The Philippines and Palau have formalized a landmark agreement to promote sustainable fisheries practices, enhance mutual trade and investment, and foster technical cooperation in the sector.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed recently between the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippines and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Environment of Palau, lays the groundwork for a robust partnership. This historic agreement targets key areas of cooperation, including the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the sharing of technology, the development of fisheries infrastructure, and the facilitation of trade and investments.

The Philippines and Palau also pledged to work together in ensuring compliance with international market standards set by global leaders such as the European Union and Japan.

A Joint Committee will be established to oversee the agreement’s execution, with senior officials from both nations meeting annually to plan, monitor, and assess progress.

Japan and Russia have finalized an agreement on trial salmon and trout fishing by Japanese vessels within 200 nautical miles of Russia, maintaining the same fishing quotas, fees, and operational period as last year.

According to the Fisheries Agency, negotiations took place via web conference from March 10 and concluded on March 14, involving the same representatives as those who negotiated fishing rights within Japan’s 200-nautical-mile zone.

Under the agreement, a single vessel will conduct a trial operation using a trawl net, with a total catch limit of 125 tons, distributed as follows:

The fishing fee remains at 25 million yen, and the operation period is set for 36 days, from June 1 to July 31, aligning closely with last year’s schedule.

Last year, trial fishing resumed after a three-year hiatus, with one 199-ton fishing vessel operating from July 1 to July 12. However, the total catch was only 8.2 tons, with no sockeye salmon recorded. This year, fishing will commence earlier than before, raising hopes for better results, particularly in the waters off Kamchatka.

We hear from the scientist who discovered Japanese sardines off the coast of California for the first time and discuss what it means for the future.

In 2022, Dr. Gary Longo detected Japanese sardines swimming in the eastern Pacific, off the coast of California. This was the first time they’d ever been seen here—their normal range is in the western Pacific from Korea to Russia, thousands and thousands of miles away. It was a shocking discovery. Sardines are incredibly important to the California current ecosystem and are a key forage fish across the globe.

On this episode of Dive In with NOAA Fisheries, we scratch at this mystery of Japanese sardine appearing in U.S. waters. How did they get here? What does it mean for the native Pacific sardine? Are they staying? (Spoiler alert: so far, yes.) 

We hear from Dr. Longo, a research scientist at NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center and one of the authors of a new study documenting this discovery. The authors suggest marine heatwaves that warmed the North Pacific over the last decade might have opened a corridor of favorable habitat, which the Japanese sardines followed across the ocean.

South Korea experienced a significant 63% surge in Norwegian seafood imports in February compared to the previous year.

February 2025 imports reached 10,107 tons, up from 6,207 tons in February 2024. Total imports for January and February rose by 42% to 25,069 tons, compared to 17,674 tons in the same period of 2024. Norwegian seafood now represents 16% of South Korea's total seafood imports, which reached 152,793 tons.

[Import Trends by Product]

Norwegian seafood import values also increased, with February 2025 reaching USD 55.4 million, a 14% rise from USD 48.76 million in February 2024. The cumulative value for January and February increased by 30% to USD 139.4 million, compared to USD 107.31 million in 2024. However, the average import price decreased by 8% to USD 5.56/kg, down from USD 6.07/kg the previous year. The increased demand for Norwegian seafood in South Korea is evident, particularly for frozen mackerel and salmon fillets.

Source: Union Forsea Corp.

The Port of Vancouver in the Canadian province of British Columbia has announced its annual statistics, showing that 158 million metric tons (MT) of cargo, which included seafood products, moved through the port in 2024, a 5 percent increase year over year and a record for the port. 

The news of the port’s strong 2024 performance comes amid an escalating trade war between the U.S. and Canada. Xotta emphasized, in a release by the Port Authority, that the Port of Vancouver was ready to meet the challenges of the moment. 

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

MERL, which is located at Machrihanish in Argyll,  received the UK Government funding as part of the new Argyll and Bute Rural Growth Deal, which aims to foster economic growth through connecting the region’s high-value business sectors with national and international markets and linking local economic successes with national strategic priorities.

Aquaculture is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors, while the Scottish Government aspires to double the economic contribution of Scotland’s aquaculture industry to £3.6 billion by 2030.

Source: The Fish Site l Read the full article here

Ireland’s agriculture, food, fisheries, and marine minister Timmy Dooley will be the keynote speaker at the IFA Aquaculture Conference in Limerick next week.

The conference and AGM will be held at the Kilmurry Lodge Hotel, Limerick, on Thursday, March 20.

IFA Aquaculture is the aquaculture division of the Irish Farmers Association.

Source: fishfarmingexpert l Read the full article here

Russian Fisheries Catch Report

According to data from the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) industry monitoring system, Russian fishermen have harvested 1,036,600 tons of aquatic bioresources since the beginning of the year.

Catches by basin:

• Far Eastern Basin: 872,000 tons
  • Pollock: 660,500 tons
  • Cod: 29,000 tons
  • Pacific Herring: 136,800 tons (+15,300 tons compared to 2024)
• Northern Basin: 61,400 tons
  • Cod: 43,800 tons
  • Haddock: 8,900 tons
• Western Basin: 19,500 tons (+8.3% compared to 2024)
  • Sprat: 12,900 tons (+700 tons compared to 2024)
  • Baltic Herring: 6,300 tons (+1,000 tons compared to 2024)
• Azov-Black Sea Basin: 10,800 tons (+20.5% compared to 2024)
  • Anchovy: 9,800 tons (+1,600 tons compared to 2024)
• Volga-Caspian Basin: 17,700 tons (+17.6% compared to 2024)
  • Sprat: 17,100 tons (+2,800 tons compared to 2024)

Russian fleets also harvested 53,900 tons in foreign exclusive economic zones, international waters, and the open ocean (+24,100 tons or 81.1% compared to the same perio