IFFO’s Members’ Meeting, held on 13th and 14th May in Madrid, has just come to a close, with a record 267 delegates from 36 countries. Twenty-one speakers explored market trends and market drivers as well as the use of marine ingredients in animal farming and their role in human health.

Speakers highlighted aquaculture’s promising global perspectives for aquaculture: with a projected 22% growth by 2050, aquaculture will play a crucial role in maintaining aquatic animal consumption at current levels. “This expansion is not just necessary; it is achievable, thanks to the advancements in responsible practices and innovation. We now have tangible evidence that well-managed fisheries are delivering results. This is a testament to the effectiveness of science-based policies and industry collaboration”, Petter Martin, IFFO’s Director General, noted.

Presentations covered the growing efficiency in raw material use. Despite aquaculture’s rapid growth, it has not required increased volumes of fish from the ocean to produce fishmeal and fish oil. This is a direct result of the precision nutrition approach, where marine ingredients play a strategic role at key stages of fish growth, and which has become a cornerstone of aquafeed formulation.

With 40% of marine ingredients coming from fish by-products, the industry is looking at maximizing the value of marine resources and minimizing waste.

Key takeaways from IFFO’s Members’ Meeting are available on IFFO’s blog webpage.

Some fishermen in south-west England say an "invasion" of octopus and a local bylaw are "decimating" the Devon shellfish industry.

The octopus, usually found in the Mediterranean, are being found in lobster and crab pots off the coastline. Fishers said they were landing between four and six tonnes of them a day.

Fishers said open escape holes in pots for juvenile shellfish, enforced by the bylaw, allowed the creatures in and out to eat shellfish, and fishers wanted to close the gaps.

Author: Janine Jansen / BBC l Read the full article here

Mowi farm suspended from RSPCA scheme; Sainsbury’s freezes supply.

A Mowi salmon farm in Scotland has been suspended from the RSPCA Assured animal welfare scheme and delisted by Sainsbury’s, following the publication of a video by an animal rights group, according to a report in The Telegraph.

The UK newspaper reported on Saturday that the Green Britain Foundation, an organisation founded by renewable energy entrepreneur Dale Vince, had filmed what it alleges were breaches of animal welfare standards at Mowi’s Loch Harport site on the Isle of Skye.

Source: SalmonBusiness l Read the full article here

Chilean fish farmer Salmones Camanchaca made an operating profit (EBIT) of US $14 million in the first quarter of this year, a substantial turnaround from the $0.73m operating loss made in the same period in 2024.

Turnover was $104m, 11% lower than in Q1 2024, due to a lower sales volume of coho salmon following a decision to grow 2024-25 season coho at just one site instead of three. The lower coho volume was offset by a higher harvest volume of Atlantic salmon and lower costs.

Source: fishfarmingexpert l Read the full article here

Once again, an agreement is being negotiated between the EU and the UK on fisheries and the rumours are swirling states the NFFO.

The Trade and Co-operation Agreement that governs many aspects of our relationship with Europe is under review. The fisheries chapter – source of great dissatisfaction to UK fishermen for the past four and a half years – appears to be one of the major talking points.

The EU got almost everything that it wanted out of the original agreement, including continued access to fish in the UK’s waters. 

Source: Fish focus l Read the full article here

The company's consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2025 show a 4.7% increase in sales to ¥1,078.6 billion and a 14.5% surge in operating profit to ¥30.381 billion, marking the highest operating profit since business integration, fueled by a recovering tuna market and robust performance in food distribution and processed foods.

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Maruha Nichiro (President: Ikemi Masaru) has announced its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2025, reporting a 4.7% year-on-year increase in sales to ¥1,078.631 billion and a significant 14.5% rise in operating profit to ¥30.381 billion. This operating profit figure surpasses ¥30 billion, representing the highest level achieved since the company's business integration. The strong performance of Fisheries Trading Co., Ltd., particularly due to the recovery of the tuna market, played a key role in these results.

During a financial results press conference held on the 12th, Managing Executive Officer Koseki Hitoshi elaborated on the record operating profit, stating, "Despite challenging conditions in marine resources, we successfully compensated for this through increased sales in food distribution and processed foods. Consequently, we exceeded the target set for the final year of our previous medium-term plan."

After U.S. President Donald Trump instituted new rounds of tariffs on Chinese goods starting early this year, Chinese customs authorities in the east coast city of Taizhou – a key seafood export hub – have pivoted to help local seafood firms increase their exports to Southeast Asia, the E.U., and the Middle East.

Though the trade war between the U.S. and China has temporarily cooled off, customs authorities made the move in order to help exporters diversify their buyer portfolios and combat future trade uncertainty.

Author: Mark Godfrey / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here