Volunteers from Scottish salmon farms cleared away more than 23 tonnes of litter from Highlands and islands beaches last year as part of efforts to keep the areas where they live and work clean.

Salmon farmers take part in regular beach cleans to ensure beaches and coastlines are free from litter and aquaculture debris. While some of the beach litter was related to aquaculture, most was not, and had either been washed up on the shore or left behind by tourists and other visitors.

Source: fishfarmingexpert l Read the full article here

The European Commission has confirmed that it is assessing the situation with the United Kingdom over the closure of the sandeel fishing in UK waters of the North Sea by both the Westminster Parliament and the Scottish Government.

EU Member States, Denmark and Sweden had lodged a complaint with the Commission citing that the closure is in contravention of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) made between the two blocs in the light of Brexit. 

Source: The Fishing Daily l Read the full article here

France led global demand, however the US and Asian markets experienced notable growth, with the popularity of premium salmon increasing among chefs, restaurants and consumers.

Shetland salmon exports were valued at £135 million, while Orkney exports were valued at £65 million. A regional breakdown of annual figures by trade body Salmon Scotland shows 14,850 tonnes were exported from Shetland in 2023, representing almost a quarter of Scotland's total, with sales rising more than 16% from £116 million. 7,110 tonnes of salmon were exported from Orkney, representing around 11% of Scotland's total, with sales up 6.6% from £61 million. 

Source: aqua.cl l Read the full article here

'Upcycling the Oceans' relies on Satlink technology to combat floating marine litter in protected areas of the Spanish Levant. The project, promoted by the Ecoalf and Ecoembes Foundation, reinforces its commitment to the cleaning and conservation of marine ecosystems through a new pilot project. It consists of the deployment of Satlink technology buoys, equipped with GPS location systems that can be attached to floating waste to monitor it and facilitate its collection.

This project pursues the double objective of understanding the frequency with which this garbage is found in the vicinity of protected areas, as well as the creation of a collection system before it impacts them.

Source: EuropaAzul l Read the full article here

The Association of Naval and Oceanic Engineers of Spain (AINE) organizes, from April 24 to 26, the 63rd edition of the International Congress of Naval Engineering and Maritime Industry at the Higher Technical School of Naval Engineers of Madrid. The Honor Committee of this congress will be chaired by His Majesty the King of Spain, Felipe VI.

For the president of AINE, Diego Fernández, "having once again the presidency of His Majesty the King of Spain represents fundamental support for the maritime sector at a great moment for the profession.

Source: Industrias Pesqueras l Read the full article here

A major armed robbery took place on March 20 when a group of at least 10 armed individuals using four trucks stormed a cold store, overpowering 15 workers.

In a significant crackdown, Chilean authorities have successfully recovered stolen salmon valued at 600 million pesos ($600,000) in San Antonio, leading to the arrest of three individuals.

This raid was part of Operation Santo Salmon, conducted by the San Antonio Robbery Investigative Brigade of the Chilean Investigative Police, according to Chilean media outlet Puranoticia.

Source: SalmonBusiness l Read the full article here

It is not a fishery that attracted the British fleet when the country was in the community club, but whether it was, and as a contracting party to the Iccat (Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna), the United Kingdom has 66.15 tons of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) and is willing to use them more than for recreational activity, as it has been doing until now. Thus, it has prepared a plan for this year in which it plans to authorize up to 13 vessels to develop a commercial test fishery. Reserve 39 tons of that variety of tuna for this purpose. 16 will be available to hobbyists and the remainder will be reserved for tagging programs and to cover UK bycatch.

Source: La Voz de Galicia l Read the full article here

Aquabounty, a Massachusetts-based salmon producer, has released financial reports for its activities in the final quarter of 2023, along with a full report for the year, revealing a significant increase in net losses for the company.

For the year ended 31 December 2023, product revenue totaled $2.47 million, a year-over-year decrease of 21 percent as compared to $3.14 million in 2022. Net losses for AquaBounty over the same period are even higher, increasing to $27.56 million - a 24 percent increase as compared to the company’s net losses for 2022.

Source: The Fish Site l Read the full article here

Norway is  preparing to impose a production tax on foreign-owned aquaculture businesses, it emerged at the weekend.

The tax, which will also affect employees, will apply to those companies which farm offshore in Norwegian waters, on the continental shelf.

Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (pictured) has submitted his proposals for public and parliamentary consultation.

Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer l Read the full article here

According to statistics, 1,177 tons of fish were imported until February 2024, an increase of 4% compared to 1,131 tons in the same period in 2023.

The main fish imported from Ecuador is frozen vannamei shrimp, and 789 tons were imported, or 67% of the total volume, an increase of 31% compared to 603 tons in the same period in 2023. The average import unit price decreased to USD 6.05/kg compared to USD 6.22/kg in 2023.

Frozen ribbon fish (Hairtail) is the second most imported product, representing 28.9% of Ecuadorian seafood imports with 340 tons, a decrease of 29% compared to 482 tons in the same period last year, with an average import unit price of USD 2.35/kg. It rose slightly compared to 2.23 USD/kg in 2023.

The third was the frozen conger eel fillet, which represented 48 tons of the total, representing 4.1% of the total. In 2023, it was not imported until February, and the average import unit price this year was USD 4.10/kg.

The total amount imported of Ecuadorian seafood from January to February 2024 was USD 5.76 million, an increase of 20% compared to USD 4.82 million in the same period of 2023. 

In addition, the average unit import price was USD 4.90/kg, an increase of 14.9% compared to USD 4.27/kg in 2023.

Source: Union Forsea Corp.