Fiji and Japan reaffirmed their longstanding partnership in the fisheries sector with a significant equipment donation and pledge for future collaboration.

Japan handed over three excavators, three trucks valued at $1.5 million to the Ministry of Fisheries and Forestry.

Japanese Ambassador Rokuichiro Michii also announced a $10 million commitment to procure a new research vessel and ice machine for the Ministry, bolstering food security initiatives across Fiji.

Minister for Fisheries and Forestry Kalaveti Ravu emphasized the role of aquaculture in ensuring the long-term viability of the fisheries sector.

“The Ministry has always believed that aquaculture holds the key to ensuring fisheries sustainability and solidifying fisheries development which can provide sustainable and consistent income from our aquaculture commodities.”

Ravu noted the potential for the partnership to extend beyond Fiji’s borders.

“This resource will enhance the ability of aquaculture farming communities to put food on the table and mete the economic needs , furthermore this assistance will boost fisheries and forestry development activities in neighboring communities and open opportunities for further collaboration.”

Ravu says this collaborative effort between Fiji and Japan positions them to make significant strides in achieving sustainable fisheries practices and ensuring food security in the region.

Author/Source: Praneeta Prakash/fbcnews

India was the 12th main destination for Brazilian agricultural exports last year, with shipments of US$2.9 billion

Brazil will be able to export farmed fish (aquaculture) and captured fish (extractive fishing) to India, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement. The opening of the market was confirmed by Indian authorities to the Brazilian government this Friday.

In the note, the ministry recalled that the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro (in the photo), met with the Minister of Fisheries, Livestock and Dairy of India, Kamala V Rao, in November last year. Last year, India also authorized the import of Brazilian açaí powder and açaí juice.

In the first quarter of this year, Brazil exported more than 12 thousand tons of fish to around 90 countries, with revenue of US$ 193 million, 160% more in the annual comparison. “We remain committed to expanding the presence of Brazilian agricultural products on shelves around the world. This strategy not only opens up more international opportunities for our products and demonstrates confidence in our health control system, but also strengthens the domestic economy”, said Mapa's Secretary of Commerce and International Relations, Roberto Perosa, in the note.

During the year, Brazil accumulates 30 market openings for agricultural products.

Vietnam's seafood exports in the first 3 months of 2024 reached 837 million USD, up 5% over the same period in 2022. Japan, America, Korea, China & HK, Thailand, and Russia are the 6 largest import markets for Vietnamese seafood during this period.

Author/Source: Nguyen Ha / VASEP (translated from original in Vietnamese)

By March 2024, imports of frozen boiled whelk meat were 354 tons, down 12% from 403 tons in the same period last year, and the average import unit price was at USD 11.36/kg, up 8.5% from USD 10.47/kg in 2023. 

The main exporters of its are the UK and Ireland, with 245 tons or 69.2% of the total coming from the UK and 109 tons imported from Ireland.

The total import value was USD 40.21 million, down from USD 42.2 million in 2023, and the average import unit price was formed at USD 11.36/kg, up 8.5% from USD 10.47/kg in the same period last year.

The average import unit price in the UK is USD 1.15/kg, and Irish is formed at USD 11.83/kg, and the use of frozen boiled whelk meat is divided into sales, manufacturing its own products, and re-export, but many of them are used to manufacture its own products.

Source: Union Forsea Corp.

“Argentina must work on the creation of a South Atlantic Conservation Commission. If progress is not made in regulating what is currently an environmental and human rights crime, soon we will not have species to protect because the fishing ground will have collapsed, something that has not yet happened by miracle." "Argentina is already a member of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR/CCAMLR), where it votes and approves the allocation of capture quotas within the Georgias and Sandwich Islands, which are Argentine EEZ according to the National Constitution, therefore there is no aspect "that affects the claim of sovereignty over the Malvinas that prevents the creation of a fishing conservation and regulation area in international waters, where there is no sovereignty dispute, but there is an environmental tragedy."

• Falklands' fishing companies after a Southwest Atlantic fisheries management pact

Innovasea, a global leader in technologically advanced aquatic solutions for aquaculture and fish tracking, is now offering land-based aquaculture solutions to the Chilean aquaculture industry. For more than 30 years, Innovasea has been providing precision aquaculture tools and professional services around the world to support ocean and land-based aquaculture, including recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). 

Source: Fish Focus l Read the full article here

Unloadings of fresh fishing in Spanish ports have stood at 26,071 tons in the first three months of the year, 15.8% less than in the same period of 2023, according to provisional data released this Tuesday by State Ports. Of the fishing ports, eleven recorded increases in landings in the first quarter and eleven decreases in catches.

In volume, the port of Vigo continues to be the first in downloads, with 6,631 tons and a decline of 7.6%; followed by Pasaia (Guipúzcoa), with 4,288 tons and a drop of 36.8%. For its part, A Coruña has dropped from 5,031 tons to 3,597.

The largest percentage increase in downloads has corresponded to the port of Malaga, with 136.9% compared to the first quarter of 2023, while the greatest decline has occurred in Ceuta, with 100% less (0 tons).

Source: EuropaAzul l Read the full article here

Following the publication of the report by the Environmental Justice Foundation, EJF, on the systematic abuses committed on board the Asian country's fleet in the southwestern Indian Ocean between 2017 and 2023, the Spanish tuna fleet grouped in Opagac has asked the European Union to take action. “If the EU allows imports of fish caught by this fleet for the consumption of European citizens, it is becoming an accomplice in this type of crime,” denounces Julio Morón, managing director of Opagac. "The time has come to act decisively against a fleet supported mainly by government subsidies, whose growth and practices are uncontrolled, as the EJF report corroborates, and which, furthermore, represents a serious threat to fish stocks and coastal communities in the areas in which it operates, generally economically vulnerable and highly dependent on its fishing resources.”

Source: Industrias Pesqueras l Read the full article here

A new network has been created to support the next generation of fishermen – the first of its kind in the UK.

The Young Fishermen Network has been set up by young fishermen from Cornwall.

It aims to encourage new entrants into the industry and champion career progression for existing commercial fishermen under 40.

Around 60 people attended the network’s inaugural event at a net loft in Porthleven Harbour this month.

Author: Oliver McBride / The Fishing Daily l Read the full article here

New Label Rouge rules will enable bigger fish to be sold under prestigious mark

New rules have been agreed that will enable Scottish farmers to sell more prestigious ‘Label Rouge’ salmon in France and other European markets.

The French quality mark, which comes with a stringent set of standards, has been updated to allow farmers to implement modern solutions to improve salmon health and welfare while maintaining taste and quality. Changes includes the ability to export larger fish of between six and eight kilograms, paving the way for increased sales of premium salmon – particularly in the sushi sector.

Source: fishfarmingexpert l Read the full article here