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.
Beijing - China's interest in Norwegian seafood products is booming, as confirmed by Norway's Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Marianne Sivertsen Næss, during a recent promotional event in Beijing
The Minister met with about 20 journalists from China's most influential media outlets at a Hema Fresh grocery store, a gathering that, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council, reached tens of millions of Chinese consumers.
Record Export Figures
The Chinese market is crucial for the Norwegian fishing industry. "We have exported seafood for more than 10 billion NOK so far this year," Minister Sivertsen Næss highlighted.
Salmon: This has been the main driver of growth. Figures from October indicate that the export volume has more than doubled, and its value has increased by 67% year-to-date.
Other Products: Demand for other seafood, such as mackerel and shrimp, is also on the rise.
Innovation with Live Streaming
In a strategic move to capitalize on the digital consumption trend, Sivertsen Næss made history by becoming the first Norwegian Fisheries Minister to participate in a seafood live stream in China.
She was present during the launch of Lerøy Aurora's own live streaming channel, a platform that has established itself as a key engine for growth in salmon sales among Chinese consumers.
Mussel farming in the Los Lagos Region registered a significant decline in its main production and commercial indicators in September 2025. The mussel harvest reached 1,230 tons, representing a year-on-year decrease of 58.2%, equivalent to 1,711 tons less compared to the 2,941 tons recorded in the same month of the previous year.
The analysis by municipality shows that Hualaihué accounted for the largest volume of harvesting, with 380 tons and a 30.9% share. It was followed by Calbuco, with 291 tons and a 23.6% share. Ancud ranked third, with 191 tons, equivalent to a 15.5% share.
Source: MundoAcuicola | Read the full article here
Royal Greenland, Greenland’s largest and most influential company, officially welcomed Toke Binzer as its new Chief Executive Officer on December 1st.
Binzer assumes leadership with a profound understanding of Greenlandic society and the company's crucial role in the nation's economy. "If things go well for Royal Greenland, they go well for Greenland—and vice versa," Binzer stated, acknowledging the "huge responsibility" to secure a significant part of the country's economic future. He looks forward to undertaking this task with employees in Greenland and globally.
A familiar figure in Greenland's business community, Binzer also brings valuable international leadership experience from his time at companies like IBM and TDC.
Royal Greenland's Chairman of the Board, Niels Thomsen, praised this dual background: “Toke has worked at the intersection of strategy, operations and people... experience that will be valuable in Royal Greenland’s continued development." Thomsen emphasized that Binzer’s combination of international experience and local insight makes him uniquely suited to lead the company as both a global market leader and a key contributor to Greenlandic society.
Binzer plans to visit Royal Greenland's global locations in the coming months to meet employees and gain firsthand operational insights.
The new FAO SoMFi 2025 report confirms a 50% reduction in fishing pressure and a recovery of key species, but warns that more than half of the resources remain overexploited.
Fishing in the Mediterranean and Black Sea is beginning to show signs of recovery after years of chronic overexploitation, although the situation is still far from entirely positive. This is reflected in the State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2025 (SoMFi) report, presented in Rome by the FAO's General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).
The document, prepared with input from more than 700 experts in the region, confirms that fishing pressure has been halved in the last decade and that the biomass of the main commercial species has increased by 25% between 2013 and 2023.
The impact of sea lice from Norwegian salmon farms on migrating wild salmon smolts is the same this year as it was in 2024, according to a new assessment by a government-appointed steering group.
The group comprises one representative from each three institutes: the Veterinary Institute (VI), the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA).Its assessment influences the “traffic light” colours allocated by the state to each of the 13 salmonid production areas on Norway’s west coast, from PO1 in the south to PO13 in the far north.
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
An Oslo Stock Exchange announcement said the board has decided to initiate work on a rights issue as the chosen financing method, with planned completion in the early part of 2026.
The issue is planned to raise gross proceeds in the range of NOK 150 to 300 million. The company’s main shareholder, Gigante Havbruk, has confirmed that it will participate with up to NOK 150 million (around £11m).
The net proceeds will be used to support the next phase of the company’s growth, including necessary and strategic improvements to the facility.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
Vietnam’s total aquatic production in the third-quarter of 2025 reached over 2.7 million tonnes, up 3.3% year-on-year. Cumulatively, in the first nine months of 2025, the country’s total aquatic production exceeded 7.2 million tonnes, an increase of 3.2% compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the country’s General Statistics Office.The Q3 pangasius harvest amounted to 469,300 tonnes – up 4.8% year-on-year, with the total output in the first nine months exceeding 1.3 million tonnes – up 4.6%. According to the Vietnam Associationof Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the increase was driven by higher processing and export demand for value-added pangasius products, as well as rising selling prices in the quarter, ensuring profitability for farmers.
NASF to launch new sustainability award as Pareto strengthens role in Bergen.
The North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) has announced the launch of a new North Atlantic Sustainability Award, marking a significant expansion of the conference’s emphasis on long-term environmental and social performance across the seafood sector.
The award is designed to showcase standout efforts within the North Atlantic at a time when sustainability expectations, regulatory requirements and investor scrutiny are converging more sharply than ever.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
New Zealand King Salmon, one of the southern hemisphere’s major fish farmers, has reported a loss over the past few months due to biological challenges, including high mortality and low fish weights, which have affected harvest volumes and led to a drop in revenues.
The loss in the eight months to 30 September was NZ $6.3 million (£2.7m) versus a profit of NZ $13.4 million (£5.8m) for the 12 months ended 31 January 2025.The results are the company’s first under a revised 30 September balance date, reflecting a shortened eight-month reporting period.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
EU Member States have agreed on new limits for permissible litter on the seabed, a crucial step towards reducing marine pollution. Under the new rules, areas where seabed litter is measured using trawl surveys must not show an increase in the amount of litter over time. In visually monitored areas, there must be no more than one piece of sand per 1,000 square meters. Current assessments will focus on waters to a depth of 200 meters.
The Technical Working Group on Marine Litter agreed on these values ??within the framework of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This initiative supports the Zero Pollution Action Plan and the EU's previous decision to establish a threshold for coastal litter.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
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UNITED KINGDOM
CHINA.jpg)
CHILE
Mussel farming in the Los Lagos Region registered a significant decline in its main production and commercial indicators in September 2025. The mussel harvest reached 1,230 tons, representing a year-on-year decrease of 58.2%, equivalent to 1,711 tons less compared to the 2,941 tons recorded in the same month of the previous year.
GREENLAND
Binzer assumes leadership with a profound understanding of Greenlandic society and the company's crucial role in the nation's economy. "If things go well for Royal Greenland, they go well for Greenland—and vice versa," Binzer stated, acknowledging the "huge responsibility" to secure a significant part of the country's economic future. He looks forward to undertaking this task with employees in Greenland and globally.
ITALY
The new
NORWAY.png)
The impact of sea lice from Norwegian salmon farms on migrating wild salmon smolts is the same this year as it was in 2024, according to a new assessment by a government-appointed steering group.
An Oslo Stock Exchange announcement said the board has decided to initiate work on a rights issue as the chosen financing method, with planned completion in the early part of 2026.
VIET NAM
Vietnam’s total aquatic production in the third-quarter of 2025 reached over 2.7 million tonnes, up 3.3% year-on-year. Cumulatively, in the first nine months of 2025, the country’s total aquatic production exceeded 7.2 million tonnes, an increase of 3.2% compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the country’s General Statistics Office.The Q3 pangasius harvest amounted to 469,300 tonnes – up 4.8% year-on-year, with the total output in the first nine months exceeding 1.3 million tonnes – up 4.6%. According to the Vietnam .png)
NASF to launch new sustainability award as Pareto strengthens role in Bergen.
NEW ZEALAND.png)
New Zealand King Salmon
EUROPEAN UNION
EU Member States have agreed on new limits for permissible litter on the seabed, a crucial step towards reducing marine pollution. Under the new rules, areas where seabed litter is measured using trawl surveys must not show an increase in the amount of litter over time. In visually monitored areas, there must be no more than one piece of sand per 1,000 square meters. Current assessments will focus on waters to a depth of 200 meters.
