Faced with local government debt worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese municipalities have been searching for sources of income and economic growth, leading the local government Harbin, a city in northeast China, to launch a new railway transport line to foster seafood trade with Russia.

A cold-chain railway connection between the port city of Vladivostok, Russia, and the inland city of Harbin will enable the neighboring nations, which have bolstered their relationship as the Ukraine war has realigned global trading patterns

Author: Mark Godfrey / SeafoodSource | read the full article here

According to Wikipedia, greenwashing is “a term that describes the deceptive use of green marketing to promote a misperception that a company's policies or products are environmentally sound.” As consumers become more aware of the impact of products on the environment, the European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement on new rules to prohibit misleading advertising and provide consumers with better information about products. This agreement updates the existing EU list of prohibited business practices and adds to it several problematic marketing habits related to greenwashing and early product obsolescence.

Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here

New operation against illegal fishing on the Costa da Morte. Specifically, in Camariñas, one of the ports in the area where the most complaints are processed each year for irregularities in the capture of fish and seafood. Thus, agents from the Provincial Maritime Service of the Civil Guard of A Coruña seized 3,250 kilograms of horse mackerel in the Camariña dock.

The events occurred when members of this unit were carrying out surveillance tasks, when they observed two fishing vessels unloading the catches at the dock without having notified prior to unloading.

Source: LaVozdeGalicia | Read the full article here

Icelandic salmon company Arctic Fish looks set to face an investigation following the escape of more than 3,000 fish into a fjord last month.

The Mowi-owned business apologised for the incident last week, which took place in Patreksfjörður in the Isafjord region.

Now the food safety and veterinary agency MAST has requested an official investigation into what it says may be a violation of the country’s Aquaculture Act.

Author: Vince McDonagh / FishFarmer | read the full article here

Food and Drink Federation Scotland’s Chief Executive Officer David Thomson said:

“It’s encouraging to see food and drink price inflation fall again this month to 13.6%. However, it remains at historically high levels and our industry is very conscious of the pressure this is putting on household budgets.

“The reason inflation has not yet fallen further is because the costs of food production remain high, including ingredients, energy, transport and labour. 

Source: FishFocus | read the full article here

There are many fishermen who cannot quite relax when they are at home. They must go to sea. One of these is Roar Andre Nordheim from Bulandet at the far end of Askvoll municipality in Sogn og Fjordane. He usually works on board a coastal seine boat. About a month ago, he was able to prepare his own fast shark for fishing.

Rower Andre Nordheim from Bulandet has bought himself a great Viknes 10.30 . The seller was Wilfred Steinar Nordheim, also from Bulandet. With the Viknessjarken, which was previously named Setara, there was some fishing equipment, but not what would give him his first catch.

The barge, which has now changed its name from Setara to Vestøy, has a length of 10.30 meters and a width of 3.28 metres. Propulsion is provided by a Yanmar with 340 horsepower. The Viknessjarken was built by Viknes Båt og Service AS in 2009.

The first fish was a bluefin tuna

According to the acquisition application, fishing for whiting, blue halibut and other fish species is to be done in group 2 with line and lure. He will also fish with fishing lines for pocket crab, crayfish and lobster. In addition, he has set up bluefin tuna in his operational plans.

So far, there has been mostly hunting for bluefin tuna.

Author/Source: Terje Engo/FISKERImagasinet (translated from original in norwegian)

An expert from the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), wants to see Cambodian owners of fishery processing enterprises change their mindset from following old traditional methods and to embrace new techniques to strengthen food safety.

Shetty Seetharama Thombathu, Chief Technical Advisor of the UNIDO said yesterday that “Cambodian people are kind, friendly and non-aggressive. We need to change their mindset slowly because they are used to following old traditional methods.”

“We want to change their mindset from traditional methods to embracing new techniques with high standard, to ensure their enterprises see continued growth, because their old habits stall growth,” he said.

“I believe that it can be done as they have enough manpower, but they still lack modern materials and international standard technology for food safety, which can improve their products recognition,” he said.

“We are here to help them with materials and techniques, which are needed to standardise their products for entry into the domestic and international markets,” he said.[...]

Source: Khmer Times

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations began its first joint naval exercise on Tuesday at a time when several member countries are responding more strongly to increasing Chinese assertiveness in the area.

The non-combat drills, named ASEAN Solidarity Exercise, include joint maritime patrol operations, search and rescue operations, and humanitarian and disaster relief, Indonesian military chief Adm. Yudo Margono said.

He said the five-day exercise in Indonesia’s Natuna waters aims to boost military ties among the ASEAN nations and enhance interoperability. The drills also involve civilian groups involved in humanitarian relief and disaster prevention.

ASEAN nations have taken part in naval exercises before with other countries — including both the United States and China — but this week’s drills are the first involving just the bloc and are being read by many as a signal to China.

Source: AP news

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), in partnership with the National Fisheries & Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), and with support from the European Union-funded Communities for Fisheries project, has conducted elections for new leaders for fishermen, fishmongers, and processors in Grand Cape Mount County.

Over the weekend, EJF and NaFAA conducted elections for new leaders for three Collaborative Management Associations (CMAs) in Grand Cape Mount County. This team of leaders will oversee the affairs of the three CMAs, covering 22 fishing communities, including Robertsport, Boime, Sowie, Kru Town, Fanti Town, Tailor, Sambehum, Torsor, Saywelor, and other surrounding communities in Grand Cape Mount County. Their induction is scheduled for September 27-29, 2023.

Mr. Augustine Fayiah, Program Officer of EJF, in a conversation with a team of journalists over the weekend in Robertsport, explained that CMAs are a partnership arrangement in which the community of local resource users (fishers), the government, other stakeholders (boat owners, fish traders, boat builders, businesspeople, etc.), and external agents share the responsibility and authority for the sustainable management of fisheries in Liberia.

Author / Source : Francis G. Boayue / FPA

The European Commission (EC) recognised Vietnam’s efforts and progress in implementing EC's recommendations on fighting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the past time and affirmed its commitment to accompany the country in developing sustainable fisheries and realising targets on transitioning to green and circular economy, said an EC official.

Brussels (VNA) – The European Commission (EC) recognised Vietnam’s efforts and progress in implementing EC's recommendations on fighting illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the past time and affirmed its commitment to accompany the country in developing sustainable fisheries and realising targets on transitioning to green and circular economy, said an EC official. 

EC Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius made the remarks at a meeting with Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan in Brussels on September 18.

The EC representative also said the EC wants to assist the Southeast Asian nation in becoming a model of sustainable fisheries development and anti-illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the world. 

Source: vietnamplus