Daily Archives: March 11, 2018

It’s tough being a seafood lover living in landlocked central Pennsylvania.

Shaun Knight and Christa Stofferahn are changing all that. In August 2017, they opened Maine Bay & Berry, and since then, Knight has been making the 12-hour trek to Maine three or four times each month to bring back fresh seafood straight from New England to State College. How fresh is it? “I literally go onto the boat and pull the lobsters out of the water myself,” Knight says. Born and raised in Winter Harbor, Maine, Knight taught in the Smeal College of Business at Penn State for 15 years. During that time, he would bring back seafood for his colleagues whenever he went back to visit family in Maine.,,, “Christa has always told me I should be doing this as a business.”>click to read<18:40

Somers to hold forum on commercial fishing Wednesday in Mystic, a free, open forum event

“Commercial fishing has been an integral part of Southeastern Connecticut’s way of life since before there were colonies. Local families going back generations have worked the sea to provide fresh seafood and feed the Eastern seaboard. These small proud family businesses are now on the verge of closing forever. I am looking forward to this panel discussion so that we can bring awareness to the problem, listen to first-hand experiences and work together to take steps to remedy it and help fishermen prosper in our state again. I want to encourage residents in Southeastern Connecticut to come to this free, open forum event.” >click to read<16:28

Fukushima’s fishing industry stuck in slow but steady battle to change public perceptions after 3/11

Since the March 2011 nuclear crisis, fishery workers in Fukushima Prefecture have had the unprecedented and daunting task of convincing consumers that local fish are safe to eat. Fishing has resumed on a “trial” basis and the catches are gradually increasing. But seven years on, radiation checks are now part of their routine before shipping the fish to markets. Japan has a cuisine culture that is often synonymous with sushi overseas, and consumers value not just the safety but the freshness of seafood. >click to read< 13:14

Seven Years After Tsunami, Japanese Live Uneasily With Seawalls – When a massive earthquake struck in 2011, Japanese oyster fisherman Atsushi Fujita was working as usual by the sea. Soon after, a huge black wave slammed into his city and killed nearly 2,000 people.>click to read<

Maine Fishermen of baby eels expect high price as stocks dry up on the international market

Members of Maine’s baby-eel fishing industry are expecting high prices for the tiny fish this year because of a shortage on the international market, and sushi lovers could end up feeling the pinch. Maine is the only U.S. state with a significant fishery for baby eels, or elvers. The tiny, translucent eels are sold to Asian aquaculture companies to be raised to maturity for use as food.,,, The fishery is a source of reliable income in rural Maine. Julie Keene, an elver fishermen based in Lubec, is looking forward to a good harvest this year. >click to read<11:19

North Carolina: Maersk Shanghai Container Containing Acid Yet to be Found

The U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA and Environmental Protection Agency are continuing to monitor 76 shipping containers lost from a container ship off North Carolina, but are yet to locate one containing 5,900 pounds of sulfuric acid. On March 4, the Maersk Shanghai alerted watchstanders that during stormy conditions they lost about 70 containers about 17 miles off Oregon Inlet, North Carolina. Maersk later confirmed the total number of containers lost overboard was 76 as well as their contents.>click to read<10:48

Fish Farming – Bio-security for Fish Rearing: Re-circulating Aquaculture Systems

Re-circulating Aquaculture is a technique for raising water borne animals in a closed (usually indoor) system which minimizes water consumption, provides maximum control of the livestock’s environment, and reduces the risk of exposure to parasites, disease, and predators High Density Re-circulating Aquaculture System (HDRAS) is a system in which aquatic organisms are cultured in water which is serially reconditioned and reused. Closed-system aquaculture presents a new and expanding commercial opportunity. Re-circulating aquaculture systems (RAS) are tank-based systems in which fish can be grown at high density under controlled environmental conditions. They are closed-loop facilities that retain and treat the water within the system. >click to read<09:33