Hilton supplies major supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose

• The company reported pre-tax profits skyrocketed by 64.2% to £48.6m in 2023

• Hilton Food Group is planning further geographic expansion and potential takeover deals after profits jumped by nearly two-thirds last year.

The food packaging company, which supplies major supermarkets including Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose, reported bumper pre-tax profits growth 64.2 per cent to £48.6million in 2023.

Its UK seafood arm returned to operating profitability thanks to price hikes and new business contracts after being heavily impacted the previous year by surging cost inflation and supply chain disruption.

Hilton's core meat segment also performed strongly amid volume growth in the Asia-Pacific region and a 'resilient outturn' across the UK and Europe.

In the British Isles, the firm's revenue increased by 3.7 per cent at constant currency levels to £1.33billion as raw material price rises offset declining volumes.

At the same time, sales in Europe were bolstered by higher demand for easy meals across Scandinavia and Central Europe, as well as the acquisition of Dutch smoked salmon processor Foppen.

Author/Source: Harry Wise / thisismoney.co.uk

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., /PRNewswire/ -- Seafood industry sales veteran Guy Lott has been named Vice President of Sales for Aquamar®, a leader in surimi and convenience seafood products, including its newly created ready-to-eat seafood line.

Lott's seafood industry experience across sales, processing, and distribution as well as his relationships within top multi-unit restaurant concepts, fine dining leaders and major retailers, accelerates Aquamar's go-to-market strategy currently underway.

The addition of Lott rounds out the leadership team, advancing Aquamar's goal of being an industry leader in seafood innovation in the retail and foodservice markets. Lott joins CEO Daryl Gormley, CFO Eric Wills, Operations VP Sam Metri, and QA Director Ila Dabo.

"We are excited to welcome Guy to the Aquamar team, confident that his experience and track record will accelerate Aquamar's efforts to drive seafood consumption through innovation," said Daryl Gormley, CEO. "There is opportunity for us to continue our sales momentum and we're confident Guy is the best person to help us do that as we stay on our mission is to ensure everyone has access to healthy, high-quality protein."

HMS Tamar is the fourth of the five offshore patrol vessels built to replace the current river class vessels.

The United Kingdom Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel HMS Tamar, has been out on patrol in Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone, helping to counter illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.

HMS Tamar was berthed at Suva Port, Fiji last week and departed on March 31, 2024.

Acting British High Commissioner to Fiji, Nicola Noble said HMS Tamar, is one of ‘two’ Royal Navy vessels that are now permanently based in the Pacific.

“We were delighted to host HMS Spey, in 2022 and it is fantastic now to have Tamar here in Fiji,” she said.

“Tamar, like Spey, has no home port and so can quickly adapt to the requirements of the Pacific and the countries that she visits.”

“Tamar has been out on patrol in Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone, helping to counter illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing.”

She said the HMS Tamar has extended its work on Maritime Security, an area of increasing importance in the South Pacific, and so for the UK

HMS Tamar is the fourth of the five offshore patrol vessels built to replace the current river class vessels.

HMS Tamar can perform a variety of roles, from intercepting drug-traffickers and smugglers to protecting UK territorial waters and providing humanitarian assistance in the wake of a disaster. The vessel sailed at a speed of 8.8 knots and has a gross tonnage of 2453.

Author/source: Laiseana Nasiga /Fiji Sun

Andrew Choe brings a decade of industry experience to the iconic seafood company

SAN DIEGO,  /PRNewswire/ -- Bumble Bee Seafoods welcomes Andrew Choe to the company as Chief Executive Officer, effective as of April 1. Choe was appointed to the position by Jerry Chou, Bumble Bee Chair of the Board, a role in which he will continue to serve. Chou also served as Interim CEO beginning in July 2022.

"Our company is on an upward trajectory with great momentum in place," said Chou. "Andrew is the right leader at the right time to further transform our business and take us to new heights. He has priceless knowledge and expertise in our complex industry and is a people-focused leader with a history of helping talented teams succeed."

Choe spent more than a decade at StarKist, as SVP of Supply Chain and Operations for two years, and then as CEO for eight years. In his tenure, he was highly engaged in all aspects of the business including supply chain management, manufacturing, customer and broker relations, innovation and brand building. Choe most recently served as CEO for SENSEE World, a company that provides products to help the visually impaired community.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to buy 5.7 million pounds of frozen Alaska pollock nuggets as well as 35,300 pounds of various frozen fish fillets.

The department released the solicitation 1 April 2024 and has set a due date of 15 April for all bids. The government said awards will be announced by 29 April.

Fish purchased through the solicitation will be distributed through the U.S. government’s domestic food distribution programs, such as the National School Lunch Program. Companies that are awarded contracts will need to complete their deliveries between 1 July and 31 December 2024.

Author: Nathan Strout / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here

Volunteers from Scottish salmon farms cleared away more than 23 tonnes of litter from Highlands and islands beaches last year as part of efforts to keep the areas where they live and work clean.

Salmon farmers take part in regular beach cleans to ensure beaches and coastlines are free from litter and aquaculture debris. While some of the beach litter was related to aquaculture, most was not, and had either been washed up on the shore or left behind by tourists and other visitors.

Source: fishfarmingexpert l Read the full article here

The European Commission has confirmed that it is assessing the situation with the United Kingdom over the closure of the sandeel fishing in UK waters of the North Sea by both the Westminster Parliament and the Scottish Government.

EU Member States, Denmark and Sweden had lodged a complaint with the Commission citing that the closure is in contravention of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) made between the two blocs in the light of Brexit. 

Source: The Fishing Daily l Read the full article here

France led global demand, however the US and Asian markets experienced notable growth, with the popularity of premium salmon increasing among chefs, restaurants and consumers.

Shetland salmon exports were valued at £135 million, while Orkney exports were valued at £65 million. A regional breakdown of annual figures by trade body Salmon Scotland shows 14,850 tonnes were exported from Shetland in 2023, representing almost a quarter of Scotland's total, with sales rising more than 16% from £116 million. 7,110 tonnes of salmon were exported from Orkney, representing around 11% of Scotland's total, with sales up 6.6% from £61 million. 

Source: aqua.cl l Read the full article here

'Upcycling the Oceans' relies on Satlink technology to combat floating marine litter in protected areas of the Spanish Levant. The project, promoted by the Ecoalf and Ecoembes Foundation, reinforces its commitment to the cleaning and conservation of marine ecosystems through a new pilot project. It consists of the deployment of Satlink technology buoys, equipped with GPS location systems that can be attached to floating waste to monitor it and facilitate its collection.

This project pursues the double objective of understanding the frequency with which this garbage is found in the vicinity of protected areas, as well as the creation of a collection system before it impacts them.

Source: EuropaAzul l Read the full article here

The Association of Naval and Oceanic Engineers of Spain (AINE) organizes, from April 24 to 26, the 63rd edition of the International Congress of Naval Engineering and Maritime Industry at the Higher Technical School of Naval Engineers of Madrid. The Honor Committee of this congress will be chaired by His Majesty the King of Spain, Felipe VI.

For the president of AINE, Diego Fernández, "having once again the presidency of His Majesty the King of Spain represents fundamental support for the maritime sector at a great moment for the profession.

Source: Industrias Pesqueras l Read the full article here