Stone Crab Season Is Coming Up

Like the California Spiny Lobster season, Stone Crab season will begin soon in Florida.  The season runs until May 15, 2014, and fishermen are hoping that the season will be a good one as stone crabs are one of the state's most valuable seasfoods.  Over the last 10 years, fishermen have averaged a yearly catch of 2.72 million pounds of claws, worth approximately 22.79 million dollars per year.

Catch methods for stone crab are different than other crab catch methods.  Crabbers remove one or both claws and return the crab to the water.  Claws grow back in about a year.

Photo Credit: www.glo.texas.gov

FDA Adds New Rules For Importing

The FDA has implemented two new rules when importing food and now requires companies to audit their foreign suppliers. The two new rules require American importers to verify that their foreign suppliers are using “modern prevention-oriented food safety practices” and “achieving the same level of food safety as domestic growers and processors.”

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Ensuring the safety of our seafood by analyzing DNA

Monterey Bay Aquarium is constantly finding new ways to sustain our fish, keep our oceans clean and now coming up with a way to protect the seafood that we consume.  An Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) will be used to identify harmful bacterias and algae in seawater by analyzing their DNA.

Read the whole story at FIS.com