ANALYSIS: A Look at the Market Landscape for Frozen Tilapia out of China Post Typhoon 

The aquaculture complex out of Asia which includes Chinese Catfish, Pangasius, and frozen Tilapia out of China is becoming an area to potentially watch closely for changes that may occur over the next several weeks and months.

Ryan Doyle, Editor with Expana reported earlier this month, Super Typhoon Yagi swept through parts of southeastern regions of China, including tilapia production hubs of Hainan and Guangdong. This created question marks around production capabilities as the region recovers following...

How a Port Strike Could Ripple Through the Ag Sector

All eyes are on a potential strike that may occur at major ports along the East and Gulf coasts on October 1 if negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) fail.

The 45,000 port workers represented by the ILA are pushing for improved wages and added worker safety, as well as growing concerns over the increased use of automation. This would be the first ILA coastwide strike in nearly 50 years.

ILA Executive Vice President Dennis A. Daggett, wrote on September 20...

Russian Fish Exports in Steady Decline Throughout 2024

Fish exports from Russia are steadily declining due to the ongoing pressure from sanctions and the existing import duties on Russian fish in the EU and the UK. In the first half of 2024, Russian exports dipped 7% in volume, year-on-year. Through eight months, that figure has dipped 13% lower from 2023.

As Artem Daushev, assistant to the head of the Russian agricultural regulator Rosselkhoznadzor, said during the recent International Fishery Industry Forum in Russia,

"The volume of fish exports from Russia in January-August 2024...

USCG Boards Gulf Shrimper for Safety Inspection, Finds 20 MT of Shrimp Aboard and Expired Permit

Last Thursday, Coast Guard Station Key West law enforcement officers boarded a commercial fishing vessel approximately 12 miles off the Marquesas Keys for a routine safety inspection and discovered the crew was fishing with an expired permit.  

The Coast Guard terminated the vessel’s voyage due to their possession of 45,000 pounds of pink shrimp on board without a valid commercial fishing permit.

The vessel, which will remain unnamed due to the open investigation, is returning to its homeport in Alabama ...

Legislation Aimed at Expediting Disaster Relief Process Advances to House Floor

Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) announced that “The FISHES” Act has moved out of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources and to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Donalds said the bill has unanimous, bipartisan support, and he is looking forward to seeing it move swiftly through the House of Representatives.  

As SeafoodNews covered last week, Donalds’ bill was described as bipartisan legislation aimed at improving the federal regulatory process association with fishery disaster relief allocation. The bill wants to expedite fisheries disaster relief once declarations...

Rodger May Wins Auction for Peter Pan’s Western Alaska Assets; Silver Bay Wins Back-Up Bid

In a series of events that rival a Hollywood thriller, over the course of five months Peter Pan Seafoods has shut down all operations in Alaska, Silver Bay Seafoods has purchased or leased key facilities just in time for the 2024 salmon season, Wells Fargo Bank asked that Peter Pan be put into a receivership, $27 million of Peter Pan’s frozen seafood assets were sold to Silver Bay, and yesterday the remaining assets were auctioned off to Rodger May, both a co-owner ...

Norwegian Seafood Council Rolls Out Campaign with Soccer Superstar Erling Haaland

The Norwegian Seafood Council announced that its first major campaign with Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland has begun to roll out in the South Korean market.

Back in April, the council partnered with the goal-scoring star for the Premier League’s Manchester City on a two-and-a-half-year deal to help promote farmed salmon, as SeafoodNews reported.

The council has collaborated with several grocery chains in South Korea and Norwegian exporters, with SalMar being one of the first firms to feature Haaland...

NOAA Names James Binniker as New Law Enforcement Director

NOAA announced that James Binniker has been selected as the new director of the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement. Binniker will be tasked with leading the agency’s work to enforce laws, conserve and protect U.S. marine resources, battle IUU fishing, and promote sustainable fisheries management.

Binniker will be at the helm of the office charged with “enforcing more than 35 federal statutes over more than 3 million nautical miles of open ocean, 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline, 16 National Marine Sanctuaries, and Marine National Monuments,” per an announcement from NOAA...

Fisheries Agency of Japan to Implement Strict Management of Tuna Sport Fishing

There is a move to apply stricter regulations to tuna fishing for leisure. According to a Minato Shimbun report, to grasp the actual situation of bluefin tuna catches by recreational fishing boats and pleasure boats, the Fisheries Agency plans to introduce a notification system for applicable boats by FY 2026 and then move to full-scale total quantity restrictions at an early stage.

For recreational bluefin tuna catches, an annual quota of 40 tons is set for each period from the "reserved quota," Japan's total catch volume minus...

Canada Releases Plan to Phase Out Open Net-Pen Salmon Farming in British Columbia

After notable delays, Canada’s federal government released its transition plan to phase out open net-pen salmon farming in British Columbia. 

The government said it would implement a ban on open net-pen aquaculture in B.C. by June 30, 2029. It will require new salmon aquaculture licenses to utilize closed containment technology.  

Canada’s Salmon Aquaculture Transition Plan for British Columbia consists of four themes:

- support for First Nations, workers, and communities in this transition 

- identifying economic supports for the adoption of innovative and clean aquaculture technology...

Alaska's Peltola Announces $277 Million to Alaska Fisheries Disasters

Last week, Alaska’s U.S. House Representative Mary S. Peltola announced $277 million in financial relief for ten fisheries disasters that have occurred in Alaska between 2018 and 2022. The funding will go from NOAA Fisheries in the Department of Commerce to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSFMC)  and will be distributed in partnership between the PSFMC, the State of Alaska, and Tribal leaders.

Peltola wrote to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo last April, urging action and expressing concerns about “three groups of fishery disaster funds that were stuck ...

Ecuador’s CNA Partners with Sustainable Shrimp Partnership for SustainED Event

The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) and Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) organized the SustainED event, where over 120 individuals came together for an educational program aimed at promoting the sustainable development of Ecuador’s crucial shrimp industry. 

The SSP and CNA believe the SustainED has created a continuous training program that will strengthen the capacities for Ecuador’s shrimp industry while ensuring sustainable development. 

The first day of the event, hosted in Guayaquil, focused on the responsible use of sodium metabisulfite, ensuring the quality of the shrimp and access to international...

Japan: 40% of Fishery Workers are Over 65 Years Old; 70% of Aquaculture Operators Have No Successors

The 2023 Fisheries Census, released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on August 30, revealed a stark reality: the number of marine fisheries operators for that year was 65,652, a significant 17% decrease from the previous census in 2018. This decline, which is not showing signs of stopping, underscores the severity of the situation. Furthermore, the proportion of those aged 65 or older among all fisheries workers has risen to 39%, clearly indicating the aging of the population...

New Jersey Police Arrest Four Suspects Linked to Organized Theft of Meat and Seafood

The New Jersey State Police arrested four men from Philadelphia on numerous charges relating to an Organized Cargo Theft Ring focused on meat, seafood and alcohol.

For the past two months, the police have been leading “Operation Beef Bandit,” which targeted an organized crew responsible for nine burglaries at service areas along the New Jersey Turnpike.

The suspects allegedly broke into parked and often occupied trailers and stole high-value meat, alcohol and seafood. The crew...

Commentary: Changing Course on Climate Change

John Sackton’s op-ed about climate change and fisheries, Winding Glass: Climate Change Turns Fisheries Sustainability on its Head, hit me hard, as I expect it did most fishermen. With these words: "the reality is that many fisheries are vulnerable to climate-induced collapse over the next decade,” he  ...

Linda Behnken, a longliner since 1982, is the Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association and recipient of the 25th Heinz Award for the Environment. In recent years she established the Fishery Conservation Network, the Young Fisherman’s Initiative, and the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust.

Norway Says Recapture Efforts Underway Following Recent Escapement

Earlier this week, Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries announced that an escape incident occurred at a Mowi Seawater Norway AS site at the Kveitskjeret locality in Frøya municipality in Trøndelag.

In an update on September 19, the directorate indicated that Blue Revolution Center AS owned the farmed salmon that escaped at a site operated by Mowi.

The government said that Mowi has deployed recapture nets since the escape was first discovered and reported a catch of 1,100 fish thus far. The remainder of the cage is set...

Ocean Beauty Rebrands Smoked, Value-Added Business as Echo Falls

Ocean Beauty Seafoods Smoked and Value-Added division will now be known as Echo Falls Seafood.

The company announced the rebranding earlier this month and decided to use its top-selling Echo Falls brand to establish its smoked and value-added operations as a separate business unit.

Alex Klein, who was at the helm of the smoked and value-added seafood divisions when it was under the Ocean Beauty brand, will now lead the Echo Falls Seafoods team as President. The ownership will remain the same, and it will continue...