Aerodyne Japan Co., Ltd. has achieved a significant milestone in advancing drone logistics solutions within Japan.

The company successfully completed a long-distance drone delivery demonstration in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture. Utilizing Aerodyne Japan's PWORCA, the drone transported approximately 10 kg of fresh fish on a 48 km round trip between Takashimacho and Egaishikacho in approximately 20 minutes. Flight PILOT handled operations, while Aerodyne provided technical expertise on aircraft operation.

This demonstration was a collaborative effort, building on the global alliance partnership between Aerodyne Group and Phoenix Wings GmbH, manufacturer of the PW ORCA. Aerodyne Group, a leading provider of DT3 (Drone Tech, Data Tech, Digital Transformation) solutions with operations in over 45 countries, announced the partnership in February. The two companies share a vision for drone logistics and have collaborated on numerous pilot and proof-of-concept (POC) projects.

The partnership leverages Aerodyne's advanced data technology, encompassing real-time analytics, route optimization, and predictive maintenance, crucial for safe and efficient drone logistics. This technology is combined with Phoenix Wings' high-performance VTOL aircraft, the PW ORCA, which boasts a maximum payload of 15 kg and a range of 100 km.

Starting in 2022, the Fisheries Agency will designate the 3rd to 7th of each month as "Fish Day," a week to strengthen activities to increase consumption of seafood, and announced that the number of supporting members had exceeded 1,000 at the end of February.

In Hokkaido, Aeon Hokkaido Co., Ltd. started the initiative in March, and during the first period from March 3rd to 7th, eco-labeled "sustainable seafood" produced through sustainable fishing and aquaculture was displayed in the sales area, and consumers were encouraged to consume it. 

The Aeon Kuwazono store sold fresh seafood such as Hokkaido surf clams and cherry salmon, as well as MSC-certified line-caught "red bonito for sashimi" (thawed). A staff member at the store said, "This is our first attempt, but we started it with the hope that people will eat a lot of seafood."

Unión Martín and Japan Tuna have inaugurated an innovative -60°C refrigerated warehouse in the Port of Las Palmas, the first and only one of its kind in the Canary Islands.

This specialized facility is designed to store sashimi-grade tuna unloaded by the Japanese fleet, consolidating Las Palmas as a key hub in the international market for this product.

With this new infrastructure, Unión Martín plans to distribute more than 2,000 tons of sashimi tuna annually, strengthening its position in the global market. The inauguration was attended by the Consul of Japan, Shinji Yamada, underscoring the importance of this collaboration.

The opening of this refrigerated warehouse will generate a positive impact on the local economy of Gran Canaria. In addition to Unión Martín's current 160 employees, a new team of professionals specializing in tuna processing will be created. Some of these professionals have received training in Japanese factories, and the rest will complete their training in the coming months.

The team will be trained to process tuna in various presentations, including loins, slices, cuts for sashimi and Saku, carpaccio, and other formats. This expansion will not only generate skilled employment but also strengthen the local fishing industry, reaffirming the company's commitment to the economic development of the archipelago.

LAUWERSOOG – Until the end of the year, the OL 7 will spend one week each month trying to catch shrimp with pots. This involves research by Wageningen Marine Research as part of the ‘Passive Shrimp Fishery’ project in the Wadden Sea.

Due to extremely poor catches, fellow shrimp fishers returned to port early again last week. It’s a waste of time and fuel to continue. For the OL 7 of skipper Folkert Sloot, it meant peace on the water to fish the first week with pots undisturbed. Lines were shot from Schiermonnikoog to the dike near Lauwersoog, from deeper water to almost dry land.

Three different pots are being tested, with bait (herring) and light to try to lure shrimp. A total of 180 pieces. The complete rig fits nicely on a trailer.

,,We mainly gathered ideas on how to technically improve the next test week to achieve an ideal pot. At the moment there are very few shrimp, so little meaningful can be said about catches. Whether it is commercially viable to fish for shrimp passively can only be said at the end of the project when you have fished all seasons. We counted shrimp per pot, and there turned out to be significant differences between pots. The key to this seems to be the type of bait. In this test week we also had shrimp catches without crabs, which gives hope for the seasons with many shrimp,’’ reacts WMR researcher Pieke Molenaar.

Source: visserijnieuws.nl

On March 4, 2024, the Russian government nationalized assets belonging to Alexey Kozlov's "crab empire." The Arbitration Court of Primorsky Krai transferred control of three Far Eastern companies, owned by Kozlov, to JSC Far Eastern Fishery Management Company (DRUK), a state-controlled entity. Grammy LLC and Tetis LLC will officially come under DRUK's control on January 31, 2025, followed by Tefis CJSC on February 20, 2025.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of Russia had previously determined that Tefis CJSC was under foreign investor control. Alexey Kozlov, co-owner of the companies, has resided in the United States since 2008, a factor that triggered numerous legal challenges. In mid-2023, the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) removed Tefis CJSC from the list of Kamchatka crab quota holders. Subsequent monitoring by the Prosecutor General's Office confirmed the presence of foreign control within the fisheries sector, despite attempts to conceal this information.

This nationalization follows similar actions against other fish producers, including Oleg Kan and Dmitry Pashov, whose assets were also transferred to DRUK. This trend indicates an ongoing government policy of nationalizing resources in strategically significant sectors of the economy.

Newsan, leader in the Argentine fishing industry, and Profand, leader in the Spanish fishing industry, announce the construction of a state-of-the-art freezer trawler, the most modern of its kind, intended for the capture of black hake and other species in Argentine and adjacent waters. The project, which will be carried out at the Spanish shipyard Nodosa, which designed it and which has recently delivered several technologically very advanced vessels, represents a step towards renewing the national fishing fleet, improving operational efficiency and increasing the company's productive capacity.

Source: EuropaAzul l Read the full article here

This International Women's Day, we’re turning the spotlight on the powerhouse women redefining ocean food.

From its start online in 2021 (then called Women in Aquaculture) our programme to promote women in the seafood space has expanded. Our first in-person studio took place in Bali 2022 and we have just finished our second Women in Ocean Food Innovation Studio in La Paz, Mexico.

Each programme has brought together extraordinary cohorts of female entrepreneurs - women who are making waves by innovating, scaling and challenging the status quo in aquaculture.

Author:  Dr Jessica Giannoumis / The Fish Site l Read the full article here

BioMar reports record profitability in 2024 despite declining volumes.

BioMar has reported its strongest financial performance to date, achieving record profitability in 2024 despite a decline in revenue and volumes. The company’s EBITDA increased by 18% across its consolidated businesses, reflecting a strategic focus on operational efficiencies and portfolio optimisation.

CEO Carlos Diaz attributed the improvement to targeted commercial decisions, stating, “We have driven a meticulous focus on building a strong business, and the increase in profitability is the result of an unwavering strategic focus on optimising our product portfolio, combined with a series of operational excellence measures.”

Source : SalmonBusiness l Read the full article here

Global seafood trading and marketing group Iceland Seafood International has reported higher earnings and profits for 2024 and during the final quarter of last year.

It was a year in which salmon prices went from very high to low halfway through which affected trading, ISI said.

The 2024 profit before tax from regular operations was above forecast at ISK 1.1bn (almost £7.5m) which was a significant improvement from the previous year.

Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer l Read the full article here