IN BRIEF - Starting today fishing vessel owners will be paid within 24 hours: President
MALDIVES
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu says as per his pledge starting today the payment of fish catch would be deposited to the fishing vessel owner's accounts within 48 hours.
He made these remarks while addressing the residents of Kaafu Gaafaru today.
The President said the fishing industry is an industry that this government is giving high priority to develop.
Noting that the government owed around MVR 225 million to fish vessel owners when he took office, the President said his administration has now paid these dues. He further indicated that around MVR 100 million has been paid as oil subsidies to the fish vessel owners.
However, the President noted that this was not what he had promised during the Presidential Campaign and that he had pledged to pay the fishermen within 48 hours after they weighed their catch. The President said that despite the backlog of payments, the administration will begin implementing his pledge to the fishermen starting tomorrow.
He also assured that the MVR 38 million for the past 14 days will be handed over to the boat owners today and there will be no backlog.
The President that a vital agreement has been reached between the Finance Ministry, MIFCO, and the Bank of Maldives yesterday that would allow the government to deposit payments to fishing vessels that have bank accounts at the BML within 28 hours.
President Muizzu thanked BML and assured fishing vessels with accounts at the Maldives Islamic Bank that he would find alternative paths for them.
PARIS — A "shortage alert" for canned sardines, which spread across social media, has been dismissed as a misunderstanding. The alert, started by consumer expert Olivier Dauvers, was based on a photo of empty shelves at an Auchan France store with a sign blaming overfishing and a disastrous 2024 French fishing season.
However, a traditional cannery owner in Brittany has quickly refuted the claim, stating that while some shelves might be empty, the problem lies with supply from Morocco, not a lack of French sardines.
While the current shortage is a supply-chain issue, the sign at the supermarket did touch on a real long-term concern. Scientific data shows that the sardine biomass in the Bay of Biscay has shrunk by nearly three times in the last 20 years, bringing the stock close to a level considered collapsed.
A sudden increase in fresh squid landings reverses a years-long decline, yet an overabundance of smaller fish poses a new challenge for the industry.
TOKYO — The Japanese flying squid catch has shown a dramatic recovery this year, reversing a slump that had brought landings to record lows. According to a new report, the total domestic landing volume from January to July reached 5,588 tons, a significant 78% increase compared to the same period last year.
The surge was driven almost entirely by the fresh squid sector, which saw landings jump by 91% to 5,340 tons. In contrast, frozen squid landings dropped by 28%.
Despite the positive volume, the industry is now grappling with a new problem: the overall size of the squid caught has been exceptionally small. In a market where larger squid command higher prices, this trend could put pressure on the economic value of the catch. The current trend also highlights an extreme imbalance in landing areas, with some regions experiencing bumper catches while others are left behind
The appointment of Toke Binzer, effective December 1, 2025, is a strategic move combining international business acumen with deep local roots.
Nuuk — Royal Greenland, a leading player in the global seafood industry and a cornerstone of the Greenlandic economy, has appointed Toke Binzer as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Binzer brings a powerful combination of international corporate experience and local insight to the role. He has a strong background in complex development and transformation tasks from his time at global companies like IBM and TDC. At the same time, his recent role as a director at Tusass gave him an in-depth understanding of Greenland's business and societal landscape.
Chairman of the Board, Niels Thomsen, stated: "Royal Greenland welcomes Toke Binzer. The board looks forward to the opportunities his experience and leadership will bring. We share his ambitions of high professionalism, execution power, and a strong anchoring in Greenland."
As Binzer prepares to take the helm from interim CEO Preben Sunke, the company is focused on executing its strategy and restoring its economy.
European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic responds to Galician MEPs Millán Mon and Vázquez Lázara and acknowledges the need to protect the European industry.
European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic has acknowledged in writing the sensitivity of the canned fish sector in the framework of the negotiations for a trade agreement between the European Union and Thailand. He did so through two letters addressed to Galician MEPs Francisco Millán Mon and Adrián Vázquez Lázara, who had conveyed to the European Commission the concerns of the Spanish canning industry, especially those based in Galicia, the EU leader in the sector.
In January 2024, the Galician government agreed to begin processing the draft decree regulating the Xunta's carbon credit system. This document, after being released for public consultation a year ago, was approved this Monday by the Consello. The regional government is now setting a deadline for its operation by early next year, after having put the electronic platform that will manage this new voluntary market "through verifiable and certified transactions to ensure its resiliency and security" out to public tender this year. Each carbon credit, according to the Xunta, will be equivalent to one ton of absorbed CO2.
Source: La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is inviting fishers, merchants and exporters to help shape changes to the Fish Export Service (FES) to keep seafood exports flowing to Europe from next January.
The EU is set to update its requirements for Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing regulations, and so everyone involved in the UK’s seafood supply now has a role to play in ensuring our exports can continue to flow smoothly once the changes come in to effect on 10 January next year.
Iceland’s fishing and aquaculture organisation SFS has told the Reykjavik government that the industry can more than double its value creation to more than £5 billion over the next decade.
SFS, also known as the Icelandic Fisheries Association, was commenting on a proposed government employment policy which is up for consultation.
Together, fishing and aquaculture are worth around ISK 400 billion (£2.4bn) to the Icelandic economy. But SFS says it is more than possible to increase this to around ISK 800 billion – or eventually ISK 900 billion (£5bn plus).
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
A new research report shows that material selection and cleaning methods in fish farms can have a major impact on microplastic emissions. The project is led by Norwegian research institute SINTEF Ocean and paid for by fisheries and aquaculture industry research funder FHF.
The goal of the SMARTER research project is to help the aquaculture industry choose the right combinations of nets, impregnation (coating), cleaning methods, and ropes, so that emissions of microplastics are as low as possible.
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
Conxemar has proposed, through a recommendation from the Market Advisory Council (MAC) to the Commission, the need for the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EUMOFA) to conduct a study on the role played by joint fishing companies with European capital in supplying seafood to the EU market. "Their role in ensuring food security, trade competitiveness, and the sustainable use of resources deserves greater recognition," the association stated.
The report, which would complement the one prepared by the Vigo Free Trade Zone in 2023, should focus on their geographical distribution, their contribution to the supply of EU fishery and aquaculture products, their economic and social impacts, as well as their alignment with the Union's political objectives.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
In the framework of the 20th meeting of the Subcommittee on Fish Trade of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), held from September 8 to 12, Peru, through the Ministry of Production (Produce) and the National Authority for Health and Safety in Fisheries and Aquaculture (Sanipes), was elected to chair the aforementioned FAO Subcommittee.
This appointment, Produce emphasizes, "represents a milestone for the region and international recognition of Peru's leadership in the responsible management of aquatic resources, the promotion of fair and sustainable fish trade, and the defense of global food security."
Source: iPac.acuicultura | Read the full article here
MALDIVES
FRANCE
JAPAN
GREENLAND
Nuuk — 
BELGIUM
European Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic responds to Galician MEPs Millán Mon and Vázquez Lázara and acknowledges the need to protect the European industry.
SPAIN
In January 2024, the Galician government agreed to begin processing the draft decree regulating the Xunta's carbon credit system. This document, after being released for public consultation a year ago, was approved this Monday by the Consello. The regional government is now setting a deadline for its operation by early next year, after having put the electronic platform that will manage this new voluntary market "through verifiable and certified transactions to ensure its resiliency and security" out to public tender this year. Each carbon credit, according to the Xunta, will be equivalent to one ton of absorbed CO2. 
UNITED KINGDOM
ICELAND
Iceland’s fishing and aquaculture organisation SFS has told the Reykjavik government that the industry can more than double its value creation to more than £5 billion over the next decade.
NORWAY
A new research report shows that material selection and cleaning methods in fish farms can have a major impact on microplastic emissions. The project is led by Norwegian research institute SINTEF Ocean and paid for by fisheries and aquaculture industry research funder FHF.
EUROPEAN UNION
PERU.png)
In the framework of the 20th meeting of the Subcommittee on Fish Trade of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 
