Since midnight on September 3, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has reopened directed fishing for bigeye tuna for the 246 Spanish vessels that had been banned from fishing since July 19 due to having exhausted the part of the national quota that had been assigned to them. Among them, there are several based in Galician ports.

They have the option of catching Thunnus obesus again because the ministry has applied what it calls an optimization mechanism, through which it recovers the kilos of this species that other fleets do not usually catch.

On this occasion, 1.82 million kilos of the 8.33 that the Spanish fleet can catch in the Atlantic this year have been allocated to the common pool.

Source: LaVozdeGalicia

Europêche insists that the fishing sector is the most affected by the environmental conditions in the Baltic, which have led the European Commission to propose further cuts in fishing opportunities by 2025. “To truly address the crisis, we must focus on the underlying environmental problems affecting the Baltic Sea ecosystem, rather than focusing exclusively on the fishing sector.”

This is the message launched by the European fishing association Europêche after the publication of the proposal for TACs and quotas for the Baltic Sea for 2025, recently launched by the European Commission and to be discussed by the Fisheries Ministers of the Member States next month.

Europêche insists that the fishing sector is the most affected by the environmental conditions in the Baltic, which have led the European Commission to propose further cuts in fishing opportunities by 2025, anticipating the cuts applied in recent years and placing the sector in a delicate situation. “The outlook for 2025 is bleak,” says the organisation. Europêche stresses that the “difficult situation” of the Baltic Sea is not due to overfishing, but to the difficult environmental conditions and natural factors of the sea itself, and calls on the Commission to take effective measures, in addition to focusing exclusively on fishing.

Source: EuropaAzul

The NSW Government has committed to working with industry to double the farm gate value of the NSW aquaculture sector to $300 million by 2030 with the release of the NSW Aquaculture Vision Statement.

The new statement outlines an overarching approach to the development of the State’s aquaculture industries which includes research, investment in breeding programs and a commitment to water quality improvements.

The statement came as more than 300 state, interstate and international delegates attended the national Oyster Industry Conference in Port Macquarie.

The Vision Statement is a joint industry and government initiative built on a shared approach to seafood production, developing bioproducts and climate change adaptation.

“The Government is investing in research infrastructure and collaborative activities to drive industry growth, the sustainable development of our natural resources, and to support innovation so that industry can manage the risks and take advantage of opportunities for the coming decades,” said minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty.

Source: foodmag

The annual scientific conference ICES ASC 2024 will be held from 9 to 12 September in Gateshead, UK.

The conference brings together researchers and experts from around the world to discuss a range of topics in marine research and sustainability.

The themes include biodiversity, management of marine ecosystems and new technologies such as artificial intelligence in research. There will be 18 thematic sessions focusing on different aspects of the marine environment.

Knowledge exchange and networking

The conference is an important platform for knowledge exchange and networking, especially for young researchers, who get the opportunity to participate in workshops and presentations. These activities give them a unique chance to present their research and get valuable feedback from established experts in the field.

Gateshead, where the conference takes place, is close to Newcastle and is known for its cultural and historical attractions.

The aim of the conference is to create a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue and cooperation across borders to promote a better understanding of marine environments and ensure their sustainability for the future.

Source: fiskeritidende

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has come under fire following the publication of a report in Nature titled “Is Tuna Ecolabeling Causing Fishers More Harm Than Good?” by Katrina Nakamura of Sustainability Incubator.

The report highlights significant shortcomings in the MSC’s procedures for addressing forced labour and other labour abuses within certified fisheries.

Source: TheFishingDaily | Read the full article here

A new study that assesses the current landscape of long-chain omega-3s and explores their realistic growth potential has just been published in Reviews of Fisheries Science and Aquaculture.

The review led by Dr Brett Glencross, along with a team of renowned fish and human nutrition experts, explains how long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have a wide range of effects both on fish and human physiology: cell membrane structure

Source: TheFishSite | Read the full article here

Asia-based seafood start-ups are having a moment.

The seafood industry’s newest unicorn – a start-up that has achieved a USD 1 billion (EUR 902 million) valuation – is Bandung, Indonesia-based eFishery, which offers fish and shrimp farmers an end-to-end platform to access to feed, financing, and markets. And numerous other Asia-headquartered companies, including India’s Captain Fresh, FreshToHome, and Licious have garnered hundreds of millions of dollars in financing in recent years.

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

On the first day of the Gath conference in Ålesund, Erna Solberg, the party leader of Høyre, stated that the industry must be honest about the environmental challenges related to issues such as lice and mortality.

- Therefore, we need to ensure that we get the environmental technology scheme in place, and we also need to do something about the salmon tax and the overall tax burden on the industry.

Author: Ole Andreas Drønen / FishFarmingExpert | Read the full article here

Portugal has established the rules for the capture and landing of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus) in ICES sub-zone IX, such that the capture is authorized by directed fishing for four days a week, from Monday to 00:00 on Friday. The modifications have been established at the proposal of ANOPCERCO and after consulting the organizations.

The rule prohibits the capture, conservation on board, landing and sale of anchovy on all days that are holidays, as well as outside the opening hours of the fish market at the port of landing, the transfer to a different fish market from that of the port of unloading and the unloading of the same vessel in more than one port during each day.

Source: IndustriasPesqueras | Read the full article here

Fisheries Minister Shane Jones wants to see the stewards of iwi settlements put some of that putea into aquaculture.

The Government last week passed legislation extending all marine farming permits to 2050, which he says should remove many of the bureacratic barriers and expense which has discouraged investment.

Mr Jones says the marine space reserved for Maori under the aquaculture settlement 20 years ago is the new frontier awaiting commercial development.

“New Zealand aquaculture product where Maori have great opportunities sells itself and I hope and pray the stewards of iwi settlements put their money into aquaculture, working with established stakeholders and it creates a lot of jobs in those parts of New Zealand where it’s incredibly difficult to sustain and grow industry,” he says.

Mr Jones says a large percentage of mussel production is going into pet food, which shows he dynamic nature of the industry.

Source: waateanews