April 24, 2008 Washington – The nation’s leading food trade associations say an effort to have the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspect and grade seafood would add costly bureaucracy and little else.
April 23, Washington – The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) rejects any mistreatment of workers or other human rights abuses. Workers – whether they be fishermen on the water, farmers at their ponds, or processors at plants – form the backbone of the seafood community. NFI takes accusations of worker mistreatment seriously.
With an increasing number of Americans turning to seafood as part of a healthy diet, on this Earth Day, the evidence is clear that fisheries are answering the call for sustainability.
A US tuna boat operating legally in the Pacific Ocean was vandalized at sea as part of a dangerous and irresponsible stunt perpetrated by Greenpeace activists.
“To pull along side another vessel at sea and paint slogans on its hull is the height of maritime irresponsibility and shows a complete lack of regard for safety,” said John Connelly President of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI). “If you want to talk about sustainability issues there are constructive ways to do it. This is not one of them.”
Today the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans heard testimony about illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and considered efforts to reduce the worldwide shark catch.
“These are important discussions,” said Stetson Tinkham, National Fisheries Institute (NFI) Director of International Affairs. “Worldwide we often hear about countries that are committed to cracking down on IUU, but in the end, even if the political
will is there, the capacity to uphold those commitments sometimes does not exist.”
It’s happened again, this time in Houston. A Sunday March 30th report in the Houston Chronicle detailed yet another set of mercury tests done on bluefin tuna found in local sushi restaurants. The story promised to expose levels that exceed the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) action levels. But it told only half the tale and omitted key facts.
