Fresh fish versus frozen fish: Is it a fair fight?
Consumers may consider fresh fish to be better overall than frozen fish. But, the difference isn't as clear-cut as it may seem to be.
Fresh versus frozen doesn’t seem like a fair fight. Who would pick that old, damaged, nutrient-poor frozen fish when they could have a new, unblemished, nutrient-rich fresh one?In the case of seafood, the assumptions surrounding those f-words are inconsistent with the reality of getting quality fish to the dinner table in a waste-conscious way. So let’s ignore the imagery for a minute and consider some fish logistics.
From the Depths
To find, reach, fish, and return from fishing holes in the open ocean costs time, money, and freshness. Commercial fishing operations have two options:
- Store fish on ice and return before they spoil (according to the FAO, cod and haddock last 15 days or so).
- Flash-freeze fish and return when the hold is full.
The economics definitely favor freezing, and in developed countries in 2012, 55 percent of processed fish for human consumption was frozen, up from 38 percent in 1972. But aren’t we sacrificing nutrition for convenience by choosing to freeze instead of chill?
Delaying Decay
Fish are like any other organism—when they die, they begin to decay. Immediately. Yes, chilling slows that decay as well as microbial growth and nutrient loss, but the only way to stop those processes is freezing.Aboard fish processing ships, products are flash-frozen using freezing plates, air blasts, or liquid nitrogen spray, which reduces the internal temperature of products to -20°C in minutes to a few hours. This rapid freezing preserves nutrients and decreases the formation of ice crystals that damage cell membranes and negatively affect the texture of thawed products.
Flying Fish
For a fresh fish to get from the sea to the scenic prairies, it needs to fly. But after an unknown time on a ship, an airplane, and store shelves, how fresh could that fish in your fridge really be? If you’re a skeptical consumer, you’ll try the sniff test, and if there’s any doubt, you’ll probably throw it out. What a waste! Not only the fish, but the resources used in obtaining, storing, and shipping that fish.You might be less skeptical of a thawed fish’s freshness and you’re definitely more likely to only thaw the amount you need. That reduces waste. And, because the clock on frozen seafood is ticking so slowly, products can be shipped in containers, which is a slower but cheaper method, often reflected in the product’s price at the supermarket.
The Verdict
Maybe fresh versus frozen really wasn’t a fair fight after all. Nutrients, waste, cost—frozen beats fresh on many fronts. But does that mean you should turn down your local fisherman’s daily catch in favor of a frozen filet?
Sustainable Fresh or Sustainable Frozen?
Let’s remember the big picture when it comes to seafood: sustainability. In my recent article, I discussed why sustainable seafood is important and how to find it—fresh or frozen. Because of overfishing, we should always be thinking sustainable first, but when do you choose sustainable fresh or sustainable frozen?Easy.If the fish can get from the boat deck to your backdoor in half a day without flying first class, fresh is a safe bet. Otherwise, feel confident that a conscious choice for frozen is a healthier and less wasteful one.
Read the original article here.
Regional Fishery Management Councils call on Oceana to retract bycatch report; Cite "substantial errors, omissions"
WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) -- June 18, 2014 -- The Regional Fishery Management Council Coordination Committee, representing all eight U.S. regional Fishery Management Councils, has recommended that environmental group Oceana retract its March 2014 report on fisheries bycatch, "Wasted Catch," that was widely reported in the press without independent verification of its allegations.
The Councils contend that "misinformation in reports like Wasted Catch undermines those productive relationships between industry, management, and NGOs that have been effective in reducing bycatch." They are especially critical of the fact that Oceana relied heavily on only one document, the National Marine Fishery Service's "National Bycatch Report," and in doing so has left the report "unlikely to result in a full representation of the best available science."
The Councils recommended that for future reports, Oceana should adopt "a standardized peer review process to ensure that reports like this accurately and objectively represent the best available science."
The analysis by the Councils lists general issues with and critiques of the report, followed by a region-by-region analysis of errors and omissions identified by Council staffs.
The Councils conclude by acknowledging, "there are no laws requiring Oceana reports to accurately represent the best available scientific information or to undergo peer review." But they urge that "to do so would be in the best interest of all involved parties."
Read the full letter from the Regional Fishery Management Council Coordination Committee here
Unusual Fish Catches Off San Diego Signal Large-Scale El Niño, Researcher Says
Wednesday, June 11, 2014 | By Susan Murphy | Aired 6/11/14 on KPBS News.
Wikimedia Commons
El Niño currents and warming water are drawing semi-tropical fish, such as yellowfin, to San Diego's coast several months earlier than usual.
One telltale sign that this year's coming El Niño could be a big one is what’s been reeled in off San Diego's coast.Above-average sea surface temperatures are developing in the tropical Pacific Ocean. The weather phenomenon, called El Niño, changes the heating pattern of the atmosphere and pulls the Pacific jet stream farther south. It has the potential to play havoc on weather systems across the globe, causing heavy rain and mudslides in some areas, drought in others, and disrupting the marine food chain.Previous strong El Niños caused above-average rainfall and coastal erosion in San Diego. In 1997-1998, the event was credited with dumping 17 inches of rain at Lindbergh Field.“This looks really a lot like the ’97-’98 El Niño event, which was one of the biggest ones ever recorded,” said Tim Barnett, marine research physicist emeritus with Scripps Institution of Oceanography.“We’ll just have to wait and see how things develop in the summer,” he added.Barnett said the ’97-’98 event caused a northward shift of the whole fishery population, drawing an abundance of albacore and Bluefin tuna to San Diego’s unusually warm waters.“We’ve already started to see very unusual fish catches here,” Barnett said. “The first yellowfin tuna was caught in May — that has never happened before to anybody’s recollection.”“And the other thing too is the first dorado Mahi Mahi — first of June," Barnett added, “that has never happened before. They really like the warm water and you normally don’t see them here until September.”Barnett said both catches could be signatures of a coming large-scale El Niño. He said the tropical fish get caught up in currents caused by El Niño trade winds.“They get entrapped in the current and they just swim along happily North,” Barnett said. “Unfortunately, it’s a one-way trip for most of them, it appears.”In 1997-98, there were a lot of strange biological goings-on, Barnett added, like yellowtail being caught off Kodiak Island in Alaska. The tropical fish usually stops much farther south at Point Conception near Santa Barbara, California.“And nobody could identify them, it’s really funny, they had never seen a yellowtail in Kodiak Island, and they had to send the fish out to be identified."Barnett said it’s still too early to project this year’s El Niño strength, but the unusual fish sightings are a good early indication.
SUSAN MURPHY, Reporter
Monterey Bay: Squid fishermen having boom year
(Vern Fisher - Monterey Herald)
Squid fishermen are enjoying an outstanding season so far on Monterey Bay, where the water was crowded Thursday with 28 boats. The season opened on April 1. "It's a 12-month season, but it's limited by what's called a max cap, meaning there's a maximum amount of tonnage that can be taken," said Monterey Harbormaster Stephen Scheiblauer. "Sometimes they'll fish all year and never reach that max cap, but the last couple of years have been boom years for squid, and they've reached it fairly early. And this year, so far, has been dynamite, which is why we have all of those boats out there right now."
Original post: Monterey Herald
FAO Releases State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture Report
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization: 70% of global fish stocks fished within sustainable limits; seafood production up 10 million tonsWASHINGTON (SeafoodNews.com) May 20, 2014 -- FAO has released its latest "State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture" report, covering 2012, and there are a number of positive news items. First and foremost, 70% of wild capture fisheries are now being fished within biologically sustainable limits.This is a "reversal in trend observed during the past few years, a positive sign in the right direction," says the FAO. Global capture fisheries remained stable at 80 million tons.Secondly, the aquaculture production continues to surge. Global aquaculture production marked a record high of more than 90 million tonnes in 2012, including almost 24 million tonnes of aquatic plants. China accounted for over 60 percent of the total share.Other positive trends were the increase in employment in fisheries and aquaculture, the greater share o trade coming from developing countries, and the fact that seafood now accounts for 17% of global protein consumption.The report also emphasizes the importance and positive role of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries which, since its adoption almost two decades ago, remains key to achieving sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.More people than ever before rely on fisheries and aquaculture for food and as a source of income says the new FAO report published today.According to the latest edition of FAO's The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, global fisheries and aquaculture production totaled 158 million tonnes in 2012 - around 10 million tonnes more than 2010.The rapid expansion of aquaculture, including the activities of small-scale farmers, is driving this growth in production.Fish farming holds tremendous promise in responding to surging demand for food which is taking place due to global population growth, the report says.At the same time, the planet's oceans - if sustainably managed - have an important role to play in providing jobs and feeding the world, according to FAO's report."The health of our planet as well as our own health and future food security all hinge on how we treat the blue world," FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said."We need to ensure that environmental well-being is compatible with human well-being in order to make long-term sustainable prosperity a reality for all. For this reason, FAO is committed to promoting 'Blue Growth,' which is based on the sustainable and responsible management of our aquatic resources."The renewed focus on the so-called "blue world" comes as the share of fisheries production used by humans for food has increased from about 70 percent in the 1980s to a record high of more than 85 percent (136 million tonnes) in 2012.At the same time per capita fish consumption has soared from 10 kg in the 1960s to more than 19 kg in 2012.The new report also says fish now accounts for almost 17 percent of the global population's intake of protein -- in some coastal and island countries it can top 70 percent.FAO estimates that fisheries and aquaculture support the livelihoods of 10-12 percent of the world's population.Since 1990 employment in the sector has grown at a faster rate than the world's population and in 2012 provided jobs for some 60 million people engaged in capture fisheries and aquaculture. Of these, 84 percent were employed in Asia, followed by Africa with about 10 percent.Global marine capture fishery production was stable at about 80 million tonnes in 2012, the new report indicates.Currently, under 30 percent of the wild fish stocks regularly monitored by FAO are overfished - a reversal in trend observed during the past few years, a positive sign in the right direction.Just over 70 percent are being fished within biologically sustainable levels. Of these, fully fished stocks - meaning those at or very close to their maximum sustainable production - account for over 60 percent and underfished stocks about 10 percent.Global aquaculture production marked a record high of more than 90 million tonnes in 2012, including almost 24 million tonnes of aquatic plants. China accounted for over 60 percent of the total share.Aquaculture's expansion helps improve the diets of many people, especially in poor rural areas where the presence of essential nutrients in food is often scarce.However, the report warns that to continue to grow sustainably, aquaculture needs to become less dependent on wild fish for feeds and introduce greater diversity in farmed culture species and practices.For example, small-sized species can be an excellent source of essential minerals when consumed whole. However, consumer preferences and other factors have seen a switch towards larger farmed species whose bones and heads are often discarded.The role of fish is set to feature prominently at the Second International Conference on Nutrition jointly organized by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO) for 19-21 November 2014 in Rome.Fish remains among the most traded food commodities worldwide, worth almost $130 billion in 2012 - a figure which likely will continue to increase.An important trend sees developing countries boosting their share in the fishery trade - 54 percent of total fishery exports by value in 2012 and more than 60 percent by quantity (live weight).This means fisheries and fish farming are playing an increasingly critical role for many local economies. Some 90 percent of fishers are small scale and it is estimated that, overall, 15 percent are women. In secondary activities such as processing, this figure can be as high as 90 percent.FAO, through the 2014 International Year of Family Farming, is raising the profile of smallholder activities - including fisheries and aquaculture - with an emphasis on improving access to finance and markets, securing tenure rights and protecting the environment.An estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of food are lost per year - to about one-third of all food produced. This figure includes post-harvest fish losses, which tend to be greater in small-scale fisheries.In small-scale fisheries, quality losses are often far more significant than physical losses. Improved handling, processing and value-addition methods could address the technical aspects of this issue, but it is also vital to extend good practices, build partnerships, raise awareness, and develop capacity and relevant policies and strategies.The report also notes that illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains a major threat to marine ecosystems and also impacts negatively on livelihoods, local economies and food supplies.Food chain traceability is increasingly a requirement in major fish markets, especially in the wake of recent scandals involving the mislabeling of food products.FAO provides technical guidelines on certification and ecolabeling which can help producers demonstrate that fish has been caught legally from a sustainably managed fishery or produced in properly run aquaculture facility.In particular, the report stresses the importance of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries which, since its adoption almost two decades ago, remains key to achieving sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.The Code promotes the responsible use of aquatic resources and habitat conservation to help boost the sector's contribution to food security, poverty alleviation and human well-being.FAO is also promoting "Blue Growth" as a framework for ensuring sustainable and socioeconomically-sensitive management of oceans and wetlands.At the Global Oceans Action Summit on Food Security and Blue Growth held last month in The Hague, Netherlands, governments and other participants committed to actions focused on tackling climate change, overfishing, habitat loss and pollution in a bid to restore productive, resilient oceans.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.
Scientists Warn of Rising Oceans From Polar Melt
By JUSTIN GILLIS and KENNETH CHANGMAY 12, 2014A large section of the mighty West Antarctica ice sheet has begun falling apart and its continued melting now appears to be unstoppable, two groups of scientists reported on Monday. If the findings hold up, they suggest that the melting could destabilize neighboring parts of the ice sheet and a rise in sea level of 10 feet or more may be unavoidable in coming centuries.Global warming caused by the human-driven release of greenhouse gases has helped to destabilize the ice sheet, though other factors may also be involved, the scientists said.The rise of the sea is likely to continue to be relatively slow for the rest of the 21st century, the scientists added, but in the more distant future it may accelerate markedly, potentially throwing society into crisis.“This is really happening,” Thomas P. Wagner, who runs NASA’s programs on polar ice and helped oversee some of the research, said in an interview. “There’s nothing to stop it now. But you are still limited by..." Read the entire article online here. NYTimes.com
Sea-lion miseries tied to sardine reduction
Nursing the mammal population back to health raises another question: Do we let nature take its course if there are now too many?By ERIKA I. RITCHIE / STAFF WRITERPublished: May 6, 2014Photo: ANNA REED, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERMass beachings of malnourished sea lions in 2013 are likely linked to a drop in sardine populations near Channel Islands rookeries where thousands of sea lions are born each year, federal officials say.More than 1,600 sea lion pups washed up on beaches from San Diego to Ventura between January and April 2013 – starving, dehydrated and suffering from a variety of diseases.The mass stranding led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries service to form a task force of scientists to research what could have caused the unusual mortality event.In the past two months, 650 sea lions have been found on beaches in similar conditions.“Although the pups showed signs of some viruses and infections, findings indicate that this event was not caused by disease, rather by the lack of high-quality, close-by food sources for nursing mothers,” said Sarah Wilkin, coordinator of the Marine Mammal Health Stranding and Response Program for the National Marine Fisheries.The task force’s scientists considered prey, oceanic conditions, viruses, bacteria, toxins and even radiation from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant. The lack of sardines has been the only clear indicator of the mass stranding.SARDINE DECLINESardines, a fatty, silvery fish, provide a high level of nutrients not only to sea lions but also to seals, elephant seals and humpback whales, many of which are also found along the Channel Islands and compete for food with the sea lions.Sardine numbers are in steep decline, and those that are available have shifted spawning grounds, previously surveyed within 50 miles of the sea lion rookeries, to deep water up to 120 miles from shore even as sea lion numbers are booming.Scientists say the absence of sardines near the rookeries likely created challenges for mothers in feeding their pups and forced juveniles to swim farther to find other forage fish like market squid and juvenile rock fish. Most sea lions hunt within 60 miles of their rookeries.In the 1940 and ’50s, sardines were heavily fished off the coast of Monterrey in Northern California. Their numbers drastically declined for 30 years and then rebounded in the 1980s, according to task force member Sam McClatchie, an oceanographer with Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla who has conducted fish number studies on sardines.In 2006, sardine numbers again began to crash, McClatchie said. Last December, the fishing quota was dropped to 5,446 metric tons for California, Oregon and Washington from January to June. In the same time period the previous year, the quota was 18,073 metric tons.Sardines and other pelagic fish such as anchovies, market squid, rock fish and hag are known to fluctuate in populations and locations. The fish are mobile, migrating from Baja to Vancouver each year.But sardines, while flexible, are easily affected by changes in ocean temperature. A dip of water temperatures in the south-flowing California current in the last decade could be reducing their numbers off the Southern California coast.There are big differences in temperature between Baja, Vancouver and the California central coast along with seasonal and regional differences that cause volatile swings in sardine populations. While those conditions have brought a boom in some species, like market squid, they have pushed out sardines.“In a year where conditions are good, we can get a lot of fish,” McClatchie said. “They often live five to eight years and in a good pulse, a lot of eggs can be produced related to the number of mothers there are. How many survive depends on environmental conditions and how many are eating them.”2013 BEACHINGS UNUSUALLast year’s stranding was not the largest in the California, but the timing and location made it unique, said Justin Viezbicke, California stranding network coordinator for National Marine Fisheries.Sea lions began washing ashore in January, much earlier than usual. Sea lion pups are born in summer and stay with their mothers for 10 to 11 months, so rescue centers don’t usually see strandings until June.
View the original post: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/-613015--.html?page=1
Pew/NatGeo Column Oversimplifies Ecosystem-Based Management of "Forage Fish"
"Environmental NGOs have launched a nationwide campaign to protect "forage fish". Groups such as Pew are broadcasting the same protectionist message on the west coast as well as the east and gulf coasts. On the west coast, the Pacific Council has already adopted an Ecosystem Plan, but as this article attests, managing "forage species" is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. In fact, west coast fishery regulations for coastal pelagic species, also called forage fish, are the most precautionary in the world."
Pew/NatGeo Column Oversimplifies Ecosystem-Based Management of "Forage Fish"It's not as simple as "ABC"WASHINGTON (Saving Seafood) May 7, 2014 -- In a recent article, "The ABCs of Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management-Part II," the Pew Charitable Trusts' Director of Federal Fisheries Policy and National Geographic online guest writer, Lee Crockett, focuses on the management of "forage fish" -- a much used, though highly debated categorization for a number of small, marine species. The article's title suggests that management of forage species is as simple as learning the alphabet, but in reality that is far from the case. Fisheries management is a highly complex process, and fisheries managers have stated that much remains to be studied and understood before ecosystem-based management can work for every species.The term "forage fish" simply describes a number of tiny fish and invertebrates that share a similar niche in the marine food web (they are often "foraged" upon by larger predators). The range of included species is broad, and their differences are diverse. Targeted stocks like shrimp, squid, herring, and menhaden can all be classified as "forage" species, as can non-targeted species like jellyfish, bay anchovy, sand lance, and sea worms. These species have a variety of biological differences, and don't have much in common outside of their trophic level. So while the term may seem convenient, all species labeled "forage fish" cannot be successfully lumped and managed in the same way, as Pew and a number of environmental groups often suggest.An example of this flaw can be found in the calculations Mr. Crockett cites from the Lenfest Forage Fish Taskforce. The Lenfest analyses are based around the assumption that the various "forage species" can be managed under the same broad guidelines. However, there are a significant number of different variables -- including fecundity, spawning periods, migration, predator-prey relationships, and habitat -- that must be considered to properly manage these species and are more relevant than their shared trophic role.Different forage species will likely respond in different ways to management measures. For example, one of the species mentioned in the article, Atlantic herring, has lower levels of fecundity when the stock biomass is high. Another species mentioned, Atlantic menhaden, has historically shown a poor correlation between harvest levels and biomass. Some of the peak years in menhaden biomass, particularly in the early 1980s, were preceded by years of heavy fishing mortality. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that, "menhaden recruitment appears to be independent of fishing mortality and spawning stock biomass, indicating environmental factors may be the defining factor in the production of good year classes." Mr. Crockett's broad reference to "forage fish" as a general category does not factor in these differences.Lenfest's economic analysis, concluding that "forage fish" are more valuable if left in the water than if caught, rests on unproven assumptions about predator species. First, that all "forage fish" left in the water will be consumed by predator species, and second, that predator species are currently constrained by a lack of forage. But the report does not actually provide evidence that this is the case.In fact, these assumptions are demonstrably untrue for several predator species. Some, like weakfish, are currently overfished, and an increase in available forage would not be an effective solution to problems facing the stock. Other species, like striped bass, have not historically been abundant at the same time as forage species like menhaden.A shift toward ecosystem-based fisheries management for all fisheries is a common goal shared by managers, industry members, and conservationists alike. But such a transition requires that fisheries management reach a point of technological and scientific innovation that enables responsible and informed management in that capacity. Fisheries managers are constantly working to improve and obtain the most up-to-date and comprehensive scientific information regarding species interactions, but at the present, many fisheries simply have not yet reached the point at which ecosystem-based management is possible and productive.In the mean time, "forage" species like menhaden are being watched and managed closely to ensure their sustainable harvest. The menhaden fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic are two of the most closely monitored and regulated fisheries in their respective regions. In the Atlantic, commercial menhaden harvesters now operate under a 20 percent reduction in allowable harvests. That historic cut was implemented by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), with the support of groups such as Mr. Crockett's employer, for the express purpose of ensuring the species' continued sustainable harvest. In the Gulf of Mexico, the menhaden fishery has been lauded as a "close to perfect" fishery thanks to its remarkably low bycatch and closely monitored commercial operations.Managers in the Gulf have also openly discussed ecosystem-based management for the menhaden fishery there, for which they have decades of scientific records. But as is the case for many fisheries for now, scientists concluded that the data and technology are simply not there yet for such a significant transition. In their most recent Gulf menhaden stock assessment, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), which manages regional species in the Gulf of Mexico, stated "that data and techniques [for ecosystem-based management] are insufficient at present to incorporate them into the assessment." In other words, to adopt premature and incomplete ecosystem-based components to future stock assessments would prove difficult to accurately project the true health of a species' population. Ultimately, a hasty transition would leave fisheries with less science-based management than at the present.Mr. Crockett also references Federal law governing fisheries management, the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA). He alleges that "forage" species are at risk of exploitation without strongly worded protections within the MSA against commercial harvests. But harvest cuts like those for Atlantic menhaden, and closely monitored menhaden management in the Gulf of Mexico already exemplify that law's intent. In both cases, managers are actively fulfilling the law's fundamental requirement that fisheries management balance long-term sustainability with the socioeconomic needs of our fishing communities. The Magnuson-Stevens Act exemplifies the principle of sustainable marine resource management. Its intent and application demonstrates that conservation is not an end in itself, but also a means for ensuring that those who rely on these fisheries remain economically afloat.Commercial fishermen, including those who harvest species like menhaden, share an interest in ecosystem-based management. Fishermen and scientists have long worked together to develop more timely and comprehensive fishery science to that very end. But forcing fishery managers into a system that is not yet supported by fundamentally important scientific findings and technology will not advance responsible resource management.In the case of "forage fish," those involved in fishery management have regulated and monitored these species with recognition of the reality that they are a highly diverse group whose behavior is far from uniform. To the benefit of these species, as well as the fishing communities who depend on their sustainable management, there is more work to be done before making a move toward the ecosystem-based management that Mr. Crockett endorses.Read this response online at Saving MenhadenSign up for daily news updates from Saving Seafood.Visit www.SavingMenhaden.org for the latest industry news. Menhaden Fisheries Coalition contact information:phone: 202-595-1212e-mail: info@savingmenhaden.org