The increase in the spot price of salmon that normally occurs in November has yet to be seen.

The spot price of Norwegian salmon fell fractionally last week (week 46) to NOK 40.97 (£3.42) per kilo, which is NOK 13.84 below the same price last year.

The average price so far this year is NOK 55.23 / kg, compared to NOK 55.84 / kg at the same time last year, according to salmon industry data provider Akvafakta.

Author: Pål Mugaas Jensen / fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here

Following a seven-year assessment period, all Bakkafrost farms in the Faroe Islands are now certified to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard for responsible aquaculture.

To achieve the certification, farms must operate at the highest industry standards to ensure the preservation of the natural environment, biodiversity and water resources and provide good working conditions for employees.

Bakkafrost chief executive, Regin Jacobsen, said that the company was delighted to receive the certification.

Source: Worldfishing | Read the full article here

A Chinese fishing company has signed an agreement to invest in a new fisheries-focused industrial park in Papua New Guinea.

Fujian Zhong Hong Yu Ye Co. signed the agreement with Papua New Guinea Fisheries Minister Lino Tom, and Taboi Yoto, governor of PNG’s western province, to invest in the construction of the Comprehensive Multifunctional Fishery Industrial Park. Details of the new fisheries industrial park remain scant but may sync with a local government quest for increased value add activity in tuna.

Headquartered in the capital Port Moresby, the National Fisheries Authority has sought investors to build out its tuna processing industry, with much of the catch traditionally shipped to Japan and South Korea, as well as to processing plants in the Philippines.

Author: Mark Godfrey / SEafoodSource | Read the full article here

Major sushi chain blighted by COVID-19 but CEO optimistic about outlook.

The American subsidiary of Japanese chain Kura Sushi, Kura Sushi USA, which was listed on the Nasdaq last August, posted its Q4 financial results for the period ended August 31st.

Total sales were USD 5.5 million, down from 2019’s USD 18.8 million. Operating loss was USD 6.8 million, compared to operating income of USD 1 million the year before.

Due to changes in local guidelines for public activities, Kura Sushi USA began to re-open certain restaurants in late May, and by the end of Q4, the company was able to open 23 out of 25 of its restaurants. Out of the 23 restaurants, 11 were largely operating on a takeout only basis due to an indoor dining restriction that the state of California enacted at the beginning of July.

Source: SalmonBusiness  | Read the full article here

Grieg Seafood has announced plans to offload its salmon farms in Scotland “when the timing is right”.

The company’s Q3 report revealed that: “Medium to long-term, our focus will be in the areas with the best potential for sustainable growth during the post Covid-19 recovery period, which is our Norwegian and Canadian regions. As such, we have initiated an evaluation of strategic alternatives for our Shetland region. We aim for a sale when the timing is right.”

The announcement follows a disastrous quarter for the multinational’s Scottish operations – with the premature harvest of fish required at several sites off Skye, following an outbreak of jellyfish, leading to losses amounting to NOK 150 million for the quarter.

Source: The Fish Site  | Read the full article here

The global standard setting out good practice for seafood processing has been updated to provide more clarity on food safety measures.
The latest edition of the Seafood Processing Standard (SPS), published yesterday, is part of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification programme. All operators seeking cerification under the programme must comply with the new standard as from 16 January 2021.
SPS Issue 5.1 includes new or revised statements regarding the outsourcing of processing, environmental monitoring and food-product testing and on food safety as it pertains to canning, thermal processing and other specialty processing methods. The revised standard also strengthens employee rights and protection.

Author: Robert Outram / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here

A group of the English fishing industry’s big names have written to Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs George Eustice to set out serious concerns over MMO proposals for documenting seafood exports. They state that proposals for validating catch certificates for fish to be exported could affect the viability of auctions, merchants and processors.

‘It could be the final straw for many businesses which are still facing extremely tough times because of the pandemic. This affects all sectors and just about all types and sizes of vessel,’ they state.

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

The forum seeks specific financing solutions for blue economy projects in sectors linked to the sea

The international party organized by the Portuguese association Fórum Océano and the Galician Centro Tecnológico do Mar (Cetmar) to promote projects and businesses in two different sectors of the economy of the sea was going to be held this year for the first time in Vigo. But the pandemic has forced the olive city to change due to the ins and outs of the Internet. And it was there, on the Web, where the nearly 600 participants of the Business2Sea forum have gathered, which started yesterday, coinciding with the National Day of the Sea on the Portuguese calendar, and which in three conferences and 11 workshops in five days aims to promote the so-called blue economy and seek specific financing solutions for sectors linked to the sea.

Source: The Voice of Galicia | Read the full article here

The national director of the National Fisheries Service of Chile (Sernapesca), Alicia Gallardo Lagno, from the Central Satellite Monitoring Service, delivered last Friday her sixth report on the situation of the Chinese fishing fleet that has moved through the Pacific Ocean , approaching the coasts of several South American countries.

The deputy director of Fisheries, Fernando Naranjo, pointed out that, as was the case the previous week, some 340 vessels remain off the Peruvian coast, from Arequipa to the north. Only two of them are closer to Chile, but they are still 300 miles from the country's exclusive economic zone. Just over a dozen vessels sailed west, back to their home ports.

Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here

The Tokyo Sustainable Seafood Symposium 2020 took place earlier this month in an online format, replacing the in-person event which had drawn an increasing amount of attention and attendance for in the past few years for shining a light on issues of marine sustainability in seafood-loving Japan.

This year’s event schedule was expanded from two to six days, with presentations covering a dozen topics. Last year, 900 people attended the live event, but the online format of this year’s event gave co-organizers Naoki Asami, the managing director of Nikkei BP, and Seafood Legacy Founder and CEO Wakao Hanaoka hope that they would double attendance in 2020. 

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