International Year of the Salmon 2019

A coalition of organizations have declared 2019 as the International Year of the Salmon (IYS).

The International Year of the Salmon is an initiative to inform and stimulate outreach and research that aspires to establish the conditions necessary to ensure the resilience of salmon and people throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

IYS seeks to protect salmon by bringing countries together to share knowledge, raise public awareness and take action.

The extraordinary life histories of salmon in the Northern Hemisphere exposes them to many environmental and human-caused factors influencing their health and abundance.

IYS events are intended to raise awareness of what humans can do to ensure salmon and their habitats are conserved and restored.

There was an opening ceremony for the International Year of the Salmon at the Global Fishery Forum & Seafood Expo 2018.

The IYS North Pacific Opening Event was held at Jack Poole Plaza in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Hosted by the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) and the Pacific Salmon Foundation, the event drew an audience of media and over 100 leaders in salmon conservation from government, Indigenous groups, NGOs, academia, and industry from around the Pacific Rim.

ASMI How to Fillet Salmon - Halibut Videos

In September, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) filmed four short quality videos highlighting proper thawing of headed and gutted (h/g) salmon, salmon filleting, and halibut filleting.

The videos are produced in concert with the Technical program and will be shared online, serving as a resource for industry, processors, distributors, retail, foodservice, and consumer audiences alike.

source: Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

Alaska Salmon Industry to Drop MSC Certification

In January, 2012, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation announced that it had received letters from eight major primary salmon processors advising AFDF they are phasing out their financial support for the Marine Stewardship Council salmon certification program. Collectively the eight processors account for approximately 72% of the Alaska salmon harvest.

The processors will support the MSC program for Alaska salmon only through October of 2012, when the current certificate expires. The eight processors include Trident Seafoods, Icicle Seafoods, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Peter Pan Seafoods, Alaska General Seafoods, E & E Foods, Kwikpak Fisheries, and North
Pacific Seafoods.

At the salmon industry’s request, AFDF took over the clientship for MSC certification of Alaska salmon in February, 2010. The move came following Alaska Department of Fish and Game's announcement in July of 2008 that they would no longer carry out the duties required of the client.

source: Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation

Types of Smoked Salmon

Salmon is usually smoked by either hot-smoking or cold-smoking.

Hot-smoking is a process by which the fish is smoked from 6 to 12 hours at 120° - 180°F. The type and size of fish, desired flavor, local tradition, and other factors affect the hot smoking process.

Cold-smoking is done using temperatures of 100°F or less. Cold smoking times range from roughly 24 hours to as much as 3 weeks.

Types of smoked salmon:

American style kippered salmon is chunked, steaked or filleted Pacific salmon that has been brined and hot-smoked.

European kippered salmon consists of whole salmon that has been split, brined and cold-smoked.

Lox is a type of brined, cold-smoked salmon that tends to be saltier than other smoked salmon.

Several geographical designations for cold smoked salmon include Nova or Nova Scotia, Scotch-smoked, Danish-smoked and Irish-smoked. In some cases, these names refer more to a process than an actual area.

Cold-smoked Pacific salmon (usually coho or chinook) is often labeled as smoked salmon without reference to the type of smoking process.

Indian-cure salmon is brined fish that has been cold-smoked for up to 2 weeks until it becomes jerky.

Squaw candy is another type of smoked Pacific salmon consisting of thin strips of salmon that has been cured in a salt-sugar brine before being hot-smoked.

Both hot and cold smoked salmon is popular for making smoked salmon dip, fish chowders, and other recipes.

BristolBaySockeye.org Launched by Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association

The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) has launched a new website (BristolBaySockeye.org) which provides extensive information to consumers about the Bristol Bay wild sockeye salmon fishery.

According to the Association, Bristol Bay salmon is naturally rich in heart-healthy Omega 3s, lends itself to a wide variety of culinary preparations and hails from some of the most pristine waters on earth.

The website focuses on Bristol Bay itself, the personalities of the fishing fleet, and the abundant and sustainable salmon runs of the region.

The site is organized around the themes of Bristol Bay, Sustainability, Nutrition, the Faces of Bristol Bay and Recipes.

The website also provides a history of the fishery, and emphasizes the "Faces of the Fleet," through beautiful photography, a series of fisherman profiles, and a video of the 2010 season shot by Bristol Bay commercial fishermen.

For more information, visit: www.bristolbaysockeye.org

source: Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association

GAA Completes Salmon Aquaculture Best Aquaculture Practices Certification Standards

The Global Aquaculture Alliance recently announced the completion of BAP standards for salmon farms. The new salmon aquaculture standards component becomes an important addition to the Alliance's Best Aquaculture Practices certification program.

The BAP standards for salmon farms apply to the cage and net pen production of salmon and rainbow trout. They join BAP's standards for shrimp, tilapia, Pangasius and channel catfish.

The BAP program also includes standards for feed mills, hatcheries and processing plants. Over 1.5 billion pounds (700,000 metric tons) of seafood are processed under the BAP program annually.

The BAP standards are based on current best practices, but continuously evolve with advancing technology. BAP strives to set standards at an achievable level to encourage a broad cross section of producers to participate and effect positive changes within the industry.

The standards can be viewed at www.gaalliance.org/cmsAdmin/uploads/BAP-SalmonF-611.pdf

Public comments and responses are also available at www.gaalliance.org/bap/comments.php

For more information on BAP, visit www.gaalliance.org/bap/

source: GAA

Canadian Seafood Consumption

A new survey reveals 88 percent of Canadians have eaten seafood over the past three months. However, only 15 percent of fish consumers and 5 percent of shellfish consumers are meeting Canada Food Guide recommendations of two seafood servings per week (see note 1) .

Commissioned by the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA), the Canadian Seafood Survey found that more men than women like the taste of fish (73 vs. 66 percent, respectively), and that men have a more positive impression of farmed seafood than women. Nearly three-quarters of Canadians eat salmon (74 percent), followed by trout (45 percent) and shellfish (43 percent).

“The good news is that Canadians are eating seafood,” said Ruth Salmon, CAIA’s Executive Director. “Unfortunately, our seafood consumption frequency is far below national dietary guidelines of eight servings per month. Seafood is one of nature’s best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack and Alzheimer’s Disease, guard against Rheumatoid Arthritis, and reduce depression.”

Canadians eat finfish an average of 3.7 times per month, and our average shellfish consumption frequency is 1.9 times per month. The survey found salmon to be the most popular fish among Canadian consumers.

The complete survey, which also includes Canadians’ opinions towards creating a national Aquaculture Act, is available online: http://www.aquaculture.ca/files/CAIA-PUBLIC-REPORT-May-2011.pdf

Note 1: Canada Food Guide: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/alt_formats/hpfb-dgpsa/pdf/food-guide-aliment/view_eatwell_vue_bienmang-eng.pdf

source: Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance

Wild Alaska Salmon Certification

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has announced that Alaska Salmon is the first of Alaska's major commercial fisheries to be awarded the independent, third-party Responsible Fisheries Management Certification.  

The certification is based on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the FAO Guidelines for Ecolabelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries.  

The certification includes Alaskan king, sockeye, coho, keta, and pink salmon. The Full Assessment and Certification Report (250 pages) will be available on April 1, 2011 at  http://sustainability.alaskaseafood.org/salmon-certification and www.gtcert.com

source: Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

Alaskan Seafood Producers Cooperative (SPC) King and Coho Salmon Certification

King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) and Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), from the Alaskan Seafood Producers Cooperative (SPC) (www.spcsales.com), representing over 575 fishermen and employees, have been certified Friend of the Sea.

SPC King and Coho Salmon are caught by trolling, catching one fish at a time. Non-targeted fish are seldom captured and the seabed is not impacted by trolling methods. The target Alaskan salmon stocks are not over exploited.

The SPC also supports the Marine Debris Cleanup project which aims to remove plastic and marine debris from remote coastal beaches that would have been harmful to local wildlife.

source: FoS

Fishy State of the Union Address

Even American seafood received scrutiny during the 2011 State of Union Address. President Barack Obama joked about American fisheries management complexities, saying, "The Interior Department is in charge of salmon while they’re in fresh water, but the Commerce Department handles them when they’re in saltwater.  I hear it gets even more complicated once they’re smoked."

Ireland Seeks To Expand Aquaculture Production

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith TD and Minister of State, Sean Connick TD, met recently with the CEO of Marine Harvest, one of the world's biggest seafood companies to discuss the potential for significant expansion of the industry in Ireland.

The company's Irish fish farms, in Donegal, Mayo, Cork and Kerry, have been expanding production and hope to produce between 10 and 12,000 tonnes of salmon for export from Ireland this year.

The company has been increasingly moving to the production of premium organic salmon and this year expect that 70% of their Irish production will be sold in prime European markets as organically produced fish.

The company, which currently employs 250 people in Ireland and 5,000 worldwide sees significant potential to double production and employment in Ireland over the next ten years.

source: Ireland Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

UC Davis Study Finds Salmon Farms Not Harmful to Wild Salmon

A new UC Davis study contradicts earlier reports that salmon farms were responsible for the 2002 population crash of wild pink salmon in the Broughton Archipelago of western Canada.

The Broughton crash has become a rallying event for people concerned about the potential environmental effects of open-net salmon farming, which has become a $10 billion industry worldwide, producing nearly 1.5 million tons of fish annually.

The new study, to be published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, does not determine what caused the crash, but it acquits the prime suspect: small skin parasites called sea lice.

The study's lead author is Gary Marty, a veterinary pathologist and research associate at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. An expert in fish diseases, Marty has been studying the health of pink salmon since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.

"No significant effect on wild salmon"

"For anybody concerned about the effect of farm salmon on wild salmon, this is good news," Marty said. "Sea lice from fish farms have no significant effect on wild salmon population productivity."

source: University of California, Davis, News Service

Groups Oppose Genetically Engineered Salmon

According to a coalition of Canadian groups, Environment Canada refuses to confirm or deny if the department has already started a secret 120-day risk assessment to approve genetically engineered (GE) salmon egg production on Prince Edward Island. The groups also released a joint statement of “categorical objection” to the raising of GE fish and fish eggs (1).

Documents released in September by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed that the US company AquaBounty is seeking approval to sell its GE salmon into the US food market based on a plan to produce all its GE salmon eggs on Prince Edward Island (PEI) and then ship the eggs to Panama for grow out and processing.

Following this revelation, groups made inquiries to Environment Canada but were told that any information about a possible risk assessment is confidential. The groups are calling for full disclosure and demanding that Environment Canada cease any approval process that may already be underway.

“We call on Environment Canada to reject any request for permission to commercially produce genetically engineered fish or fish eggs,” said Matthew Abbott, Fundy Baykeeper Coordinator, “Environment Canada needs to immediately inform Canadians if they have started an environmental assessment for GE salmon egg production. This secrecy is totally unacceptable.”

The joint statement of opposition to GE fish, “No GE Fish Research, Production, Consumption in, and Export from, Canada,” was signed by a wide range of groups from across Canada including the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, Ecology Action Centre Nova Scotia, the PEI Coalition for a GMO-Free Province, Fundy Baykeeper, Living Oceans Society, Pure Salmon Campaign, Fraser Riverkeeper, First Nations Environmental Network, Greenpeace, and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network.

“Farmed fish can and do escape. Genetically engineered salmon is an unacceptable and unnecessary threat to endangered wild Atlantic salmon,” said Shauna MacKinnon of Living Oceans Society in BC. “When GE fish escape into wild populations, studies indicate that wild fish are at risk of decline.”

“We don’t want Prince Edward Island to be the global origin of dangerous GE salmon,” said Leo Broderick of the Council of Canadians on PEI. A coalition of PEI groups is asking Premier Robert Ghiz to intervene and insist on disclosure from Environment Canada (2). “It’s highly disturbing that we only found out about the company’s plans for Prince Edward Island from US consultations,” said Broderick who attended US FDA hearings in September.

The company AquaBounty has engineered a faster growing Atlantic salmon by inserting a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon and genetic material from ocean pout (an eel-like creature).

“Documents released by the US government reveal that the company is assuming it will get permission to produce all of its GE salmon eggs in Canada,” said Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. “Minister of Environment John Baird must take immediate action to stop genetically engineered salmon eggs from being produced in Canada. We have a global responsibility to protect Atlantic salmon from this dangerous technology.”

(1) The full statement opposing GE fish and list of signatory groups can be viewed at http://www.cban.ca/statementopposingGEfish

(2) The letter to the Premier of PEI can be viewed at http://www.cban.ca/PEIletter

source: cban.ca

Genetically Engineered Salmon under Fire

On October 26, 2010 U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to halt its approval process for an Atlantic Salmon produced by AquaBounty Technologies.

In a letter to Dr. Margaret Hamburg, FDA Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Senator Snowe said the FDA’s current review process, originally created to review applications for new animal drugs, was inadequate and inappropriate for the review at hand and urged the FDA to establish a targeted, detailed and transparent environmental review process for genetically engineered animals intended for human consumption, including a commitment to hold additional public hearings on the topic.

Senator Snowe’s letter also called on the FDA to pursue additional consultations with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (NOAA) as required by law. “Transgenic fish have the potential to negatively affect our current wild capture fisheries, aquaculture operations, and other sectors of the economy that depend on healthy marine and freshwater ecosystems.

The critical letter is one of several recent blows against the plan to approve what opponents call "frankenfish". The Center for Food Safety (CFS) also released a press release argues which clams that the FDA knowingly withheld a Federal Biological Opinion by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) prohibiting the use of transgenic salmon in open-water net pens pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

2010 American River Salmon Festival Canceled

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has announced that the American River Salmon Festival has been canceled for 2010.

DFG and other festival sponsors have had to cancel the event for the second year in a row. Reasons cited for the cancellation include budget and staff cuts experienced by many of the sponsors and partners, as well as state employee furloughs and negative economic conditions.

The annual October celebration is normally held at the Nimbus Hatchery and Lake Natoma, providing the public with a better understanding of, and appreciation for, the American and Sacramento rivers and their connection to the salmon population.

FDA Hears Comments on Genetically Modified Salmon

AquAdvantage salmon, developed by Aqua Bounty Technologies, Inc., are genetically modified (GM) to grow twice as fast as conventional Atlantic salmon and are as safe to eat as other Atlantic salmon, U.S. regulators said as they weighed approval of the first DNA-altered animal for Americans' dinner plates.

According to the FDA, it saw "no biologically relevant differences" in vitamins, minerals or fatty acids and is highly unlikely to cause “significant harm” to the environment.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set a three-day public meeting starting 19 September on the DNA-altered fish. If approved, this decision will open the flood gates for approval of any and all genetically engineered animals including trout, tilapia and hogs.

Farmed salmon opponents site numerous concerns including: current harm by fish farms to wild salmon and water quality; farmed fish are less nutritious than wild fish; farmed salmon devalues wild salmon and, as a result, flowing rivers; and fish escaped from fish farms may compete with wild populations.

Massachusetts-based Aqua Bounty says the technology could boost the nation's fish sector and reduce pressure on the environment from overfishing. Ronald Stotish, the company's President and Chief Executive said the genetically modified fish can become a sustainable source of food for an exploding global population.

source: Fishlink Sublegals

Top American Seafood of 2009

The National Fisheries Institute’s (NFI) "Top Ten" Seafood list for 2009 names shrimp as the most popular seafood in the USA. Other types of seafood in the top 10 included canned tuna, salmon, Alaska pollock, tilapia, catfish, crabs, cod, clams, and pangasius. The ten most popular varieties compromised more than 88 percent of American seafood consumption for the year.

2009 Top Ten Seafood (pounds per person)

Shrimp (4.1)

Canned Tuna (2.5)

Salmon (2.04)

Alaska Pollock (1.454)

Tilapia (1.208)

Catfish (0.849)

Crab (0.594)

Cod (0.419)

Clams (0.413)

Pangasius (0.356)

source: NFI

2010 Fraser River Sockeye Returns

On August 24, 2010, the Honourable Gail Shea, Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, issued the following statement:

2010 is turning out to be a banner year for Fraser River sockeye salmon, with this year's return currently set at just over 25 million fish, one of the highest returns in the last hundred years. Several fishery openings for Fraser River sockeye have already occurred in 2010 and more are planned.

Conservation and the sustainable use of salmon stocks are the Government of Canada's first priorities in the management of this fishery. With this season's abundant numbers, for the first time in four years, all sectors, including commercial, recreational and First Nations have had a chance to harvest Fraser River sockeye. Having been assured that conservation goals have been met and exceeded, we are extremely pleased that there will be even more opportunities.

For more information about the management of Fraser River sockeye, see:

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/media/back-fiche/2010/hq-ac35a-eng.htm

Shetland Farm Raised Salmon Production Up 15 Percent

The ex-farm value of the Shetland salmon sector is to top £145million in 2010, an increase of 15% from the previous year (£126m in 2009), according to Shetland Aquaculture. 

The salmon industry generates over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs in Shetland. With a working population of 10,000 people, this accounts for over 10% of the workforce, making it the largest private sector employer on the islands.

Shetland is the largest salmon producing region in the UK, producing over 30% of the nation's farmed salmon. The Shetland Islands (part of Scotland) is known for its Atlantic salmon aquaculture. Salmon farms of the region supply conventionally farmed and organic fish. Shetland farmed salmon are typically available as fresh or smoked products.

Salmon Gains Popularity in U.K.

Researchers report that 48% grocery shoppers bought fresh salmon during 2009. Fresh salmon now accounts for over £1 in every £5 spent on fish in the UK.

The release of the new figures coincides with the publication of the Annual Report from Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation (SSPO), which highlights the industry’s contribution to the social, economic and environmental sustainability of Scotland.

Scott Landsburgh, chief executive of SSPO, said:  "As the UK continues to be our most important market, we welcome the leap in popularity of fresh salmon.

"Historically, seafood consumption in the UK is much lower than in many other nations. However, fresh salmon is increasingly catching the attention of our palates."

Scotland is the third largest salmon producer in the world with approximately a 10% global market share

For further information, visit www.scottishsalmon.co.uk.