Seafood

A project demonstrating an alternative way to grow oysters, using off-bottom systems, has launched in the waters off of Grand Isle. If successful, the project could spark new interest in oyster farming and provide a new source for oysters consumed by the half-shell. …

The locavore movement is thriving in the Northwest — with one big exception. When it comes to Puget Sound geoduck clams, the shellfish industry and local chefs are still trying to create a demand for them at home. …

The organizers of the Wellfleet OysterFest will hire a full-time shellfish specialist to help the town curb outbreaks of illness caused by food-borne bacteria and protect the multimillion-dollar local shellfish industry. The specialist will work with growers, harvesters, wholesalers, retailers and the public on safe handling and best practices, and on research and monitoring waters. The nonprofit group hopes the position will be a model for other shellfishing towns. …

The new five-year farm bill the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate compromised on this week failed to cut out the U.S. catfish inspection program, putting a barrier on catfish imports into the United States. Catfish producers in Mississippi and elsewhere in the South have complained about U.S. trade policy that allows the dumping of low-cost pangasius on the U.S. market, thus crippling the ability of domestic producers to compete on price. …

As the 2014 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference continued on Monday in Mobile, Ala., some scientists discussed the potential impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Gulf fisheries, often describing the fishery as better off than many think but always adding that there still remains much ongoing research. …