Santiago de Chile - This Monday, Chile and South Africa signed a cooperation agreement in the field of fishing and aquaculture, with the aim of exchanging information and establishing a Technical Committee in this sector, according to the Chilean Foreign Ministry.

"The signing of this agreement is aligned with our policy of marine conservation and sustainability, both nationally and internationally. Currently, we are implementing specific measures to protect marine biodiversity,", said the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Gloria de la Fuente, in a statement.

The agreement, which was signed together with the Vice Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment of South Africa, Narend Sing, "will allow both countries to collaborate and share information, experiences and knowledge in areas of research, conservation, management and sustainable use of marine resources," thus contributing to the advancement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, which focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans.

In addition, both nations discussed various opportunities for collaboration in the areas of fishing, sustainability and the environment, as well as Chile's possible application to host the Secretariat of the Agreement on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity beyond National Jurisdictions (BBNJ).

Source: EFE

As of September 2024, South Korea has seen a significant increase in the importation of Boiled Frozen Octopus, both in volume and value, compared to the previous year.

In September alone, 179 tons were imported, representing a 47% increase over the 122 tons imported in September 2023. The total import volume for the year to date has reached 1,292 tons, reflecting a 23% rise from last year's 1,017 tons. This accounts for approximately 0.2% of South Korea's total seafood imports, which amount to 651,137 tons.

The Philippines emerged as the leading supplier, providing 1,124 tons and making up 87% of the total imports. This was followed by Indonesia with 141 tons, Vietnam with 14 tons, Madagascar with 8 tons, and China contributing 5 tons. The highest import price per kilogram was reported from the Philippines at USD 9.10, followed by Indonesia at USD 7.34, and China at USD 3.80 per kg.

The import value for September reached USD 1.51 million, a 53% increase from USD 990,000 recorded in the same month of 2023. The cumulative import value for the year rose by 23% to USD 11.36 million, compared to USD 9.27 million in 2023. Despite the overall increase, the average import price per kilogram dropped slightly to USD 8.79, around 4% lower than last year's average of USD 9.12.

These trends indicate a dynamic shift in sourcing and market conditions for Boiled Frozen Octopus, highlighting evolving import strategies and supplier relationships.

In South Korea's domestic wholesale market, Boiled Frozen Octopus sourced from Mauritania is typically priced at approximately KRW 194,000 for an 8 kg size, with options including sizes 8 and 9.

Source: Union Forsea Corp.

The Norwegian Seafood Council is conducting a new user survey in collaboration with Ipsos to ensure that our products and services effectively meet the needs and expectations of the seafood industry. This survey will now be conducted annually.

Photo: Norwegian Seafood Council

The primary goal of the survey is to evaluate the Seafood Council's offerings. By gathering valuable feedback, we can assess and enhance our capacity to deliver impactful and relevant solutions for the Norwegian seafood sector.

The survey focuses on two main areas:

1. The Seafood Council's initiatives aimed at the seafood industry
2. The Council's products and services

These areas are evaluated based on three key criteria:

• Awareness of our products and services
• Perceived importance of these products and services
• Overall satisfaction with our offerings

This approach provides a clear understanding of how our services are perceived and highlights areas for improvement.

The survey results will inform our efforts to refine and prioritize our products and services, ensuring that we address the actual needs of the industry.

By participating in the survey, members of the seafood industry play a crucial role in shaping future solutions, enabling us to collectively maximize the value of Norwegian seafood.

Muscat: The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (Opaz) has announced a tender for the complementary works project at the fishing port in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (Sezad), which includes infrastructure and utility networks.

The tender, funded by the Saudi Development Fund, involves the establishment of utility services, such as road networks, traffic signals, power supply for road lighting, rainwater drainage systems, sewage systems, drinking water networks, fire-fighting systems, and communications at the fishing port in Sezad.

Opaz has invited experienced Omani and Saudi corporate coalitions to participate in the tender through the electronic tender platform “Isnad,” with the deadline for submission of tender documents set for 18 November 2024.

The existing port, covering an area of approximately 7.5 square kilometres, consists of 3.3 kilometres of breakwaters, a fixed quay of 1.3 kilometres, six floating berths with a draft depth of up to 10 metres, and a dedicated berth for Coast Guard boats.

The location of the fishing port in Duqm, part of which is already operational, is strategically close to the planned fisheries and food industries area, designed to meet the basic investment needs for targeted food industries, which currently hosts six factories.

Russian imports of shrimp from China in the first 9 months of 2024 doubled compared to the same period last year and amounted to 2.7 thousand tons, according to calculations by the Analytical Center of the Fish Union.

Experts note that the bulk of the growth was provided by the Vannamei shrimp, while supplies of northern shrimp decreased by 3 times compared to the same period in 2023, to 0.2 thousand tons.

“This dynamic is observed against the backdrop of an increase in the volume of Russian northern shrimp catch by 18%, to 23.4 thousand tons (as of October 22),”  the union’s statement  says .

Infographics: Analytical Center of the Fish Union

In monetary terms, shrimp supplies for January-September this year were 75% higher than last year and reached $12.5 million.

Among the main destinations for Chinese shrimp exports, analysts named Malaysia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Spain. Russia's share is only 2% by weight and less than 1% by value.

DHAKA (BSS) – Country’s fishermen are set to resume hilsa fishing across the country as  the 22-day ban on catching, selling, and transporting the national fish will ended last midnight.

According to the reports reached here from different coastal areas of the country, the fishermen are now busy preparing nets and boats to go to rivers to catch hilsa ((Tenualosa ilisha).

Earlier from October 12 to November 2, the interim government imposed a ban on the catching, selling, hoarding, and transporting of hilsa, one of the most delicious fishes of country’s people.

The authorities concerned imposed the ban in the Padma-Meghna sanctuary to ensure the safe spawning of the national fish of Bangladesh during its peak breeding period.

As of 2023, 97% of the world's total ilish supply originates in Bangladesh. The fish contributes about 12% of the total fish production and about 1.15% of GDP in Bangladesh

A decision against a backdrop of global warming.

The Normandy Regional Committee for Fisheries and Marine Farming (CRPMEM) and Normandie Fraîcheur Mer (NFM) jointly announced on October 28 the suspension of MSC certification for the whelk fishery in Granville Bay. "This suspension is not a questioning of the sustainable management practices implemented by fishing companies operating in Granville Bay," Marc Delahaye, director of the CRPMEM of Normandy, which is leading the initiative, is keen to point out. "Rather, it highlights the need to recognize the impacts of climate change on marine resources."

A cold-water species, the whelk is taking the full brunt of the rise in summer temperatures: mortality, loss of feeding and reduced reproductive capacity. The resource is in sharp decline and the climate is "more than moribund" for the 63 whelk trappers from Granville Bay. Because inflation is not helping. " Consumers have turned away from whelk a little," says Arnauld Manner, director of NFM. The drop in catches has led to a sharp increase in auction prices (+51% between 2010 and 2020, +90% between 2020 and 2023), even if the phenomenon has reversed this year (-45% between 2023 and 2024).

The Marine Stewardship Council certification was obtained in 2017 and renewed in 2023, rewarding the “ considerable  ” management efforts  of fishermen since 1983.