As of September 19, 2024, South Korea imported 17,731 tons of fresh salmon, reflecting a 2% decrease from the 18,041 tons imported during the same period in 2023.

The total import value also dropped by 12%, falling from USD 287.19 million last year to USD 252.45 million.

Norway continued to dominate as the primary supplier, contributing 96.54% of the total imports with 17,099 tons. Chile followed with 433 tons, and Canada with 90 tons. In terms of import pricing, Norwegian salmon commanded the highest price at USD 14.26/kg, with Chile at USD 12.63/kg and Canada offering the lowest at USD 12.23/kg.

Source: Union Forsea Corp.

According to the industry monitoring system of the Federal Agency for Fisheries (ISFRR), the catch of aquatic bioresources by all Russian users by September 16, 2024 exceeded 3.6 million tons (3,676.8 thousand).

Far Eastern basin: over 2.8 million tons

Pollock – over 1.6 million tons (+ 9.7 thousand tons compared to 2023); cod – 90.5 thousand tons; herring – 323.3 thousand tons (+ 45.5 thousand tons compared to 2023); flounder – 53.7 thousand tons; Iwashi sardine – 225.5 thousand tons in the Russian EEZ (+ 62.6 thousand tons compared to 2023)

Northern basin: 357.2 thousand tons

Cod – 188.5 thousand tons; haddock – 44.2 thousand tons; capelin – 51.7 thousand tons.

Western basin: 54.9 thousand tons

Sprats – 30.4 thousand tons; Baltic herring – 18.6 thousand tons.

Azov-Black Sea basin: 23.6 thousand tons

of anchovy - 9.2 thousand tons (+ 0.7 thousand tons to the 2023 level).

Volga-Caspian basin: 50.2 thousand tons

Sprat – 18.9 thousand tons; ordinary fish species – 11.3 thousand tons

In the exclusive economic zones of foreign states, conventional areas and the open part of the World Ocean, the Russian fleet has produced more than 364,802 thousand tons.

Source: Federal Agency for Fisheries

Muscat – Fisheries Development Oman (FDO), a state-owned company under Oman Investment Authority, is inviting qualified companies to participate in a tender for a market study on shrimp and tilapia aquaculture in the sultanate.

In a statement, the company said, ‘The study is part of FDO’s mission to contribute to sustainable economic diversification within the commercial fishing and aquaculture industries.’

As the investment arm of the government and a key execution entity in line with Oman Vision 2040 goals, FDO aims to enhance the national economy by improving the business environment and empowering the private sector to play a significant role in these industries.

Qualified companies are invited to participate in the tender with bids due by October 2.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, farmed fish production in Oman reached 5,117 tonnes, valued at RO15.1mn, this year by August. This marks a 7% increase in volume and a remarkable 50% rise in financial value compared to 2023 when production registered 4,767 tonnes valued at RO10.99mn.

The growth trend has been consistent since 2018, with production increasing from 350 tonnes valued at RO700,000 to 3,179 tonnes worth RO6.9mn in 2022. The diversity of farmed species has also expanded, now including 33 varieties such as white shrimp, Omani abalone and various types of finfish.

"Kamakura Saba Nouveau Week 2024" will be held for the first time from Tuesday, September 24th to Monday, September 30th.

Kamakura Saba Nouveau Week 2024 will be held in the historic city of Kamakura, a city where tradition and innovation intersect, with its beautiful sea.

The event will challenge itself to provide a new food experience using "Saba Nouveau," a new fresh raw mackerel from Norway in Northern Europe. With the cooperation of 20 restaurants in the Kamakura area, a variety of mackerel dishes using fresh "Saba Nouveau" will be served.

China has decided to gradually resume importing Japanese fishery products, after taking part in global activities to monitor wastewater discharged from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The Chinese foreign ministry announced Friday that Beijing and Tokyo had reached the decision after multiple consultations on the wastewater issue. 

The ministry said China will gradually resume the imports after joining the monitoring under the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency and carrying out its own sampling efforts.

China banned all Japanese fishery imports in August last year to protect Chinese consumers from risks associated with radioactive contamination.

Since the ban, the Japanese government and businesses had repeatedly called on China to resume importing Japanese fishery goods.  

China was the largest export destination for Japanese seafood in 2022, buying about one-fifth of all the marine products the country shipped overseas, according to Japan’s agriculture and fisheries ministry.

Vietnam's tuna exports in August 2024 continued to increase in value, but the growth rate slowed down. In the first 8 months of 2024, the export turnover increased by 19%, reaching 648 million USD.

Author/Source: Nguyen Ha/ Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) | Translated from original in Vietnamese

New fish welfare camera for aquaculture. Imenco has introduced the first multi-camera system to the aquaculture industry, combining its Feeding and Inspection Camera with the new Fish Welfare Camera. This innovative solution offers comprehensive control over feeding, biomass estimation, lice counting, and overall fish health within the cage.

Paired with Createview’s user-friendly software, this system provides an unprecedented and holistic view of fish welfare.

Detecting and counting sea lice underwater has always been a challenge, but the clarity of Imenco’s fish welfare camera now makes it easier than ever to identify and count sea lice without the need to handle the fish.

Source: Fish Focus l Read the full article here

The future National Food Strategy (ENA) developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food aims to be a "reference" for the new European Commission. "We are an agro-food and fishing power and we have to act as such," said Minister Luis Planas at the first participatory forum on this strategy, held in Córdoba. Planas has indicated the importance of Spain taking the initiative, making proposals and setting positions on food sovereignty, "instead of waiting for the final decisions to be made in Brussels," says the MAPA.

The minister has highlighted the importance of ensuring food supply and sustainability as two of the challenges facing the Spanish food sector.

Source: Industrias Pesqueras l Read the full article here

Norwegian vessels fishing for mackerel in UK waters have recently faced an added hurdle in their operations.

Pelagisk Forening, the Norwegian Pelagic Association, has reported a significant increase in the use of the control point at Lerwick, Shetland, by British authorities for inspections. This detour has led to longer travel times for vessels, resulting in higher costs and potential risks to the quality of the catch.

Before delivering their catch to shore, Norwegian vessels must now reroute to Lerwick for inspection by British authorities. 

Author:  Oliver McBride l The Fishing Daily l Read the full article here