IN BRIEF - Quality Seafood manager sentenced to prison. Judge calls him ‘driving force’ in conspiracy
UNITED STATES
Friday, December 13, 2024
Quality Poultry & Seafood sales manager Todd Rosetti was the only defendant sentenced to prison for his role in a conspiracy to mislabel seafood, passing off foreign fish as fresh Gulf catches.
U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden on Wednesday sentenced Rosetti to eight months in prison, followed by 180 days under house arrest. Ozerden noted that he was constrained by an earlier agreement Rosetti reached with prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mislabeling seafood rather than a felony conspiracy mislabeling charge. Guidelines allowed a maximum sentence of one year and a fine of up to $1,000.
James “Jim” Gunkel, left, business manager of Quality Poultry & Seafood, walks out of the federal courthouse in Gulfport with his attorneys on Wednesday =>
“He was the ultimate authority in this scheme,” Ozerden noted. “He was the driving force.” Ozerden also pointed out that the scheme started by Quality defrauded up to 300 customers at their retail and wholesale business on Division Street in Biloxi. The judge said the scheme started as early as 1999. Charges documented seafood mislabeling began no later than December 2013 and ran until November 2019.
Mary Mahoney’s Old French House restaurant, a nationally known establishment in Biloxi, was in on the conspiracy but many other restaurants, casinos and retail customers were unaware they were paying premium prices for fish from India, Africa and other counties.
Recent advances in fishing operations largely aim to make the work easier for fishing professionals. AZTI and the University of Vigo stand out in this field with two projects focused on monitoring purse seine nets and reducing the effort involved in the albacore tuna season, respectively.
Every time a purse seiner heads out to fish, it risks returning to port with damaged gear because it lacks a system to monitor the entire net with sensors; the consequences can be even worse if that damage leads to an accident on board. To address this technological gap, AZTI has developed a new real-time monitoring system that reconstructs the geometry of purse seine nets as they are deployed in the water.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
Many Americans have been cautious as to where and what they spend their money on this year, but despite those economic concerns, sushi has maintained an impressive growth path.
“Like most food categories, we've navigated challenges related to inflation, shifting consumer spending patterns, and broader economic uncertainty, but sushi has remained remarkably resilient
That’s what Hissho Sushi, which operates 3,000 sushi locations nationwide in grocery stores, college campuses, hospitals, airports, and other foodservice environments, aims to offer.
Author: Christine Blank / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here
Europêche welcomed the constructive exchange with European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis and the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, focusing on the urgent reforms needed to strengthen the competitiveness, resilience and long-term sustainability of Europe’s fishing sector. The meeting focused on the future of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), regulatory simplification, and the need to secure a sustainable and prosperous future for Europe’s fishing communities.
Marine ingredients organisation IFFO has announced the programme for its Annual Conference 2026, which is being held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from October 19 to 21.
IFFO said the three-day conference will feature a comprehensive agenda covering key industry priorities, including navigating geopolitics, fishery management, responsible sourcing requirements and delivering deep market analyses from both a demand and supply perspective.
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
Fisheries Minister Luis Planas had convened representatives of the Spanish fishing sector to review progress on negotiations regarding the EU's multiannual financial framework—specifically concerning the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF)—and aid to address the crisis triggered by US and Israeli attacks on Iran. However, the discussion ended up covering a wide range of topics: training, trade agreements, fishing quotas, Mediterranean regulations, and more.
Source: La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
Thailand has launched its first research project to farm Atlantic salmon domestically, with scientists using a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) to assess whether commercial production is feasible in the tropical country.
The project is being led by the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University in partnership with PTT LNG. Researchers are studying salmon growth, nutrition and the economics of production to determine whether a domestic industry could be established.The first phase of the project began after 20,000 fertilised Atlantic salmon eggs were imported from Chile in early May.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
Salmon farming has become one of the world’s most successful aquaculture industries. It has provided large volumes of healthy protein, created employment in coastal regions and built a global market for farmed Atlantic salmon.
For many years, the main production model has been relatively simple: produce smolt on land, transfer the fish to sea cages and grow them to harvest size in the ocean. This model has been extremely effective. It has allowed the industry to scale up and in the right locations it remains a very efficient way to produce salmon.
Author: Ivar Warrer-Hansen / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
The Ecuadorian shrimp industry, through theNational Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) and the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP), has formalised an alliance with Conservation International Ecuador (CI-Ecuador) to strengthen mangrove conservation and restoration efforts, promote sustainable shrimp aquaculture, and contribute to the climate resilience of Ecuador’s coastal ecosystems and communities.Through this agreement, the organisations will establish a framework for collaboration and implement joint actions under the Mangroves for Climate initiative.
The German government scraps the heavy frigate project led by Rheinmetall and opts for TKMS's Meko frigates to modernize its Navy
The German government has decided to cancel the F126 heavy frigate program—valued at approximately €10 billion—after noting accumulated delays and rising project costs. The decision marks a significant setback for Rheinmetall, which was undertaking its first major foray into military shipbuilding following its acquisition of Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL), and it reshapes Germany's industrial strategy regarding one of Europe's largest naval defense programs.
UNITED STATES
U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden on Wednesday sentenced Rosetti to eight months in prison, followed by 180 days under house arrest. Ozerden noted that he was constrained by an earlier agreement Rosetti reached with prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mislabeling seafood rather than a felony conspiracy mislabeling charge. Guidelines allowed a maximum sentence of one year and a fine of up to $1,000.
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SPAIN
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Many Americans have been cautious as to where and what they spend their money on this year, but despite those economic concerns, sushi has maintained an impressive growth path.
EUROPEAN UNION
ARGENTINA
Marine ingredients organisation IFFO
Fisheries Minister Luis Planas had convened representatives of the Spanish fishing sector to review progress on negotiations regarding the EU's multiannual financial framework—specifically concerning the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF)—and aid to address the crisis triggered by US and Israeli attacks on Iran. However, the discussion ended up covering a wide range of topics: training, trade agreements, fishing quotas, Mediterranean regulations, and more.
THAILAND
Thailand has launched its first research project to farm Atlantic salmon domestically, with scientists using a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) to assess whether commercial production is feasible in the tropical country.
NORWAY
Salmon farming has become one of the world’s most successful aquaculture industries. It has provided large volumes of healthy protein, created employment in coastal regions and built a global market for farmed Atlantic salmon.
ECUADOR
The Ecuadorian shrimp industry, through the
GERMANY
The German government scraps the heavy frigate project led by Rheinmetall and opts for TKMS's Meko frigates to modernize its Navy
