Normally an Asian concept, Marvesta is moving ahead with shrimp farming here in the U.S. and after 4 years in the making, it looks like they may have finally panned things out successfully for their shrimp farm.

“With more than one-third of the Gulf Coast closed off to fishermen and shrimpers, the domestic seafood industry has been hit very hard, but one company sees these hard times as a chance to find new ways of growing and harvesting shrimp. …It ships almost 130,000 pounds of fresh shrimp a year to restaurants from New York to California.” – Baltimore, Maryland TV commentator

This recent TV news broadcast includes some good views of the farm’s tanks, plumbing, equipment, and owners for anybody here in South Carolina or elsewhere are interested in their setup. I also included their contact info below.

I was wondering how they dealt with sustainability, and even though I was disappointed to see that their ‘sustainability’ page was down, I did see this snippet on their ‘shrimp’ page:

“Marvesta Shrimp Farms harvest shrimp 365 days a year and is committed to achieving 100% customer satisfaction. Due to the proprietary nature of the Company’s system, they are not dependent on any external factors and utilize a completely indoor Bio-Secure facility to remain not only fully sustainable, but reliable year round”. – Marvesta Shrimp Farm

Information: Scott Fritze, Andrew Hanzlik and Guy Furman, Marvesta Shrimp Farms, 201 Enterprise Drive, Hurlock, Maryland 21643, USA (phone 1-410-943-1733, fax 1-410-943-1734, email guy@marvesta.com, webpage http://www.marvesta.com).

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From the Shem Creek blog.

More shrimp farms mean more fresh shrimp – year round

Stephen said the female lemon shark put up a good fight, and that it took him over 30 minutes to get it to the boat, leaving him exhausted. He used a 6.5′ Shakespeare Ugly Stik rod paired with a Shimano Tiagra reel, probably similar to the one pictured below, and had cut barracuda fillets for bait.

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From the Shem Creek blog.

380lb. lemon shark sets new game fish record

I’m sure this crime happens in all industries from time to time, and we don’t even realize it. Problem is: this is food we’re talking about here. Stuff we ingest, and remember, “you are what you eat”. Not to get all dramatical, but it could have serious consequences for some, whether it be over a strict diet, organic vs non-organic food, etc.

Allowing customers to know where their seafood comes from gives them trust in your company, whether it be a seafood restaurant here on Shem Creek, or any other business.

Taking it a step further, telling customers, indeed bragging about where your seafood comes from, is the best way to win their trust, which of course, leads to word-of-mouth advertising, and who doesn’t want that!?

“Diners continue to question seafood origin and safety across the country; no matter how far removed the fish is from the Gulf. Restaurants generally are being very supportive of the Gulf, and many say they are not losing business as they educate their customers about sourcing and supply.” – John Sackton, Editor And Publisher, Seafood.com

Remember, for every person who asks a question, their are dozens who never do, who simply stay away. So, brag about where your seafood is coming from. Your customer base will expand because of it.

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From the Shem Creek blog.

Getting seafood customers coming back for more

Sharks have been around for millions of years, but like all things at the top of the food chain that we consume, our insatiable appetites will get the best of us in the end if we don’t practice some good conservation techniques.

We already know from the WWF that bluefin tuna will be extinct by 2012. Now we have another big problem: sharks are being killed by the millions — 100 million a year according to the NYT!

Click on those piles of shark fins. Notice the guy in the back hiding his face? Yea, he knows scalping sharks just for their fins is wrong, but one way or another, the industry flourishes.

Their specialty: Double Boiled Superior Shark’s Fin w/Seawhelk 响蜾炖鸡鲍翅

As a matter of fact, American owned Citibank has been using shark fins for marketing; their website is currently advertising a 15% discount at Singapore’s Imperial Court Shark’s Fin Restaurant.

Thanks to public awareness from conservationists though – most notably Hong Kong’s Shark Saver’s campaign – the word is finally getting out. Maybe now, sharks will be left alone and allowed to continue their important job as a top-level predator.

Here’s a short teaser of Shark Saver’s Hong Kong campaign highlighting several people taking a stand, vowing not to eat shark fin soup, and asking others to join in. It’s the first in a series of several films from their Hong Kong filming project launched in conjunction with the “Pledge Not to Eat Shark Fin Soup” campaign and Shark Savers Hong Kong. Take the pledge now!

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From the Shem Creek blog.

Sharks, poised for extinction?

Delight in Chef Jeffrey Robinson’s 5 delectable courses featuring various sustainable seafood dishes.

They include:

1. guajillo dusted yellowfin tuna, avocado relish, & cilantro chimichurri,
2. deconstructed Loch Duart salmon carbonara,
3. miso lacquered sea scallop, baby bok choy & beech mushrooms,
4. snapper with mussels, chorizo, fried crouton & saffron broth, and
5. peach turnover with a sweet tea reduction.

The five-course meal will be served with wine and is $50 (plus tax and gratuity) per guest.

10% of the proceeds will be donated to the South Carolina Aquarium in support of the Sustainable Seafood Initiative, and all remaining profits will be donated to the Audubon Nature Institute in Louisiana to further wildlife and rescue efforts related to the Gulf Oil Spill.

Reservations can be made with the restaurant by calling 723-3000, ext. 1555.

Thursday, July 29, 2010 6:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Where: Saffire at the Marriott on Lockwood Blvd

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From the Shem Creek blog.

Sustainable Seafood Dinner at Saffire

Hat tip to David Quick, P&C’s Running, Cycling, and Fitness Blog guru.

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From the Shem Creek blog.

Photos from the inaugural Shem Creek Stand Up Paddling (SUP) race

Just email them to admin @ shemcreeksc.com, and they’ll be uploaded in no time!

Thanks!

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From the Shem Creek blog.

Shem Creek Photos

As President of Royal Caridea, LLC, they are setting up bio-secure, closed-system, super-intensive, shrimp farming facilities to produce fresh 30g shrimp.

Large fresh shrimp are always in high demand at upscale restaurants everywhere you go, but right now, there’s no market for live shrimp, or any other seafood, since transportation costs are too high. Dr. Kemp says that if indoor shrimp farms were built close to major metropolitan areas, it’d drastically reduce the distribution costs, and Royal Caridea would have a good shot at supplying a whole new market.

Like any distribution business, it’s economies of scale; if Royal Caridea, or anybody else, can deliver live shrimp on a consistent basis at a reasonable cost, markets would grow quickly and significantly.

Maurice Kemp’s Summary

Background is multidisciplinary, with much of career directed towards preventing microbial induced disease and/or development of pharmaceuticals to alleviate clinical symptoms or signs associated with a disease state. Most recently, he has worked on the development of methods to detect pathogens and development of chemical methods to eliminate food & airborne pathogens. He also developed methods to inhibit mold & fungi associated with building products and participated in the interdisciplinary development of pharmaceutics for veterinary & medical applications.

Royal Caridea, LLC (currently under construction)

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From the Shem Creek blog.

Super-Intensive Raceway Shrimp Farming Technology (SIRSFT) is coming our way

Hear personal accounts from select Aquarium staff members of recent trips to the Gulf, where they have aided in sea turtle rescue and vitally important dolphin surveying.

Enjoy live performances by Red Top Ramblers, Henry’s Attic and a special appearance from Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish, and Doug Jones and Gary Greene from Cravin’ Melon.

Cajun food will be provided by Krewe of Charleston, and beer and non-alcoholic products will be served.

Proceeds from the event will support the South Carolina Aquarium’s wildlife care, conservation and rescue programs, as well as allow the Aquarium to lend world-class care and expertise to the Gulf.

Tickets are $30 per person.
Additional donations will be accepted at the door.
Saturday, July 17, 2010 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Advance reservations suggested by calling (843) 577-FISH (3474).
The event is held in partnership with Awendaw Green, Sewee Outpost, Krewe of Charleston and Palmetto Brewery.

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From the Shem Creek blog.

Save Our Seas, a SC Aquarium event benefiting wildlife rescue at home and in the Gulf Coast

Bench Mark’s Blue Marlin and 5 Sailfish releases toppled Reel Passion’s 2nd place spot of 2 Blue Marlin and 1 Sailfish release, but everybody involved had a great time no doubt!

“The interesting thing is that for the first time in years, a large number of blue marlin were encountered, with 14 actually being caught and released. This is more than the total number of blue’s that have been caught this year in the three previous tournaments combined. Further, in recent years, July has been a slow month for encountering blue marlin. The reason for the surge is unknown.” – SCDNR biologist Wallace Jenkins.

Congratulations to the ‘Bench Mark’ crew. So, what’s the split on $105,184 amongst y’all anyway?

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From the Shem Creek blog.

‘Bench Mark’, winners of the 2010 MegaDock Tournament