The bandages, produced by HemCon, Inc. of Portland Ore., recently obtained approval by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration for human use. The bandages were created at the Oregon Medical Laser Center with a grant from the U.S. Army.

The magic ingredient in the bandages is chitosan, found in the shells of shrimp, crabs and other crustaceans. According to World Catch News, the bandages allow wounds to quickly seal by forming clots within one to five minutes.

HemCon has a government contract to supply 6,000 bandages to Army troops. "They will save the lives of soldiers and civilians," chief executive Jim Hensel told World Catch. The creators recently received an award for excellence from the U.S. Army at an Advanced Techology Applications for Combat Casualty Care Conference. The shrimp bandages are currently under patent application.

It's not the first time that chitosan has made headlines. Several years ago Japanese textile manufacturers launched a line of underwear treated with chitosan from crab shells. Antibacterial agents found in the shells were said to promote the release of moisture and oils in skin. The seafood skivvies are especially suited to the elderly or people with dry, sensitive skin.

Crab shells are also claimed to hold the secret to removing stinky smells from sweaty T-shirts and socks. The High Point Textile Auxiliary of North Carolina claims its new product, BeFresh, absorbs odors in garments, allowing several wearings before they're tossed in the washer. The product, which is already selling in Japan, follows a trend of chemicals developed recently to combat odors in clothing.

Chitosan is the key ingredient in BeFresh . It reportedly works with another chemical to convert the acids found in sweat to salt, preventing odors from ever forming. The salt is then absorbed into the fabric and is easily washed out.

Farmed cod prediction

In what's being called a "wildly optimistic statement" by market watchers, an executive with Dutch farmed fish giant Nutreco has projected that world farmed production of Atlantic cod could reach 1.3 billion - 1.5 billion pounds by 2015. That volume would be close to today's total world consumption of wild cod.

As reported by Reuters, a Nutreco spokesman told a news conference that "We're branching out into farmed cod, hoping to apply what we have learned from salmon." Nutreco is majority owner of Cod Culture Norway, and aims to produce about 6.6 million pounds of farmed cod in Norway next year, and 220 million pounds by 2010.

Cod boosts IQ

Years ago, a breakfast dose of cod liver oil was routinely forced down youngster's throats for its nutritional benefits. Seafood.com reports that research in Norway shows that mothers who take cod liver oil during pregnancy and while breastfeeding enhance the IQs of their offspring when measured at 4 years of age.

The well-documented study notes that there is a growth spurt in the human brain during the last trimester of pregnancy and the first postnatal months. Researchers said the important chemical in cod liver oil was likely a fatty acid called docosahexanoic acid (DHA).

The study supplemented maternal intake of DHA by using cod liver oil and compared it against a control group given corn oil. Each group took 10 milliliters of oil daily until three months after delivery. The results of the study were published in the medical journal, Pediatrics.

Likewise, a report last year in the British Medical Journal stated that eating oily fish during pregnancy reduces the risk of premature births. Researchers in Denmark surveyed more than 8,000 pregnant women about how often they had eaten fish during their pregnancy. Premature delivery fell from 7.1 percent in women who had never eaten fish to just 1.9 percent in those who ate fish at least once a week.

Again, DHA was credited for suppressing the formation of chemicals called prostaglandins, which cause the uterus to contract. The average birth weight and length of pregnancy both appeared to increase in direct relation to the amount of fish the women ate. The report cited salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines and trout as fish that provide the most benefits. The Danish study added that pregnant women who do not eat seafood should consider taking fish oil supplements.

Big bucks for blue fin

A single blue fin tuna sold for $57,000 at the year's first auction at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market. It's a whopping price, but far lower than the record $170,000 paid in 2001. The 103-pound fish, caught in Japanese waters, was one of 3,600 tunas sold at the world's biggest fish market. One big tuna can supply up to 6,000 people with the most popular types of sushi or sashimi, reported the Kyodo News.

Salmon available nearly year-round

Southeast trollers were hauling in more winter kings than they have since 1994, with a catch approaching 18,500 since the season started in mid-October. Prices were also good, ranging form $3.15 to over $5.00 per pound. The winter king fishery runs through mid-April; a month later, salmon from Copper River starts to arrive.

Kodiak-based free-lance writer Laine Welch can be reached via e-mail at msfish@ptialaska.net.