our favorite finds from the front lines of food
image via Civil Eats
Oyster farmers and lobstermen are turning to probiotics to fight bacteria that has been wreaking havoc for more than a decade. "The problem of bacterial infections in hatcheries has been worsening over the past decade as the waters of the Northeast warm. Rheault, who is now the president of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association, says that thanks to climate change, bacterial infections now kill off 10 to 20 percent of the Northeast’s shellfish larvae each year. And because the bacteria, Vibrio, gets into the tanks via seawater, it affects not only shellfish but also lobsters, by turning their shells black and making them impossible to sell." (Civil Eats)
More Hospitals Are Ditching Antibiotics In The Meat They Serve "Hospitals understand antibiotic resistance, and they're being asked to steward their own use of antibiotics. So it's very easy for them to say, 'Livestock producers need to be doing their part, too.' " (NPR)
Nation's first vegan butcher shop to open in Minneapolis "The pair have attracted quite a following since they first started serving up their signature maple glazed bacon, Sriracha brats and other meatless wonders at farmers markets around the Twin Cities in 2014. They spent three years perfecting the recipes, using ingredients such as yeast, soy, juices and a blend of seasonings. The opening of a vegan butcher shop is yet another sign of the rise of fake meat in American diets. Since 2012, sales of plant-based meat alternatives have grown 8 percent, to $553 million annually, according to the market research firm, Mintel." (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
NOAA expands opportunities for U.S. aquaculture: Groundbreaking rule opens the door for seafood farming in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Hopefully the Gulf of Mexico is just a start: "The groundbreaking rule creates a coordinated permitting system for the Gulf of Mexico, opening the door for the region to expand seafood production and create new jobs in an environmentally sustainable manner." (NOAA)
Slow fish: Preventing waste via packaging: BluWrap technology extending product shelf life, reducing carbon footprint of seafood. "He’s making it his mission to get fresh fish off airplanes and onto ocean-bound cargo ships where it may take weeks to reach its destination. And he says he can do it without ice or environmentally unfriendly Styrofoam — lingering symbols of just how antiquated the seafood supply system is in comparison to today’s high-tech world. 'There’s a myth that time is the biggest enemy to fresh proteins,” he said. “But the truth is that oxygen and temperature, not time, threaten freshness.'” (GAA Advocate)
Everything you ever wanted to know about salmon propagation, but were afraid to ask: To Save Its Salmon, California Calls in the Fish Matchmaker. At a hatchery on the Klamath River, biologists are using genetic techniques to reduce inbreeding, though some argue natural methods are more effective. (New York Times)
