman who led the "fish wars" that restored fishing rights and helped preserve a way of life for American Indians in the Northwest four decades ago, died Monday at 83.

The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and the Nisqually Tribe near Olympia, Washington, confirmed his death. The cause was not immediately known.

Frank was arrested more than 50 times for "illegal fishing" between boyhood and middle age, during what came to be known as the fish wars. Initially driven to fish at night and hide his canoe to avoid authorities who regarded them as poachers, he and others took their fight public in the 1960s, inviting observers to witness their sometimes violent arrests.

Patterned after the sit-ins of the civil rights movement, the campaign was part of larger, nationwide movement for American Indian rights, including better schooling, free speech and legal protections.

"He was a selfless leader who dedicated his life to the long fight for the rights of our state's native people," Gov. Jay Inslee said in a written statement. "Billy was a champion of tribal rights, of the salmon, and the environment. He did that even when it meant putting himself in physical danger or facing jail."

Read the full story by the Associated Press at the New Jersey Herald  

 

May 6, 2014  — The following was released by the organizers of the Pacific Marine Expo:

The Pacific Marine Expo is seeking topic proposals and speaker recommendations for the 2014 Conference Program. The program is taking place at the Pacific Marine Expo on November 19-21, 2014, at the CenturyLink Field Event Center, Seattle, WA.

Your suggestions are crucial to discovering topics that are relevant to the industry today. Issues affecting the industry now or within a year of the show will be given the highest preference as conference topics.

SUBMIT PROPOSAL
**The deadline for submissions is June 13, 2014**

If you are involved in the development of new products, issues, regulations or innovations that affect the commercial marine and commercial fishing industries, now is the time to submit your ideas!

Industry Tracks will consist of the following:

– Commercial Fishing
– Processing
– Workboat
– Boat Building
– Safety

SUBMIT PROPOSAL
**The deadline for submissions is June 13, 2014**

Your topic suggestion will be reviewed by a panel of industry experts including:

– Bruce Buls, Technical Editor, WorkBoat Magazine
– Julianne Curry, Executive Director, UFA 
– Michael Crowley, Boats and Gear Editor, National Fisherman
– Jerry Fraser, Publisher, National Fisherman
– Jessica Hathaway, Editor in Chief, National Fisherman
– Jennifer Lincoln, Director, APO
– Becky Martello, Development Director, Alaska Marine Safety Education Association
– Rod Moore, Executive Director, West Coast Seafood Processors Association

Please note: We are not looking for product demonstrations or sales presentations.

For more information please contact Megan Hall, Conference Coordinator at mhall@divcom.com or 207-842-5583.

 

May 1, 2014 — American Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA) and Western Fishboat Owners Association (WFOA) today announced the merging of their individual Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fishery certifications. The two organizations now share one certificate for North Pacific fisheries and one for South Pacific fisheries. AAFA and WFOA represent the vast majority of U.S. West Coast pole and line and troll/jig albacore fishermen. MSC certification of these fisheries, conducted by a third-party certifying body, assures buyers and consumers that the albacore tuna they consume is from a well-managed and sustainable fishery.

AAFA and WFOA are recognized leaders in sustainable fishery practices; for instance, they use the classic techniques of pole and line and troll/jig fishing, catching one fish at time, so there is virtually no by-catch on non-target species and zero interaction with marine mammals. Recent and ongoing international stock assessments by the International Science Committee and the Albacore Working Group (ISC–ALBWG) show the albacore stocks remain stable.

According to Wayne Heikkila, WFOA executive director, “The merging of the individual certifications records a renewed U.S. fleet-wide commitment to maintaining a sustainable resource base for supplying consumers worldwide with the highest quality albacore.”

Albacore tuna caught by U.S. fishermen is an excellent source of protein high in omega-3 fatty acids. Albacore caught locally by AAFA and WFOA vessels enter into “Chain of Custody” under the MSC program, which ensures that seafood products with the MSC ecolabel are traceable back to an MSC-certified fishery. All albacore deliveries by AAFA and WFOA members are tracked through processing and marketing right to the consumer.

Read the full story at the Marine Stewardship Council 

 

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS [SCOM] — April 17, 2014 — After seafood fans submitted more than 49,000 entries in a nationwide contest to christen the Chicken of the Sea mermaid — and earn a chance to win a $10,000 grand prize — one perfect name floated to the top: Catalina.

Chicken of the Sea, which turned 100 years old in 2014, challenged seafood (and mermaid) fans to name its famous blonde icon as part of its year-long Centennial celebration. The contest ran through Feb. 14 with the winning entry submitted by a contestant in Urbana, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.

Inspired by the brand’s 100 Years of Good initiative, which is awarding 100 community-minded individuals and nonprofits $10,000 each in 2014 to empower them to continue their charitable ways, Peggy L., will receive her own $10,000 Great American Gratitude Award and be encouraged to also pay it forward. Ten first prize winners will be awarded Chicken of the Sea seafood for one year and 20 runners-up will receive a Chicken of the Sea-branded prize.

“The name Catalina encompasses everything we feel represents our brand,” Chicken of the Sea Senior VP of Marketing Christie Fleming said of the name, which also is the name of a historic island 22 miles off the West Coast mainland and close to Chicken of the Sea’s headquarters in San Diego. “Along with it being a naturally beautiful name suitable for our mermaid, it connects to our rich local history, as well as the adventurous spirit and lifestyle indicative of both our brand and our Southern California home.”

This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

April 12, 2014 — The blog Good Morning Gloucester recently shared a vintage 1937 Chevrolet Newsreel that features the New England lobster fishery.

Watch the video here