IN BRIEF - Pacific saury catch reached 20,000 tons at the end of November for the first time in three years
JAPAN
Friday, December 08, 2023
Zenma Sanma announced the total of saury landings for the 2023 fishing season as of the end of November. The amount of fish landed was 24,046 tons (35% increase compared to the same period last year), returning to the 20,000-ton level for the first time in three years since the 2020 fishing season (final 29,566 tons). However, because the average unit price was 30% lower, the value of the fish landed was 10,007,971,000 yen (3% decrease), lower than the previous fishing season.
In November, a single month increase of 8,575 tons (25% increase) was achieved. In addition to being visible off the coast of Sanriku in late October, schools of fish have been seen off the Sea of ??Okhotsk in Hokkaido, and for the first time in a long time, a major fishing ground has been formed in the waters near Japan. For the past two years, only large vessels were able to fish for saury, mainly in international waters, but small and medium-sized vessels are now able to fish for saury for the first time in three years.
The total was about 14,000 tons, including about 6,000 tons from the Sea of ??Okhotsk fishing grounds and about 8,000 tons off the coast of Sanriku. Approximately 60% of all catches have so far been caught in waters near Japan. It was a year in which the tide changed, with the amount of fish landings turning to increase for the first time in five years. [....]
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 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.
Salmon farmer Mowi Scotland is helping a remote Hebridean community to replace a statue of the saint that gave their island its name.
The island of Barra, in the Outer Hebrides, is named after the Irish saint, Barr (also known as Finbar). The statue of St Barr, installed in the 1970s, is now crumbling and needs extensive restoration.
Mowi provided both a vessel and crew to facilitate the removal of the existing statue from the island and supplied concrete to upgrade the plinth for the new statue, which is scheduled to arrive later this year.
Author: Robert Outram / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
Salmon stolen from a processing facility in Norway has been found in a stolen articulated lorry trailer parked up at a petrol station.
Processor 1814 Salmon reported that 18 tonnes of salmon worth around NOK 1.4 million (£112,000) had been stolen from its facility in Dal, close to Oslo Airport, in a burglary at the weekend.
Late on Sunday, police received a report of the theft of two articulated lorry trailers that had been stolen from nearby Skarnes during the night. At least one of them was observed at a service station in Vestby, around 110 kilometres southwest of Skarnes, and a patrol was dispatched to the scene.
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
Atlantic Sapphire has entered into a restructuring agreement with a group of major shareholders and convertible loan holders aimed at securing long-term financing, reducing debt, and taking the land-based salmon farmer private.
The investor group includes Nordlaks Holding, Condire Management, Nokomis Capital, Strawberry Capital, and Joh. Johannsson Eiendom. Together, the group represents around 63% of Atlantic Sapphire’s shares and 93% of its outstanding convertible loan.
The transaction includes a voluntary offer of NOK 0.80 (€0.07) per share, followed by a planned squeeze-out of minority shareholders and a delisting from Euronext Oslo Børs.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
A new free trade deal in the Middle East is expected to provide a boost for Scottish exports amid global economic uncertainty, Scotland’s salmon farming trade body has said.
Salmon Scotland said the deal between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ensures permanent tariff-free access for UK goods to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, removing five per cent tariffs on some salmon exports.
Salmones Austral officially launched its direct operations in Asia with the opening of its new commercial office in Tokyo, under the name Japón Austral.
The launch event took place on May 19 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the Japanese capital. The event brought together approximately 50 attendees, including key clients from the region, trade attachés from ProChile, and senior company executives, marking a strategic milestone in the firm's internationalization plan.
The new Japón Austral office will primarily focus on coordinating and expanding the company's business in various Asian markets, excluding China.