The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has opened for public consultation, until August 27, the draft Resolution regulating the optimization mechanism for the bigeye tuna population (Thunnus obesus) in the area regulated by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) for the year 2024.

The surplus amount subject to regulation amounts to 1,828,443.54 kilograms and corresponds, by lists, to freezer tuna purse seiners, 400,322.72; to Canarian pole-and-line tuna vessels, 632,547.71 kilograms

Source: IndustriasPesqueras | Read the full article here

Dozens of workers from around the world may have been trafficked into the UK to work for a small family-owned Scottish fishing firm, a BBC investigation has revealed.

Thirty-five men from the Philippines, Ghana, India and Sri Lanka were recognised as victims of modern slavery by the Home Office after being referred to it between 2012 and 2020.

The workers were employed by TN Trawlers and its sister companies, owned by the Nicholson family, based in the small town of Annan on the southern coast of Scotland.

The TN Group denied any allegation of modern slavery or human trafficking and said its workers were well treated and well paid.

The company was the focus of two long-running criminal investigations but no cases of human trafficking or modern slavery have come to trial, although some of the men waited years to give evidence.

While TN Trawlers’ lead director, Thomas Nicholson, was under active investigation, TN Group companies continued recruiting new employees from across the world.

Experienced fisherman Joel Quince was 28 when he landed at Heathrow Airport in 2012, thrilled to have secured a job as a deckhand with TN trawlers.

Joel had a young family back home in the Philippines, thousands of miles away. He had been expecting to earn a good income working in the UK. He was to be paid $1,012 (£660) a month for a 48-hour week.

He caught a bus from London to Carlisle, where, he says, he was picked up by the owner’s son, Tom Nicholson Jr.

Source: bbc

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has entered into an agreement with Thailand on the electronic exchange of health certificates.

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is also working to establish an electronic exchange of certificates with several countries in Asia, including Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.

- Agreement has been reached on the exchange of electronically signed (e-signed) PDFs with Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. For Vietnam and Indonesia, a process is still underway to get an electronic solution in place, says Øystein Valanes, specialist in charge of market access at the Norwegian Seafood Council.

Test period

For Thailand, a test period of e-signed PDFs will be carried out for one month. During this period, both e-signed PDFs and paper certificates must be exchanged with Thailand.

- When the test period is over, it will become a paperless solution with e-signed PDFs, says Valanes.

For Thailand, it has been clarified that the test period starts on Tuesday 27 August 2024. From 1 October only e-signed PDFs will be issued to Thailand.

Automatic case management

- The test period for Malaysia and the Philippines starts somewhat later. Updated information will be provided as soon as the start-up has been clarified, explains Øystein Valanes.

Source: Norwegian Seafood Council 

The National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) detected 352 aquaculture concessions with possible cause for expiration in the southern part of the country.

This detection was made following a complaint by the Terram Foundation to Sernapesca, in which they requested an investigation into more than 600 aquaculture concessions and cultivation centers that have not been operating for a period of more than 24 months, in the regions of Los Lagos, Aysén and Magallanes.

The deputy director of Aquaculture of the National Fisheries Service, Mónica Rojas, indicated that they forwarded the information to the Undersecretariat for the Armed Forces.

This situation also triggered an audit by the Comptroller's Office, because the Service did not audit the complaint made by the Terram Foundation in the due period.

In addition, a series of shortcomings were detected in the review of aquaculture concessions with possible cause for expiration, both by Sernapesca and by the aforementioned Undersecretariat.

For this reason, Sernapesca detailed that a preferential team was assigned to oversee compliance with the regulations and review complaints against aquaculture concessions that are not in operation.

Source: biobiochile

The import volume of FROZEN GIANT TIGER PRAWN to South Korea reached 83 tons, marking a significant 53% decrease compared to 177 tons imported during the same period in 2023. 

The cumulative import volume from January to July 2024 stands at 1,253 tons, reflecting a 5% decline compared to 1,317 tons during the same period last year. This figure represents 0.2% of the total seafood imports, which amounted to 511,277 tons.

Of the total FROZEN GIANT TIGER PRAWN imports up to July 2024, 93%, or 1,166 tons, were sourced from Malaysia, while 5%, or 61 tons, came from India. Additionally, 14 tons were imported from Guinea, 7 tons from Bangladesh, and 5 tons from Indonesia. The import prices per kilogram were recorded at USD 10.74 for Malaysian shrimp, USD 10.62 for Indian shrimp, and USD 6.00 for shrimp from Guinea. The import value of frozen tiger shrimp in July 2024 amounted to USD 800,000, a 54% decrease from USD 1.75 million in July 2023. The cumulative import value for the year up to July reached USD 13.26 million, representing a 10% decline from USD 14.79 million during the same period last year. 

The average import price per kilogram for 2024 was USD 10.58.

These figures indicate a notable decline in the importation of frozen tiger shrimp, potentially influenced by economic factors and supply chain dynamics.

Source: Union Forsa Corp.

The Tasmanian Liberal Government knows that fishing is a way of life for many Tasmanians and under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future we’re committed to effective management that ensures the future of our fisheries.

Spawning closures are commonly used in squid fisheries as they offer important protection to the adults when they come together to spawn – at a time when they are also most vulnerable to fishing.

To help protect the valued calamari fishery annual closures have been in place on the north coast and east coast and have been applied to both recreational and commercial fishers.

Research by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) has shown that as with the east coast, calamari stocks in the south are now also depleted.

Following consultation with commercial and recreational peak bodies I have determined the areas and periods of spawning closure.

The north coast will be closed between Cape Grim and Cape Naturaliste from 1 September to 31 October 2024. The east coast closure area, which previously applied from Lemon Rock to Marion Bay, has been extended to the south-east and now includes all waters south of Lemon Rock to Whale Head. This means the closure area will include Tasman Peninsula, Bruny Island and D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

Source: nationaltribune

Norwegian cod-farming company Norcod reported increased revenues and lower operating losses in Q2 2024.

The company posted NOK 86 million (USD 8.2 million, EUR 7.3 million) in revenue in the quarter, up 121 percent from the NOK 39 million (USD 3.7 million, EUR 3.3 million) it posted in Q2 2023. The revenue came as the company harvested 1,830 metric tons (MT) of whole fish equivalent (WFE) cod in the quarter, up 76 percent from the 1,038 MT it harvested in Q2 2023.

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

Since July 3, single-use plastic bottles sold in the EU must come with their caps or lids attached. This may seem a small change, but its impact could be huge. Plastic caps or lids are part of the almost 26 million tonnes of plastic waste generated every year in Europe, much of which washes up on beaches around the world. Some 80% of marine litter is plastic. Why was the caps change introduced? It’s just one of the outcomes of the EU law on single-use plastics. The law is part of a broader EU plastics strategy to protect the environment and human health by reducing plastic pollution and marine litter and accelerating our transition to a circular and resource-efficient plastics economy.

Source: FishFocus | Read the full article here

The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center-Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) is set to enhance its research capabilities in Tigbauan, Philippines, with the construction of three new aquaculture facilities.

The expansion includes the development of a feed mill, hatcheries, and grow-out tanks, reflecting SEAFDEC’s ongoing commitment to advancing aquaculture research in the region. This output translates to an annual production capacity of approximately 1,560 tons, aiming to support cost-efficient aquaculture practices in the area.

Source: TheFishSite | Read the full article here