At mid morning Thursday, fishing vessels in the port of Montevideo turned their sirens on for a few minutes to the memory of the lost mariners from longliner Argos Georgia, believed to be almost unsinkable given its sturdy complexion and modern technology, which sunk in the middle of a dramatic storm in the deep south Atlantic.

The once proud and daring state-of-the-art Argos Georgia at Montevideo port

Earlier in the year she had called in Montevideo for fuel and provisions before sailing to the Falklands and from there east with its South Georgia toothfish license- But on this occasion the dramatic storm, 35 knots wind and eight meter high waves raging now for a week turned into a tragedy when the vessel called for help and all of the crew members took to live rafts in the midst of challenging consequences that finally only allowed 14 out of 27 to survive, with the loss of nine mariners and four still missing.

From Galicia is was reported that the crew was made of ten Spaniards, eight Russians, five Indonesians, and four Peruvians. This is because two of the identified members as Uruguayans, according to the Montevideo fishing mariners union, actually were Peruvians with documents from where they had long established.[...]

Source: MercoPress

There is big potential for growing seaweeds commercially in New Zealand, but not much has been documented about the nutritional content of different varieties. Researchers found there were large differences in specific macronutrients among different seaweeds found in northeastern NZ. Red seaweeds were highest in protein and insoluble fibre, while brown seaweeds were highest in lipids and soluble carbohydrates. The authors say that their study provides a baseline of the nutritional composition of common seaweeds in Aotearoa, and highlights commercial opportunities for the seaweed sector.

Photo by Bakd&Raw by Karolin Baitinger

Link to research (DOI): 10.1080/00288330.2024.2353211 

Another aquaculture-related facility is on the drawing board at the University of Maine.

The Orono school plans to begin development, design and engineering of the $10.35 million Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce Innovation Center this fall. The goal is to advance innovation and develop talent for the aquaculture industry in Maine and beyond, according to a news release.

The University of Maine System Board of Trustees recently approved moving forward with the design for the 14,200-square-foot facility, with a goal to open in late 2025. 

Construction financing includes $7 million in congressionally directed spending, secured by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine. Another $3.35 million is coming from the state's jobs and recovery plan.

UMaine said the center will provide aquaculture industry training that includes hands-on experience and real-world problem-solving. The center will also collaborate with the Penobscot Nation and other Wabanaki peoples.

“Our students will be working on actual systems that resemble those in high-production aquaculture facilities, but at a much smaller scale,” said Deborah Bouchard, director of the Aquaculture Research Institute and associate professor of aquatic animal health with University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

In a sample of lightly salted trout, specialists from the Federal Center for Animal Health Protection (FSBI "VNIIZZH" of Rosselkhoznadzor) found that the food additive E210 — benzoic acid — exceeded permissible levels. The studies were conducted in the Kaliningrad testing laboratory of the center.

Photo: Alexander Plonsky / "ViZh"

The center's experts explained that the food additive E210 (benzoic acid) is an artificial preservative. It is usually added to food products during production for technological purposes. Benzoic acid has the ability to block enzymes and slow down metabolic processes in fungal cells and some single-celled microorganisms, and also prevents the growth of yeast fungi, mold, and harmful bacteria.

In nature, benzoic acid is found in such products as lingonberries, cranberries, blueberries, honey. It is naturally formed in cheese, curdled milk, yogurt, apples, and is present in the urine of mammals as a component of hippuric acid. 

Aqua Cultured Foods has obtained self-affirmed GRAS status in the US, and will begin selling its cellulose-based seafood made via fermentation analogues to restaurants next month.

Fish-free seafood made from fermentation will soon be on restaurant menus in the US, with Aqua Cultured Foods receiving the regulatory greenlight for its cellulose-based analogues.

The Chicago startup has earned self-determined Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for its raw ingredient – made from its proprietary biomass fermentation tech – to be used in any food products.

Its first products are tuna and scallops, which boast clean-label formulations and short ingredient lists, two factors that have become increasingly important to consumers. Optimised for raw applications like sushi, tartare and ceviche, the cellulose-based analogues will be available to restaurants at either the same price or cheaper than conventional seafood at wholesale. The startup will roll out the products at fine-dining restaurants in the Chicago metropolitan area next month.

“Our products are very clean-label with minimal ingredients. We have created a cost-effective production process by leveraging learnings and equipment from other industries that use fermentation,” Aqua Cultured Foods co-founder and CEO Brittany Chibe tells Green Queen.

On July 24, the scientific vessel Abate Molina set sail from the Port of Valparaíso to investigate the current status of the common hake.

The general objective of the cruise, headed by the fisheries engineer Álvaro Saavedra, is to carry out a hydroacoustic survey between the northern border of the Coquimbo Region and the Los Ríos Region, to determine the stock of common hake.

The cruise will involve professionals, technicians and the crew of the Abate Molina Vessel and will take place between July 24 and August 28 (34 days). Samples will be obtained to identify and assign the corresponding echotraces to common hake, biological samples of common hake to characterize its demographic and reproductive structure. Quantify and characterize the accompanying fauna present in the identification fishing hauls. And at each bio-oceanographic station, physical profiles of the water column, meteorological data and samples of zooplankton and ichthyoplankton.

Author / Source: Gabriela Gutiérrez Vivar / Ifop

New round of MSC funding. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has announced 32 new grants through its Ocean Stewardship Fund (OSF) supporting projects from India, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua and Peru.

Since the OSF was established in 2018, it has issued over 140 grants totalling US$6.6 million (approx £5.25 million)* to deliver lasting change. These have supported a wide range of projects which aim to improve the health of stocks, manage harvesting levels carefully, and protect the marine environment

Source: FishFocus | Read the full article here

Iris, the Michelin-starred restaurant at Norwegian fish farmer Eide Fjordbruk’s floating Salmon Eye visitor centre, has been selected as one of TIME magazine’s 2024 World’s Greatest Places.

The prestigious list features 50 places to stay and 50 to visit, including Iris, on Norway’s iconic Hardangerfjord. They are not ranked in any order.

“This is a strong recognition of Salmon Eye and Iris, and gives us opportunities to strengthen our work with our vision of contributing to the world changing how we use the ocean’s resources,” 

Source: FishFarmingExpert | Read the full article here

The Marine Stewardship Council and Alaska fishing industry representatives are pushing back against a decision by Ocean Wise to drop its recommendation of MSC-certified salmon fisheries in Southeast Alaska.

Ocean Wise, a Vancouver, British Columbia, U.S.A.-based nonprofit organization, operates what it describes as a certification program providing recommendations of fisheries and aquaculture operations that meet certain criteria, including acceptable stock health, limits on bycatch, sustainable bait use, management effectiveness, and efforts to conserve and protect habitat and ecosystems. 

Author: Cliff Author / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here

The prevalence of Vibrio bacteria in seafood is expected to increase both globally and in Europe due to climate change, especially in low-salinity or brackish waters. In addition, resistance to last-resort antimicrobials is being observed more frequently in some Vibrio species. This is according to a new opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on public health aspects of Vibrio spp. related to seafood consumption in the EU. In this new scientific opinion, EFSA conducts a comprehensive risk assessment of these aquatic bacteria that can cause gastroenteritis or serious infections.

Source: Ipac | Read the full article here