IN BRIEF - Fisheries and Oceans Canada seize hundreds of illegal and ghost trap
CANADA
Thursday, February 02, 2023
Crews from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) have spent the past week collecting illegal traps and fishing gear near White Rock, B.C.
According to officials, around 60 illegal traps have been seized each day over the course of the five-day operation in Boundary Bay.
Crews collect the traps using a line and grapple hook, which is thrown over the side of a patrol boat, then dragged across the ocean floor.
They’re looking for both traps that were intentionally placed in the ocean illegally as well as traps that have been abandoned but are still active, which is referred to as “ghost gear.”
Author: Darrian Matassa-Fung / GlobalNews (read the full article here)
Ecuadorian Skipjack Remains More Expensive Than Bangkok As Fishing Resumes on January 19
The price gap for skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) is once again a barometer of tension in the global tuna market. Fish landed in Manta, Ecuador, maintains a significant premium compared to deliveries destined for Bangkok, Thailand. This difference, far from diminishing, continues to put pressure on the margins of the Ecuadorian canning industry just before the purse seine fleet resumes operations in the IATTC area following the seasonal closure.
The Nueva Pescanova Group has begun the validation phase of the first prototypes of a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool to optimize surimi production. Implementation will begin at the Chapela factory this January. This solution is part of the "PremIA" R&D project, which aims to develop a new AI-based predictive system to improve efficiency and quality in the production of fish, shellfish, and related products.
The goal of PremIA is to design and implement a tool that analyzes large volumes of information, detects hidden patterns, and generates statistical models to forecast future production performance.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
Welsh Government funding of up to £1.85m is being opened to support the marine, fisheries and aquaculture sector, with applications accepted from 7 January until 31 March.
The funding, delivered through the Welsh Marine and Fisheries Scheme, is intended to support sustainable growth across the sector while strengthening coastal communities. Grants are available across 11 categories, covering a broad mix of operational, environmental and business-focused activities.Eligible projects range from upgrades to aquaculture sites and vessel equipment aimed at reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency, to professional advice on marine environmental sustainability, business planning and marketing.
Chinese abalone firm Fujian Xiangbin recently acquired Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)two-star certification in an effort to expand sales in the domestic premium market and also grow international sales of its products.
Securing BAP two-star status in late 2025 marked a “milestone breakthrough” for the company, according to Xiangbin CEO Xiuying Chen.
Located in the Southeastern Chinese province of Fujian where much of China’s abalone production is centered, Xiangbin started out in live abalone trading in 2003 before expanding into farming, processing, distribution, and global sales
Author: Mark Godfrey / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here
The organisers of Iceland’s IceFish Conference have announced that the programme will double in size this year and co-locate with the IceFish Exhibition at Fifan-Smárinn Halls, in Kópavogur, Reykjavík.
The expanded programme features two conferences, 100% Fish for Profit, formerly Fish Waste for Profit, and Aquaculture, Driving Sustainable Growth, a new event taking place on day one of IceFish, on September 22. 100% Fish for Profit will return with a packed one and half day programme on days two and three, September 23-24.
The IceFish conference organisers will be working in close collaboration with the Icelandic Ocean Cluster on conference content and chairing.
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
The Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA) released its latest resource assessment for the Japanese common flying squid (Todarodes pacificus) on December 26, 2025.
While coastal regions like Sanriku saw a surprising uptick in migrations last year, experts warn that the species remains in a critical state overall.
Click on the image to enlarge it
The "Pacific Shift" Explained
According to the National Research Institute for Fisheries Science, the 2025 surge along the Pacific coast was driven by two specific environmental factors:
Slightly Higher Spawning Success: A marginal increase in winter-born parent fish compared to the previous year provided a larger initial larval base.
Ocean Current Diversion: Favorable current patterns acted as a "conveyor belt," pushing newborn larvae toward the Pacific side rather than their traditional routes into the Sea of Japan.
A Tale of Two Stocks
Despite the localized bounty in the Pacific, the broader picture is bleak. The autumn-born stock, which primarily supports the Sea of Japan fisheries, continues to hover at all-time record lows.
Japanese fisheries experts emphasize that "resource recovery" is not yet on the horizon. The low density of parent fish in the autumn-born group suggests that the reproductive cycle remains fragile. Marine biologists point to rising sea temperatures in the East China Sea spawning grounds as a persistent threat
Anfaco-Cytma Reveals Rabat Will Close Exports to Supply Its Industry and Sell in the EU
Zakia Driouich, Morocco's Secretary of State for Maritime Fisheries, announced on January 7 that her country intends to temporarily suspend frozen sardine exports starting February 1, according to the Vigo-based employers' association Anfaco-Cytma. If implemented, this "could have a significant impact on the activity and employment" of Spanish and EU canneries and processing industries.
Source: La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
The squid fleet completes its departure for the fishing grounds this week, hoping to improve the unstable results of recent seasons. The 16 trawlers licensed for this resource, all partly owned by Galician capital, went from recording almost 100,000 tons in the two seasons of 2022 to a meager 56,000 last year. Biomass levels are a concern for the shipowners, who are still processing the largest investment in their fleet in the fishing grounds in 40 years.
The Beiramar docks are chameleon-like, completely changing their appearance in a matter of hours: from a dense swarm of large vessels, some moored alongside each other, to being dotted with smaller boats of different types and fishing grounds.
Author: Lara Graña / Faro de Vigo | Read the full article here
The Sefine shipyard in Türkiye has completed the construction of a new wellboat that is expected to end up working for the fish farmer Mowi, in Scotland.
The NB67 is the third largest live fish transport vessel we have built at Sefine, and it has been successfully delivered and launched into the seas as the second vessel realised under the contract we signed with our Norwegian business partner, Intership, in 2022.”
The vessel, to be named Inter Alba, was designed by SALT Ship Design, also of Norway.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
Far East Fleet Deployed as 2026 Sea of Okhotsk Fishing Season Begins Russia Fed.
Pollock and Herring Harvest Targets Set Following Record-Breaking 2025 Yields
The Russian Far East has officially launched the 2026 Sea of Okhotsk fishing season, known as Season "A". This critic...
CANADA
According to officials, around 60 illegal traps have been seized each day over the course of the five-day operation in Boundary Bay.
WORLDWIDE
Ecuadorian Skipjack Remains More Expensive Than Bangkok As Fishing Resumes on January 19
SPAIN
The 
UNITED KINGDOM
Welsh Government funding of up to £1.85m is being opened to support the marine, fisheries and aquaculture sector, with applications accepted from 7 January until 31 March.
CHINA.png)
Chinese abalone firm Fujian Xiangbin recently acquired 
ICELAND.png)
The expanded programme features two conferences, 100% Fish for Profit, formerly Fish Waste for Profit, and Aquaculture, Driving Sustainable Growth, a new event taking place on day one of IceFish, on September 22. 100% Fish for Profit will return with a packed one and half day programme on days two and three, September 23-24.
JAPAN.png)
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
MOROCCO
Anfaco-Cytma
FALKLAND ISLANDS
The squid fleet completes its departure for the fishing grounds this week, hoping to improve the unstable results of recent seasons. The 16 trawlers licensed for this resource, all partly owned by Galician capital, went from recording almost 100,000 tons in the two seasons of 2022 to a meager 56,000 last year. Biomass levels are a concern for the shipowners, who are still processing the largest investment in their fleet in the fishing grounds in 40 years.
TURKEY
The Sefine shipyard in Türkiye has completed the construction of a new wellboat that is expected to end up working for the fish farmer
