More Seafood Research Needed, To Keep Up With Global Demand

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More Seafood Research Needed, To Keep Up With Global Demand
(By Mr. Charles J. Peckham, President of LMR Fisheries Research, Inc.)

The expanding need for more and better-quality food becomes evermore crucial each year as the population of the world grows. Cultivatable land continues to diminish annually due to climatic changes, natural disasters, industrial expansion, alternative use demands and improper farming and/or grazing techniques. Therefore, the preservation of current food sources and the reduction of food waste becomes a greater and greater necessity. Fish and shellfish are major food sources and when it comes to food-fish supplies, preservation of product takes on greater importance each year--as does seafood research, new-product development and consumer-safety programs performed by industry, government and academic institutions.

Many methods or techniques to aid in the protection of seafood, and the preservation of the quality, have been developed. These include drying, salting, icing, smoking, cooking, canning, freezing and more recently, irradiation. Reasons for utilizing one or more of these methods to preserve seafood can depend upon a variety of possible conditions, such as; fishing gear used, vessel type and age, area of capture, volumes caught, crew experience, distance from the unloading and/or processing facilities and markets, consumer product preferences and, of course, quality preservation.

The earliest techniques used to preserve fish were drying, salting, icing and smoking. Canning was developed in France in the 1790's but it was 1864 when Louis Pasteur discovered the relationship between food spoilage and bacteria. This placed the canning of food on a scientific basis, brought about new canning procedures and the development of a worldwide food preservation industry. Patents on the freezing of fish were first granted in the United States in 1869. Ammonia refrigeration machines came into use 20 years later, which led to the freezing of fish at sea. Irradiation, for preserving food, is a more recent technique and is still undergoing research and testing in some areas.

The need for continuing the research and development into the safety of seafood products, such as the programs carried out at private and public laboratories and research facilities, are necessary for the protection of the consumer and the success of the supporting industry.

Producing, processing, preserving and marketing of seafood have been major international businesses for many decades. This is primarily because of the consumers’ growing appetite for all kinds of fish and shellfish and seafood products.

Most major fish-producing nations have fish and seafood laboratories and research centers. However, very large volumes of seafood products are being exported and imported annually throughout the world. Many producers do not have access to such facilities or even to the most current information available relating to fish and seafood quality preservation.

The exportation and importation of seafood and fishery products grows larger each year and is expected to grow for several years to come. The estimated value of the world’s imports of these products was about US$80 billion in 2000, up from just US$51 billion in 1994. Japan is the leading importer of fish and seafood products, about US$17 billion in recent years, followed by the United States at US$10 billion. Perhaps the European Union had higher imports than the United States but recent data were not available to this writer.

As international trade in seafood expands, the demand for harmony in product identification, weights and measures, labeling, trade regulations and laws, health and safety procedures and requirements, etc., becomes extremely important. To satisfy these demands, there is a continuing need for international cooperation and communication between and among governments, businesses and academia regarding these requirements. There will always be the need for seafood research, development of new products and processes, the modernization of facilities, equipment and containers to maintain quality and food safety, and the transference of this knowledge in these industry fundamentals. Dissemination of the research results freely to all is a very important aid in advancing new research and developing new methods and technologies to preserve quality, lower chances of related illnesses and reduce waste.

Also, there is a need for the seafood business people to be informed and prepared to respond promptly to misleading or false allegations made by environmentalists and animal protectors concerning seafood. For example--the international tuna production and processing industry has for decades been challenged and/or harassed; if not because of dolphins or turtles, then because of natural trace minerals such as mercury. The fact that there are significant health benefits from eating tuna which are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, is generally ignored by these advocacy groups.

There will be major challenges to the seafood industry in the future which will require continuous diligence and dedication to protecting the consumer, providing new products and manufacturing innovations and maintaining a highly successful seafood industry. Producers, processors and marketers should continue to strive to remain in the forefront of seafood quality and safety through promotion of research and dissemination of the results to the public.

Charles J. Peckham is president of LMR Fisheries Research, Inc and a respected seafood consultant. You can reach him at the following address:

LMR Fisheries Research, Inc.
2658 Del Mar Hgts Rd. #212
Del Mar, CA 92014-3100
USA

Tel: + 1 858 792 6515
Fax: + 1 858 792 6519

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