Russia’s pollock season, which began on 1 January, is in serious jeopardy as its primary market, China, has shut out Russian imports, citing COVID-19 safety measures.

Russia sells to 61 percent of its national seafood exports – worth nearly USD 3.3 billion (EUR 2.74 billion) – to China, with Russia's pollock exports to China worth USD 580 to USD 600 million (EUR 482 to EUR 499 million).

The Chinese market became significantly harder for Russian seafood companies to access after Chinese customs authorities announced in January they had found strains of live COVID-19 on the packaging of seafood imported from Russia. In response, China said it would increase the frequency and thoroughness of its inspections of imported Russian seafood.

Author: Ivan Stupachenko / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here

This year’s capelin season has finally started for the Icelandic fleet, with the first landings to Neskaupstaður, Vopnafjörður and the Westman Islands. Fishing has been in the Meðallandsbugt area west of Ingólfshöfði. These are the first landings of fresh capelin in Iceland since 2018, as both 2019 and 2020 seasons were zero-quota years.

With a limited quota this year, fishing is focused on landing for production ashore, and there has been no real hurry for the fleet to get to work. 

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

Five industry stakeholders are calling for urgent action to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, a practice which costs the seafood sector up to US$36.4 billion annually.

The five groups, which together represent more than 150 companies, are Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship, the Global Tuna Alliance, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability, and the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative.

In their ‘Statement on Traceability and Port State Measures’, the groups call on governments to implement control measures aligned with the FAO’s Agreement on Port State Measures, an international treaty that requires port inspections and other measures to prevent IUU catch from being brought ashore.

Source: Worldfishing | Read the full article here

The fishermen could not find the long-awaited mackerel they hoped to capture, on the first day of the official campaign for the species. The wind played a trick on them and they had to be content with catches of sardines, "quite fat", at a price of 1.50 to 2.10 euros-kilo. However, the inshore fleet can be calm because instead of 65% of the total allowable catches (TAC) - as agreed by the Ministers of the Twenty-seven last December - they will be able to fish 72% in this first quarter, which has meant a relief for the sector, which was already seeing a very short campaign. 

Source: EuropaAzul | Read the full article here

Additional data on this topic will be made available to the public in a webinar to be held this Wednesday.

As a matter of urgency, the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca) requested technical information from the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) to assess the possible causes of fish stranding off the coast of the south-central zone of the country.

According to preliminary IFOP data, varazones are events that usually occur in spring and summer, due to the rise of water masses with very low oxygen content (anoxic) towards the coast.

Source: aqua.cl | Read the full article here

MSC's Spanish subsidiary, Marine Stewardship Council, has achieved the involvement of more than 50 entities, among which are companies from the fishing sector, distribution and research organizations, to promote the week “Mares para siempre”. The initiative wants to promote the practice of certified sustainable fishing and the consumption of products obtained "by means of respectful techniques" with the preservation of maritime ecosystems.

To do this, it will organize a scientific forum; take the campaign to secondary schools; will take new actions at the point of sale; and will organize a gastronomic event with chef Diego Guerrero, among other actions. 

Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here

Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries and Grieg Seafood have given an update after the avalanche which hit part of a salmon farm.

On Monday, an avalanche hit parts of Grieg Seafood’s fish farm Stjernøya, Finnmark, Northern Norway.

No employees were injured. The site had a total of 1.2 million fish, with an average size of about 3.7 kilograms. The fish are healthy and do not have ISA, according to Grieg Seafood.

The site was also hit by an avalanche in 2018, prompting a mountain safety company to warn against the location. Grieg Seafood informed SalmonBusiness that the plan was to move the site in the summer.

Author: Stian Olsen / SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that Irish legislation which penalises infringements of fisheries controls is not incompatible with EU legislation.

The CJEU made the ruling in a case where a Dutch skipper challenged the forfeiture of his fishing vessels catch and fishing gear worth €399,000 when he was convicted of illegal fishing offences after his UK-registered vessel was intercepted by the LE Samuel Beckett on 11 February 2015 during a sea fisheries protection patrol.

The fishing vessel was escorted back to Cork Harbour where the skipper was charged by Gardaí and appeared before the Cork Criminal Court in June 2015.

Source: The Fishing Daily | Read the full article here

Fisheries and aquaculture sectors globally have been hit hard by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and could face further disruption in this year as lockdowns affect supply and demand, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The information paper, “The impact of COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture food systems” – which was featured at the 34th session of the FAO’s Committee on Fisheries (COFI) earlier this month – reports fish supply, consumption, and trade revenues are all expected to have declined in 2020 due to containment restrictions, while global aquaculture production is expected to fall by some 1.3 percent; the first drop recorded by the sector in several years.

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

Women in rural Scotland who wish to return to the workplace after career breaks are to be given help from an initiative focusing on opportunities available within the aquaculture sector.

Backed by the Scottish Government’s Women Returners Fund, Women in Scottish Aquaculture (WiSA) will support up to 50 women with career coaching, confidence training and mentoring, empowering them to step back into employment.

The programme aims to raise awareness of the varied career opportunities within aquaculture, while allowing participants to develop relationships and make contacts through WiSA’s network of members from the sector and academia.

Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here