IN BRIEF - Japan's only whaling ship, the Sekikujiramaru, arrives at Ishikari Bay New Port
JAPAN
Friday, December 13, 2024
The only whaling ship in Japan, the Sekikujiramaru, entered Ishikari Bay New Port and unloaded the meat of the whale it had caught.
The Sekikujiramaru was built by a Tokyo fisheries company, the only whaling ship in Japan that forms a fleet and uses the whaling method of butchering and processing whale meat on the ship, and was completed in March of this year.
It has been fishing off the coast of eastern Hokkaido for the last time this year since last month, and entered Ishikari Bay New Port around 9:30 a.m. on the 11th. It unloaded about 1.2 tons of fin whale meat.
Japan resumed commercial whaling five years ago, and in July of this year, it was allowed to capture fin whales for the first time in 48 years.
The meat that was unfrozen and raw this time is highly popular, so it will be auctioned at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market and other places from the 12th.
Tokoro Hideki, president of Kyodo Senpaku, which operates the Sekikujiramaru, said, "We want everyone in Hokkaido to enjoy delicious whale meat."
The world’s second largest Atlantic salmon farmer, SalMar, harvested 81,800 gutted weight tonnes in Norway and Iceland in the second quarter of this year, it said in a trading update.
That harvest volume is a 37% increase compared to the same period last year, when SalMar harvested 59,700 gwt.
SalMar’s Q2 2026 harvest volumes were:
Farming Central Norway: 38,900 gwt (Q2 2025: 33,900 gwt)
Farming Northern Norway: 32.6 gwt (20,600 gwt)
SalMar Ocean: 4.8 gwt (1,200 gwt)
Icelandic Salmon: 5.5 gwt (4,000 gwt)
Total: 81,800 gwt
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
Thai Union has launched the seafood industry’s first shelf-stable tuna product in a recyclable, mono-material pouch.
Typical tuna pouches found in retail stores are made from aluminum foil and mixed plastics that are layered and cannot be recycled in standard waste streams.
However, Thai Union’s new Stir & Serve pouch, launched under its John West brand of seafood products, is solely made from polypropylene, which can be disposed of in many existing recycling streams throughout Europe, according to the firm.
THe company said the product uses a film technology developed by packaging supplier Mondi, thatdelivers the oxygen and moisture protection needed to keep tuna shelf-stable for 18 months at room temperature.
Author: Christine Blank / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here
Jammu & Kashmir’s leading business conglomerate, the Khyber Group, has launched India’s largest, fully integrated, sustainable Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) based Himalayan trout farming facility in Kashmir.
Khyber Aquaculture is aimed at transforming the region’s trout industry into an integrated, export-oriented ecosystem by linking advanced aquaculture technology with local farming communities.
Built on an eight-acre site with an investment exceeding ?100 crore, the project aims to strengthen commercial fish farming through year-round trout production, export-focused processing and data-driven aquaculture technology.
Coast 4C, a Philippines-based regenerative seaweed farming company, has raised $2.5 million in a seed investment round led by Hatch Blue through its Blue Revolution Fund (BRF). The platform supported by this investment aims to expand small-scale seaweed farming across Southeast Asia, enabling producers to boost productivity while providing global processors with a steady, reliable supply. Coast 4C highlights that this expansion seeks to address the issues of informal and fragmented supply chains that have long constrained the global seaweed supply from these small-scale producers.
Joining Hatch Blue as co-investors are Conservation International Ventures, elea, RS Group, Potato Impact Partners, Minderoo Foundation, Kibo Invest, and Azulito Fund (a fund managed by ImpactAssets).
Source: iPac.acuicultura | Read the full article here
Bakkafrost Scotland has launched a new Scottish-built vessel at Macduff Shipyards, with Scotland's Economy Secretary Stephen Flynn officially naming the vessel Dìonadair a' Bhradain ("Guardian of the Salmon") on Monday.
The vessel was built at the Aberdeenshire shipyard and is the latest in a series of investments by salmon farming companies in new vessels and marine infrastructure.
Industry body Salmon Scotland said recent contracts involving Bakkafrost Scotland, Inverlussa Marine Services, Scottish Sea Farms, Mowi Scotland and Cooke Aquaculture highlighted the sector's contribution to Scottish shipbuilding, marine engineering and the wider supply chain.
Seafood investorBluefront Equity(“Bluefront”) has acquired a majority stake in rapidly growing Meox AS, a provider of proprietary robotic cleaning solutions for the aquaculture and maritime industries.
“Achieving an average annual growth rate of around 20 percent over the past five years clearly shows that the team that is doing many things right. Fish farming companies in Norway and internationally have increasingly adopted Meox’s solutions in recent years.
The Lerøy Seafood Group says its salmon and trout harvest is likely to be down by more than 4,000 metric tons in the second quarter of this year.
In a Q2 2026 trading update, the group said volumes should be 44,750 tons against 48,900 tons this time last year.
The figures do not include Scottish Sea Farms in which Lerøy has a half share. They should become available when the full Q2 report is published on 19 August.
The harvested volume by region was (Q2 2025 figures in brackets): Lerøy Aurora 7,100 tons (11,100 tons); Lerøy Midt 19,700 tons (16,900 tons) and Lerøy Sjøtroll: 18,000 tons including 10,400 tons of trout (20,900 tons including 9,800 tons of trout).
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
A significant shift toward a more gender-neutral society is transforming Japan’s traditionally male-dominated seafood industry, with female professionals increasingly leading operations in major fish markets.
Photo: Jiji
At the Toyosu wholesale food market in Tokyo’s Koto Ward, more than 10 female sales staff work from the early morning hours, managing high-volume transactions for fresh and processed pescados y mariscos. This marks a sharp contrast to the former Tsukiji wholesale market in Chuo Ward, where female workers were rarely seen before operations relocated to Toyosu.
Among them, Kana Saegusa has spent five years at the wholesaler Tsukiji Uoichiba, selling crabs, lobsters, and salmon delivered from nationwide producers. Meanwhile, Rina Takahashi of intermediate wholesaler Kitani Suisan has spent over seven years assessing tuna quality, processing and selling Toyosu-sourced tuna at the Tsukiji Outer Market to sushi restaurants and consumers.
The trend extends beyond the capital. Miyu Murata joined Sendai Suisan at the Sendai central wholesale market in Miyagi Prefecturefour years ago, becoming a certified auctioneer handling shellfish and seaweed since June 2025.
According to the latest information obtained by UCN, the European Commission has modified its initial proposal to completely ban imports of Russian seafood, following strong opposition from the fishing and processing industries.
An internal document from Seafood Europe reveals that the institution has lifted the planned total veto on cod (Gadus morhua) and pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) originating from Russia, which had previously been included by President Ursula von der Leyen in the 21st round of sanctions.
The new plan establishes that the import quota system will be maintained over the long term. Although these volumes will decrease annually, they will not be reduced to zero, ensuring their permanence after a period of four years. Furthermore, the transition period for existing contracts will be doubled, extending from three to six months to allow for market adaptation.
At present, the official European Union document does not detail specific provisions or restrictions for other key species, such as wild salmon or haddock.
Amid an international landscape marked by tariff uncertainty, the industry association will hold institutional meetings, country-promotion activities, and public-private coordination sessions in New York and Washington D.C., focusing on strengthening foreign trade and the competitiveness of Chilean salmon.
As part of Chile's agenda in the United States, the Salmon Council is participating in various institutional coordination, country-promotion, and international engagement initiatives, aiming to boost the positioning of Chilean salmon in one of its most important global markets.
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JAPAN
NORWAY.png)
That harvest volume is a 37% increase compared to the same period last year, when SalMar harvested 59,700 gwt.
THAILAND.png)
Typical tuna pouches found in retail stores are made from aluminum foil and mixed plastics that are layered and cannot be recycled in standard waste streams.
INDIA
Jammu & Kashmir’s leading business conglomerate, the Khyber Group, has launched India’s largest, fully integrated, sustainable Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) based Himalayan trout farming facility in Kashmir.
PHILIPPINES
Coast 4C, a Philippines-based regenerative seaweed farming company, has raised $2.5 million in a seed investment round led by 
UNITED KINGDOM
Bakkafrost 
Seafood investor 
In a Q2 2026 trading update, the group said volumes should be 44,750 tons against 48,900 tons this time last year.
EUROPEAN UNION.png)
An internal document from Seafood Europe reveals that the institution has lifted the planned total veto on cod (Gadus morhua) and pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) originating from Russia, which had previously been included by President Ursula von der Leyen in the 21st round of sanctions.
UNITED STATES
Amid an international landscape marked by tariff uncertainty, the industry association will hold institutional meetings, country-promotion activities, and public-private coordination sessions in New York and Washington D.C., focusing on strengthening foreign trade and the competitiveness of Chilean salmon.
