Other Media | SeafoodSource:Hamachi, kampachi, hiramasa still popular in Japan
JAPAN
Friday, March 27, 2020
Yellowtail – known as “buri” or “hamachi” in Japanese – is Japan’s top farmed finfish export by value at USD 137 million (EUR 122.9 million, JPY 14.7 billion), and as such, is displayed at most seafood shows in Japan.
At the Seafood Show Osaka 2020 in February - one of the last seafood trade shows to take place before the onset of the COVID-19 crisis shut down large public industry gatherings, hamachi and its close relatives in the genus, kampachi and hiramasa, took center stage.
Both buri (Seriola quinqueradiata), as well as kampachi (Seriola dumerili) and hiramasa (Seriola lalandi) were featured by numerous companies farming them in Japan. Typically, hiramasa’s taste and texture are similar to kampachi, and compared with the buttery fatness of farmed buri, both are springier and have a cleaner taste.
The Nagasaki Fisheries Cooperative Association prominently featured hiramasa at the event, the rarest and most expensive of Japan’s three farmed seriola species. The association’s subsection chief, sales section, Daisuke Yamasaki said that hiramasa tracks with kampachi on price, but not with buri, which is cheaper. The price of farmed hiramasa is not strongly affected by wild-catch quantities, as producers can adjust feeding to bring the farmed fish on faster or slower to avoid timing harvests when wild catches are strong, Yamasaki added.
At the show, the association displayed a 1.5-kilogram hiramasa fillet. Yamasaki said that this product runs in the range of JPY 2,500 to JPY 3,500 per kilogram (USD 23.42 to USD 32.78, EUR 20.93 to EUR 29.30). This year prices are at the higher end of the range. The main determinant of price is the farmed production quantity, which in turn is mostly a function of water temperature – the fish fatten faster when the water is warm. Production is mainly in southern Japan, around Kagoshima or Nagasaki, as the species is sensitive to cold.
Author: Chris Loew / SeafoodSource | Read the complete articlehere
Blumar reported its consolidated financial results for the third quarter of 2025, a period marked by the recovery from events that occurred in 2024, such as the algal bloom, the fire at the salmon processing plant in Magallanes, and the delayed sardine and anchovy season. These effects explain the significant year-on-year variations in revenue, EBITDA, and accumulated profits at the consolidated level.
As of September 30, 2025, consolidated revenue reached US$568.7 million, representing a 30% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. Pre-fair value EBITDA totaled US$82.2 million, 22% higher than the accumulated figure for 2024.
Source: MundoAcuicola | Read the full article here
China imported 742,758 tonnes of shrimp in the first 10 months of 2025, with the total representing a 1% decrease on the corresponding period of last year – largely due to a sharp contraction in January, confirms new industry analysis from Shrimp Insights.
The organisation notes the volume slump was gradually offset by steady growth from February through August. Monthly imports peaked in July at 90,683 tonnes (+10% year-on-year) before easing to +1% in September and flattening completely in October.
Mowi has issued NOK 4,500 million ($441 million) in new senior unsecured green bonds across two tranches, following its stock exchange notice
The company placed NOK 3,500 million ($343 million) in five-year floating-rate notes at 3-month Nibor plus 1.10 percent, and NOK 1,000 million ($98 million) in five-year fixed-rate notes at 4.95 percent. The full amount, including coupons, will be swapped into floating-rate euro exposure. Mowi said the transaction was well oversubscribed.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
The Technological Center of the Sea – Cetmar Foundation, within the framework of the Galician Cooperation policy of the Xunta de Galicia (Regional Government of Galicia), is promoting the MAR de Piura project in Peru. This international cooperation initiative aims to increase the sustainability of the value chain associated with the fishing and aquaculture sector in the Piura region.
As the first operational milestone of this intervention, an intensive training course will be held from December 1st to 5th for technicians from the Social Organizations of Fishermen and Aquaculture Farmers (OSPAS). The course will cover protocols for maintenance, cleaning, and optimization of the scallop production cycle during the hatchery and pre-fattening phases.
Source: iPac.aquacultura | Read the full article here
With wild stocks under pressure from trade and habitat loss, Ecomare’s seahorse project in Portugal is testing how controlled aquaculture can meet demand and protect fragile populations.
Seahorses are fish, yet they look nothing like conventional ones – being upright, horse-headed and equipped with curling tails, it’s little wonder that the Japanese call them “children of the dragon”.
They have also developed commercial value as traditional Chinese medicine, curio objects and aquarium favourites. When seahorses became the first marine fish protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 2004, attention shifted to aquaculture as an alternative to meet global demand.
Author: Emma Barbier / The Fish Site| Read the full article here
A recent Rosselkhoznadzor inspection (October 20 – November 24, 2025) uncovered serious safety violations in four imported shrimp samples. FSBI VGNKI specialists conducted the monitoring in accordance with the relevant technical regulations for fish and food safety.
Key findings include:
Arsenic Overload: Two samples of frozen-cooked northern shrimp showed dangerously high levels of arsenic, a toxic substance. One sample exceeded the permissible limit by more than four times, and the other by almost three times.
Microbial Contamination: Two samples of Vannamei shrimp showed elevated total microorganism counts. This suggests potential breaches of sanitary standards during production or failures in storage and transportation protocols.
The detected violations have been reported to the Northwestern Interregional Office of Rosselkhoznadzor for immediate action and logged into the Vesta automated system.
International Commission Approves Increased Catch Limits
The annual catch quota for Atlantic bluefin tuna is set to increase by 14% to 4,321 tonnes per year for the period between 2026 and 2028, according to an announcement made by the Fisheries Agency on the 25th. The increase, which amounts to an additional 543 tonnes compared to the 2025 quota, is a direct response to the recovering status of the bluefin tuna stocks.
The decision was finalized at the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The meeting took place in Spain from the 17th to the 24th of this month. Atlantic bluefin tuna is a highly valued species, popular as an ingredient for sashimi and sushi, and it accounts for roughly 30% of Japan's total bluefin tuna catch.
The quota increase is applied across the two main fishing zones:
Eastern Waters (European and African side): Japan's quota will see a 14% increase (445 tonnes) to 3,559 tonnes.
Western Waters (North and South American side): Japan's quota will rise by approximately 15% (97 tonnes) to 762 tonnes.
ICCAT is composed of 55 member countries and regions, including key players like Japan, the United States, and the European Union. The next annual meeting is scheduled to be held in November 2026 in Portugal.
Fishing nations agree to protect basking and white sharks, cut mako quotas, and improve compliance process.
After a record number of proposals focused on sharks, this year’s meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) ended with new protections for basking and white sharks, reduced catch limits for South Atlantic shortfin makos, and procedural advances for enforcing shark measures. For the seventeenth year, efforts to strengthen ICCAT’s shark finning ban were thwarted.
The update features a purely visual change to the pet food bags, maintaining the same product quality.
Skretting has unveiled a refreshed design for its pet food bags, in line with its recent brand update.
"At Skretting, we are constantly working to deliver excellent products to continue feeding the future, together with our customers. Therefore, as part of our recent brand update, we are also changing the design of our pet food bags," the company stated.
The Burgos-based seafood processing plant enters a new phase after the sale to the Diosmar Group fell through and a new partner, who bought the Rincón family's stake, precipitated Luis Comella's departure from the board.
The battle for control of Pescafacil, one of Spain's leading seafood processing plants, has taken a decisive turn. A major Ecuadorian shrimp exporter has agreed to purchase a majority stake in the Burgos-based company, a deal that marks the definitive exit of the Venezuelan Lamar Group—controlled by the Rincón family—
China and the US Redefine the $13 Billion Global Market Worldwide
Live vs. Frozen: A New Bipolar Equilibrium in the Seafood Trade
The global crab trade is undergoing a major restructuring in 2025, driven by shifting consumer demands and geopolitical supply changes....
JAPAN.jpg)
Both buri (Seriola quinqueradiata), as well as kampachi (Seriola dumerili) and hiramasa (Seriola lalandi) were featured by numerous companies farming them in Japan. Typically, hiramasa’s taste and texture are similar to kampachi, and compared with the buttery fatness of farmed buri, both are springier and have a cleaner taste.
CHILE
CHINA
China imported 742,758 tonnes of shrimp in the first 10 months of 2025, with the total representing a 1% decrease on the corresponding period of last year – largely due to a sharp contraction in January, confirms new industry analysis from Shrimp Insights. 
NORWAY
Mowi 
PERU
The Technological Center of the Sea – 
PORTUGAL.png)
With wild stocks under pressure from trade and habitat loss, Ecomare’s seahorse project in Portugal is testing how controlled aquaculture can meet demand and protect fragile populations.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
WORLDWIDE
Fishing nations agree to protect basking and white sharks, cut mako quotas, and improve compliance process..png)
Skretting
ECUADOR
The Burgos-based seafood processing plant enters a new phase after the sale to the Diosmar Group fell through and a new partner, who bought the Rincón family's stake, precipitated Luis Comella's departure from the board.
