The state’s longest-operating seafood canning facility in Washington County, Maine, is closing its doors, according to a report by Fox 22 Bangor. For more than 100 years, Looks Gourmet, operating as Bar Harbor Foods, has processed and canned mackerel, salmon, sardines, and clams from its factory, the last of its kind in the region.

The company, renowned for its clam chowder and clam juice, has been a staple of Maine’s seafood industry. However, the decision to close the facility follows years of operational challenges and shifting business priorities.

Sea Watch International, which acquired Looks Gourmet in 2016, announced the closure as part of a restructuring plan.

“After careful consideration and extensive evaluation of our current business needs, we made the painful decision to close the Maine facility,” said General Manager Mike Sansing.

The production will be relocated to Sea Watch's facility in Milford, Delaware, a move Sansing described as essential to ensure the company's long-term success.

This closure marks the end of an era for Washington County, leaving a significant gap in the local seafood processing industry.

Muzaffargarh pilot project ships 21 tons, with sights set on $2 billion in annual exports.

Pakistan has entered the $57 billion global shrimp farming industry with its inaugural shrimp export to Vietnam, a significant achievement in the country’s expanding aquaculture sector.

The first shipment, consisting of 21 tons of shrimp, was dispatched from the Muzaffargarh shrimp farm pilot project. This marks a key milestone in collaborative efforts by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), the Green Pakistan Initiative, and the Green Corporate Livestock Initiative (GCLI). Plans are already underway for additional shipments to Jordan and the United States.

Vast Potential for Expansion

Pakistan’s aquaculture sector is tapping into its immense potential, with thousands of acres in coastal areas and Punjab's saline regions identified as suitable for shrimp farming. This progress is the result of strategic legislative reforms and targeted measures aimed at strengthening the sector.

The project unites federal and provincial governments, with Punjab and Sindh collaborating under the SIFC and GCLI frameworks to attract both domestic and international investments. These coordinated efforts aim to position Pakistan as a significant competitor in the global shrimp market.

The fishing ban affecting the entire Visayan Sea began Friday, prohibiting all fishing activities in the area, a fishery official said.

Richie Deloso, information assistant at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7 (Central Visayas), encouraged the public to help preserve marine life around the Visayan Sea to allow sardine, herring, and mackerel fish to reproduce during the closed fishing season.

Deloso said the public’s cooperation is crucial in spreading the information on the ban on fishing, which will redound to the benefit of the consumers.

The three-month closed season until Feb. 15, 2025 will give sardine, mackerel, and herring time to mature, lay their eggs, and give birth so that when the Visayan Sea is reopened, fishermen will have more catch.

“Our sacrifices would only be for three months but what we do will pay forward to the next generation. Let’s help preserve and prevent depletion of our resources. If we will abuse our resources now, the next generation will suffer,” Deloso said.

Among the fish species that are prohibited from being taken by fishermen during the closed season are the “tuloy,” “tamban,” “hilos-hilos,” and “anduhaw” or “hasa-hasa.”

Violators of the closed season could be prosecuted under Republic Act 8550 or the Fisheries Code of 1998. (PNA)

A total of 826 arrests related to local fishing boats and vessels were made from Jan 1 to Oct 30 this year, according to the Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOF).

Its director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain said the arrests were made under 19 categories of offences outlined in the Fisheries Act 1985.

These included encroachments into fishing zones, violations of licence conditions, and also involved the seizure of nets and vessels.

The arrests were carried out in collaboration with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Marine Police Force. Additionally, 220 compounds totalling RM565,000 were issued, and 470 cases involved confiscations.

“We take this issue seriously and will continue to work with other agencies to curb encroachments and protect local fishermen’s livelihoods,“ Adnan said during the handover of 10 new high-speed patrol boats at Pulau Kambing.

The new boats, valued at RM15 million, will be deployed to six states; Kedah, Penang, Perak, Melaka, Johor, and Kelantan, to improve monitoring and surveillance of national waters.

The boats are equipped with advanced electronic systems and will complement the existing 86 assets responsible for safeguarding 600,000 square kilometres of Malaysian waters.

Adnan also highlighted concerns over foreign fishing vessel encroachments, which have impacted local fisheries.

Between 2020 and 2023, DOF recorded 428 cases of foreign vessel encroachments, with estimated losses of RM823.88 million.

Biological Challenges and reduced volume expectations

Norwegian salmon heavyweight SalMar delivered operational EBIT of NOK 1,041 million ($93.69 million/€88.49 million) in the third quarter of 2024, supported by strong results in sales and industry operations.

The group’s harvest volume totaled 60,300 tonnes, yielding an operational EBIT of NOK 17.3 ($1.56/€1.48) per kg. In Norway, operational EBIT reached NOK 1,082 million ($97.38 million/€91.97 million) on a harvest volume of 56,400 tonnes, with an EBIT per kg of NOK 19.2 ($1.73/€1.63).

Source: SalmonBusiness l  Read the full article here

Factory trawler Centurión del Atlántico – the largest in the South American country – has made a strong start after a complete refit.

In September 2024, Estremar, a leading Argentine fisheries company, put its fully-renovated factory vessel Centurión del Atlántico into action. The 118-metre-long trawler is now the only fishing vessel in the South American country with hybrid propulsion. Its update was done in Norway, where it received many new features to enhance its operations’ sustainability and to reduce its carbon footprint.

Author: Eduardo Campos Lima / Worldfishing l  Read the full article here

Rehovot, Israel-based cell-cultured seafood producer Forsea said it has achieved a major step toward making cell-cultured eel commercially viable. 

Using the startup’s organoid technology, Forsea said it recently achieved the highest cell density recorded in the cell-cultured seafood field.

Organoid technology is a patented platform which allows cells to differentiate and grow autonomously, as they do in nature. In general, cell-cultured seafood uses stem cells that are directed toward specific target tissues like muscle or fat.

Author: Erin Spampinato / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here

Lima (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday vowed to implement an agreement reached between their countries in September to resume China's imports of Japanese fishery products.

In their first meeting in Lima, Peru, on the sidelines of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Ishiba called on Xi to lift Beijing's import ban on Japanese fishery products at an early date.

China imposed the ban last year in response to Japan's release into the ocean of tritium-containing treated water from its tsunami-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Referring to the fatal stabbing of a Japanese schoolboy in the Chinese city of Shenzhen in September, Ishiba called for ensuring the safety of Japanese nationals in China.

Xi said that China will handle the incident based on law and that it will ensure the safety of all foreigners, including Japanese.

Frozen squid tube imports to South Korea have seen a substantial decline this year.

As of October 2024, total imports amounted to 15,883 tons—a 46% decrease compared to 29,285 tons imported during the same period in 2023. However, October’s imports alone reached 3,084 tons, up 17% from 2,639 tons in October of last year.

These cumulative imports represent just 2% of the global frozen squid tube import volume, which stood at 732,192 tons. South Korea’s main suppliers were China and Chile, with China contributing 8,793 tons (55% of total imports) and Chile supplying 5,791 tons (37%). Other sources included Peru (715 tons), Argentina (315 tons), Indonesia (166 tons), and Taiwan (98 tons).

Average unit prices also varied significantly by country, with Argentine squid tubes fetching the highest price at USD 6.12/kg. China’s imports averaged USD 2.41/kg, while Chile and Peru followed at USD 1.93/kg and USD 2.13/kg, respectively. The overall average import price increased by 19%, reaching USD 2.32/kg from last year’s USD 1.94/kg.

The total import value of frozen squid tubes in October rose to USD 8.22 million, marking a 69% increase from USD 4.86 million in October 2023. However, cumulative import value for the year to date was USD 36.82 million, representing a 35% decline from last year’s figure of USD 56.71 million.

Source: Union Forsea Corp.