Daily Archives: January 9, 2025
Everything is Bigger and Better in Texas, Including Seafood-Consumer Fraud
A recent investigation into seafood labeling practices at restaurants in Galveston and Kemah revealed significant seafood fraud, with troubling implications for consumers, local shrimpers, and the regional economy. Genetic testing conducted by SeaD Consulting has exposed widespread seafood mislabeling in the Galveston and Kemah dining scene, where more than half of the tested restaurants (59%) were found to serve imported shrimp despite claims, implications, or menu descriptions suggesting they were offering Texas wild-caught Gulf shrimp. “The local Gulf shrimp we pull in is now sold for less than $1.00 per pound, when it used to be $3.00 a pound, because of these deceptive practices. A 60% fraud rate is not shocking to me, but I’ll bet diners have no idea how much they are being duped”, said Galveston Commercial Shrimper and Texas Shrimp Diva Nikki Johnson-Kunz. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:30
More about SeaD Consulting (click)
Judge fully dismisses U.S. lawsuit against N.B.’s Cooke Inc.
A federal judge in New York has found the arguments made in a lawsuit against a large New Brunswick seafood company to be false and ordered the case closed. Saint John-based Cooke Inc. was sued last July for its involvement in the menhaden fishery in Virginia. The lawsuit alleged Cooke knowingly defrauded the U.S. government by creating shell companies to operate the fishery of a small baitfish used to make fishmeal, fish oil and other products. U.S. District Court Judge Jesse M. Furman dismissed the case because he found that not only did the plaintiffs not prove foreign ownership beyond a doubt, but also that the fish and fishing licences that Cooke was allegedly defrauding the government of cannot legally be considered property. “Cooke Inc. is pleased that the court has dismissed this baseless lawsuit, which we have always maintained was without merit,” Joel Richardson, company spokesperson, wrote in an emailed statement on behalf of Cooke Inc. and Omega Protein. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:50
Los Angeles Fires: Fish Protections and California Dam Removal Behind Water Woes?
Multiple fires burned in Los Angeles County on Wednesday, prompting evacuation orders and warnings for thousands of residents. Five people have died since the brush fires first broke on Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. As southern California faced an unprecedented string of fires, firefighters reported on internal radio systems that they were short on hydrants and water, the Los Angeles Times reported. This comes as the Palisades Fire forced evacuation of at least 30,000 residents in northwest Los Angeles. Massive fires were also reported in Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Woodley. The Delta Smelt controversy revolves around protection measures for a tiny fish native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Environmental regulations aimed at protecting the Delta Smelt have led to restrictions on pumping water from the Delta to Central and Southern California. This has affected water availability for agriculture, urban areas, and industry. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:12Experts say Trump is right yet all wrong on whale deaths
It is the first commercial-scale offshore wind energy project in the U.S. But is Vineyard Wind, under construction off the coast of Massachusetts, contributing to an increase in whale strandings? That’s what President-elect Donald Trump suggested at a Tuesday press conference, as he vowed to stop new offshore wind farms during his administration. “You see what’s happening up in the Massachusetts area with the whales,” Trump said. “They had two whales wash ashore in a 17-year period. And now they had fourteen this season. The windmills are driving the whales crazy.” Actually, what may be driving the whale’s crazy is the noise generated by the construction of the wind farm. It involves the placement of 62 turbines, one nautical mile apart. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<<08:01
Woman from Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., hopes journey from bartender to fish hauler will inspire others
The journey started when Frances Esau, who wanted a change from the life she was living in Inuvik, messaged a friend living in northern B.C. She said she didn’t expect that message to lead to such a big shift in her life. Esau spent four months working with the crew and fishing for crab off the coast of British Columbia. She returned to the North after that, but a few years later got a call from the captain of the fishing crew she’d worked with before, asking if she could help them close out another crab season on short notice. That made Esau feel like she’d made a good impression. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:29
