As of October 4, 2024, South Korea has imported a cumulative total of 18,968 tons of fresh salmon, which is similar to the 18,903 tons imported during the same period last year. 

However, the import value has dropped by nearly 10%, from USD 297,650 in 2023 to USD 267,989 in 2024. 

Most of the imports came from Norway, accounting for 18,315 tons, followed by Chile with 445 tons and Canada with 90 tons. The import prices per kilogram were highest for Norway at USD 14.19, followed by Chile at USD 12.61, and Canada at USD 12.23, the lowest.

Source: Union Forsea Corp.

• Those attending the event receive recipe books and promotional gifts, thus contributing to a complete culinary experience that goes beyond simple tasting..

• With this initiative, Opmega reinforces its commitment to innovation in the sector and its goal of making a fresh, healthy and easy-to-prepare product available to all homes.

Valladolid - From October 3 to 5, the Val de Valladolid Market is the epicentre of the 'OPMEGA Gastronomic Days', where not only the quality of Galician mussels is celebrated, but also one of its main innovations: the new fresh mussel packaging, developed by the Galician Mussel Producers' Organisation (OPMEGA).

These packages, designed to improve the conservation and facilitate the consumption of mussels, are available to the public of Valladolid in the fishmongers of the market. The key to this innovation lies in the controlled atmosphere of the packaging, which allows the mussel to remain alive and perfectly clean, extending its useful life by 40%.

This represents a great advance both for consumers, who can enjoy the fresh product for longer, and for the fishing sector, which sees how the distribution chain is optimized without losing the characteristic quality of the Galician mussel.

Source: Opmega Comunicación

The Court of Justice of the European Union has rejected the appeals filed by the Council of the EU and the European Commission against the 2021 ruling that annulled the fisheries and agricultural agreements between the EU and Morocco, following a complaint by the Polisario Front for not having taken into account the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara and, in the specific case of fisheries, for not treating the territory of Western Sahara and adjacent waters as separate and distinct from the Kingdom of Morocco.

The new ruling, with a definitive character, generates more uncertainties about the future of fisheries relations with Morocco. 

Source: Industrias Pesqueras l Read the full article here

Proximar Seafood has harvested and sold the first Atlantic salmon to the Japanese market under the brand Fuji Atlantic Salmon.

Proximar has, from its salmon facility at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan, over the past two years prepared for the company’s first harvest– and the first harvest ever in Japan of domestically produced Atlantic salmon. The completion of the first commercial harvest is marking an operational and commercial pivotal milestone.

Source: Fish Focus l Read the full article here

How Ecuador’s shrimp industry has established itself as a global model of sustainability is set to be the key theme of an event taking place on 22 October during AquaExpo Guayaquil.

Organised by the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) and Ecuador’s National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), it will be the first edition of the new sustainability forum, Race to the Top.

The event, held at the Guayaquil Convention Center, is set to contain four sections – focused on governance, environmental, social and economic topics – and will feature 15 lectures, panels and success stories from Ecuador’s shrimp industry, with more than 35 internationally and nationally renowned speakers.

Source: The Fish Site l Read the full article here

The UK Government has begun rolling out Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) systems on fishing vessels, marking a significant step towards modernising the monitoring of fishing activities and promoting sustainability.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in collaboration with key partners, is implementing this technology to collect real-time data on fishing activities and catches, supporting both the industry and environmental conservation efforts.

Author: Oliver McBride / The Fishing Daily l Read the full article here

In late September 2024, federal regulators shut down a significant Alaska fishery after two trawlers from Kodiak accidentally caught around 2,000 king salmon (Chinook Salmon - Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) while targeting pollock, a whitefish commonly used in processed products like fish sticks and surimi. This bycatch incident—where non-target species are unintentionally caught—triggered the closure, as the fleet approached its annual limit of 18,000 king salmon.

This closure affects about 20 boats and potentially hundreds of shore-based processing jobs, as the season was initially set to continue until November. The event has intensified ongoing debates about bycatch, with conservationists and Tribal advocates pushing for stricter regulations on trawl fleets, which often unintentionally harvest vulnerable species like salmon while targeting lower-value fish.

While bycatch in the Bering Sea has been a primary concern, this incident occurred in the Gulf of Alaska, an area whose bycatch includes salmon originating from British Columbia, the U.S. West Coast, and some from Alaska’s Copper and Kenai rivers.

This closure highlights the ongoing tension between sustaining Alaska’s commercial fishing industry and the urgent need to protect threatened salmon populations.

The farm’s pioneering founder, Khadidiatou Sar Seck, began the project around 15 years ago in the West African country, where fishing is a key part of the national identity.

A man feed fishes in a pond where they are reared at the Mbawane farm in Kayar. (Photo by SEYLLOU / AFP)

Fish accounts for over 70 percent of household protein intake, and the fishing industry provides around 600,000 direct and indirect jobs in a population of 18 million people.

The volume of catches by traditional wooden fishing canoes plunged by 58 percent between 2012 and 2019, according to the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).

For Senegalese faced with a high cost of living and widespread unemployment, prices are rising and an essential foodstuff is becoming increasingly unaffordable.

Hardly a day goes by without reports of a migrant boat leaving, being intercepted or capsizing on the perilous route between Senegal and Spain’s Canary Islands.

Many who board the boats are fishermen or those living along the Atlantic coast, which is heavily reliant on the industry.

Like its predecessors, the new government has vowed to promote fish farming and attract industry investment.[...]

Source:The Guardian

Every year, within the framework of the Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Protection, Regulation and Reproduction of Living Aquatic Resources in the Border Waters of the Ussuri and Middle Amur Rivers, the fisheries protection agencies of the two countries carry out joint control measures.

The raid was organized in anticipation of the ban on fishing, which is in effect from October 1 to 20.

The Russian delegation visited fishing camps in China, where they familiarized themselves with documents permitting fishing, examined fishing boats and fishing gear, as well as the harvested aquatic bioresources. A conversation was held with fishermen about the need to comply with the Fishing Rules.

Joint control was carried out in full, in a businesslike and friendly atmosphere. No violations of the Rules for the protection, regulation and reproduction of fish stocks in the border waters of the Amur and Ussuri rivers were identified. Based on the results of the activities, the parties signed a protocol.

The next stage of cooperation will be a meeting of the Working Commission for the Management of Fisheries in the Border Waters of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers in November 2024.

Source: Federal Agency for Fisheries

As of October 2024, the volume of frozen mackerel imported up to September was 33,926 tons, nearly identical to the 33,927 tons imported in 2023. The domestic distribution price has shown a steady upward trend, with the average import price of frozen mackerel by September 2024 standing at USD 2.17/kg.

Norwegian mackerel accounted for the largest share of imports, with 27,941 tons, representing 83.3% of the total. 

The average import price for Norwegian mackerel was USD 2.23/kg. Chinese mackerel made up 10.9% of imports, with 3,645 tons and an average price of USD 1.97/kg. Taiwan contributed 1,352 tons, making up 4.0% of imports, at an average price of USD 1.48/kg. Additionally, 611 tons were imported from the Netherlands.

In the first week of October 2024, the wholesale price for Norwegian frozen mackerel, size 300/500g, reached 99,000 KRW, a 2.06% increase from September's price of 97,000 KRW, and a significant 57.14% rise from 63,000 KRW in December 2023. 

For size 400/600g, the price was 98,000 KRW, a 1.03% increase compared to September 2024 and a 44.11% rise compared to 68,000 KRW in December 2023. The price of Norwegian mackerel is expected to continue its upward trend in the near future.

Source: Union Forsea Corp.