National Fisherman's Melissa Wood shares her stories as a writer and editor covering the U.S. fishing industry.
Friday, 12 October 2012
I've got two stories to share that somehow seem appropriate for a Friday afternoon. For the first, sometimes it's good to get a reminder about why certain things are important — even if that reminder is an unpleasant one. National Fisherman's editor Jes Hathaway is a huge advocate for eating wild U.S. fish. Here's a reminder why that U.S.A. label is important:
Asian Seafood Raised On Pig Feces Approved for U.S. Consumers
Gross. One of the problems is that when people read things like this they sometimes think all seafood is bad (people aren't stupid but they have a lot to think about) so the message should be clear and simple: U.S. wild.
Repeat as necessary: U.S. wild. U.S. wild.
This next story isn't as gross, I promise. You may have noticed the web is buzzing with reports of a huge, softball-sized eye that washed up on Pompano Beach in Southern Florida. There's speculation that it once belonged to a giant squid or possibly a very large swordfish. I'm thinking that if anyone knows what kind of creature it once belonged to it would be fishermen, our readers. So what do you think? Have you ever looked into this eyeball before?
I imagine it was a moment you'll never forget.
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Over 500 lots of seafood processing equipment formerly owned by Adak Seafood will be sold at auction on Tuesday, June 18, starting at 10 a.m. Hawaiian-Aleutian Daylight Time at the Hilton Garden Inn in Anchorage Alaska.
The equipment is located in a recently updated 250,000 square foot state-of-the-art processing facility in Adak, Alaska. Farmington Hills, Mich.-based Hilco Industrial, which conducts 75 machinery and equipment auctions in a wide range of industries annually, will conduct the auction.
Adak Seafood opened originally as Ada Fisheries in Anchorage in 1986. The facility, updated in 2005, is located on the island of Adak, the southernmost city in Alaska near the western end of the Aleutian Islands. The facility processed cod primarily, as well as halibut, blackcod, crab and pollock, Hilco says.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
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