IN BRIEF - Landings down up to 50 to 75% in opening days of lobster fishery
CANADA
Monday, December 11, 2023
The only record landings being caught so far this year in the southwestern Nova Scotia lobster fishery are on the low end of the scale.
“The inside boats, the catches are okay. But the outside boats fishing 45, 50 fathoms, (there's) been nothing. It’s been a disaster,”said Lockeport buyer Mike Cotter of Cotter’s Ocean Products.
Fishermen in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 33, where the season opened on Nov. 26, “have been able to move their gear inside, and hopefully with the price they’re going to make a season out of it,”Cotter said.
The opening shore price of $10.50 a pound is about the only bright spot so far this season. Last year, the season opened at $7.50.
“The price is helping out a lot,”said Cotter.
In neighbouring LFA 34, where the season opened on Dec. 2 following five days of weather delays, “the catches are way, way down,"Cotter said.
"I was talking to people in Meteghan, Brier Island, Pubnico. The inside boats are catching a few but they’re still down 20 to 30 percent. Some areas are down 50 per cent,”said Cotter.
Dan Fleck project manager for the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, said in LFA 34 fishers fishing offshore from the 25-to-50-mile line, are reporting catches are down as much as 75 per cent.[...]
The three unions represented at the negotiating table for the national collective bargaining agreement for the fish and seafood canning industry (CIG, CCOO, and UGT) have broken off talks with employers following what they consider a "regressive proposal" that, they explain, "insists on changing the professional classification system so that nothing changes and aims for a real wage increase of 0.0%."
This was announced by the CIG, which demands a "clear and transparent" professional classification based on a job evaluation that avoids discretion and arbitrary classification decisions by companies, in addition to a 5% wage increase.
Source: iPac.aquaculture | Read the full article here
Shark scare at salmon farm as damage discovered in sea pen.
A swarm of sharks has ripped into a salmon farm in Norway, tearing holes in nets and sparking fears thousands of fish may have escaped.
The dramatic incident unfolded at a SalMarsite in Trøndelag, Norway where operators discovered extensive damage to a sea pen after repeated shark attacks.Regulators say the predators struck under cover of darkness, forcing the company to urgently move fish out of the damaged enclosure and deploy emergency recapture nets.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
A ban on salmon farm in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, has been overturned by a single vote in the region’s legislature, according to reports.
The local government in Tierra del Fuego passed the law in 2021, but regional legislator Agustín Coto – now a senator - moved to revoke the ban in the face of an economic squeeze. Tourism in Tierra del Fuego has slowed, and the region’s manufacturing sector is facing increasing pressures.Argentina’s current president, Javier Milei, also favours deregulating the nation’s industries to boost growth.
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
FISA presented the preliminary program for the AquaSur 2026 Congress, featuring three days focused on innovation, sustainability, genetics, and technologies for aquaculture.
The thirteenth edition of AquaSur will take place from March 24 to 26, 2026, in the Los Lagos Region of Chile. The exhibition is considered the leading meeting point in the Southern Hemisphere for companies dedicated to aquaculture and related products.
The event organizers, FISA, part of the French group GL events, have high expectations for this edition.
Source: MundoAcuicola | Read the full article here
Norway has seen another salmon farming acquisition, as the industry continues to consolidate.
Alsaker AS has entered into a binding agreement to purchase 100% of the shares in the rival Bolaks Group AS, creating by far the largest privately owned aquaculture operations in Western Norway.
Alsaker and Bolaks , both private businesses, will together have over 25,000 tonnes of MTB in the areas PO2 and PO3 and will constitute a locally owned aquaculture operator with a strong foothold in many local communities in the west of the country.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
A ban on salmon farming in the Argentinian part of Tierra del Fuego has been overturned by the local government this week.
The legislature of the region voted by just a single vote to modify Law 1,355, the pioneering 2021 legislation that prohibited salmon farming in the sea, rivers, lakes and lagoons of the province.
The outcome was received with dismay and frustration by local chefs, artisanal fisherpeople, environmental groups and residents who had mobilised in recent weeks to defend the ban.
Source: The Fish Site | Read the full article here
Indonesian shrimp exports declined sharply in October, largely due to recalls of Indonesian products which were found, upon their arrival in the United States, to contain traces of Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive material.
The first findings of Cs-137 came in August, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory to the public not to eat, sell, or serve imported shrimp processed by Indonesia-based PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, a supplier to some Walmart locations.
After two months of stalled shipments and trade challenges, the FDA reached an agreement with the nation to resume imports after its Cs-137 task force identified the source of the contamination and cleared it.
Author: Erin Spampinato / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here
Norway, the UK, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland have just signed a new long-term agreement for the management and distribution of the mackerel stock. This comes in a context where the EU has agreed to a 70% reduction in the quota for the species, pending an agreement with the coastal states.
"I am extremely pleased that we have signed a new long-term agreement for the management and distribution of the mackerel stock. The agreement will contribute to limiting mackerel fishing and, therefore, to reducing fishing pressure in the long term," said the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Marianne Sivertsen Næss. She also welcomed Iceland's participation in the agreement.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
Salmon producer Bakkafrost is set to appeal a decision by Western Isles local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to refuse consent for a new fish farm on the east coast of Lewis.
Earlier this month councillors went against the recommendation of planning officials and rejected the proposal for five 200m (656ft) circumference pens at a site off North Gravir.
Concern had been voiced about the potential impact of the farm on historically important and economically productive fishing grounds.
IFFO reports higher fishmeal and fish oil output through October 2025.
Global fishmeal and fish oil production increased year on year in the first three quarters of 2025, according to updated market intelligence from IFFO, the Marine Ingredients Organisation.
IFFO said cumulative fishmeal production reported by its members was up around 7% versus the same period in 2024 by October 2025, with higher output recorded across most regions. The organisation noted a year on year decline in the Iceland and North Atlantic area.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
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CANADA
SPAIN.png)
The three unions represented at the negotiating table for the national collective bargaining agreement for the fish and seafood canning industry (CIG, CCOO, and UGT) have broken off talks with employers following what they consider a "regressive proposal" that, they explain, "insists on changing the professional classification system so that nothing changes and aims for a real wage increase of 0.0%."
NORWAY.png)
A swarm of sharks has ripped into a salmon farm in Norway, tearing holes in nets and sparking fears thousands of fish may have escaped.
ARGENTINA
A ban on salmon farm in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, has been overturned by a single vote in the region’s legislature, according to reports.
CHILE.png)
FISA presented the preliminary program for the 
Norway has seen another salmon farming acquisition, as the industry continues to consolidate.
A ban on salmon farming in the Argentinian part of Tierra del Fuego has been overturned by the local government this week.
INDONESIA
Indonesian shrimp exports declined sharply in October, largely due to recalls of Indonesian products which were found, upon their arrival in the United States, to contain traces of Cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive material. 
WORLDWIDE
Norway, the UK, the Faroe Islands, and Iceland have just signed a new long-term agreement for the management and distribution of the mackerel stock. This comes in a context where the EU has agreed to a 70% reduction in the quota for the species, pending an agreement with the coastal states.
UNITED KINGDOM.png)
Salmon producer 
