Saving Seafood

Former NOAA Administrator Hogarth Calls For Responsible Fisheries Management

October 19, 2015 — If the fishing industry had a CEO, Dr. Bill Hogarth, Director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO), is convinced he would not last a month. He firmly believes the operating pattern for the whole industry needs to be re-examined and the industry needs to start stepping up to the role of a multi-billion dollar economic powerhouse.

“Fishing is a huge, huge business and we don’t really operate it as the big multinational business that it is, in my opinion,” Hogarth told Gulf Seafood News while sitting in his St. Petersburg office. “This state is known for its citrus industry, but fishing revenues dwarf citrus. The fishing industry in Florida alone it is a $30 billion industry. That is more than citrus, cattle, space, and ranching industries put together; double that. Is one of the top 10 industries in the state, it drives both the tourism and restaurants.”

Dr. Hogarth, a member of the Gulf Seafood Institute (GSI), knows that of what he preaches.

In 2001 Dr. Hogarth was appointed by President George W. Bush as the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). There he oversaw the management and conservation of marine fisheries and the protection of marine mammals, sea turtles and coastal fisheries habitat. He also served as the Commissioner and Chairman for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna and the Commissioner and Chairman for the International Whaling Commission.

Read the full story from the Gulf Seafood Institute

Mobile Seafood Quality Training Lab Developed to Address Refrigeration Issues

October 14, 2015 — LOUISIANA — Premium Gulf seafood has one common challenge: antiquated handling techniques used by generation after generation of fishermen, especially when it comes to onboard refrigeration. For years, processors across the Gulf have had to source higher volumes of premium product, be it shrimp, oysters, crabs or finfish. To meet this demand, a unique mobile “Seafood Quality Training Lab” has been developed to educate Louisiana fishermen on the latest in onboard seafood refrigeration and cold chain management.

The Louisiana Fisheries Forward (LFF) initiative is a seafood industry enhancement effort in partnership with Louisiana Sea Grant and LSU AgCenter. The mobile teaching lab was engineered and built by LeBlanc and Associates, a specialty marine refrigeration company.

“We looked at industry issues where we could offer fishermen solutions to produce a higher quality product,” said Thomas Hymel, a Sea Grant fishery expert. “One of the main issues required of fishermen to improve their catch quality is improved refrigeration. This needs to be a priority of Gulf seafood if our fishermen are going to become a top player in the global seafood industry.”

Members of the Fisheries Forward team researched training needs to address the issue. A fact-finding trip was made to Alaska to see first-hand how technology turned the largest U.S. seafood harvester into a premium vendor.

Read the full story at the Gulf Seafood Institute

 

Gulf Seafood Institute’s Newest Member Jennifer Young is International Seafood Safety Specialist

September 20, 2015 — Sitting on a beach enjoying the sunset on a remote Pacific island has been a perk enjoyed by Jennifer Young during her last seven years as a food safety specialist based in Hawaii, but as the Pacific’s waves gently broke against the shore she realized something was missing. But in her heart she realized she missed the bayous of Louisiana and the Gulf seafood she enjoyed.

Young, owner of Food Safety Solutions and the Gulf Seafood Institute’s newest member, is glad to be back home in Louisiana, as well as a new member an organization that she sees a loud and clear voice for Gulf seafood.

“I loved my time on the Island, but to be honest I missed the culture and the food of Louisiana, especially the seafood,” I was also starting to get frustrated by the direction of the industry and its limitations, such as the tug of war with annual catch limits and imposed longline fishery closures. While I still maintain an office in Hawaii staffed with experienced professionals, my heart finally led me back home to Louisiana.”

Originally from a small town south of Alexandria, she attended the University of Southwest Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and received her Bachelor of Business Administration of the American Intercontinental University founded in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Young is a registered Safe Quality Food (SQF) Consultant and has obtained certification in High Risk Food Sector Category 9 and 11, as well as 21 CFR Part 123 Seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).   She is also a National Environmental Health Association Registered Food Safety Trainer, and is accredited to develop Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) programs, as well as British Retail Consortium programs and Good Manufacturing Practices.

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood Institute