AQUACULTURE AND FISH TECH SEAFOOD UPDATE

The national goal of a diversified and growing domestic aquaculture industry can create important new opportunities to reduce foreign imports and supply local demand for safe and nutritious seafood products, help contribute to ever increasing international market demand, and strengthen local businesses and economies in coastal and inland farming communities. However, several key issues must be successfully addressed for the full potential of a U.S. aquaculture industry to be realized. One of these issues of growing concern is the quality and food safety of farm-raised and wild caught seafood products (imported and domestic). Consumers are confused about many issues related to including seafood in their diet. They have a general sense that seafood is good for them, but they have also received mixed messages and even outright misinformation from the media, and issue oriented NGOs about the relative benefits and risks associated with popular seafood products and production methods. Negative perceptions about farmed vs wild caught seafood, mercury toxicity and pregnancy, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and feed ingredients, questions about the quality and safety of seafood imported from China and other Asian countries,  environmental and health impacts from pathogens, antibiotic use, harmful algal blooms (HABs), nutrient pollution, and contamination are some prominent examples. Well informed seafood industry and health care professionals with public education and outreach responsibilities have an important opportunity and need to educate their colleagues and consumers about these issues.

"Aquaculture and Fisheries Technologies for Food and Health Educators, Seafood Professionals and Communicators" (Aquaculture and Fish Tech 101) is a Sea Grant funded program providing current information and technical resources on important issues, developments and trends for fishery and aquaculture industries and products and the US seafood industry.  During 2014 and 2015 three regional (east, west and Gulf coasts) workshops offered classroom sessions, demonstrations and tours to cover important seafood core topics from water to table (harvest and production methods; food safety, quality and handling; nutrition, benefits and risks; processing and HACCP; distribution and marketing; and future outlook) and issues of local and regional interest. The project website <darc.cms.udel.edu/sgseafood> has additional information on the individual regional programs, tours, speakers, and digital library of technical resources.

This session will review and update important seafood core topics and issues and will outline dissemination of AFT101 seafood information, and educational resources via the seafoodhealthfacts.org website, a widely recognized, science-based information resource about the pros and cons of including seafood in a balanced diet. The website, managed by Delaware Sea Grant, is directly linked to or receives search engine referrals from more than 840 sources and receives more than 600,000 page views annually from all 50 states and 137 countries.