The Asian country is still under the threat of the yellow card for IUU fishing.

Vietnam, which remains under threat from the EU's yellow card for illegal fishing, is advancing its strategy to improve fisheries management and the traceability of its products. Vasep, the association of exporters, has announced that the Government is implementing new software to optimize electronic traceability in the seafood supply chain and is committed to introducing electronic diaries to improve the record of catches.

The administration of the Asian country recalls that the traceability of fishery products is now a mandatory requirement of the market, both internationally and domestically.

Source: Fisheries Industries | Read the full article here

Scotland’s seafood sector today repeated an urgent call for a six-month “grace period” from red tape which is causing huge problems for exports to Europe.

Marketing group Seafood Scotland said the impacts of adapting to a complex new bureaucracy at the end of the Brexit transition period have been widespread. Issues from computer failures to lack of clarity on paperwork have rendered some Scottish companies’ efforts to export seafood all but impossible.

The Scottish salmon sector appears to be faring better than the caught fish and shellfish sectors, partly because it primarily comprises large companies with enough resources to tackle complicated paperwork. 

Source: fishfarmingexpert  | Read the full article here

The inability of the U.K. government to establish a trade agreement with the E.U. well before the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December, 2020, and a failure to include a bedding-in period that would have allowed exporters to adjust to the new demands, are the main reasons why seafood businesses are encountering disruptions at the border, according to Scottish Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing.

On 24 December, negotiators from the E.U. and the U.K. reached an agreement on a new partnership, which set out the rules that have applied between the two parties since 1 January, 2021. 

Author: Jason Holland / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here

Norway has reduced the cod quota for the European Union in the Svalbard by 10,631 tonnes in 2021 which could cost the EU fishing industry by €800 million over the next 20 years.

News of the drastic cut has come to light in a communiqué between Europeche, the European North Atlantic Fisheries Association (ENAFA) and the European Association of Fish Producers Organisations (EAPO) to the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.

The Svalbard Zone is a protected area of 200 nautucal miles around the coastline of Svalbard. In December it was reported by Norwegian newspaper Nationen that Norway was going to give the EU a quota of 34,864 tonnes in the Zone along with 7,500 tonnes of other fisheries.

Source: The Fishing Daily | Read the full article here

Mealworms, which are increasingly being farmed as aquafeed ingredients, have been deemed safe for human consumption this week by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The decision still has to be confirmed by the European Commission's Health Directorate General, which will give the final authorisation for market approval in the European Union.

According to mealworm producer Ÿnsect, it is the first insect species to receive a positive safety evaluation for human consumption in the world, offering hope for the growth of the entire insect farming industry. It is also, they say, a recognition that mealworm ingredients are premium products, as they have been deemed to be “food grade” before other insects which are still only used in animal feed.

Source: The Fish Site  | Read the full article here

France’s Minister of the Sea Annick Girardin was quick to announce measures to support French fishermen following the Brexit deal, while laying out some of the implications for the French fishing fleet as a level of activity is maintained in UK waters in the terms of the agreement.

Between now and 1st June 2026 to reach a 25% reduction in its fishing allocations in UK waters, but until then the French fleet maintains its access to the UK EEZ as well as the 6-12 mile zone for non-quota species, including bass, squid and scallop.

Author: Quentin Bates / FiskerForum | Read the full article here

Nor-Shipping, Your Arena for Ocean Solutions, has taken the decision to postpone its planned exhibition and activity programme for June 2021, pushing the event back to 10-13 January 2022.

Faced with the possibility of a scaled down, socially distanced exhibition due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Nor-Shipping has opted to move to retain its “personality and impact”, ensuring global decision makers have the opportunity to meet face-to-face, connect and build prosperous partnerships.

Nor-Shipping 2019 was the most successful event week in the initiative’s over 50 year history. It saw more than 50,000 participants (a 34% increase over 2017), gathering from over 85 nations, at the main exhibition halls in Lillestrøm and across venues throughout nearby Oslo. 

Logistics service provider Eurofrigo has started the construction of a new coldstore on the Maasvlakte development, near Rotterdam. The project is expected to be completed by the middle of this year.

Eurofrigo focuses on the transport and storage of veterinary products from all over the world. The new coldstore is the company’s sixth location in the Netherlands. It is located opposite the existing Eurofrigo facility in the Maasvlakte.

Source: Fish Farmer |  Read the full article here

Chile exported 7% more salmon and trout in 2020 than the year before but overall export revenue fell by 14% as prices in key markets plummeted because of the impacts of Covid-19.

According to figures from the country’s Customs Service, Chile – the world’s second-largest producer of farmed salmon – exported 779,000 tonnes of salmon and trout worth US $4.39 billion, whereas in 2019 salmonid producers exported 725,000 tonnes of fish worth $5.13bn.

In the most recent edition of Salmon Industry Commercial Outlook - produced by statistics provider DataSalmon and Fish Farming Expert’s Chilean sister publication, Salmonexpert – DataSalmon product manager Fernanda Clément says the large 2020 harvest is mainly explained by high average weights.

Author: Daniella Balin / fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here

Scarcity of containers and rapidly increasing freight rates presents challenges to logistics.

Exports of frozen salmon skyrocketed after flight cargo was decimated during the coronavirus period. Chile in particular has large frozen stocks of salmon, and increasing volumes of fish must be shipped in containers to the markets in the US, Europe and Asia.

The pandemic has increased online shopping, ranging from books to toys and medical devices. Most of it is produced in factories in Asia. Asian countries produce much more than they import. Empty containers are being left in the receiving countries and the result is a precarious shortage of containers in Asia, reports the news site Dagens Næringsliv.

Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here