27 August 2007

TUNA INDUSTRY WHIP SAWED BETWEEN RISING PRICES, MARKET FLUCTUATIONS, AND FALLING SUPPLY

Just seven of 40 tuna species provide nearly 100 percent of global consumption. Six of those seven - yellowfin, Atlantic bluefin, Southern bluefin, Pacific blufin, bigeye, and albacore - are in a downward spiral in terms of production. Only skipjack saw an 10.5 percent increase comparing the 2004 against 2005 catches (the most recent years for statistical data).

Global tuna markets are slightly dizzying in seeming contradictions. U.S. consumers eat less tuna than Europeans and Japanese and U.S. demand for canned tuna has been free falling for the past three years. Yet, the U.S. canned tuna market despite its continual decline is considered the most important world market because of sheer numbers.

The Japanese taste for fresh tuna is slowly being rivaled by U.S. sushi and sashimi consumers. Traditionally Japan has been the world leader in consumption of sashimi-grade fresh tuna. And while consumer hunger increases around the world, Japanese imports of bluefin from 2005 to 2007 dropped 52 percent. Yellowfin imports dropped 22 while Bigeye fell 21 percent. A combination of overfished stocks, conservation-oriented harvest limitations and escalating wholesale and retail prices are responsible for the drop. In Japan sashimi grade tuna rose 12 percent.

The tuna industry needs to restrain itself and bring some stability to the market. Foreign fleets siphoning off tuna stocks around the southern Pacific rim islands are a case in point.

CHINA'S REPUTATION FOR UNSAFE PRODUCTS IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A PUBLIC RELATIONS NIGHTMARE

China is in the midst of a true public relations nightmare. Tagged for a variety of tainted consumer good exports as a nation hell-bent on making profit, the environment and consumers beware, China is now seeing the long term consequences of rogue industrialists poisoning the reputation of a nation.

A prime example is a recent seafood industry publication that took a handful of alert reports from the European Union on imports forbidden sale within the EU as well as others of a "less severe" nature and ran a story headlined "EU Officials find E. coli in mussels from China."

That's a fact but the reference to tainted Chinese mussels was the last item in the story and it wasn't even listed under the stop sales column. Rather it appeared under the "Less severe" information notifications listing.

Topping the story were the items barred from sale in the EU but not referenced in the headline were swordfish and yellowfin tuna tainted with mercury from Spain and Denmark. Nitrofuran nitrofurazone in shrimp from Thailand and India. The Chinese product that made that category were frozen cooked shrimp with artificial coloring.

Appearing under the "less-severe" banner before the Chinese mussels were sulphites in shrimp from Spain, cadmium in squid rings and tentacles from China and in sardines from Morocco as well as salmonella in mussels from Spain. Just after mercury tainted swordfish from Portugal came the Chinese mussels.

Once a reputation is established, it takes Herculean effort to correct it.

MISSISSIPPI SHRIMPERS ENCOURAGED

Some 300 shrimp boats took advantage of the June 6th Mississippi shrimp season, down more than two thirds from the pre-Katrina hurricane in 2005. Devastation along the coastline to docks and ice plants saw a good number of Mississippi shrimpers relocated to other Gulf States. High gas prices and ridiculously high insurance rates put other out of business. For the surviving 300 the shrimp catch is up and so are prices however slight.

The first week in June saw a million pounds harvested, roughly half the entire month of June's take last year. Early prices crawled upwards from last year's 95 cents per pound wholesale to $1.15. The numbers aren't impressive but they do offer Mississippi shrimpers hope of better days to come.

FROM NOAA: THE STORY SAYS IT ALL ABOUT COOPERATIVE EFFORTS TO PROTECT SEA TURTLES

The NOAA release begins with an intriguing tale circa 2002 of a Mexican halibut fisherman innocently asking how loggerhead turtles could be endangered if he caught 30 in his nets in one morning. How those numbers jived with scientific data about declining nesting sites along the North Pacific left marine biologists puzzled.

That exchanged proved the inspiration behind the Tri-national Fishermen's Exchange that huddles fishermen with scientists and community leaders to discuss realistic ways to protect loggerhead sea turtles without endangering their professions. To date meetings were held in Japan, Baja California, and Hawaii.

As a result of the meetings one fisherman resolved to forsake bottom set longlines for shark. The six skiffs under that Mexican fisherman's control killed more than 700 loggerheads in 2005, more than any other fleet of record. The discussions brought home the gravity of that fisherman's by-catch problem.

The entire Hawaii longline swordfish fishery has only 17 loggerhead interactions to encounter before that fishery must close for the year. Once the 17 loggerhead total is reached, whether the turtles are harmed or released unharmed, the fishery must and will close for the year.

Without Hectoring NGOs or Court interventions, Hawaii fishermen, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and NOAA scientists demonstrated the power of cooperation. They worked to devise techniques that minimized turtle interactions: setting at night, using circle hooks and using fish instead of turtle-attracting squid as bait.

The Tri-National Exchange Program is supported by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

The Tri-National Fishermen's Exchange is the brainchild of Pro Peninsula, a non-profit organization that supports conservation activities in Baja California. Participants include (from Japan) Yoshimasa Matsuzawa, Sea Turtle Association of Japan; Kojiro Mizuno, Sea Turtle Association of Japan; Kazuhiko Sasaki, Peninsula de Izu fisherman; Mitsuahru Kume, Isla de Tanegashima fisherman; and Daisuke Suda, Isla de Tanegashima fisherman; (from Mexico) Johath Laudino, Grupo Tortuguero; Jesus Lucero, Grupo Tortuguero and San Lazaro fisherman; Jose Efraín de La Paz Regalado, Cooperativa de Santa Rosa; Florencio Aguilar Liera, Cooperativa Puerto Chale de San Juanico; Raquel Briseno, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico; Georgita Ruiz, Pro Peninsula/Proyecto Caguama; and Venustiano Perez, community leader, Baja California Sur; and (from Hawaii / United States) Hoyt Peckham, University of Southern California and Pro Peninsula; Kama Dean, Pro Peninsula; Leland Oldenburg, fisherman, Hawaii Longline Association; Diane Oldenburg, fisherman, Hawaii Longline Association; and Irene Kinan, Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.