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Any dentist worth his salt (or sugar) can tell you the age old joke that reads something like, "ignore your teeth and they'll go away." However, the same cannot be said for NFI: February 1, 2010 Bill Felling National News Editor CBS News VIA Email Dear Mr. Felling,

It would appear CBS News has gone into full hunker mode. You know the type deny, deny, deny. Well, we've got some legitimate questions that we want the Black Rock folks to answer and we're going to keep asking them. Have a look at their latest letter to us and our response:   Gavin Gibbons National Fisheries Institute Dear Mr. Gibbons:

This morning, as feared, we are seeing the erroneous parts of Kelly Wallace's CBS News report on BPA recycled as fact on the internet. With evidence of that disturbing trend in hand I reached out to CBS again this morning.

Yesterday CBS's Early Show reported on the latest FDA interest in Bisphenol A, better known as BPA. This time they were talking about BPA in canned food. As part of their story reporter Kelly Wallace chose to embark on a non-scientific "experiment" that was more than a little off base. In fact it was down right misleading. So, we reached out to the folks who are in charge of editorial oversight at the Tiffany Network. Our letter is below: January 19, 2010 Bill Felling

This morning the CBS Early Show did a short segment with Dr. Jennifer Ashton that mentioned seafood and eating fish while pregnant. While Ashton came pretty close to getting the FDA advice on seafood consumption basically right, she did something that Doctors often do-- lump "tuna" in with higher mercury fish like Shark and Tile Fish. She said:

   It's not quite the 2004 forged document scandal that ended Dan Rather's storied career at CBS but it does highlight an important issue about sourcing that many in the media overlook.

"60 Minutes" Takes on Sushi Tuna Nearly 4 months after the seafood industry joined the U.S. Congress, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and environmental groups in calling for a moratorium on bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean, CBS's 60 Minutes has profiled the problems associated with an industry that primarily feeds the Asian sushi market. The National Fisheries Institute’s Tuna Council, formerly known as the U.S. Tuna Foundation, sees the 60 Minutes expose as an opportunity to renew its calls for a multiyear moratorium on bluefin fishing in that region and the Eastern Atlantic. “60 Minutes has highlighted the fact that while the problem is confined to a specific region the effects can be global,” says Randi Parks Thomas, the Tuna Council’s Vice President of Sustainability. "This is a serious issue that needs prompt action, to ensure that over-fishing in these regions does not continue and to facilitate recovery of the bluefin tuna stock." In addition to her position with the Tuna Council, Ms. Thomas serves as U.S. Industry Commissioner to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), an inter-governmental regional fisheries management organization responsible for the conservation of tunas and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas. "It is important for consumers to understand that bluefin tuna is not used for commercial canned tuna," Thomas said. "Nonetheless, the Tuna Council and its parent organization, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), are strong supporters of efforts to sustain various species of fish and ensure effective fisheries conservation management measures. We believe that the current situation highlighted by 60 Minutes requires action to support and rebuild the bluefin tuna population in the affected areas." For more information, contact Randi Parks Thomas of NFI’s Tuna Council at (703) 752-8895 or via email at rthomas@nfi.org; or Gavin Gibbons at (703) 752-8891 or via email a ggibbons@nfi.org For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com. Contact Information:  Gavin Gibbons (703) 752-8891