Industry Responds To Plan to Ban Open Net-Pen Salmon Farms In B.C. in 5 Years

Industry members are beginning to speak out regarding the Canadian government’s decision to transition from open net-pen salmon farms in British Columbia in five years. 

After days of speculation, Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, confirmed on Wednesday that open net-pen salmon aquaculture will officially be banned in B.C. coastal waters by June 30, 2029. B.C. aquaculture licenses will only be considered for marine or land-based closed-containment systems after...

Industry To Peltola: “We Urge You To Withdraw Your Bill”

Over 30 industry associations and companies have sent a letter to Congresswoman Mary Sattler Peltola to express their concerns regarding H.R. 8507, a bill sponsored by the Alaska Rep. to “provide for the designation of areas within which fishing activities carried out using bottom trawls may be carried out.”

The seafood industry has been very vocal about its issues with the bill since Peltola introduced it in late May. But the letter sent this Thursday makes another plea for her to withdraw the legislation, with the argument that...

Barents Sea Cod Quota Trend Continues For Fourth Year

The Barents Sea cod quota trend continued for a fourth year in a row, with the Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission announcing its advice to reduce the quota by 31% in 2025.

“The Northeast Arctic (NEA) cod stock is continuing to decline following a period of moderate to poor recruitment,” the Joint Russian Norwegian Arctic Fisheries Working Group Report for 2024 reads. “Following the agreed Harvest Control Rule (HCR), the advice for 2025 is that catches should be no more than 311,587 tonnes.”

Norway and Russia have jointly managed the...

Espersen CEO Klaus Nielsen Retiring After 25 Years; Former Orkla Exec Appointed as New CEO 

Klaus Nielsen, who has served as CEO of Denmark seafood processor Espersen for the past 25 years, has confirmed that he will be retiring at the end of the year. The company announced this week that they have already appointed Nielsen’s replacement as CEO — former Orkla executive Tino Bendix.

Nielsen has been with Espersen for an impressive 37 years. And he’ll be helping the company with the transition of leadership even after he officially steps down as CEO on August 5. Nielsen will work...

5 Things To Know About The Canadian Government’s Transition From Open Net-Pen Salmon Farming in B.C.

Reports started circulating early this week that the Canadian government was set to announce that the aquaculture industry in British Columbia had five years to transition from open-net salmon farms. And on Wednesday Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, confirmed it. Open net-pen salmon aquaculture will officially be banned in B.C. coastal waters by June 30, 2029.

“The government is firmly committed to taking concrete steps to protect wild Pacific salmon,” said Minister Lebouthillier...

Copper River Sockeye Catch Grows, Kenai TAC Announced, and Port Moller Numbers Are In

In the weeks prior to peak sockeye landings in Bristol Bay, catches of the high-value red salmon are growing in the Copper River, while the federally managed Cook Inlet sockeye TACs have been announced and the early tip of the sockeye run into Bristol Bay has now been seen.

Commercial catch of sockeyes in the Copper River is now at 563,000 fish, just less than half of the 1.3 million sockeye forecast for this year. 

In addition, the fleet has landed 5,000 Chinook salmon, just ...

Norwegian Food Safety Authority Confirms ISA At Lerøy, Salmar, Masoval and Mowi

This week the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has established multiple restriction zones as aquaculture facilities detect infectious salmon anemia (ISA).

On June 18 restriction zones were established in Bjørnafjorden municipality in Vestland county, in a site operated by Lerøy Vest Sjø AS. The company had initially reached out to the Food Safety Authority in late May to report the possibility of ISA at its location. The diagnosis was confirmed shortly after, resulting in the placement of the restriction zone...

Japan: Crab Sticks Processed with Sustainable Alaskan Surimi Go on Sale at 16,300 FamilyMart Stores

FamilyMart Co., Ltd. will release two crab-flavored surimi products, "Seafood Stick" and fish side dishes using wild seafood from Alaska. The sustainably fished products will be at approximately 16,300 FamilyMart stores nationwide from June 18, 2024, to coincide with "Sustainable Food Culture Day" on June 18, one of the international days designated by the United Nations, reported Kamaboko News.

In addition to the three products already on sale using wild seafood from Alaska, the target products will display the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute...

ANALYSIS: 2024 Pacific Halibut Season Update

Supply

We are currently in the third month of the 2024 Pacific halibut season, which began on March 15 and will conclude on December 7. This year's overall annual catch limit is set at 35.29 million pounds, marking a 5% reduction compared to 2023, with commercial landings experiencing a 3% cut. As of week 21, year-to-date Pacific halibut landings total 5.41 million pounds, showing a 6.09% decrease year-over-year and a 13.07% decrease compared to the five-year year-to-date average.

The season started strongly, with...

SeafoodNews Closed on Wednesday, June 19

SeafoodNews will not be publishing on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. We will return to our normal publishing schedule on Thursday, June 20. 

In the meantime, catch up on our recent major news stories by checking our Featured Stories page. 

You can also watch all the latest SeafoodNews Weekly Videos here or listen to the latest SeafoodNews Podcast episodes here.

BOEM Offshore Wind Steamroller Grinds its Way to Gulf of Maine with Draft EA

Another part of the coast, another draft environmental assessment from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management regarding offshore wind. This time, in the Gulf of Maine.

BOEM announced Thursday it has published a draft EA for the Gulf of Maine wind energy areas, saying eventual buildout of the area could reach 15 gigawatts of energy capacity by 2035.

As per BOEM's process, the draft EA analyzes the potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases and not the full development at this stage. BOEM will issue a draft environmental impact statement when developers produce a construction ...

Hokkaido Herring Landings Hit 7000 Tons From January to May 

The Fisheries and Forestry Department of Hokkaido recently compiled a preliminary figure for herring fishing along the Sea of Japan coast of Hokkaido from January to May. According to the Minato Shimbun report, the total catch from Soya to Shiribeshi was 6,939 tons, a 40% increase from last year and a new record high in recent years.

This year's catch exceeds the 5,599 tons landed in 2022, and is the highest since 1996 when a project to increase the resource by releasing seedlings began. It was a...

ANALYSIS: The Squid Market Faces Supply Fluctuations and Increasing Freight Costs

The squid market is currently navigating a complex landscape, with conditions varying significantly based on species and origin.

In the U.S., the supply of Chinese Loligo squid is ample, outpacing the moderate to quiet demand trends currently reported within the wholesale market. Because of this lackluster demand, prices for Chinese Loligo have decreased this year despite an 8% retreat in year-to-date imports compared to last year. Currently, the average price for 5-8 inch tubes and tentacles (T&T) is...

New Columbia River Task Force Formed, Nik Blosser Tapped as Executive Director

As part of Tuesday's release of a court-ordered report on harm done to Pacific Northwest Tribes by dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, the Biden Administration also created a new Columbia River Task Force to oversee “… affordable, clean, and reliable energy options for the region while working to restore wild fish populations and address the grave harms the federal dams have inflicted on Tribal communities.”

Established by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and co-chaired by three federal agencies, the new Columbia River Task...

G7 Leaders Express Concerns Over Russian Fish and Seafood Products

Late last week the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) met in Apulia, Italy, to discuss “global challenges at a crucial moment in history.” Multiple topics were addressed, including the G7’s “unwavering support” for Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, and “the triple global crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.” Also on the list of topics? “Russia’s environmentally unsustainable and unfair trading practices regarding fish and seafood products.”

G7’s leaders currently include Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, President of France Emmanuel Macron, President of...

Russia Plans to Modernize its Fish Production and Processing Capacities by Almost 80% by 2028-2029

Russia plans to modernize its fish production and processing capacities by almost 80% as a result of the implementation of an existing state program of investment quotas, according to recent statements made by a head of the Russian Federal Agency of Fisher Rosrybolovstvo, Ilya Shestakov.

According to Shestakov, despite the ever growing sanctions pressure on Russia, a large-scale modernization of the entire fisheries infrastructure of the country is underway, which leads to active building of new fishing vessels, modern processing plants...

Pacific Seafood Fined $222,000 By Washington Department of Ecology

Pacific Seafood’s Westport facility has been hit with a $222,000 penalty after “repeatedly sending polluted wastewater into Half Moon Bay in Westport.” According to the Washington Department of Ecology, the seafood company’s Westport facility has violated its water quality permits 58 times over the past two years.

“It’s unacceptable that this facility is continuing to pollute Half Moon Bay after repeated citations and technical assistance,” said Vince McGowan, Ecology’s water quality program manager. “The majority of similar companies in the industry are able to...