IN BRIEF - Israel formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
SWITZERLAND
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Israel's instrument of acceptance brings to 89 the total number of WTO members that have formally accepted the Agreement. Twenty-two more formal acceptances are needed for the Agreement to come into effect.
DG Okonjo-Iweala said: “I welcome Israel's formal acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Each additional acceptance brings us closer to the threshold for the entry into force of these vital rules that will curb harmful subsidies and protect global fish stocks. I urge remaining WTO members to submit their own letters of acceptance, thereby helping to safeguard our oceans — and the livelihoods that depend on them — for future generations.”
Minister Barkat said: “Israel is proud to have successfully completed the domestic approval process of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, being the first agreement of its kind to focus on environmental sustainability. The agreement marks a pivotal moment in advancing sustainable development and we are glad to bring Members closer to its implementation. We remain not only optimistic, but also confident in the transformative potential of this agreement to rejuvenate and accelerate the processes leading up to the 14th Ministerial Conference. I extend my gratitude to the Director-General for her exemplary leadership and unwavering commitment in guiding this agreement to fruition.”
The Agreement will enter into force upon acceptance by two-thirds of the membership.
Backe Entreprenør has established Backe Industri, a new company specializing in large, complex construction projects across Norway, with a core focus on land-based aquaculture.
"The creation of Backe Industri is a strategic decision to better serve our aquaculture clients and other markets," says Asle Randen, CEO of Backe Entreprenør. "By consolidating our group's experience and expertise within a single company, we offer a more streamlined and efficient point of contact."
Backe's recent project portfolio includes land-based aquaculture facilities in Tytlandsvik and Årdal, as well as data centers, process industry facilities, and power plants. This diverse experience, further strengthened by the 2023 acquisition of Kruse Smith Entreprenør and its land-based aquaculture projects, positions Backe Industri as a leading player in the sector.
Backe Industri will leverage the group's extensive planning and implementation expertise. With nearly 1,200 employees from Trondheim southward, the company is one of Norway's largest construction contractors.
The vessel is equipped for open and closed transport of salmon, as well as for RSW refrigeration, freshwater production and water treatment.
The Norwegian company specializing in the transport of smolts, classification and counting of salmon and trout, Rostein, has acquired the vessel Orca Yka from the Chilean company Naviera Orca. The vessel is en route to Norway, where it will be delivered in March and renamed Ro Sunrise. This wellboat has a capacity of 2,800 m³ and is sister to the vessels Ro Sailor and Ro Spirit.
Galicia closed the month of January with just over 17,400 workers affiliated to the special maritime regime, of which 7,837 were self-employed and the remaining 9,573 were salaried (employed). As regards on-board personnel, there are as many work centres as there are active fishing vessels, with almost as many specificities as dimensions, fishing gear, base port or target species. But there is no collective agreement that sets minimum and common conditions for workers - as there is in France, with the Convention Collective Nationale de la Pêche Professionnelle Maritime - a gap that may disappear if the initiative they are already working on prospers, with the sponsorship of the central government, unions or guilds.
Author: Lara Graña/ Faro de Vigo l Read the full article here
Mitsubishi Corporation, the parent company of Cermaq Group, revealed the salmon farmer saw an increased profit in the nine months ending 31 December, 2024.
According to Mitsubishi’s results, Cermaq posted a nine-month profit of JPY 8.1 billion (USD 53 million, EUR 51 million), an increase over the JPY 7.6 billion (USD 50 million, EUR 48 million) it posted in the same period of 2023. That made the company Mitsubishi’s highest profit company in its food industry segment.
The company said its salmon farming business was impacted by a decline in the market during the summer “as usual”
Author: Chris Chase /SeafoodSource l Read the full article here
The EU has been one of the largest consumers of Vietnamese pangasius over the past decade. However, data from Vietnam Customs reveals a gradual decline in EU imports of pangasius from Vietnam over the last five years.
In 2015, the EU ranked second among the largest importers of Vietnamese pangasius, trailing only the US, with export turnover reaching USD 285 million. A decade later, in 2024, the market has fallen to fourth place, surpassed by China & Hong Kong, the US, and CPTPP member countries.
Steelhead trout producer Kames Fish Farming has a new brand for its fish: “MòR Atlantic Trout”.
The family-run company said: “The brand aims to reach out to chefs and restaurants and connect customers to what they are eating, celebrating the uniqueness of this fish and the provenance behind it.”
Mòr is Scottish Gaelic for “big” or “great”. The brand aims to emphasis the size and superior nature of the steelhead trout from Kames’ own broodstock programme, while stressing “Atlantic” identifies the fish as raised in the sea, with the clean water and strong currents of the Inner Hebrides – differentiating the product from river-based trout which can be associated with a muddy flavour.
Author: Robert Outram / Fish Farmer l Read the full article here
Rosrybolovstvo will hold an electronic auction on February 26 to distribute shares of crab catch quotas. Bids will be accepted through the Russian Auction House (JSC) electronic platform from 00:00 (Moscow time) on February 6, 2025, to 08:00 (Moscow time) on February 21, 2025.
Two lots, each representing 50% shares of catch quotas, are being re-auctioned with a 10% reduction in the starting price. These lots include:
Red snow crab in the Primorye subzone
Red snow crab in the West Sakhalin subzone
Snow crab angulatus in the East Sakhalin subzone
Snow crab angulatus in the North Okhotsk subzone
Successful bidders will be required to invest in the construction of two medium-tonnage (over 50 meters) crab fishing vessels.
Auction details and documentation are available on the following websites: GIS Trading, ETP RAD, and the Rosrybolovstvo website (in the "Auctions" section).
Source: Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo)
It reviews its commercial strategy, with a focus on the United States market, for which it appoints a consultant
Nueva Pescanova wants to leave losses behind and consolidate the return to profits recorded in 2024 with a new strategic and business plan, which is already being implemented in 2025, and which the company includes in the audited accounts for the year ending in March 2024, in which the incorporation of the new CEO, Jorge Escudero Hurtado, and the renewal of the top management took place.
Source: La Voz de Galicia l Read the full article here
The amount of marine macro litter (items larger than 2.5 cm) distributed on EU coasts has decreased by 29% in the period 2020-2021 compared to 2015-2016, according to the report "EU Coastline Macro Litter Trend". While the largest reduction in percentage terms is observed in the Baltic Sea (45%), major efforts in the Mediterranean and Black Sea have led to large reductions in absolute numbers of litter items on beaches, according to the report collected by the European Commission.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras l Read the full article here
The Seafood Task Force - a trade association seeking to increase supply chain transparency in the global seafood industry - has announced the appointment of two new Co-Chairs as it looks to expand the reach of its operations.
The Seafood Task Force (STF) was established in 2014 to restore global industry confidence, following concerns about social and environmental abuse in global tuna and shrimp supply chains. It is made up of over 40 commercial members across the seafood supply chain, including retailers, brands, food service companies and their partners.
Source: The Fish Site l Read the full article here
SWITZERLAND
DG Okonjo-Iweala said:
NORWAY
The vessel is equipped for open and closed transport of salmon, as well as for RSW refrigeration, freshwater production and water treatment.
SPAIN
Galicia closed the month of January with just over 17,400 workers affiliated to the special maritime regime, of which 7,837 were self-employed and the remaining 9,573 were salaried (employed). As regards on-board personnel, there are as many work centres as there are active fishing vessels, with almost as many specificities as dimensions, fishing gear, base port or target species. But there is no collective agreement that sets minimum and common conditions for workers - as there is in France, with the Convention Collective Nationale de la Pêche Professionnelle Maritime - a gap that may disappear if the initiative they are already working on prospers, with the sponsorship of the central government, unions or guilds.
Mitsubishi Corporation
EUROPEAN UNION.jpeg)
The EU has been one of the largest consumers of Vietnamese pangasius over the past decade. However, data from Vietnam Customs reveals a gradual decline in EU imports of pangasius from Vietnam over the last five years.
UNITED KINGDOM
The family-run company said: “The brand aims to reach out to chefs and restaurants and connect customers to what they are eating, celebrating the uniqueness of this fish and the provenance behind it.”
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
It reviews its commercial strategy, with a focus on the United States market, for which it appoints a consultant
The amount of marine macro litter (items larger than 2.5 cm) distributed on EU coasts has decreased by 29% in the period 2020-2021 compared to 2015-2016, according to the report "EU Coastline Macro Litter Trend". While the largest reduction in percentage terms is observed in the Baltic Sea (45%), major efforts in the Mediterranean and Black Sea have led to large reductions in absolute numbers of litter items on beaches, according to the report collected by the European Commission.
WORLDWIDE
The 
