IN BRIEF - Seafood Excellence Asia Awards Winners Announced
SINGAPORE
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Best New Seafood Products for the Asian Market Honored at Seafood Expo Asia
Singapore – The winners of the inaugural edition of Seafood Excellence Asia Awards were announced today at Seafood Expo Asia, a three-day seafood trade event taking place 11-13 September in Singapore. Tassal Operations won the Best New Product award for its Tassal Tassie Smoked Salmon Twin Pack 2 x 50g. The awards for second and third place for Best New Product were given to Victoria Island Smokehouse for its Pure Prestige, Scottish Smoked Salmon and Shanghai Shanhaiji Supply Chain Co, Ltd for its Ready-to-Eat Salmon Trout, respectively.
Winners were selected from a group of new products entered in the competition and representing 8 countries. A live judging took place yesterday in the Product Showcase and was conducted by a panel of high-volume seafood buyers and industry experts from the retail and foodservice industries across Asia. The judges of the first Seafood Excellence Asia Awards competition included Big C Supercenter co, Ltd from Thailand, CJ Freshway from South Korea, Emart also from South Korea, ITM Alimentaire International from Thailand and SMSI/Sysco from Hong Kong SAR.
Today’s Seafood Excellence Asia awards winners and all the products submitted for the competition are on display on the event’s website
Argentina has authorized the opening of Subarea 12 for commercial shrimp fishing starting July 9, following a successful survey and recommendations from INIDEP, confirming new catch opportunities within the Permanent Hake Juvenile Spawning Closure Area.
BUENOS AIRES – The National Directorate of Fisheries Coordination and Control has announced the opening of Subarea N° 12 for commercial shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) fishing. This decision, communicated Tuesday afternoon, is based on directives from Federal Fisheries Council Act N° 20/2025 and the results of the shrimp survey conducted in Subareas N° 7 and 12.
The measure, effective from 7:00 AM on July 9, directly responds to recommendations from the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP), outlined in its note DNI N° 80/2025. Both subareas are located within the Permanent Hake Juvenile Spawning Closure Area (AVPJM), highlighting the importance of careful resource management.
In addition to opening Subarea 12, a decision has been made to extend the ongoing survey in Subarea N° 7 by 24 hours. This extension will allow for the collection of more crucial data for future management decisions.
This authorization represents significant news for the fishing sector, opening new fishing grounds for shrimp, a high-value commercial resource for Argentina.
Kasaragod district has secured the prestigious Fisheries Department Excellence Award 2025 from the Kerala Fisheries Department. The award recognizes the district's significant accomplishments in the fisheries sector, especially its strong performance in the Popular Fish Farming Project.
In addition to the district-level honor, two local fish farmers also received individual accolades. Ravi P.P. from Padanna clinched second place in the 'Best Backwater Fish Seed Production Farmer' category, while Sea Pearl Aquafarm of Kumbala earned third place for 'Best Innovative Fish Farming'. These recognitions are part of the annual State Farmer Awards, designed to celebrate exceptional contributions to aquaculture across Kerala.
The district administration credits this success to the efficient grassroots implementation of various fisheries schemes. District Collector K. Inbasekar extended gratitude to Deputy Director of Fisheries K.A. Labib for his pivotal role in guiding the district to this achievement.
This latest award adds to Kasaragod's growing list of state-level honors. The district previously won the 'Best District' award in the Popular Fisheries Project Matsya Karshaka Award and the 'Best BMC' award in the 2023 State Biodiversity Awards. Furthermore, Kasaragod's District Panchayat BMC award became the first in India to declare official symbols (tree, flower, bird) representing the district’s biodiversity.
Iberian sardine fishing fleets from Spain and Portugal have regained Marine Stewardship Council certification after over a decade of work.
The MSC certification for the sardine purse-seine fishery was first suspended in 2012, just over one year after the fishery had first earned the right to carry the label. An audit in December 2011 found the fishery lacked the necessary harvest controls and that fishing mortality had increased since 2008, while the spawning stock biomass had decreased since 2006, according to the MSC at the time.
The fishery regained its certification again in January 2013, then lost it again in 2014 over challenges to stock management.
Author: Chris Chase / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here
Turkish trout exports reach $217 million in first half of 2025
Türkiye exported 32,000 tonnes of trout worth $217 million in the first six months of 2025, according to figures released by the Eastern Black Sea Exporters’ Association (DKIB).
The fish, initially raised in inland farms before being transferred to sea cages in the Black Sea, was shipped to 25 countries between January and June. Russia remained the top destination, accounting for $150 million in sales, followed by Belarus at $20.5 million and Japan at $15.77 million.
Source: SalmonBusiness l Read the full article here
Built at the Freire shipyard in Vigo, the ship bears the name of the first French female oceanographer and will strengthen the French Oceanographic Fleet.
The Freire shipyard in Vigo (Spain) celebrated the launch of the Anita Conti, the new semi-deep-sea research vessel of the French Oceanographic Fleet, operated by Ifremer (French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea). This milestone comes just one year after the start of its construction, marking a new step in the renewal of France's scientific fleet.
They will analyze how aquatic foods are key to ensuring food sovereignty
Aquatic foods equal food security. Conxemar, the Spanish Association of Wholesalers, Importers, Processors, and Exporters of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) will dedicate the congress that preludes the fair in Vigo to analyzing the contribution of aquatic foods to food security. The forum reaches its 13th edition under the name of the Conxemar FAO MAPA International Congress and will take place next Monday, October 6, 2025, at the Afundación headquarters in Vigo.
Source: La Voz de Galicia l Read the full article here
The fisheries and aquaculture value chain supports the European Parliament's recommendation to review labeling rules for plant-based products
Following the recent European Parliament study "Labeling of Plant-Based Substitutes for Seafood: Scope and Issues at Stake," the Spanish fisheries and aquaculture value chain (1) has issued a statement endorsing the report's conclusions. The document, they state, "highlights the growth of plant-based alternatives to fish and recommends that food labels clearly differentiate plant-based substitutes from authentic fish and seafood, avoiding misleading names and images that could confuse consumers."
Among its main conclusions, the sector emphasizes, the EP report indicates that 45% of the products analyzed use fictitious names that suggest a connection with fish and seafood, and that only 13% provide sufficient information to clarify what the product actually is.
Source: iPac.acuicultura l Read the full article here
Salmon Evolution (OSE: SALME) reports continued improvement in operational performance with all-time high production towards end of Q2.
Q2 operational summary:
Harvest volume reached 1,232 tonnes Head On Gutted (HOG), with an all-in price realization of approximately $6.80 per kg. (Calculated at an approximate exchange rate of 1 USD = 10.59 NOK).
The company saw continued improvement in operational performance, with an underlying biomass production of over 1,700 tonnes Live Weight (LW) during the quarter.
Net biomass growth for Q2 stood at 1,604 tonnes LW. This figure accounts for a precautionary pause in feeding activities, which reduced biomass growth by approximately 100 tonnes, undertaken in connection with blasting for phase 2 water intake pipes.
The farm is now fully stocked, holding a standing biomass of 3,043 tonnes LW as of the end of Q2. This aligns with the company’s run-rate targets for both volume and individual fish count.
“Salmon Evolution continues to see stable operations across the farm and enters Q3 with a fully stocked farm and a good biomass composition, boding well for continued positive development in operational KPIs and harvest weights over the coming quarters”, CEO of Salmon Evolution, Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen said.
The Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) held a virtual workshop on June 25, revealing the results of its program "Determination and Monitoring of Caligus rogercresseyi Resistance to Antiparasitics." This program, now in its eighth phase, aims to strengthen technical knowledge and support key sanitary decisions in Chilean salmon farming.
Dr. Jaiber Solano Iguarán, IFOP's senior researcher, reported 254 valid bioassays across 95 samplings, covering 28 Salmon Farming Concession Areas (ACS) in the Los Lagos and Aysén regions. The research evaluated the parasite's response to azamethiphos, deltamethrin, and cypermethrin.
Dr.Jaiber Solano Iguarán
Findings indicate an increasing trend in the EC50 value for azamethiphos, suggesting the need to diversify control tools. Conversely, deltamethrin and cypermethrin showed a decreasing EC50 trend in some areas, which could indicate a better parasite response.
The program is also advancing in innovative methods, including morphometric analysis of the parasite and the validation of bioassays with non-pharmacological compounds, such as hydrogen peroxide and plant extracts.
Collaboration among the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca), the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca), and IFOP has been fundamental. Future challenges include studying the genetic connectivity of Caligus and expanding geographical coverage to optimize the sector's health.
With 616 votes in favor, 29 against, and 36 abstentions, the European Parliament plenary session has given the final green light to the new protocol of the new fisheries agreement between the European Union and Greenland, which will allow European vessels to fish in Greenlandic waters for the next six years, until 2030. The protocol, provisionally in force since last December, will allow the European fleet to catch key species such as cod, Greenland halibut, redfish, and northern shrimp. It also contemplates possible access to the capelin fishery if it reopens. Overall, the protocol establishes annual fishing opportunities of up to 30,906 tons: 13,000 tons of capelin (if fishing is authorized); 6,675 tons of Greenland halibut; 6,581 tons of northern prawn; 2,100 tons of redfish; and 2,050 tons of cod
Source: Industrias Pesqueras l Read the full article here
SINGAPORE
Singapore – The winners of the inaugural edition of Seafood Excellence Asia Awards were announced today at Seafood Expo Asia, a three-day seafood trade event taking place 11-13 September in Singapore. Tassal Operations won the Best New Product award for its Tassal Tassie Smoked Salmon Twin Pack 2 x 50g. The awards for second and third place for Best New Product were given to Victoria Island Smokehouse for its Pure Prestige, Scottish Smoked Salmon and Shanghai Shanhaiji Supply Chain Co, Ltd for its Ready-to-Eat Salmon Trout, respectively.
ARGENTINA.png)
BUENOS AIRES – The National Directorate of Fisheries Coordination and Control has announced the opening of Subarea N° 12 for commercial shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) fishing. This decision, communicated Tuesday afternoon, is based on directives from Federal Fisheries Council Act N° 20/2025 and the results of the shrimp survey conducted in Subareas N° 7 and 12.
INDIA.png)
Popular Fish Farming Project.
SPAIN
Iberian sardine fishing fleets from Spain and Portugal have regained 
TURKEY.png)
Türkiye exported 32,000 tonnes of trout worth $217 million in the first six months of 2025, according to figures released by the Eastern Black Sea Exporters’ Association (DKIB).
Built at the Freire shipyard in Vigo, the ship bears the name of the first French female oceanographer and will strengthen the French Oceanographic Fleet..png)
They will analyze how aquatic foods are key to ensuring food sovereignty
EUROPEAN UNION
Following the recent European Parliament study "Labeling of Plant-Based Substitutes for Seafood: Scope and Issues at Stake," the Spanish fisheries and aquaculture value chain (1) has issued a statement endorsing the report's conclusions. The document, they state, "highlights the growth of plant-based alternatives to fish and recommends that food labels clearly differentiate plant-based substitutes from authentic fish and seafood, avoiding misleading names and images that could confuse consumers."
NORWAY
Harvest volume reached 1,232 tonnes Head On Gutted (HOG), with an all-in price realization of approximately $6.80 per kg. (Calculated at an approximate exchange rate of 1 USD = 10.59 NOK).
CHILE.png)
With 616 votes in favor, 29 against, and 36 abstentions, the European Parliament plenary session has given the final green light to the new protocol of the new fisheries agreement between the European Union and Greenland, which will allow European vessels to fish in Greenlandic waters for the next six years, until 2030. The protocol, provisionally in force since last December, will allow the European fleet to catch key species such as cod, Greenland halibut, redfish, and northern shrimp. It also contemplates possible access to the capelin fishery if it reopens. Overall, the protocol establishes annual fishing opportunities of up to 30,906 tons: 13,000 tons of capelin (if fishing is authorized); 6,675 tons of Greenland halibut; 6,581 tons of northern prawn; 2,100 tons of redfish; and 2,050 tons of cod
