fishmonger

I think this is brilliant, and a harbinger of things to come. Maybe some of our East Coast fishermen will try this here. If you are a local fisherman here in the Northeast give me a call I want your well handled hand-lined fish. Story below from Seafood Source. Tagged sea bass, lobster deliver price premium By Lindsey Partos, SeafoodSource contributing editor, reporting from Paris 8/5/2009 11:03:46 AM - South East England fishermen participating in a trial tagging scheme are receiving premium prices for their line-caught sea bass and pot-harvested lobsters . Under the aegis of the South East Seafood Group, the trial is designed to promote the region’s inshore fishing fleet as a source of high-end, locally caught seafood. “The main driver for the tags is full traceability,” David Marshall of fisheries consulting firm Fathom Marine, which is leading the initiative, told SeafoodSource. Consumer demand for traceable seafood products is accelerating, he added. “Up until now,...

French fishermen protest quotas by blocking transit. Chinese could eat all of Florida's turtles. Shad and the wheels of politics, fortune wanes.

Here is an idea for some domestic economic stimulus. Buy and eat United States produced Catfish. Not only will it keep those dwindling dollars here in the states, but it is delicious to boot. And pretty darn sustainable too. So there you have it just stop buying overpriced farmed salmon and give reasonably priced catfish a try.

I used to enjoy watching John Stossel on 20/20 and his Give Me A Break segments. I even had the opportunity to attend a dinner at Stetson Law where he spoke. I wonder what he would say about the current state of the Salmon industry. That most of the Industrial Salmon Complex are owned by few companies leads one to ponder conspiracy theories. We are all guilty for enjoying the relatively inexpensive farm raised Atlantic salmon during its hey day. The American people generally ignored all the bad press the lowly salmon had to take. Food writers and scientists alike criticized the fish because of the way in which it was raised, that it was dyed or color added, and that it was contaminated with toxins, or that it just didn't taste as good. Maybe Top Chef contestant and finalist Stefan will forget all he thinks he knows about farmed salmon after his disappointing showing cooking or overcooking as the judges determined lean wild coho salmon. Despite all its bad press most people love the...

Every year thousands of seafood vendors come to Boston to meet and greet and sell every imaginable species of seafood to the hundreds of thousand that attend the three day show every March. This year looks to be a little less grand. I was surprised last week when I was sent an unsolicited free registration. My first thought was that they must be having a hard time filling the aisles. Intrafish is running the headline Sour economy dents Boston Seafood show attendance . Asian seafood exporters are evaluating their financial problems. Seafood Exporters Prepare for Crisis . Part of their plan is to increase sales at expos like The Boston Seafood Show . They might want to adjust their expectations. The New York Restaurant show is having the same difficulty, as I just received a free badge for this show too.

A well thought out plan to farm native species fish in open ocean pens in United States waters could be a solution to more than one problem facing us today. Or it could be the worst idea to come since we allowed untreated waste to be dumped into the water from heavy manufacturing. Pros Reduces the need to consume wild caught food fish. Creates much needed employment in coastal communities. Promotes innovation and technology. Reduces dependency on imported aquaculture. Cons Waste from fish farming impacts local ecology. Greater demand on wild forage fish as food for aquaculture fish. Disease and escapement jeopardize wild stock. Creates confusion in the market with identical wild and farmed fish species. This debate is far from over, and I am sure all sides will weigh in on this issue. I for one would allow some progress on this to occur on a very limited basis. By allowing some ocean open farming to occur we could better understand how to meet the growing demands of the seafood consume...

From a New York fishmongers perspective, how things have changed. Since it has been nearly two months since my last musings here so much has happened. The market for seafood has gotten quite dismal with the wholesalers at the New Fulton Market in Hunts Point reduced to working on nickels and dimes when they can. Many companies have put crews on 4 day schedules, and games of cards and the occasional chess match fill the empty late night hours for lack of buyers. Not a day seems to go by that I here of fish being sold at ridiculously low prices, just so companies can avoid an outright loss. Many fish like Halibut have simply become too expensive an option for most, and restaurants have removed them from their menus. Back in favor Atlantic Salmon (a particularly great bargain with the ISA issues in Chile), tilapia, catfish, and skate. We are most of the way through Restaurant week here in the city (Restaurant Week is actually two weeks, many establishments are even extending it further.) ...

Despite the current economic situation I want to encourage everyone to keep eating sustainable seafood. We all need to reap the benefits of great seafood more than ever. The healthy benefits of seafood will pay for themselves in the long run; with increased brain function, decreased risk of coronary problems, just to name a couple. Seafood prices have remained stable and are apparently on a downward trend. Some relief has been granted to local fisheries as the price of fuel continues to decline. And I received the first freight reduction in years from one of our trucking companies. So now is a great time to vote with your wallet and continue to support sustainable seafood. Here is a list of some reasonably priced choices. Bluefish (wild caught local) Mussels (farmed, US and Canada) Clams (farmed or wild hand dug) Barramundi (farmed, US) Coldwater Shrimp (wild, US and Canada)

Yesterday National Public Radio aired a story highlighting the fuel cost problems that Northeast commercial fishermen are trying to cope with. Asian Tuna Boats are suspending activities for "a few" months in response to high fuel costs. This follows the same action by squid fishermen in Japan. This follows last months strikes in Europe , primarily by French and Spanish Boats. This article from Namibia , foretells of the possible crash of smaller fishing economies.

In the past month the rising costs of fuel, diesel in particular have caused an uproar from coast to coast and from sea to sea. Strikes in France, Spain, and Portugal. Work stoppages in Japan. Limited days at sea for struggling American boats, and the list goes on. So how is this good? It is not. But maybe it could be good for those threatened species you say. You know less fisherman out there catching fish from day to day, that has to take some pressure off of the reserves right? This line of thinking only highlights the problem with the perception of fishing today. Unlike what most consumers might think about the fishing industry; small boats and small crews hand lining fish, most fish is taken by larger vessels with high tech gear, and high yield fishing techniques. High fuel prices really only affect the small guys. So when fuel costs rise some of these old school artisanal fishermen are the ones most hurt. So despite what may seem like a panacea for ocean conservation, could actua...

As someone who makes a living trading in seafood for human consumption I have the opinion that the wholesale taking of a valuable natural resource by only a hand full of people is not good. Apparently there are even a few elected officials that are of the same opinion. I think that the effects of the Menhaden fishery is similar to the corn for ethanol scheme. By removing these fish from the food chain it no doubt effects the fish that rely on them for food. The other added benefit of that menhaden, and fish like them offer is the improvement of water quality as they filter feed upon algae, and detritus. Now that "Friend of the Sea" has sold them the sustainability label the fight to protect them might be harder. Below are two recent articles for your consideration: Taken from Asbury Park Press 5/16/2008 Bunker Bills Will Protect This Valuable Resource Two Republican congressmen are pushing legislation that would provide further protection to menhaden stocks that are so vit...

Turned off by high seafood prices? Maybe the future of seafood is next to the washing machine or the water heater in your basement. It might seem like a far fetched idea, but it is one that increased transportation costs could bring closer to reality. The article below appeared in a recent Mother Earth News. USA.- For the past several years, the good folks at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Washington, D.C. have worked to help urban residents gain greater control over their lives through the use of low-technology, decentralist tools and concepts. [2008-02-22] We strongly believe that more people (city dwellers and country folk alike) should be exposed to the Institute's admirable efforts... which is why we've made this "what's happening where" report by ILSR staffers one of MOTHER'S regular features. Raising fish in the basement—as a means of producing a home supply of inexpensive protein—is an enticing idea to urban and rural dwellers a...

The rising cost of diesel is putting a real strain on many sectors of the seafood industry. Recent articles from all coasts, and overseas are highlighting the plight of fishermen as they struggle to make ends meet. More often than not the choice is to fish or not to fish. When the decision is how much money do I want to lose, it is sometimes better to just stay tied up. A visit to Long Island over a relatively calm weather weekend revealed docks with commercial boats, many with for sale signs. Even charters leaving from Crossbay, New York are making sure that they are completely booked before heading out. So with costs to fishermen up we are seeing dock prices start to skyrocket. That of course means that consumer costs will be steadily rising. The big question is how that affects overall purchases in the future. It could help some species by relieving pressures, but by what factor. And of course their is always someone willing to pay any price. In addition to fueling boats, the seafoo...

I was watching a the National Geographic channel and a program last night about world greenhouse gas production. One thing that struck me as having great truth when it comes to seafood as well was the notion that there is good news and bad news. The good news was that if we could alleviate the problem in China, then we would solve the problem for the world. The bad news was that if we didn't change the way things are going in China almost nothing else matters. This I think is true when it comes to seafood. Already China is the largest producer of seafood and they are soon to become the biggest consumer as well. Of course there are hundreds of reasons why this is true including the vast number of people, and the growing level of wealth that gives China such incredible buying power. I have read the following report that was put together in late 2006 by Glitner. Chinese Seafood For seafood consumption in China will increase by more than 40 per cent by 2020

Aramark announced it will be working with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to source sustainable seafood. Aramark is one of the largest food management services in the United States. I have worked for them and to the best of my knowledge with maybe the exception of shrimp, seafood is a very small amount of purchases. All that aside it is good that they are making an effort, because even if seafood only accounts for a small percentage of unit sales. Typical units are convention centers, sports arenas, jails, schools, health care , and business dining. The volume of sales translate that small percentage into tons of seafood. As a seafood distributor I would love to be a preferred vendor.

In the summer of 1995 I was an underemployed cook, house painter, and part time college student. One of my favorite restaurants in the Tampa Bay area had just moved over the bridge and to Saint Petersburg Florida. That restaurant was Native Seafood, and on a warm evening in July of that year all the stars were lining up in my favor. I asked one of my college classmates a beautiful young lady named Marta to dinner that evening, and she agreed to let me take her to Native Seafood. We must have gotten a late start because I remember most of the customers were making there way out while we were on our way in. It was a pleasant night so we chose to sit on the deck and enjoy our dinner. Our waiter for the evening was quite charming, I think he was trying to make time with my date, but the wine and my delight to have her as my date did not allow it to bother me. So after a delightful meal of tropical inspired cuisine we were the last two customers in the place, and the staff was cleaning up....

I am pretty sure that during all those lectures in economics I was busy checking out the young ladies in the class, but I do remember something about supply and demand. Oh yes the rule of supply and demand is bearing down strong on the seafood industry. A number of factors are working against anyone who purchases seafood. Factor number one; the weak dollar is giving our overseas counterparts more buying power, and helping to drive prices up here for species like wild salmon , and many of your Boston area fish Additional factors causing this can be traced to lower yields from farmed fish including tilapia, and farmed salmon . The aquaculture industry is also competing for some of the same feed that land based farming operations use, and they too are facing higher prices driven up by high fuel prices. Anyone who has read my blog, or recent articles elsewhere is fairly aware about the growing concern we are depleting our oceans from overfishing . Plus overall consumption of seafood is up...