IN BRIEF - High quality Scottish mackerel in strong demand from markets
UNITED KINGDOM
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
The January mackerel fishery is progressing well with productive marks of high-quality fish being located by the Scottish fleet.
Fishing to the west of Shetland, the fleet have been catching good-sized mackerel, which are in strong demand from the markets.
Ally West, co-skipper of the Fraserburgh-registered Resolute and vice-chairman of the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association said:“There have also been plenty of small fish to the north-east of the core fishing area, but these have not been fished. It is good to see these smaller fish and it means good recruitment is coming through in the stock.
“Mackerel quality has been very good and we have encountered plenty of fish and demand from the markets is high.”
The Resolute has been landing its catches into Pelagia Shetland in Lerwick, as well as Egersund, Norway.
Robert Duthie, chairman of the Scottish Pelagic Processors Association, said demand was especially good from the Japanese and other Far Eastern markets, which were exhibiting encouraging growth.
The winter mackerel season will come to an end within the next fortnight, after which some of the Scottish fleet will work a short fishery off Norway for Atlanto-Scandian herring and for blue whiting to the west of Ireland. The next major pelagic fishery will be for MSC certified North Sea herring, which will commence in mid-summer, with the autumn mackerel fishery following thereafter.
If Europe wants to begin strengthening its self-sufficiency and reducing its dependence on third parties in terms of supplying marine protein to markets, it will be “essential to explore the potential of aquaculture,” especially considering that the growth capacity of wild catches is limited by the “finite” nature of resources.
However, achieving the full deployment of aquaculture will require reviewing the current model at all levels, both productive and regulatory.
This was stated by the Director-General for Fisheries of DG MARE, Charlina Vitcheva, at the meeting “Towards a 2040 Vision for a Prosperous Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector,” held in Brussels as part of the European Ocean Days, organized by the European Commission.
Source: iPac.aquacultura | Read the full article here
Preparations for the conference commemorating 50 years of salmon farming in Chile continue to progress ahead of the event scheduled for May 28 in Puerto Montt. The conference will bring together industry representatives, authorities, academics, and suppliers.
Organized by Mundo Acuícola, the event aims to create a space for reflection on the development of the industry over the past five decades, as well as to outline the challenges that will shape the future of Chilean aquaculture.
The initiative is also sponsored by the Salmon Council, an organization that brings together major producers in the sector and has supported this industry commemoration.
Source: MundoAcuícola | Read the full article here
The Seafood Carbon Emissions Profiling Tool (SCEPT), and the multi-partner collaboration which is seeing it play a key role in driving seafood industry decarbonisation, have been recognised in two key industry awards over the past week.
The SCEPT was named Best Carbon Initiative in the Waitrose Supplier Award and was a finalist in the North Atlantic Seafood Forum’s inaugural Sustainability Award.
The free, online tool has been developed by Seafish in collaboration with the UK Seafood Federation (UKSF) and other partners to help seafood businesses measure and reduce their carbon footprints.
Less of all approved agents against salmon lice was used last year, and the use of two of them was reduced all the way down to zero. Even for the already marginal use of antibiotics, consumption was lower in 2025 than the year before.
This is shown by the annual statistics that the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) presents on the basis of reports from pharmaceutical wholesalers and feed companies.
The Institute of Public Health is also collaborating with the NMBU Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in the preparation of the statistics.
In its report, the NIPH points out that the use of medicines against salmon lice has varied greatly in the period 2016–2025.
Author: Pål Mugaas Jensen / fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
At the beginning of 1983, 70 Galician vessels operated in the Boston squid and jumbo squid fisheries, with two seasons a year and good profitability, especially for squid. They were eventually expelled after Spain joined the EEC for the alleged "non-compliance" with trade agreements with Washington, although the sector always attributed the veto to Felipe González's anti-NATO stance in 1981.
But there were many more. Vessels such as Altamar, Campa de Torres, Cieisa Once, Cieisa Doce, Nuevo Mundo, Sobroso, Ciudad de Cristal, Flipper, and Piñeiro Correa. "The squid fishery was very profitable," added another businessman consulted. Minor repairs and crew changes were carried out on New York docks, with “extreme care” to ensure that not a single lobster had slipped in among the cephalopods, “not even a leg in the galley.”
Galician fishing, expelled from the Boston fishing grounds
Around 70 Galician fishing vessels operated in the Boston fishing grounds for squid and cuttlefish. Their expulsion from North American waters forced the fleet to seek alternatives in the Southern Cone or South Africa.
Author: Lara Graña / Faro de Vigo | Read the full article here
The price of fresh Norwegian salmon has continued to slide over the past week as industry leaders met to debate the future direction of the sector at theNorth Atlatic Seafood Forum in Bergen.
According to Statistics Norway, prices were down for the second week in succession (week 9, 23 February to 1 March) to NOK 81.34 per kilo (£6.31) – a decrease of 4.2%.
This means they have fallen by almost NOK 20 per kilo since the start of the year.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
Extra cargo flights from Oslo Airport to support seafood exports to Asia.
Two additional cargo flights will depart Oslo Airport in March as exporters seek to maintain shipments to Asia amid reduced global air freight capacity linked to geopolitical tensions.
Airport operator Avinor said the additional flights will operate on March 12 and March 19. The aircraft, operated by Suparna Airlines, will fly from Oslo to Shanghai Pudong International Airport.The primary cargo is fresh seafood, including salmon and other fish, although the flights will also carry other perishables and high-value, time-sensitive goods
Source: Salmon Business | Read the full article here
Atlantic Canada is set to strengthen its position as a global leader in marine technology and aquaculture with the launch of a new programme designed to commercialise regional innovation.
The Atlantic Canada Aquaculture Studio, delivered by Hatch Blue in partnership with Oceans Advance, will launch this July in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Funded by the Government of Canada, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the program will support high-potential aquaculture, aquatech, and marine biotechnology companies that are ready to move beyond early validation and into growth.
Source: The Fish Site | Read the full article here
Commissioner Costas Kadis promises to review the methodology used to translate scientific data into restrictions and present a proposal before the end of the year. Catalan fishing guilds applaud the shift, but demand specifics and consensus with the sector.
The European Commission is beginning to admit that the system used to determine fishing opportunities—quotas, catch limits, and, above all, days of activity has reached a point of friction that is difficult to sustain. This week, in an interview published by ACN, the European Commissioner for Fisheries, Costas Kadis, announced that Brussels will "change the way it interprets" scientific data when imposing restrictions
As announced at the end of last year, the General Secretariat for Fisheries is entering into negotiations with the Portuguese Secretariat for Fisheries and the Sea to renew the Iberian sardine management agreement for next year and subsequent years. At a meeting held on March 4th in Madrid, Spain's Isabel Artime and her Portuguese counterpart, Salvador Malheiro, formalized the creation of a working group in which Spain will "promote a review of the current allocation key, the percentage of quota allocated to each country, to align it with the actual catch by each country's fleet."
Source: La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
UNITED KINGDOM
EUROPEAN UNION.png)
However, achieving the full deployment of aquaculture will require reviewing the current model at all levels, both productive and regulatory.
CHILE
Preparations for the conference commemorating 50 years of salmon farming in Chile continue to progress ahead of the event scheduled for May 28 in Puerto Montt. The conference will bring together industry representatives, authorities, academics, and suppliers.
The Seafood Carbon Emissions Profiling Tool (SCEPT), and the multi-partner collaboration which is seeing it play a key role in driving seafood industry decarbonisation, have been recognised in two key industry awards over the past week.
NORWAY.png)
This is shown by the annual statistics that the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) presents on the basis of reports from pharmaceutical wholesalers and feed companies.
UNITED STATES.png)
But there were many more. Vessels such as Altamar, Campa de Torres, Cieisa Once, Cieisa Doce, Nuevo Mundo, Sobroso, Ciudad de Cristal, Flipper, and Piñeiro Correa. "The squid fishery was very profitable," added another businessman consulted. Minor repairs and crew changes were carried out on New York docks, with “extreme care” to ensure that not a single lobster had slipped in among the cephalopods, “not even a leg in the galley.”
The price of fresh Norwegian salmon has continued to slide over the past week as industry leaders met to debate the future direction of the sector at the
Extra cargo flights from Oslo Airport to support seafood exports to Asia.
CANADA
Atlantic Canada is set to strengthen its position as a global leader in marine technology and aquaculture with the launch of a new programme designed to commercialise regional innovation.
BELGIUM
Commissioner Costas Kadis promises to review the methodology used to translate scientific data into restrictions and present a proposal before the end of the year. Catalan fishing guilds applaud the shift, but demand specifics and consensus with the sector.
SPAIN
As announced at the end of last year, the General Secretariat for Fisheries is entering into negotiations with the Portuguese Secretariat for Fisheries and the Sea to renew the Iberian sardine management agreement for next year and subsequent years. At a meeting held on March 4th in Madrid, Spain's Isabel Artime and her Portuguese counterpart, Salvador Malheiro, formalized the creation of a working group in which Spain will "promote a review of the current allocation key, the percentage of quota allocated to each country, to align it with the actual catch by each country's fleet." 
