France and China adopted a joint declaration “for enhanced cooperation” on biodiversity and the ocean on Monday, May 6, on the occasion of Xi Jinping’s state visit. Without any major announcement but with the promise to keep their commitments.

A  joint declaration for strengthened cooperation between France and China on biodiversity and the ocean was adopted by the two countries on the second day of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to France, from 5 to 7 May. This is in particular intending to find common positions before the next United Nations conference on the oceans (Unoc), which will be held in June 2025 in Nice.

The year 2024 augurs change for fish farming in Paca: two new concessions have been awarded by the state services, reports Produit de la Mer. 

Decisions rare enough to be noted, the fish farming sector bringing together less than ten producers. Among them, are a majority of artisans. This is the case of Jérémy Vantouroux, 26, who obtained a 5,000 square meter concession at the end of 2021 located in Lazaret Bay, in the Var. He aims to produce between 5 and 7 tonnes of sea bass (sea bass), sea bream, and lean meat each year to sell to individuals and restaurateurs. “When I saw that a colleague had managed to obtain his concession in 2020, I said to myself ‘Why not me’ ”, he says. 

This type of installation is very rare for several reasons. There is a lack of maritime space in coastal areas. This is why the Dirm (interregional sea directorate) is currently revising the regional aquaculture development plan which makes it possible to identify areas suitable for aquaculture. Setting up represents a very heavy financial cost, especially since the growth period of the fry is long (it takes three years to start marketing).

Aquafrais Cannes, a market leader in the region, is also at a turning point in its history. The company obtained a new concession of 24,000 square meters a few months ago, which should allow it to double its production within two years, going from 600 to 1,200 tonnes produced per year.

Author/Source:Feriel ALOUTI / Produit de la Mer

Sentenced to prison for abetting murder the large fishing businessman Oleg Kan is wanted in a murder case; he is also accused of smuggling worth RUB 2.6 billion. Lawyers reported that he had died and asked to close the case. The prosecution called this statement false

On the 7th, defense attorneys for Oleg Kang, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in the murder of a businessman in 2010, filed an appeal against the sentence. Multiple Russian media outlets reported on the same day.

The death of businessman Oleg Kan, known as the “crab king,” was staged. This was stated by a representative of the Prosecutor General's Office during a meeting of the arbitration court on the department's claim against Kan and several other fishing owners.

The Prosecutor General's Office indicated that the registry offices of St. Petersburg and the Sakhalin region presented the same certificates stating that Kan's death was not registered. In addition, relatives did not contact the registry office, although the law requires filing a statement about the death of a person if it becomes known.

In February 2020, the Khabarovsk Regional Court granted the investigation's request to arrest Oleg Kan in absentia. The entrepreneur was accused of organizing the contract murder of businessman Valery Phidenko in 2010.

In the second criminal case, which was sent to the court of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Oleg Kan is accused of organizing a criminal community, smuggling live crab to Japan.

The Iwate company becomes the production base for in processed seafood products for raw consumption.

Nissui Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President Executive Officer Shingo Hamada, Minato-ku, Tokyo) announced that Musashino Foods Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and President Kazumi Musashino, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture), which has strengths in processed seafood products for raw consumption, will acquire the company by transferring all its shares.

It will serve as the Nissui Group's production base for processed marine products for raw consumption, and will be linked to the marine products business's objectives of the medium-term management plan "Good Foods Recipe 1" (FY2022-2024): "expanding the aquaculture business" and "promoting the use of food products."

All employees of the company will continue to be employed.

The company has expanded its business with a focus on frozen-sliced sushi products. Taking advantage of this acquisition, Nissui will utilize its production capabilities to begin producing products for raw consumption, such as sushi ingredients, using Nissui's domestic and international farmed fish and wild fish.

As a first step, Nissui Group will collaborate with a salmon farming business in Hirota Bay in the same

The previous fiscal year's dividend was increased by 15 yen, and this fiscal year's dividend will be increased by 15 yen individual stocks

Maruha Nichiro [TSE P] announced its financial results after the market close on May 7th (15:00). Consolidated ordinary income for the fiscal year ending March 2024 was 31.1 billion yen, down 7.1% from the previous fiscal year, but is expected to increase by 2.9% from the previous fiscal year to 32 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 2025. This is the fourth consecutive year of increased sales.

At the same time, the annual dividend for the previous fiscal year was increased from 70 yen to 85 yen (65 yen in the previous fiscal year), and the company has decided to increase the dividend this fiscal year to 100 yen, an increase of 15 yen from the previous fiscal year.

Consolidated ordinary income for the January-March quarter (4Q), which is the results for the most recent three months, fell significantly to 870 million yen, down 66.9% from the same period of the previous year, and the operating profit margin deteriorated from 1.1% to 0.5% in the same period of the previous year.

Across all divisions, BioMar shows notable results in the first quarter. While margins increased due to changes in the portfolio's product mix, the company achieved 8% lower sales volume in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023. However, strong growth in The shrimp feed segment was able to partially offset lower sales volume in the salmon feed segment. The lower volumes are explained due to biological problems in different markets combined with an increased focus on long-term collaboration with customers, thus changing the focus from market share to value creation. Furthermore, the lower turnover is explained by lower raw material prices and exchange rates.

Source: aqua.cl l Read the full article here

The International Naval Industry Fair, Navalia, has taken advantage of the last meeting of its Executive Committee before the celebration of its ninth edition to confirm that it will be the largest in its history.

The meeting, from May 21 to 23, will bring together a record of 522 exhibitors, compared to 431 for the 2022 edition, 20% more. There will be more than 1,000 brands represented, the fair will grow by 9,000 meters and 20,000 visitors are expected. In total, there will be 75 countries represented among exhibitors, pavilions and confirmed visitors. With respect to international exhibitors, the organization highlights the presence, for the first time at the French Brittany fair, and others that come with an international pavilion, such as Norway, which joins Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay or Cape Verde, already usual at the fair.

Source:Industrias Pesqueras l Read the full article here

New report compares alternative fuel sources for UK fleet. Fisheries Innovation & Sustainability (FIS) has unveiled its latest report taking a practical look at decarbonising the UK fishing fleet, this time comparing hydrogen fuel as an option to deliver net-zero fishing vessels. Produced by experts at Macduff Ship Design, and with support from Marine Fund Scotland, the research provides detailed vessel specifications

Source: Fish Focus l Read the full article here

An online tool designed to support the UK seafood sector’s response to climate change has been launched by public body Seafish. The new Seafood Carbon Emissions Profiling Tool has been designed to help businesses measure and reduce their products’ carbon footprint and contribute to meeting net-zero targets.

Its development has been funded jointly by the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme (FaSS) in England and Seafish and developed by Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk, a leading international expert in food systems sustainability.

Source: Worldfishing l Read the full article here

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused 89 seafood imports in April, including 15 due to banned antibiotics found in shrimp shipments.

The agency has already refused more than half of the total entry lines of shrimp refused for banned antibiotics during all of last year, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance, a trade group supporting the U.S. domestic shrimp sector.

Author: Christine Blank / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here