NOAA hearings to address national aquaculture policy

Federal officials plan to hold a meeting in Honolulu next month to ask the public about the nation's aquaculture policy.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the April 27 meeting will be a “;listening session.”; NOAA officials say they want to hear ideas from the public that will help the agency develop a new national policy for “;sustainable marine aquaculture.”;

The agency will hold similar meetings next month in Rhode Island, New Orleans, Seattle and Menlo Park, Calif.

Hawaii is home to several offshore aquaculture operations growing fish such as moi, or Pacific threadfin. A startup company hopes to farm bigeye tuna off the Big Island.

Online filing available for commercial fishing reports

Hawaii's licensed commercial fishers can now submit their monthly commercial fishing reports online.

The new system has been implemented by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Aquatic Resources.

Department Chairwoman Laura Thielen said the free system is a quick and convenient alternative method of submitting required monthly commercial fishing reports.

Thielen said this month that online filing facilitates the collection of fishing reports that provide invaluable data for state and federal government agencies that manage fisheries in Hawaii's waters. Only fishers with a valid commercial marine license issued by the department will be able to submit online reports.

Group expects world trade to increase 9.5% in 2010

Led by economic growth in China and India, world trade is projected to expand by 9.5 percent this year after shrinking by 12.2 percent last year in the sharpest contraction since World War II, according to the World Trade Organization.

“;We see the light at the end of the tunnel, and trade promises to be an important part of the recovery,”; the organization's director-general, Pascal Lamy, said Friday. “;But we must avoid derailing any economic revival through protectionism.”;

Export declines last year were even greater in the United States (13.9 percent), the European Union (14.8 percent) and Japan (24.9 percent) than in the rest of the world. Shipments from China fell 10.5 percent.

The WTO confirmed that China overtook Germany as the world's top exporter of merchandise in 2009, accounting for almost 10 percent of global exports.

MAKING CENTS

Place your grocery bills on strict diet

If you're struggling to make ends meet, re-evaluating your grocery bill and making small changes in shopping habits can help shave your overall spending and family budget.

The Atlanta-based Consumer Credit Counseling Service gives this advice for cutting back:

» Eat before you shop. Shopping on an empty stomach will always cost you more at the store.
» Look around. Many low-cost items, including store brands, are stocked on higher and lower shelves.
» Make a list and stick to it. Planning your family's meals ahead of time will help you avoid impulse buys.
» Use coupons. Take advantage of special purchases and buy-one-get-one promotions.
» Stock up during sales for staple items with a long shelf life, but avoid buying things you would not normally purchase just because you have a coupon.

Total recall

» Evenflo is recalling 150,000 wooden gates that block stairways from young children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the slats on Evenflo Top-of-Stair Plus gates can break or detach, allowing children to access the stairs.

The Mexican-made gates were sold online and by stores nationwide, including Toys “;R”; Us and Kmart. To obtain a free replacement gate, contact Evenflo at 800-233-5921.