The number of eels caught in Japan rose sharply in the most recent fishing season, covering the period from November 2019 to the end of April 2020, according to a Fisheries Agency report.

Glass eels, or elvers, are juvenile eels that are caught and raised to full size in grow-out ponds located in 19 prefectures across Japan. The top prefectures in terms of stocking amount of elvers are Kagoshima, Aichi, Miyazaki, and Shizuoka.

A new report from Japan’s Fisheries Agency titled, “The Situation and Measures Regarding Eels,” reveals that even though Japan’s domestic catch has improved after years of declines, the market for eel has fallen drastically as Japan’s restaurants have been forced to curtail service as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Author: Chris Loew / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here

The Government of Portugal has confirmed through its publication in the Diário da República that aid for the temporary cessation of fishing will cover the maximum period authorized by the EU: until December 31. The Ministry of the Sea has published the “Portarias” that regulate the granting of aid within the FEMP for multi-purpose vessels, purse seine and coastal trawling. In all three cases, temporary stoppages will be financed from March 18 to the end of the year.

Following the criteria established by Brussels, it is fixed as a basic condition that the eligible ships have operated at least 120 days in the two years. In order to stimulate the delay of stops and thus guarantee the supply of the food chain, the stoppage of vessels can be carried out in a single period or in interpolated periods, provided that, cumulatively, they do not exceed a maximum 60 days.

Source:Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here

The #FishToYourDoor campaign started by Seafood Cornwall is introducing a new initiative, with hefty discounts for NHS staff.

The county-wide #FishToYourDoor platform launched by Seafood Cornwall was an immediate response to the impact of Covid-19, designed to connect households with fresh fish and keep fishermen going to sea.

With more than 40,000 customers reached within the first few days of the campaign in early March, #FishToYourDoor has gone from strength to strength, and continues to add new merchants to its growing list of sellers with delivery capacity, and promoting fishermen selling direct from their boats.

Since launching, #FishToYourDoor has brought over 3500 new customers to affiliated merchants and received a stream of delighted feedback from people trying local Cornish fish, fresh from the merchant, for the first time.

Author: Quentin Bates / FiskerForum | Read the full article here

Main objectives and principles to facilitate food supply across Europe for farmers, agriculture and fisheries producers.

Agenda highlights

The Croatian presidency is organising a video conference of EU agriculture and fisheries ministers to take stock of COVID-19-related measures taken so far to limit the negative impact of the pandemic on the sectors. The Commission will deliver a presentation on the ongoing and planned actions.

Ministers will further discuss possible new measures to support the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Live streaming here

Sustainable Restaurant Holdings (SRH) filed for federal bankruptcy protection. Former Bamboo Sushi owner is currently involved in lawsuit alleging he unfairly ousted by capital partner as CEO.

Portland, Oregon, USA, seafood chains Bamboo Sushi and QuickFish are the latest victims of coronavirus forced shutdowns, parent company SRH (also known as Sustainable Restaurant Group) wrote in a press release.

The restructuring will allow SRH to obtain up to USD 1.9 million in new financing so that it can continue to operate and meet business obligations while it pursues a sale, it wrote. The company currently operates 10 restaurants, sushi joint Bamboo Sushi and QuickFish, a poke bowl concept.

Source; SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here

China’s aquaculture extension system – which has been the main engine for growing the country’s aquaculture sector over the last 40 years – must overcome problems such as “insufficient funding, outmoded staff structures, and inefficient management systems” in order to ensure the long term prosperity of the sector.

This is the conclusion of a new study into the role of the extension system, which can be traced back to the 1950s, when the government required aquaculture experts to study technology for seaweed farming and fish farming in ponds, and provided technical guidance to aquaculturists through state-owned aquaculture farms.

Author. Rob Fletcher / The Fish Site| Read the full article here

Mowi Scotland’s operating profit fell by 84% in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year as the salmon farmer continued to tackle problems with disease and climate-related issues.

Operational earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) were €5.7 million in January to March, down from €35.8m in Q1 2019, Mowi revealed in its Q1 report. EBIT per kilo was €0.63 (€2.27).

The first quarter harvest volume was 9,036 tonnes gutted weight (Q1 2019: 15,787 tonnes). Volumes were negatively impacted by a challenging biology in 2019 continuing into the first quarter of 2020 and lower production, reported Mowi.

Author. Gareth Moore / fishfarminfexpert | Read the full article here

The seafood industry is expected to play a key role in getting Norway’s economy and workforce up and running again in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘For Norway and other seafood nations, this is a real opportunity for a blue revolution and illustrate the real meaning of sustainability – social, economic and environmentally. Seafood can be an important part of the solution in terms of rebuilding communities, creating jobs and responsible and low-carbon footprint food production,’ said Norwegian Seafood Council CEO Renate Larsen.

She commented that as society is now slowly gradually opening up after successfully curbing the spread of the virus in Norway, the job of how to get the economy back on track has started in earnest. In the past week, Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Fisheries Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen have been meeting representatives from the seafood industry to discuss what role it should play in rebuilding the economy.

Author. Quentin Bates / FiskerForum | Read the full article here 

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) announced on May 12 that its annual Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) conference will be a virtual event this year, and the live event scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan, in October 2020 has been postponed to October 2021.

Since its inception in 2001, GOAL has built a reputation for quality content, attracting aquaculture thought leaders determined to stay ahead of the curve on emerging challenges and solutions. Featuring a dynamic conference platform and application, this year’s virtual event will deliver the same quality program but with much greater reach and versatility and a more interactive experience between speakers, moderators and the audience.

Norwegian seafood companies sold 183,000 metric tons (MT) of fisheries and aquaculture products in April, 30,000 MT less than in March and 7 percent lower than 2019’s corresponding month. At NOK 8.2 billion (USD 800.7 million, EUR 742 million), the value of the country’s seafood trade was down NOK 1.4 billion (USD 136.7 million, EUR 126.7 million) compared to March’s revenues, and NOK 666 million (USD 65 million, EUR 60.3 million) less than achieved in April 2019.

This was the first time since September 2018 that Norway had experienced a fall in the value of its seafood exports, and came despite a marked weakening in the kroner, the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) acknowledged.

Author: Jason Holland / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here