COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



U.S. Seafood Consumption Rising 



Americans ate an astounding 4.7 billion pounds of seafood in 2003 — an average of 

 16.3 pounds per person. That's a 0.7-pound, or 4 percent, increase over the 2002 average. 



The figures were released in September in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration (NOAA) annual report "Fisheries of the United States." 



Of the total seafood consumed, a record 1 1 .4 pounds per person were fresh and frozen 

 finfish and shellfish. Shrimp topped that category, with an average of four pounds consumed 

 per person, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries). 



Americans also ate an average of 4.6 pounds of canned fish, mostly tuna, in 2003 — 

 a 0.3-pound increase from the previous year. 



This extends the continued upward trend of seafood consumption in the United States 

 in recent years. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture are 

 recommending that Americans 

 double their intake of fish to 

 two servings per week as part 

 of a heart-healthy diet. 



"Along with the latest 

 news from NOAA that fish 

 populations are rebuilding, we 

 have plenty of reasons to incor- 

 porate more fish into our diets," 

 says Bill Hogarth, director of 

 NOAA Fisheries. - P.S. 



NC SHRIMP 



BUY LOIAL 

 BUY AMERICAN 



[CAPITAL! 









Shellfish Farm Plays Role 

 in Oyster Restoration 



Or 



"n the surface, aquaculture and shellfish 

 restoration may not appear to have much in 

 common. But in the waters of Stump Sound, 

 one shellfish farm has proven it can help boost 

 the declining natural population of Crassostrea 

 virgjnica, the Eastern oyster. 



Jim Swartzenberg, owner ofJ&B Aquafood 

 in Jacksonville, had been stocking his 37-acre 

 lease with juvenile Eastern oysters from Louisiana 

 for several years when he had a revelation: "If 

 you could tell the difference between Louisiana 

 and Stump Sound oysters, we could see whether 

 cultured oysters in a lease would propagate and 

 add to the overall population." 



Oysters from North Carolina and Louisiana 

 are both classified as Eastern oyster species, but 

 each group maintains a distinct genetic profile. 



Swartzenberg partnered with Ami Wilbur, 

 a geneticist at the University of North Carolina 

 at Wilmington, and they obtained a N.C. Fishery 

 Resource Grant to test his hypothesis. 

 They discovered the Louisiana stock 



successfully reproduce and spread — about 1 

 percent of oysters in the natural beds around 

 Swartzenberg's lease fits the genetic profile of 

 Louisiana stock. An additional survey of reefs 

 throughout the state yielded no significant evi- 

 dence that the Louisiana stock occurs naturally 

 in North Carolina. 



The study shows aquaculture benefits 

 shellfish restoration, says Wilbur. As the farm- 

 raised oysters reproduce, "the genes they carry 

 are being put into our wild population," she 

 explains. And some scientists are hopeful that 

 Louisiana oysters may be more tolerant of 

 Dermo, a microscopic parasite that kills oysters 

 when they reach reproductive age. 



Swartzenberg admits leases have been con- 

 troversial among coastal communities, but pre- 

 fers to focus on the positive. Even if an area has 

 a lease, Swartzenberg says, it can still be used for 

 boating and fishing. But more importantly, "it's 

 still productive," he adds. 'That's the benefit to 

 the public — producing oysters." — K.A. 



/ 



New Seafood 

 Products Debut 



A new line of seafood appetizers 



— bacon-wrapped oysters, scallops, shrimp 

 and tilapia — were introduced this fall by 

 Southern Farm of Bailey. 



The product line is the result of a 

 push to identify niche markets for domestic 

 seafood, says Connell Purvis, Southern 

 Farm's director of sales and marketing. The 

 appetizers will be featured on 

 the menus of fine restaurants 

 and country clubs. 



For several years, Purvis 

 worked with North Carolina Sea 

 Grant and the North Carolina 

 State University Seafood 

 Lab to develop value-added 

 seafood products for retail and 

 institutional markets. 



Their efforts resulted in the 

 introduction of several seafood 

 entrees in 2003 with the help of two N.C. 

 Fishery Resource Grants — one for product 

 development and one for marketing. 



The appetizer venture — a spin-off 

 of the entree project — takes business 

 collaboration to a new level, says Barry 

 Nash, Sea Grant's seafood technology and 

 marketing specialist. 



Rose Bay of Swan Quarter provides 

 the oysters. Pamlico Packing of Vandemere 

 supplies local shrimp. Scallops come 

 from North Carolina and Virginia waters. 

 Southern Farm supplies the smoked bacon 

 and tilapia, and prepares the products. 

 Sharin Foods of High Point handles the 

 marketing. Southern Foods of Greensboro 

 distributes the products. 



"And, it's supported by the 'Freshness 

 from North Carolina Waters' marketing 

 campaign," Nash adds. "Southern Farm's 

 appetizers have all the ingredients for 

 success in the institutional food arena 



— products that start with fresh domestic 

 seafood, surpass quality standards and 

 exceed taste expectations." 



-P.S. 



COASTWATCH S 



