The Boston Seafood Show provides a good barometer of the mood in the global fish business and by all accounts, it was upbeat. The show is the largest in North America, attracting 16,000 buyers and sellers from 90 countries.
"People are much more optimistic this year," said John Sackton, a veteran industry market expert.
Sackton said demand for seafood is increasing and people are scrambling to get certain types of fish.
"Pollock, salmon and crab-all of these markets are quite strong right now and it made for a good show."
Sackton said a hot button topic at the Boston show was "short weights."
"A lot of legitimate seafood sellers are competing with unscrupulous importers who bring in product at 70-80 percent net weight because of over-glazing," he explained. "Then they sell it to restaurants at a lower price. It's very difficult for a lot of the established companies and brands to compete with this. There is a lot of feeling that the FDA really needs to step up enforcement in this area."
Sackton added that companies that short weight also take shortcuts with food safety.
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