Tag: fish/seafood
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Krista Mahr, “The Hunt for Tuna: A Tough Catch,” Time, November 9, 2009
Describing the world’s tuna trade as “an awesome 21st century hunt,” Mahr’s article explores how “for some species of tuna, the chase is becoming unsustainable.” In 1950, she reports, about 600,000 tons of tuna were caught worldwide while in 2008, that number hit nearly 6 million tons. Particularly worrisome are the dwindling numbers of Atlantic…
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Fish Farm Salmon Escape into British Columbia Waters; Hawaii Approves Tuna Farm
Some 40,000 Atlantic salmon have reportedly escaped a fish farm into Pacific Ocean waters off the coast of British Columbia. They apparently slipped through a hole in the net while farm crews removed fish that had died from low oxygen levels. Recovery was apparently delayed, and Atlantic salmon were found some miles away by commercial…
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Investigative Report Traces Pollutants from Sea to Sashimi
The Public Education Center’s (PEC’s) DC Bureau has published a two-part investigative report titled Fish and Paint Chips: The Science and Politics of Ocean Trash, which explores “how plastic and other debris in the world’s increasing pollutants could be channeling toxins straight onto our dinner plates through tainted seafood.” The first part considers research suggesting…
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Neurologist Claims Farmed Fish Might Pose Risk for Mad Cow Disease
A University of Louisville neurologist has published a report questioning the safety of farmed fish that are fed cattle byproducts, which could allegedly present a risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans. Robert P. Friedland, et al, “Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Aquaculture,” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (June 2009). Friedland and his co-authors have urged…
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Pew Environment Group Asks FDA to Apply Drug Rules to All Imported Farmed Salmon
According to the Environment Group of the Pew Charitable Trusts, salmon farming companies producing fish for export to the United States from Canada, Norway and Scotland are using pesticides and antibiotics that do not appear on the FDA/CVM Approved Drugs in Aquaculture list. In an April 23, 2009, letter to the acting Food and Drug…
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Certiorari Denied in Tuna Warnings Class Action
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear a putative class action lawsuit involving claims that Tri-Union Seafoods LLC fails to warn consumers about mercury concentrations in its canned tuna fish products. Tri-Union Seafoods, L.L.C. v. Fellner, No. 08-889 (U.S., cert. denied April 20, 2009). The plaintiff filed her claims in 2006, alleging that she…
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GAO Claims Seafood Fraud Fostered by Federal Inefficiency
A new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report claims that a lack of cooperation among federal agencies has contributed to an increase in seafood supply chain fraud. GAO faults Customs and Border Protection, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Food and Drug Administration for failing to agree on key roles and responsibilities, identify a…
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New Study Challenges FDA Draft Assessment of Mercury in Fish
A new study from the Connecticut Department of Health has challenged a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) draft assessment weighing the benefits of fish consumption against the risks associated with mercury exposure. Gary L. Ginsberg and Brian F. Toal, “Quantitative Approach for Incorporating Methylmercury Risks and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Benefits in Developing Species-Specific Fish…