IN BRIEF - South Korean Imports of Norwegian Seafood: November Rise Amid 5% Year-to-Date Decline
SOUTH KOREA
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
In November 2024, South Korea imported 5,699 tons of seafood from Norway, representing a 7% increase compared to 5,337 tons in the same period in 2023.
However, the cumulative imports from January to November 2024 fell by 5% to 60,556 tons, down from 63,870 tons in the previous year. Norwegian seafood accounted for approximately 7% of the total seafood imports of 814,815 tons.
Import Volumes by Product
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The import value of Norwegian seafood in November 2024 reached USD 42.79 million, up 6% from USD 40.46 million in the same month of 2023. However, the cumulative import value decreased by 4%, totaling USD 479.91 million compared to USD 500.81 million in the previous year. The average import price rose slightly to USD 7.93/kg, a 1% increase from USD 7.84/kg in 2023.
Larval Monitoring Identifies Spawning Events and Alerts Mussel Farmers in the X Region
The Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP), through its Environmental Department, has officially announced the start of the 2025-2026 mussel seed collection season for mussel (Mytilus chilensis) in the X Region of Los Lagos, Chile.
The announcement is based on results from the larval monitoring program, funded by the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca), which detected a significant increase in the concentration of D-larvae in late September 2025, indicating recent mussel spawning events.
The data should alert mussel farmers to prepare their collectors. High larval concentrations were recorded in key sectors, notably:
Pichicolo:230,000 larvae per m³.
Hornopirén: approximately 50,000 larvae per m³.
Compu:4,181 larvae per m³.
Castro:1,972 larvae per m³.
All information generated by the program is available to users on the IFOP digital platform "Semilla Endémica" (ifop.cl/monitoreo-larvas-de-mitilidos), allowing producers to make timely management decisions.
Strategic Investment in Gardermoen Business Park Reinforces Oslo's Logistics Axis and Seafood Cluster
Abrahams Salmon Processing KS, a newly established subsidiary of the German processing giant Dirk Abrahams GmbH, is setting up a modern filleting facility in Gardermoen Business Park in Norway. The company has signed a long-term agreement with Oslo Airport City (OAC) for this investment, which is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2026.
The new plant, which will span approximately 4,660 square meters, represents a significant investment aimed at the advanced processing of Norwegian salmon for the international market, including feeding its own smoking and processing operations in Germany.
Abrahams' establishment is a crucial boost for the OAC seafood cluster, which already houses key players like Mowi and Grieg Seafood.
Henrik MS Danielsen, CEO of OAC, welcomed the arrival: "The company will be an important complement to our existing seafood cluster and will help strengthen Gardermoen as Norway's most central hub for processing, distribution, and export."
Hans Kr. Bakken, General Manager of Abrahams Salmon Processing KS, highlighted the strategic location near Oslo Airport, which is crucial for air freight logistics. The facility, being constructed by Veidekke Logistikkbygg, will feature a high technical standard and be BREEAM certified to ensure efficient and sustainable operations.
Amazonian Pioneer Converts Her Passion into a Personalized Cultivation and Sales Business Model
Matilde Ikeda, an entrepreneur from Puerto Maldonado, Peru, has successfully transitioned her career from fish trader to thriving aquaculturist, specializing in the cultivation of the Amazonian fish paco (Piaractus brachypomus).
Since the age of 9, Ikeda was dedicated to trading fish. In 2015, she decided to pivot and utilize her own ponds to start paco cultivation. Despite initial difficulties, her dedication prospered. Her pond currently houses over 9,000 fingerlings and paco of various sizes, including specimens weighing over one kilogram.
"I grab my net, tie it at one end, go around, and pull out any fish I want," Matilde said, describing the ease of harvesting her production.
Although she maintains her commercial activity at the market, Matilde Ikeda has developed a more personalized business model. She prefers direct sales, packing the fish on her motorcycle for delivery "from house to house" to her customers.
For Ikeda, aquaculture is more than just a job: "It’s my hobby, because it’s my joy; I don't see it as work. I love living in the countryside," she explained. Her story is an example of the potential of sustainable aquaculture in the Peruvian Amazon to generate income and personal development.
Beijing Denounces Violation of Sovereignty and International Norms
The Government of China has strongly condemned the United States for the interception of a Venezuelan fishing vessel near its coast, labeling the action as a unilateral overreach of law enforcement and a violation of international norms.
The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, stated that Beijing opposes Washington "unilaterally exceeding the reasonably necessary limits to carry out the so-called law enforcement against ships of other nations." He urged the U.S. to utilize bilateral and multilateral legal frameworks for judicial cooperation.
Jian reaffirmed China's firm stance against any interference by external forces in the internal affairs of Venezuela. Furthermore, he underscored China’s support for the declaration of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and its rejection of the "use or threat of use of force in international relations," insisting on respect for the sovereignty of States.
New Plant Will Create 400 Jobs in December Due to Lower Labor Costs and Logistics Advantages
The Spanish fishing company Wofco is set to inaugurate a new processing plant in Paraguay in December, operating under its subsidiary, South Atlantic Company. Located 40 kilometers from Posadas, the investment amounts to nearly 40 million dollars.
Lucio Tortosa Palacios, CEO of the subsidiary, confirmed that the 10,000 square-meter plant will primarily be supplied with shrimp from Rawson (Argentina). It will have a processing capacity of 600 tons, equivalent to two containers of shrimp tails daily.
The project is expected to generate between 400 and 600 direct jobs. Tortosa told Revista Puerto that Paraguay was chosen as the "best place" when factoring in economic and logistical costs. The decision hinged on lower operational costs, particularly labor, which is more affordable than in Argentina and allows workers to earn a decent living with salaries of approximately 400 dollars.
In addition to wages, Paraguay offers comparative advantages, such as cutting the cost of social charges for companies by half. The Paraguayan State acts as the main supervisor of compliance with labor agreements.
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has publicly congratulated the Punta del Moral Fisheries Producers Organization (OPP80) for achieving the prestigious international certification "Friend of the Sea".
This seal, promoted by the World Sustainability Organization (WSO), certifies that the fishery for the emblematic Huelva white shrimp (gamba blanca de Huelva) meets the most rigorous standards for sustainable fishing.
Via his official X account, Planas recognized the achievement, highlighting the commitment of the Ayamonte (Huelva) fleet to excellence and the sustainability of its practices.
OPP Punta del Moral is the first fishing entity in Andalusia and the second in Spain to obtain this globally recognized certification. Alonso Abreu, manager of the OPP Punta del Moral, emphasized the importance of the recognition, noting that the certificate is the result of "years of work, innovation, and commitment to the sea" by the Huelva fleet.
This milestone solidifies Andalusia's position as an international reference in responsible and environmentally respectful fishing.
It is the first fishery in the world to certify the Indian Ocean yellowfin stock.
Grouped within the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Tuna Freezers (OPAGAC), the Spanish tuna fleet has become the first fishery in the world to certify the Indian Ocean yellowfin stock with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) seal. This brings its tropical catches—345,000 tons annually, 7% of the world's catches—to 95% certified in the three oceans and under the four Regional Fisheries Organizations (RFOs). Currently, 10 of the 12 tuna stocks caught by the fleet are MSC-certified: yellowfin and skipjack tuna in the Indian, Atlantic, Western, and Eastern Pacific Oceans, and bigeye tuna in the Western and Eastern Pacific.
Mackerel is a cause for concern for the EU fishing sector. Following the ICES recommendation to cut its TAC by 70%, reactions from associations such as AIPCE-CEP and the Irish fishing sector, for which it is a key resource, have been swift.
Now, the fishing industry association Europêche has made its position known. Ahead of the next round of coastal state consultations on mackerel, the association reiterates its call to political leaders to reach a comprehensive sharing agreement for this stock, as other organizations have already demanded. "If this fails, fishermen would welcome an emergency interim agreement for 2026."
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
Representatives introduce companion bill to act being promoted in Senate
Democrat and Republican politicians in the US House of Representatives (the House) have joined forces to introduce a bill that would make it easier to establish offshore fish farms.
The four Representatives from Mississippi, Hawaii, Florida, and California have introduced the Marine Aquaculture Research for America (MARA) Act of 2025 as companion legislation to the same act introduced in the US Senate earlier this year.
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
The jellyfish which killed more than three million salmon in Norway two years ago, and several hundred thousand in Scotland, may be on the way back.
The warning over the “pearl” or “string” jellyfish has come from the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR) which says they have been observed off Troms and west Finnmark.
String jellyfish, scientifically known as Apolemia uvaria and also called Perlesnormanet or "pearl normanets" in Norway, are a type of siphonophore—a colonial organism made up of many individual animals working together.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
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The announcement is based on results from the larval monitoring program, funded by the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca), which detected a significant increase in the concentration of D-larvae in late September 2025, indicating recent mussel spawning events.
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PERU
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The Spanish fishing company 
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Grouped within the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Tuna Freezers 
EUROPEAN UNION
Mackerel is a cause for concern for the EU fishing sector. Following the ICES recommendation to cut its TAC by 70%, reactions from associations such as AIPCE-CEP and the Irish fishing sector, for which it is a key resource, have been swift.
UNITED STATES
Representatives introduce companion bill to act being promoted in Senate
The jellyfish which killed more than three million salmon in Norway two years ago, and several hundred thousand in Scotland, may be on the way back.
