BEIJING - Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer in terms of sales, plans to open 100 more new stores over the next three years in China in addition to 370 at present.

The expansion is aimed at maintaining its growth momentum, which is being driven by the emerging middle class.

President and Chief Executive Officer of Wal-Mart Mike Duke said the company will prioritise large-store formats, such as hypermarkets, and its members-only stores known as Sam's Club.

Source: The Economic Times

Less than a year after teaming with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), Food Markets has joined five Fishery Improvement Projects (FIP). These efforts, a collaboration of such fishery stakeholders as Wegmans, suppliers, scientists, government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and fishermen, aim to improve various aspects of the seafood industry.

“The seafood industry and what we know about its impact on the environment is always changing,” explained Carl Salamone, VP of seafood at Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans. “So it only makes sense to partner with an organization that can advise us on the most up-to-date and accurate fisheries science and information. SFP has helped us to identify several opportunities for continuous improvement.”

Source: Progressive Grocer

Sanford Limited advises based on preliminary accounts the tax paid profit for the year is likely to be between NZD 20-21m compared to the last year’s result of NZD 22.3m. Revenue is approximately 1 per cent behind last year with the continuing high level of the New Zealand dollar impacting across all of our export species. Markets for pelagic species such as jack and blue mackerel and skipjack tuna have been strong but salmon pricing has been significantly weaker impacted by increased volumes out of Chile and Norway. Prices for other species have been relatively stable.

The most significant impact on the results for the year has been the estimated NZD 10m reduction in contribution from the Pacific Tuna division. The effects include lost fishing time opportunity and repair costs in respect to the San Nikunau and the Ocean Breeze and legal costs and accrued potential fine costs in respect to the prosecution of the San Nikunau which is subject to a sentencing hearing in Washington DC on 11 January 2013.

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Work is underway to create a five-year plan to be used as a roadmap for developing commercial uses for Philippine strains of microalgae. Known as the Algae Research and Commercialization Master Plan, one of the plan’s primary pathways leads to development of microalgae as aquafeeds.

This year, the Philippine Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) released PHP 10 million to start off the National Aquafeeds Research and Development Program. About 60 species of microalgae have already been screened for food and aquaculture In the Philippines.

Source: AlgaeIndustryMagazine.com

A meeting on the management of mackerel fisheries between the Coastal States of Iceland, Norway, the Faroe Islands and the EU held in London from 22-24 October was inconclusive, as stated in a press release from the Icelandic Ministry of Industries and Innovation.

Chief negotiator for Iceland Sigurgeir Þorgeirsson said that a solution to the mackerel issue was urgently needed. When no consensus on the future sharing of mackerel could be reached, Iceland recommended, as an interim measure, that the total catch taken by the Coastal States and the Russian Federation for 2013 be reduced in line with a scientific assessment from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). A 15 per cent reduction on 2012 levels was suggested but no agreement made.

Source: Iceland Review

Levels of radioactive contamination in fish caught off the east coast of Japan remain raised, official data shows.

It is a sign that the Dai-ichi power plant continues to be a source of pollution more than a year after the nuclear accident.

About 40 per cent of fish caught close to Fukushima itself are regarded as unfit for humans under Japanese regulations.

Source: Jonathan Amos / BBC News

Plans to re-open cockle beds in the Solway have taken a step forward.

Local fishermen, industry experts, politicians and agencies met last Thursday 18 Oct. in Dumfries to discuss forging a new partnership to fish and manage the waters.

And the majority of those who attended agreed that a fishery ran by local fishermen would be the best way forward.

Source: Patricia Lewis / The Galloway News

Africa loses one million tonnes of fish per year due to overfishing and bad governance in the fisheries sector. The continent's losses account for one-tenth of annual global losses, said Sumaila Rashid, Director of the Fisheries Centre at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

"That is the equivalent to 10 million cows a year," he said, adding that, "Africa alone is losing one million tonnes a year." According to the fisheries professor, the global fish harvest in 1950 was 10 million tonnes. The tonnage had been growing continually until it levelled in the 1980s at 60 to 70 million tonnes a year.

Source: All Africa

Anova Seafood is committed to work towards developing a sustainable supply of responsible caught seafood product and ensuring high quality sustainable fish for future generations. One major seafood item in our range of products is tuna and we want to make sure it is supplied form a sustainable source.

Besides a strong commitment to sustainability Anova Seafood purchasing policy also aims to buy product which supports and give a contribution to the development and wellbeing of local communities, economies and cultures through fair trade and social accountable practices.

For this reason we have been closely and enthusiastically following the development of the MSC certification for the skipjack free school fishery in the Western and Central Pacific in the pristine waters of the 8 island nations that are united within the PNA. This resulted in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the marketing company of the PNA countries Pacifical cv on the supply of this sustainable MSC frozen skipjack tuna tenderloins with the Pacifical Co-brand.

The union representing crews on Clearwater Seafoods factory freezer trawlers says it was unaware of health concerns that prompted authorities to shut down automatic scallop shucking machines on three vessels.

Nova Scotia's Department of Labour ordered the machines shut down Friday 19 Oct., after crew members complained air borne particles were causing nose bleeds, bloody coughs and headaches. Crewmen told the province's Department of Labour the machines on board Atlantic Protector and Atlantic Guardian made them sick.

Source: Paul Withers / CBC News