FISHupdate briefing

$6M AID TO SAVE FLORIDA OYSTER FISHERY
FLORIDA’S Governor, Rick Scott, has announced that the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is to receive a more than $6 million in federal grants from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to assist with the recovery of the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery.
In 2012, Governor Scott requested the US Secretary of Commerce to declare a commercial fishery failure for Florida’s oyster harvesting areas in the Gulf of Mexico and in August 2013, a fishery resource disaster was declared.
With it, more than $6 million in funding will be made available to the state to assist in the restoration of the oyster fishery. Governor Scott said: ‘This funding is great news for families in the Apalachicola area and to those affected by the oyster fishery disaster.
‘This support will help put Florida families in this region back to work.’ This funding will assist communities affected by the commercial fishery failure with the restoration of oyster habitat, monitoring of existing oyster resources and of restoration efforts, vocational and educational training for affected fishermen, and processor facilities upgrades.
 
FISH MAY PREVENT DEAFNESS IN WOMEN
CAN eating fish help women avoid deafness? According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition there may be some truth in the claim.
Researchers have taken data from just over 62,000 women gathered between 1991 and 2009. As part of the Nurses’ Health Study II, the female participants self-reported on their diet as well as a number of conditions, including hearing loss.
And as it turned out, no matter what kind they ate, the women showed that the more they ate fish, the least likely they were to report hearing loss.
The study’s lead author, Dr Sharon Curhan, of Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said that such a correlation is due to the long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that the women ended up consuming in larger doses as they ate more fish.
PUFAs ease blood flow to the cochlear region so the inner ear is able to optimise function, receiving what it needs to do its duties.
 
FUNKY FISH RANGE EXPANDS
YOUNG’S Seafood in the UK is extending its Funky Fish Kitchen range, which was launched last year in conjunction with the supermarket group Asda, part of Wal-Mart.
The company has created what is describes as autumn and winter flavours, which have been created by development chef, Serge Nollent, and are appearing in Asda stores.
Described as a ‘hit, chilled range’, Funky Fish Kitchen was launched a year ago, with the products making their debut at Humber Seafood Summit in Grimsby this week.
Marina Richardson, marketing controller at Young’s, said: ‘We are delighted by how popular the Funky Fish Kitchen is with Asda consumers and want to give them some new mouth-watering products for autumn and winter.
‘Consumers have told us that they want to eat more fish but lack confidence and inspiration so we’re giving them lots of innovative ways to funk up their meals with fish.’
 
STRANGE FISH APPEAR OFF ALASKA
THE US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports that something strange is taking place in the northern Pacific area around the Gulf of Alaska where the waters are showing signs of heating up.
Temperatures have been five degrees Fahrenheit (three degrees celsius) above average. The long term worry is that the change in temperatures could have a long term effect on fish stocks.
There have been reports of strange fish showing up; in the past year, there have been ‘unusual fish occurrences’ in Alaskan waters, according to NOAA research biologist Joe Orsi.
These include skipjack tuna, which have not been seen since the 1980s. Rises in sea temperatures have also been reported in the seas around Iceland, another important fishing area.