IN BRIEF - MCA to use technology to monitor commercial fishing compliance to ILO 188
UNITED KINGDOM
Saturday, January 25, 2020
The UK Maritime CoastGuard Agency (UK MCA) began monitoring the country's commercial fishing industry and compliance with ILO 188, assisted by technological means to monitor the situation.
Specifically, according to Marine Management Organisation's (MMO) UK Sea Fisheries Statistics 2018, the fishing industry in the UK remains on the seventh spot in the EU; However, UK MCA highlights that commercial fishing is the most dangerous profession, with totally seven lives lost in 2019.
As stated above, UK MCA will monitor the situation using new technology, such as the use of new fixed-wing aircraft with high quality cameras onboard.
Thus, when the aircraft are looking for pollution at sea or helping with search operations, they will also be equipped to observe and report on the operations of fishing vessels which are not complying with UK legislation, for example the wearing of personal flotation devices (PFD) and life jackets on a fishing vessel.
Asian cellular agriculture firm Avant is winding down its Singapore research subsidiary, Avant Proteins, but says it remains committed to securing approval for its cultivated seafood in the city-state.
Carrie Chan, Co-Founder, and CEO with Mario Chin, Co-Founder & CSO
Headquartered in Hong Kong, the startup is known for its cultivated fish technology and marine peptide platform, with research operations previously based in Singapore. According to a notice published in the Singapore Government Gazette and reported by The Straits Times, the Singapore entity is being voluntarily wound up.
In a statutory declaration, co-founder and CEO Carrie Chan said the company “cannot, by reason of its liabilities, continue its business.”
The move reflects ongoing consolidation in the cultivated protein sector across Asia. However, Avant stressed it is not shutting down entirely. In a recent LinkedIn post, the company confirmed it is still pursuing regulatory approval in Singapore and plans to take its “next step to support the industry in a different way.”
While its local research arm closes, Avant’s broader ambitions in cultivated seafood remain in focus.
A growing debate has emerged over Iceland’s proposed aquaculture legislation, as nearly 1,000 comments have been submitted on a draft bill introduced by Minister of Fisheries and Industry Hanna Katrín Friðriksson.
Most of the feedback focuses on salmon farming in sea cages, with minimal attention given to land-based aquaculture — a disparity industry leaders say highlights a fundamental issue with the proposed law.
Lárus Ásgeirsson, chairman of Laxey in Vestmannaeyjar and head of the land-based aquaculture division of the Farmers Association of Iceland (BÍ), argues that the two sectors should not be regulated under the same legislation.
“We want to clearly separate land-based aquaculture from sea-cage farming,” Ásgeirsson said in an interview with 200 mílur.
He and other representatives maintain that land-based fish farming, conducted in closed systems on land, more closely resembles livestock agriculture than marine cage operations. Reflecting that view, the land-based aquaculture interest group operates within BÍ, which has formally submitted comments on the bill.
Industry stakeholders now urge lawmakers to introduce a separate bill tailored specifically to land-based aquaculture.
Following a record-breaking edition in 2025, Nor-Shipping will be held in Oslo and Lillestrøm from June 7-11, 2027, and will be supported by maritime companies that have already signed on as partners.
Two well-known names have secured key partner positions: banking giant DNB and DNV, the world's leading classification society, are renewing their contracts after the success of Nor-Shipping 2025. They are joined by internationally renowned partners: Abu Dhabi-based ADNOC and Noatum Maritime, two major players in the sector, are joining forces with pioneering Jotun, the recently spun-off Kongsberg Maritime, and leading insurance company SKULD.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
Iceland foods expands ASC-labelled seafood range with new launches. Iceland Foods is strengthening its commitment to responsibly farmed seafood, by expanding its Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) labelled range
Following last year’s progress, which saw the retailer increase its own-label ASC seafood lines and set a target to exceed 25 certified products by the end of 2026, this latest rollout gives customers an even wider choice of sustainable options in-store and online.
The expansion includes several new ASC-certified products, bringing Iceland’s total ASC range to 15 products.
The AKVA aquaculture technology group delivered a 41% plus increase in its fourth quarter revenues, the company said today.
The figure was NOK 1,113 million (£85m) an increase of NOK 321 million (£24m) on a year earlier.
AKVA described the quarter as a period of high revenues and a strong order book.
The land based division chalked up record high quarterly revenues of NOK 422 million (£32m), an increase of NOK 205 million (almost £16m) or 94% compared to Q4 in 2024.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
Havforskningsinstituttet: Record increase in Norwegian salmon production in 2025.
Norwegian farmed salmon production rose by 200,000 tonnes between 2024 and 2025, marking the largest year-on-year increase since official statistics began in 1980, according to the Institute of Marine Research’s 2026 risk report.
Total output growth occurred despite a lower average number of fish standing in the sea in 2025 compared with the previous year, suggesting improved utilisation of existing production capacity.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
Jakarta's largest recent investment push for its fleet aims to increase productivity, strengthen the cold chain, and create up to 600,000 jobs, all while keeping the blue economy agenda in mind.
Indonesia has launched an ambitious program to build 1,582 new fishing vessels starting in 2026, a significant undertaking that the government links to coastal modernization, food security, and shipbuilding reindustrialization. The plan—to be rolled out gradually until 2028—has the backing of the United Kingdom within a framework of bilateral maritime cooperation, according to Indonesian officials and international trade media.
According to the United Nations, the world produces 430 million tons of plastic annually, much of which has a short lifespan, generating negative consequences for ecosystems.
The Director of the Environment, Climate Change, and Oceans Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Julio Cordano, was elected today in Switzerland as the new president of the negotiation process for the international agreement on plastic pollution. The Undersecretary of the Environment, Maximiliano Proaño, also participated in the meeting.
Source: MundoAcuicola | Read the full article here
With the latest development, reduction fisheries producing fishmeal and fish oil for aquaculture feed and engaged in the Improvement Program are now included within ASC’s sustainability ladder for marine ingredients.
Salmon producer Scottish Sea Farms has won planning permission for a proposed 6,000-tonne site off the east coast on Mainland, Shetland.
Shetland Island Council gave the go-ahead for the Fish Holm site yesterday.
Approval of SSF’s application had been delayed by an objection from Scottish Government agency NatureScot, which expressed concern that developing the farm would have a significant effect on three bird species: the great northern diver (non-breeding), red-throated diver (breeding), and Slavonian grebe (non-breeding).
Author: Gareth Moore / fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
UNITED KINGDOM
SINGAPORE
ICELAND
Most of the feedback focuses on salmon farming in sea cages, with minimal attention given to land-based aquaculture — a disparity industry leaders say highlights a fundamental issue with the proposed law.
NORWAY
Following a record-breaking edition in 2025, 
The 
Havforskningsinstituttet: Record increase in Norwegian salmon production in 2025.
INDONESIA.png)
Jakarta's largest recent investment push for its fleet aims to increase productivity, strengthen the cold chain, and create up to 600,000 jobs, all while keeping the blue economy agenda in mind.
CHILE
According to the United Nations, the world produces 430 million tons of plastic annually, much of which has a short lifespan, generating negative consequences for ecosystems.
WORLDWIDE
Fisheries participating in the 
Shetland Island Council gave the go-ahead for the Fish Holm site yesterday.
