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."

Vietnam's total fishery production in the first 10 months of 2024 is estimated at 7.89 million tons, marking a 2.5% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Of this, aquaculture contributed approximately 4.61 million tons, while capture fisheries accounted for 3.28 million tons.

Notably, brackish water shrimp farming output reached 1.11 million tons, a 5% year-on-year increase. This included 234,800 tons of black tiger shrimp (up 2.6%) and 798,900 tons of whiteleg shrimp (up 5.8%).

Shrimp Prices Show Upward Trend

From mid-September to late October, prices for both black tiger shrimp and whiteleg shrimp rose steadily, increasing by an average of $0.21 per kilogram compared to September.

These price improvements have encouraged farmers to intensify harvesting efforts, particularly for shrimp with a size of 60 pieces per kilogram. The stability in prices reflects strong market demand and favorable conditions for Vietnam's shrimp farming sector.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has confirmed its continued support for a programme supporting early-stage female entrepreneurs in emerging seafood markets.

ASC funding for the next three years has been pledged for the Women in Ocean Food programme, in partnership with Conservation International (CI) Ventures and Hatch Blue.

ASC CEO Chris Ninnes said: “ASC was the first sponsor of this programme at its inception and we are delighted to continue our support so we can drive change beyond certification, inspire the next generation of leaders and create a lasting impact in seafood farming communities.

Author: Robert Outram / Fish Farmer l Read the full article here

The Norwegian salmon market is experiencing record demand, with strong export figures and rising prices underpinning investor optimism, according to a report from Infront TDN Direkt.

The seafood index on Oslo Børs gained 1.8% on Wednesday, reflecting the sector’s positive outlook despite broader market uncertainty.

Exports of Norwegian salmon reached €252 million last week, followed by €251 million this week, representing a 13.6% increase year-on-year.

Source: SalmonBusiness l Read the full article here

Russia’s seafood industry has caught over 4.6 million metric tons (MT) of seafood so far in 2024, with a huge drop in the salmon catch dragging down the total.

Russia’s Federal Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo) reported the total catch so far in 2024 as of 7 December had reached 4.66 million MT, down 7 percent compared to the just over 5 million MT it had caught in the same period in 2023.

The largest portion of that catch is made up of pollock, which has seen increases in 2024 compared to 2023. Russia has so far caught 1.87 million MT of pollock, an increase of 18,900 MT over the same period of 2023.

Author: Chris Chase /SeafoodSource  l  Read the full article here

A German-registered, Spanish-based fishing vessel’s skipper, Ángel Ares Esteban, has been fined €14,000 for illegal fishing activities in waters off Donegal.

The case, heard at Donegal Circuit Court by Judge John Aylmer, revealed that Esteban had violated EU regulations limiting fishing gear soak times to 72 hours. This restriction, mandated under Regulation (EU) 1241/2019, SI 520/2019, and Section 14 of the Sea-Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, is crucial for minimizing potential environmental impacts.

Esteban was absent from court proceedings but faced charges for exceeding the legally permitted soak time—the duration nets are left in the water—while fishing for monkfish and whitefish. The vessel, F/V 'Pesorsa Dos', a 27-meter-long boat employing static tangle nets, had its soak times significantly surpass the 72-hour limit.

Officers from the Irish Naval Service, aboard the LÉ William Butler Yeats, carried out a routine inspection on July 16, 2020, and discovered the violations. Following detections of non-compliance, the Pesorsa Dos was escorted to Killybegs and detained for further investigation.

A sea fisheries officer based in Killybegs testified that the vessel had deployed approximately 2,000 tangle nets, which can each span up to 10 kilometers in length. The total combined length of nets on board exceeded 100 kilometers, with five of these nets forming the basis of the prosecution.

HALIFAX — Fishers raised questions today about how federal enforcement officers will cope if a proposal to increase the number of people licensed to net baby eels in the Maritimes goes ahead next year.

The concerns emerged during a meeting held by the federal Fisheries Department at which current licence holders heatedly suggested the federal minister hadn't thought through the proposed changes.

The Fisheries Department is proposing to redistribute about 28 per cent of the allowable catch of 9,960 kilograms from nine commercial licence holders -- creating about 150 new commercial licence holders -- and providing half of the total catch to First Nations fishers.

Under the proposed pilot project allocation, the federal department is offering licences to 120 fishers currently employed by commercial licence holders, representing 27 per cent of the overall quota. A further 1.5 per cent would be allocated to licences offered to 30 fishers who currently catch adult eels.

Federal fisheries officials said under the pilot project the goal would be to have the "one licence holder per river approach," on the roughly 123 rivers where elvers are fished.

Source: Canadian Press