New Irish €26.8 million investment under Brexit Processing Capital Support Scheme.
Ireland’ Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has announced details of a €26.8 million investment in 44 seafood processing projects which are helping drive transformational change in the sector.
The Seafood Capital Processing Scheme is funded by the European Union under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR). Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s seafood development agency, administers the scheme on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which provides for up to €45 million in funding to the seafood processing sector.
Announcing details of the investment on European Maritime Day, Minister McConalogue said:
“The Processing Capital Support Scheme is providing significant investment in seafood processing enterprises, which employ some 4,000 people in rural coastal communities.
“This scheme is supporting seafood processing industry to develop their enterprises, navigate the challenging trading environment and support jobs in this important sector.
“I am pleased to highlight Brexit Adjustment Reserve funding opportunities available to the Irish seafood processing sector as Europe’s marine community come together on European Maritime Day.”
According to data compiled by the Miyagi Prefecture Fisheries Co-operative, market values for farmed coho salmon (gin-zake) are currently facing a downward trend. As of May 20, average cumulative prices have dropped by 8%, hitting a low of $5.11 per kilogram (812 Yen).
The recent figures show a clear decline compared to the much higher price ranges recorded during the exact same period in the previous year. Landings are still progressing across key distribution hubs, with the underlying data originating from the combined market locations of Onagawa, Ishinomaki markets, and the Shizugawa operations office.
Industry experts note that all listed unit prices are calculated excluding consumption tax. Despite steady shifting market values, overall aquaculture revenues in Miyagi Prefecture are experiencing pressure due to this ongoing price slump.
At the 33rd annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada, Vladimir Belyaev, Advisor to the Director of the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), was elected President of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC). This appointment underscores the authority of Russian fisheries science and strengthens the country's role in managing transboundary marine resources.
The NPAFC, comprising five member countries, has established critical objectives for the upcoming term. Key priorities include tracking the migration, abundance, and survival of Pacific salmon. Following below-average catch volumes in 2025, the commission will focus on developing data-driven recommendations to protect vulnerable populations. Additionally, member states will coordinate strict measures to combat illegal fishing across the high seas.
"Conserving salmon stocks cannot tolerate disunity," stated Belyaev. "Sustainability depends on honest cooperation to forecast population dynamics and ensure protection in the convention area."
The measure, approved under the new temporary framework for the Middle East crisis, will cover costs for April and May 2026 and will be open until the end of the year.
The European Commission has approved a French state aid scheme worth €13 million for fishing companies affected by rising fuel prices resulting from the crisis in the Middle East. The decision falls under the temporary state aid mechanism adopted by Brussels on April 29, 2026.
According to information released by the Commission, the French program will cover costs corresponding to April and May 2026 and can be implemented until December 31 of this year.
The project by Itsas Balfegó, a company founded in 2022 by the Catalan firm Balfegó and the research center AZTI, to develop an open-sea aquaculture facility for fattening bluefin tuna in two 50-meter submersible tanks off the coast of Getaria, was officially presented in September 2024, marking the start of its testing phase. This followed a rigorous administrative and scientific evaluation. The initiative involved installing two submersible aquaculture structures 3.69 miles from the port of Getaria (Gipuzkoa), which would be tested during the autumn and winter months before the pilot test for fattening this species began in the summer of 2025. It was already being suggested at the time that if the experience proved positive, they would seek to move to the commercial phase.
Source: iPac.acuicultura | Read the full article here
Peruvian marine ingredients, including fishmeal and fish oil, have reached a new sustainability milestone after Austral Group became the first producer in the country to register the life cycle assessment (LCA) of its products as Branded Data within the Global Feed LCA Institute (GFLI) database.
The international platform compiles environmental information on feed ingredients used in animal production, enabling customers, feed manufacturers and aquaculture companies to access accurate, verifiable and globally comparable data based on primary information rather than sector averages.