A food chain important to Inuit in Northeastern Canada has been poisoned by a fuel slick off the coast of Labrador, potentially causing short and long-term food safety concerns.
Even when lethal impacts are not observed, oil can make fish and shellfish unsafe for humans to eat.
Officials are trying
Continue Reading Oil slick off coast of Labrador threatens food chain
Strong winds and heavy rain continue to wreak havoc across parts of the South today as Hurricane Michael meanders out of Georgia and heads up the mid-Atlantic Coast.
The storm posted historic numbers when it slammed into Florida about 1:30 p.m. EDT yesterday as a Category 4 hurricane. The National
Continue Reading Flooding from Hurricane Michael creates food safety issues across South
Rain, storm surges and flooding are expected to continue through the weekend, with Hurricane Harvey expected to make a second landfall today. The Texas tropical cyclone rainfall record appeared to have been broken Tuesday when a rain gauge east of Highlands, TX, reported 51.88 inches of
Continue Reading Flood food safety stressed with more rain coming from Harvey
UPDATE 11:55 p.m. EDT — The National Hurricane Center has posted new forecast details and interactive
Continue Reading Hurricane Harvey brings food safety challenges to millions
From the Pacific Northwest to the Florida Keys, public health officials warn of increasing dangers from foodborne bacteria in raw and undercooked oysters and other shellfish as summer approaches.
“Naturally occurring bacteria in warm coastal seawater becomes more abundant in the summer months and can concentrate in the tissues of
Continue Reading Warm weather warnings for shellfish lovers nationwide
The Sitka Tribe of Alaska has set up an environmental research and testing lab in Sitka and plans to begin testing local shellfish for biotoxins this spring. There has reportedly been some concern about the distance and turnaround time to have locally harvested shellfish tested in Anchorage by the state,
Continue Reading Alaska tribe establishes Sitka lab to test shellfish for biotoxins
Seafood safety, legal fishing, and proper labeling of fish might all benefit from presidential task force recommendations now open to public comments. Scheduled for publication on Dec. 18 in the Federal Register, the “Recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and Seafood Fraud” cover
Continue Reading Recipe for Better Seafood Safety Opened to Public Comments
In mid-December, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) introduced a bill that would move the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its seafood inspections to the U.S. Department of the Interior. More broadly, the act transfers all functions of the U.S. Departments of Labor and Commerce to a newly established
Continue Reading Senate Bill Would Send NOAA’s Seafood Inspection Program to Interior
The federal government is adopting new policies aimed at boosting aquaculture production in the U.S. at a time when Americans are eating more imported seafood than ever.
Foreign aquaculture accounts for around half of the 84 percent of seafood imported by the U.S., a very small percentage of which is
Continue Reading New NOAA Policies Promote Domestic Aquaculture
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is re-opening 4,213 square miles of Gulf of Mexico federal waters to royal red shrimping, a deep-water fish that has been prohibited in the area since November when a shrimper found tar balls in his net.
NOAA said that while the tar balls could
Continue Reading NOAA Reopens Gulf to Deep Water Shrimp Fishing
