| Featured Supplier |
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FishChoice will be exhibiting at
IBSS 2011
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| FishChoice will be in Boston from Mar. 19-23, exhibiting at booth 176. Please contact us or find us at the show if you are attending. We plan to unveil a new feature for seafood buyers at the show, so don't miss it! |
Did you know that FishChoice lists products directly
from commercial fishermen?
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| Buyers can search listings using the keyword "F/V", look at the supplier list by names, and identify fishermen under the industry activity column on the browse list. |
Did you know that our featured supplier Lauren Farms is a FishWise producer partner?
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Click here to see FishWise's producer partners.
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| Contact FishChoice |
PO Box 531
Fort Collins, CO 80522
p: 877 642-0008
info@fishchoice.com
www.fishchoice.com |
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| FishChoice Newsletter: March 9, 2011 |
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Dear Friends & Partners,
FishChoice just returned from Aqua Americas, our first time exhibiting at the show, and we received a lot of interest from all parts of the domestic aquaculture industry. As a result, we are looking at additional ways that we can help support domestic aquaculture producers through the website and we anticipate an increase in domestic aquaculture product listings on FishChoice.com in the coming months so stay tuned!
FishChoice is also attending the Wild Seafood Exchange today which is an event aimed at helping both independent commercial fishermen market their products to seafood buyers, restaurants, retailers, brokers, etc... but also help buyers get better access to products. This event and FishChoice share a lot of similarities in our respective missions and check back in our next newsletter for a recap.
Finally, we hope to see many of you in Boston, come by the FishChoice booth #176 and get a sneak peek at a new feature we are developing for seafood businesses around sustainability.
Cheers,
Justin Boevers
Development and Outreach Manager
FishChoice.com
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 New Product Listings on FishChoice.com |
Some of the new sustainably rated or certified products posted on FishChoice.com recently include:
Please support FishChoice and mention us to the suppliers when you contact them regarding their product listings on the website.
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| New Sustainable Seafood Ratings |
Seafood Watch released a new rating in late February for the following species:
- Lion paw scallops
- Catarina scallops
Blue Ocean Institute released new ratings in early March for the following species:
- Atlantic cod from the US
- Common dab from Iceland
- American (European) plaice from Iceland
- Tautog from the Atlantic
Click here for more details.
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| Market Summary - Pacific Halibut & Sablefish |
Pacific halibut
The Pacific halibut fishery opens at noon on March 12th with a reduced quota for Alaska fishermen. Last year, British Columbia and Alaska longliners landed almost 50 million pounds of this prized white-fleshed fish. This year's commercial quota is down about 19% to 39 million pounds, with Alaska fishermen getting a quota of 32.5 million pounds and B.C. fishermen 6.7 million pounds. The Pacific halibut resource has been in a gradual decline since 2003, when 62 million pounds were landed by B.C. and Alaska fishermen. The halibut fishery closes this year on November 18th. More...
Sablefish
March 12th also marks the opening of the Alaska longline sablefish fishery. While this flavorful fish is fished from California to Alaska, Alaska produces about 50% of the North American landings. Sablefish, which are called black cod by fishermen even though they are not members of the extended cod family, are also known as butterfish, a reference to their rich, buttery tasting meat. Unlike halibut, however, the sablefish quota in federal waters off Alaska has been bumped about 25% to 31 million pounds. As is the case with halibut, the estimated 835 sablefish quota holders, many of whom also own halibut quota, can fish in Alaska anytime from March to November. In addition to the 31 million pound quota in federal waters, a few small sablefish fisheries take place in state waters. More...
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| Lauren Farm's Freshwater Prawns from Mississippi |
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Steve and Dolores Fratesi have been producing farm-raised catfish for over 25 years. They've always had a strong commitment to sustainability, and in 1995, they became intrigued by the potential of growing freshwater prawns in their inland ponds. They partnered with Mississippi State University to investigate the commercial feasibility of the project. When the results looked promising, the Fratesis took the plunge.
Today, their aquaculture company, Lauren Farms, is the largest producer of giant freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) in the US, with over 20 acres of ponds committed to farming this culinary delicacy from South Asia. The Fratesis have complete control over the production cycle, as they operate one of only two commercial freshwater prawn hatcheries in the U.S.
Not content just to grow prawn themselves, the couple has been very active in promoting the development of a commercially viable freshwater prawn industry. They founded the US Freshwater Prawn &  Shrimp Growers Association, Inc., where Steve currently serves as a director and Dolores serves as Secretary/Treasurer.
Steve is a visionary who sees the need for large-scale, viable sources of seafood from sustainable, non-polluting sources. Freshwater prawns are delicious, safe and environmentally-friendly. The shrimp ponds at Lauren Farms are self-contained, ensuring that whether catfish or prawns, they have little influence on the surrounding environment. US farmed shrimp, raised inland in contained ponds, and US farmed freshwater prawns recently received a green or "best choice" ranking from the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program. Log on to FishChoice.com to source freshwater prawns from Lauren Farms, and make sure to tell them you found them using FishChoice.com!
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Do you want to provide your input to FishChoice.com?
Now is your chance! We are doing a survey to continually improve our website and taking responses until this Friday, you can submit your feedback here!
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