The Fishing and Aquaculture subsector under the Ministry of Agriculture was allotted $1.3B of the $104.6 billion allocated to the ministry in the national budget for 2025.

Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh told the National Assembly that last year the sector recorded an estimated expansion of 1%. This was attributed to the growth that occurred in both the marine and aquaculture production. However, this year the sector’s growth is “expected to strengthen to 5.8 percent, driven largely by increased aquaculture production.”

To this end he informed that “a further $1.3 billion is budgeted for 2025 to support fisheries and aquaculture development.”

For 2024 the production of shrimp expanded by an estimated 8.5%, outweighing the 2.2% contraction that was estimated for the production of fish. “While improvements were observed in the production of artisanal and industrial finfish, the production of red snapper contracted,” the minister said.

The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang is rolling out a new policy to subsidise satellite subscription fees for fishing vessel monitoring devices, part of a resolution passed in December 2024 by the provincial People's Council.

Accordingly, the policy, effective from January 2025 for two years, provides financial assistance to vessel owners, each with no more than 300,000 VND (11.84 USD) per month. Eligibility is restricted to vessels of 15 metres or more in length, registered in the province, and equipped with such monitoring devices as mandated.

Vessel owners must also present a range of required certifications, including vessel safety, registration, fishing licenses, and food safety compliance.

Subsidies will not be granted to vessels involved in illegal fishing activities, such as crossing maritime boundaries or disabling monitoring devices, except in unavoidable circumstances.

Local fishermen view the policy as a relief measure, noting that it helps reduce operating costs and encourages compliance with fishing regulations, supporting efforts to address the European Commission’s “Yellow Card” warning on Vietnamese seafood exports.

Land-based salmon-farming company Laxey has signed an agreement with Marel for processing equipment and software at its planned salmon slaughterhouse – the third agreement the company has made in as many months.

Earlier in January, Laxey selected the AKVA Group to provide equipment for its planned land-based salmon farm in Iceland. Laxey – originally called Icelandic Land Farmed Salmon – was initially planning a 10,000-metric-ton (MT) salmon farm but has since upgraded those plans to a 32,000-MT facility. 

The AKVA Group contract was itself just two months after it announced an agreement with BAADER for processing equipment.

Author: Chris Chase / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here

Norwegian salmon producers Bue Salmon and Bolaks Group have announced a new strategic partnership to optimise the efficiency of operations for both companies.

The three-year agreement entails Bue Salmon receiving smolt from Sævareid Fiskeanlegg, where Bolaks is the majority shareholder. The smolt will be reared to post-smolt at Bue Salmon’s land-based facility in Bulandet before being delivered to Bolaks’ sea sites for grow-out.

Through the agreement, Bue and Bolak hope to establish a predictable and efficient value chain with short production cycles, strengthening the operations of both companies.

Source: The Fish Site l Read the full article here

Drop in air freight market pushes salmon prices further down.

The Chinese New Year celebration is reducing demand for large salmon.

“It has dropped significantly in recent weeks. The biggest fall has been for 5+ kg salmon, as the market for air-shipped fish has shrunk. Next week, Monday packing is the key—if you miss that, you’re too late for Chinese New Year. You need delivery to Oslo no later than Wednesday to make it''

Author: Aslak Berge / SalmonBusiness l Read the full article here

Satellites provide scientists important data they use to manage and protect fisheries and marine mammals.

A view from a satellite over Earth’s ocean and an aerial view of a blue whale.

NOAA’s use of satellite data to predict the weather is well known. Now, we are using satellites to track how the ocean is changing over time, and how that will impact fisheries and marine life. We can monitor the ocean’s temperature, salinity, currents, and even microscopic organisms in the water. 

Satellites can give us insights into these oceanographic drivers and processes much faster than traditional methods like ship surveys. They can help us develop models to predict where and when marine animals will be in the ocean. In fact, satellite images are so detailed, we can actually see and count individual whales from space! This information can help us better manage those species.

In this week’s podcast, we hear from Ryan Vandermeulen, NOAA Fisheries satellite remote sensing coordinator. He’s passionate about satellites and making satellite data more accessible to the average citizen. Listen to him talk about what’s in store for the next generation of satellite technology, and hear the music he created based on satellite images of phytoplankton blooms.

Source: NOAA