17th-18th: Smart marine technology gathers in Shizuoka

The Marine Open Innovation Organization (Matsunaga Tadashi, Representative Director), an external organization of Shizuoka Prefecture, will hold the "BLUE ECONOMY EXPO @ Suruga Bay" event on the 17th and 18th in Shizuoka City to introduce domestic and international efforts in the blue economy (sustainable marine economy) and advanced marine science and technology. In the fisheries industry, the event will feature smart fishing and aquaculture using information and communication technology (ICT), its use in land-based aquaculture, and the use of seaweed to absorb carbon dioxide in the sea.

Marine Open Innovation Institute and the promotion of the blue economy

• Operation of the MaOI Forum, a membership network bringing together industry, government, academia, and finance
• Matching and commercialization support for research seeds and corporate needs
• One-stop research support service, intellectual property management, and startup support

Source: Minato Yamaguchi (translated from original in Japanese)

EU Commission has responded to NWWAC concerns on hake management

The Directorate General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has addressed key issues raised by the North Western Waters Advisory Council (ACANO) in relation to the management of the northern hake stock.

In a recent letter from Director General Charlina Vitcheva, the Commission responded to concerns about the bycatch of juvenile hake and the application of the Technical Measures Regulation (TMR) in ICES zone 7 fisheries.

Source: EuropaAzul | Read the full article here

The Xunta de Galicia has given the green light to Navantia's new naval construction and maintenance plant in Ferrol, which already has a favorable Integrated Environmental Authorization from the Department of Environment and Climate Change. The plant is located on a plot with a total area of ??more than 930,000 square meters and has a covered area of ??335,000 square meters; another with stands, pre-assembly of blocks and storage area of ??230,000 square meters

Source: IndustriasPesqueras | Read the full article here

Atlantic Sapphire announced it harvested more salmon in Q2 2024 than in Q1, but harvest weights dropped.

The company, in a Q2 2024 trading update posted to the Oslo Børs, said it harvested 1,245 metric tons (MT) of head-on gutted salmon from its Miami, Florida, U.S.A.-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility in the quarter, up from the 1,150 MT it harvested in Q1 2024. During the quarter, the company saw net biomass gain of 1,550 MT live weight, reaching 2,930 MT of standing biomass.

Author: Chris Chase / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here

One area of Scottish shellfish aquaculture that would seem to have good potential for growth is king and queen scallop production – although there are technical and biological challenges that still need to be overcome.

The lack of Scottish scallop production is borne out by the Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey 2023, which reveals that there was a decrease in king scallop production since 2022, from 39,000 to 24,000 shells, and for queen scallops it was non-existent or minimal at best.

Source: FishFocus | Read the full article here

Aquaculture net and rope producer Garware Technical Fibres has developed a new spat collecting rope for the Chilean mussel industry, which earns more than US $370 million per year from exports of Mytilus chilensis.

“The shape of our rope allows the mussel to adhere more efficiently; its polypropylene fibres are highly fibrillated loops, thus offering resistance as a support for the growth of the mussel,” said Francisco Serra, commercial manager of Garware Technical Fibres Chile, in a press release.

Source: Fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here

Commissioner Valean and Commissioner Sinkevicius have informed President von der Leyen that they have decided to resign from the Commission, in order to take up their seat at the European Parliament, to which they have been elected.

Commissioner Valean and Commissioner Sinkevicius have resigned with effect on 15 and 16 July respectively.

In order to ensure the continuity of work of the Commission, the President has decided to temporarily assign the responsibilities for Environment, Ocean and Fisheries to Executive Vice-President Šefcovic, in addition to his current portfolio.

For the same reason, the President has also decided to temporarily assign the responsibilities for Transport to Commissioner Hoekstra, in addition to his current portfolio.

The President has also informed the European Parliament and the Council about these temporary changes.

Source: ec.europa.eu

As of June 2024, the import volume of frozen sardines into South Korea has plummeted by 99% compared to the same period last year. No frozen sardines were imported in June 2024, a stark contrast to the 1,519 tons imported in June 2023.

The cumulative import volume for the first half of 2024 stands at 68 tons, representing a 98% decrease from the 11,299 tons imported during the same period in 2023.

This accounts for a mere 0.02% of the total seafood imports, which amounted to 445,418 tons.

Analyzing the import sources, all 68 tons of frozen sardines imported by June 2024 came exclusively from Russia.

In contrast, during the same period last year, South Korea imported 11,285 tons from Russia and 14 tons from Mexico.

This significant decrease is attributed to a combination of factors, including changes in the international seafood market, stricter import regulations, and supply chain issues.

There is now heightened interest in whether the import volume of frozen sardines will recover and how the seafood market will evolve in the coming months.

Source: Union Forsea Corp.

The progress of the pelagic fishing season was discussed at a meeting of the headquarters at the Federal Agency for Fisheries.

Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries Vasily Sokolov noted that catches are currently 2 times higher than the level of the previous year.

According to the industry monitoring system of the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Federal Fisheries Monitoring System), by July 10, the total catch of sardine, mackerel and saury by Russian fishermen totaled more than 117 thousand tons.

The main share of the catch is Iwashi sardine - 115.3 thousand tons, including in the Russian EEZ - 100.5 thousand tons, mackerel catch - 1.9 thousand tons.

In the period from 1 to 7 July 2024, pelagic fish species were fished by 17 Russian fishing vessels (16 vessels in the Russian EEZ).

According to industry scientists, in the near future the hydrometeorological conditions will be favorable for a stable catch of Iwashi sardine.

Following the results of the headquarters, Vasily Sokolov instructed to work with users on continuing the fishery in July-August, taking into account the favorable scientific forecast.

Source: Federal Agency for Fisheries 

The government plans to provide one fisheries research vessel free of charge to each of the four Pacific island nations of Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, it has been learned.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will formally announce the plan during the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting, a summit-level meeting that Japan will host in Tokyo from Tuesday through Thursday.

The aim of the plan is to help the four island nations carry out surveys on fisheries resources and the marine environment on their own in order to dispel concerns over the discharge of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.

In addition, Japan plans to provide a patrol boat free of charge to the South Pacific island nation of Nauru to assist the country in cracking down on illegal fishing. Drug trafficking, human trafficking, and other crimes at sea are also reportedly rampant in Nauru’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Through the provision of a patrol boat, Japan intends to help Nauru boost surveillance and maritime law enforcement capabilities at sea.

Source: The Japan News