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The article reports that certification is becoming widespread among restaurants in the U.S. that offer seafood dishes. According to Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board executive director Ewell Smith, a certification program was implemented after the 2009 Gulf oil spill. The state designed a logo that appears in restaurant menus certifying that the fish being served has passed stringent standards. The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has launched a Chain of Custody program in 2010.

The article offers the U.S. news briefs as of December 10, 2012 including mercury levels have been increased in the sea foods, the Department of Energy has selected Argonne National Laboratory for developing advanced energy storage device and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is not allowed to develop long-term priorities.

The article discusses the impact of the Gulf oil spill on the restaurant business. Chef John Folse, restaurateur and owner of John Folse & Co. tells that customers want to know the source of seafood on the menu and only top quality Gulf seafood is reaching the table. John Besh, chef-owner of several well-regarded restaurants in New Orleans, tells that some of the best natural oyster beds have been destroyed by oil spill and it will 5 to 10 years to regenerate, if everything works out perfectly.

The article reports on the domoic acid which is a neurotoxin produced by marine algae. A study in "Nature Geoscience" says that domoic acid can spread farther in global oceans than imagined, with the large amounts produced by seasonalblooms of Pseudo-nitzschia phytoplankton. It states that the domoic acid produced by the algae is capable of causing short-term memory loss and digestive difficulties when ingested by people in seafood.

The article reports that on the set of recommendations for seafood during pregnancy. The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition with a Maternal Nutrition Group and 14 obstetricians and nutritionists announced that pregnant and breastfeeding women should eat a minimum of 12 ounces of fish per week. This is contradicting the advisory from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that women should eat no more than 12 ounces per week due to concerns about mercury contamination.

The article reports on the initiative for improving the safety of imported fish and shellfish supported by the members of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) in the United States. Other than supporting the initiative, the NFI has also asked Congress for a $200 million increase in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) budget for expanded tools to help restore consumer confidence in the food supply.

Offers advice on ensuring seafood safety. Importance of knowing the seafood supplier; Factors that could affect tuna and related species; Importance of taking product temperatures.