Farm-raised fish haven’t been able to earn organic status from the U.S. Department of Agriculture yet, and that marketing boost isn’t likely to come anytime soon, Politico.com reports.
The National Organic Standards Board received 900-plus letters after seeking public comment on the use of synthetics by aquaculture operations. Of particular concern for many is the industry’s “use of trace minerals and vitamins, chlorine “¦ as a disinfectant and tocopherols to delay rancidity in fats.”
The organics board was supposed to discuss the comments in late October, but the meeting was canceled because of the government shutdown and has yet to be rescheduled.
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Speaking of fishing, which ports in 2012 made the big—and biggest—bucks? TheFishSite.com, in a story that focuses on Alaska, notes that Dutch Harbor ranked as the nation’s top fishing port, landing 752 million pounds valued at $214 million.
Second in landings was Empire-Venice, Louisiana. The Aleutian Islands was in third place with 456 million pounds.
“For value of the catch,” the site reports, “New Bedford, Mass. retained the lead for the 13th consecutive year at $411 million, thanks to pricey scallops.”
The total U.S. seafood landings twas 9.6 billion pounds in 2012, valued at $5.1 billion, “down 2.2 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, from 2011.”
Other highlights include: Alaska topped all states for total landings at 5.3 billion pounds and for overall value at $1.7 billion.
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Getting to and from the waterfront is almost as important as what’s going on there, a story in the Boston Globe suggests. The South Boston waterfront, one of the city’s up and coming areas, is expected to see “thousands of workers and new residents “¦ over the next few years as office towers and apartment buildings open and possibly an expanded convention center,” the Globe reports.
But “as more development takes hold, the “¦ cheapest parking in downtown Boston will go away, forcing more drivers to take public transit.”
The story suggests the city may not be able to add the new buses needed to manage moving people in and out of the district.
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Meanwhile, in Toronto, the city’s mayor is opposing a plan to build affordable housing on the waterfront Global News Canada quotes Rob Ford saying: “The location to me is ridiculous,” he said. “You don’t use prime property for affordable housing.” He likes affordable housing, “but it shouldn’t be on the waterfront.”
The city has requirement that 20 per cent if residential units in the area be affordable housing.
Since the affordable housing flap, Ford has made much bigger headlines, admitting to smoking crack cocaine while in “a drunken stupor.”
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And our favorite lede of the month, from the site Grist.org: “If it’s true that oysters are aphrodisiacs, then BP has killed the mood.”
The story notes that Louisiana’s oyster harvesting season had opened last week, but in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill “there aren’t many oysters around.”
In Mississippi, the story notes, boats that used to harvest 30 sacks of oysters a day “are returning to docks in the evenings with fewer than half a dozen sacks aboard.”