A modern fish processing plant, built under the investment quota program by the Gidrostroy group of companies, has successfully concluded its first full year of operation on Shikotan Island.

Located in the village of Krabozavodskoye, the facility (operated by Kurilsky Rybak CJSC) was completed last year with a total investment of 750 million rubles for construction and equipment. The project has already created sixty new jobs.

During its first year, the plant fulfilled its investment quota by processing over 26,000 tons of raw materials, resulting in more than 14,000 tons of products. Key output included 2,700 tons of pollock fillets and over 5,000 tons of fishmeal.

The year-round production line can process up to 200 tons of raw materials daily, specializing in species like pollock, cod, flounder, and herring. Waste materials are efficiently used to produce fishmeal and fish oil.

Tory hopes SNP will be spurred into action by monarch's removal of royal trade mark from Mowi  

A Conservative MSP who is a distant relative of King Charles has said he hopes the monarch’s decision to remove the Royal Warrant from salmon farmer Mowi Scotland will spur the Scottish Government “into action” to protect wild salmon from damage allegedly caused by the industry.

Alexander Burnett’s family has owned the Leys estate on Deeside since the 14th century, and the estate’s business includes salmon fishing on the Dee.

Author: Gareth Moore / fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here

Most ocean carriers have cut capacity on most global shipping routes, causing prices for 40-foot equivalent units (FEUs) to increase, shipping service Xeneta reported. 

One exception to this pattern was on routes between the Far East and the U.S. West Coast, where carriers increased capacity and rates still increased. 

The National Retail Federation (NRF), which produces the Global Port Tracker with Hackett Associates, agreed that a shipping and import slowdown has been occurring and is likely to continue.

Author: Erin Spampinato / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here

Gigante Salmon appoints new CFO as company expands management team.

Gigante Salmon has appointed Benny Hansen as Chief Financial Officer, effective 1 February 2026.

Hansen, born in 1978, joins the company from EY, where he served as Senior Manager. He holds qualifications in fisheries economics, business, and accounting/auditing, and is based in Bodø, his hometown of Røst.

Johansen will remain part of the management group and continue to oversee communication with investors.

Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here

AN GIANG – The An Giang Province Police Investigation Agency has concluded its inquiry and proposed the prosecution of two fishermen, Huynh Hoang Muoi (born 1988) and Le Van Ut (born 1977), on charges of "Obstruction or disruption of the operation of computer networks, telecommunications networks, and electronic devices."

The charges stem from an incident where the suspects allegedly turned off the mandatory journey monitoring devices (VMS) on their fishing vessels, KG-96108-TS (operated by Ut) and KG-91633-TS (operated by Muoi), to fish illegally.

The investigation determined that the two boats left port on July 2nd. Later, due to poor catches, Ut allegedly turned off the VMS on his vessel and instructed Muoi to do the same on his boat. Both then proceeded to catch seafood, reportedly near the Vietnam-Malaysia border.

On the evening of August 14th, a Coast Guard Region 4 patrol boat discovered the two vessels approximately 233 nautical miles from Tho Chau.

Ut later confessed that he and Muoi intentionally disabled their VMS devices between July 2nd and August 14th to enter foreign waters for unauthorized seafood exploitation.

The case file has been transferred to the People's Procuracy of Region 2 for further action.

Fishers are being asked to respond to the Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) consultation on proposals to close UK waters of ICES areas 7d & 7e to the king scallop dredge fishery in 2026 and 2027.

All UK waters in ICES area 7e are covered by the proposal instead of only the Lyme Bay area of 7e affected by previous closures. The closure would apply to vessels 10m and over in 7d while vessels 12m and under would be excluded from the closure in 7e.

Source: Fish Focus | Read the full article here

A carnivorous "death-ball" sponge has been declared one of the oddest finds made during a deep-sea expedition near Antarctica.

The unusual creature was discovered 2.2 miles (3.5km) deep in a trench north of Montagu Island in the Southern Ocean.

It uses small hooks to catch and absorb its prey from the seabed and has strange appendages that end in orbs.

Prey typically snagged by the deadly hooks include small crustaceans such as skeleton shrimp.

Author: Lewis Adams / BBC | Read the full article here