IN BRIEF - Inside North Korea's Forced-Labor Program
NORTH KOREA
Monday, February 26, 2024
Workers sent from the country to Chinese factories describe enduring beatings and sexual abuse, having their wages taken by the state, and being told that if they try to escape they will be “killed without a trace.”
IN FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR, Donggang Jinhui Foodstuff, a seafood-processing company in Dandong, China, threw a party. It had been a successful year: a new plant had opened, and the company had doubled the amount of squid that it exported to the United States. The party, according to videos posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, featured singers, instrumentalists, dancers, fireworks, and strobe lights. One aspect of the company’s success seems to have been its use of North Korean workers, who are sent by their government to work in Chinese factories, in conditions of captivity, to earn money for the state.
A seafood trader who does business with Jinhui recently estimated that it employed between fifty and seventy North Koreans. Videos posted by a company representative show machines labelled in Korean, and workers with North Korean accents explaining how to clean squid.
At the party, the company played songs that are popular in Pyongyang, including “People Bring Glory to Our Party” (written by North Korea’s 1989 poet laureate) and “We Will Go to Mt. Paektu” (a reference to the widely mythologized birthplace of Kim Jong Il).[...]
The two-day conference will highlight technologies, investment and business models that turn seafood side streams into high-value products.
100% Fish for Profit, on 23–24 September in Iceland, will unite industry, researchers and investors to explore full fish utilisation, from AI and advanced processing to nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and biomaterials.
The panel will explore how collaboration across industry, research, policy and investment can accelerate innovation and scale full-utilisation solutions internationally.
Free tools eSPeKS and AquaTrack aim to simplify government support and improve production efficiency
Malaysia’s Department of Fisheries (DOF) introduced eSPeKS and AquaTrack, free digital platforms for aquaculture farmers. The tools streamline government aid applications and record stocking, feed use, harvests, FCR, production costs and break-even points, providing data to improve farm planning, productivity and financial management.
More than 300 leaders will meet in Cebu to advance digital tools for responsible fisheriesThe SAFET 2026 Conference, set for September 8–10 in Cebu, will showcase DA-BFAR technologies for governance, traceability and fighting IUU fishing, including GIS systems and satellite tools to detect dark vessels.
Growing European demand drives freshwater fish shipments
In H1 2026, Kazakhstan's fish exports jumped 35.7%. Freshwater fillet shipments rose 36.8% to 4,200 tonnes, worth US$30.5 million, with Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Poland among the key markets.
Regarding specific export categories, frozen freshwater fish and freshwater fish fillets are the main aquatic products exported by Kazakhstan.
New products feature premium seafood from Aomori and Nagasaki
Umios will launch two fish sausages on September 1, 2026, made with Aomori kinmedai (splendid alfonsino) and Nagasaki ago (flying fish), highlighting distinctive regional Japanese seafood flavors in convenient processed products.
Season runs from September 1 through November, with sustainability rules and expanding aquaculture investment.
Oman produced 6,321 tonnes of shrimp worth RO 14.15 million in 2025, including 5,368 tonnes from aquaculture. A new RO 23.5 million Shinas project targets 7,500 tonnes annually, boosting exports and food security.
Canadian insect producer Entosystem has secured independent verification of greenhouse gas emission reductions generated by its ENVOL project, making it eligible to generate and commercialise certified carbon credits through the CSA Group’s EcoProjects Registry.
The company’s Drummondville facility can process up to 90,000 tonnes of food residues annually, converting them into ingredients including proteins and oils. At full capacity, the project is expected to avoid more than 23,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions each year, according to Entosystem.
Source: The Fish Site | Read the full article here
Singapore-headquartered Barramundi Group, which farms barramundi (Lates calcarifer) on land and at sea in Brunei, has reported encouraging improvements in biological performance and operating discipline in the first half of 2026.
But it remains cautious on the outlook for marine grow-out, where endemic biological challenges — in particular Lates calcarifer herpes virus (LCHV) — continue to constrain optimal survival and production performance. LCHV affects vital organs, including the liver, kidney, gills, pancreas, and eyes and can result in 60% to 80% mortality within days of clinical onset.
Author: Gareth Moore / fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
Initiative supports Zimbabwe’s goal of building a US$1 billion fisheries and aquaculture industry by 2030
Midlands State University (MSU) will develop a large-scale aquaculture project at Pitscottie Dam, Kwekwe, to boost fish production and food security. Zimbabwe consumes 85,000–95,000 tonnes of fish annually but produces only 25,000–40,000 tonnes, leaving a major supply gap.
Webinar highlights finance, markets and enterprise development for small-scale producers
NCDC, FAO and partners will promote Fish Farmer Producer Organisations (FFPOs) as tools to strengthen climate-resilient fisheries and aquaculture, expanding collective action, access to finance and markets, training and sustainable livelihoods.
NORTH KOREA
ICELAND
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PHILIPPINES
More than 300 leaders will meet in Cebu to advance digital tools for responsible fisheries
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Growing European demand drives freshwater fish shipments
JAPAN
OMAN
Season runs from September 1 through November, with sustainability rules and expanding aquaculture investment.
CANADA
Canadian insect producer Entosystem has secured independent verification of greenhouse gas emission reductions generated by its ENVOL project, making it eligible to generate and commercialise certified carbon credits through the CSA Group’s EcoProjects Registry.
SINGAPORE
Singapore-headquartered 
ZIMBABWE
Initiative supports Zimbabwe’s goal of building a US$1 billion fisheries and aquaculture industry by 2030
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