Fifty specialists from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay recently participated in a Regional Workshop on the Promotion of the Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA).

The workshop, held in Panama, funded by the European Union and organised by FAO, highlighted the need for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to assess the current state of aquaculture and align their policies and governance frameworks with the principles of the Guidelines, through concrete strategies, action plans, and training tailored to national needs.

Source: Worldfishing l Read the full article here

Former executives of the Chile salmon farming company Nova Austral - Nicos Nicolaides Bussenius, and Drago Covacich MacKay - were sentenced yesterday to 800 days in prison, plus a fine of 24 tax units (1,654,152 Chilean pesos, or £1,306) each, as perpetrators of the crime of repeated water pollution between 2017 and 2019.

In addition, Isaac Aaron Ollivet Besson Osorio and Rigoberto Antonio Garrido Arriagada were sentenced to 40 days in prison and a fine of 4 tax units (£218) each, as "accessories in the crime of water pollution, between 2017 and 2019" at the court in Porvenir, capital of the Tierra del Fuego Province.

Source: fishfarmingexpert l Read the full article here

Chilean salmon-farming firm Multi X has launched a new sustainability strategy called “the ABCs of Sustainability.”

According to the firm, each letter represents a pillar of the strategy and groups together specific initiatives and metrics to be followed to achieve proper sustainability.

The letter “A” represents animal welfare, representing Multi X’s goals of ensuring the optimal condition of its farmed salmon. This pillar brings together its associated health and production goals, including reducing antibiotic use, achieving zero lethal interactions with marine mammals surrounding its operations, and improving fish survival rates.

Author: Christian Molinari / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here

BioMar increases vitamin D3 levels in salmon feed following research findings.

Feed producer BioMar has more than doubled the vitamin D3 content across all its salmon diets, following internal trials that linked elevated supplementation to higher fillet vitamin levels without adverse effects on fish performance.

The move comes after the EU raised the maximum permitted vitamin D3 concentration in aquafeed for salmonids from 2,500 to 60,000 IU/kg in 2019. BioMar said its research confirmed that higher dietary inclusion led to a proportional increase in vitamin D3 in the fish fillet, with no measurable impact on growth, feed intake, or conversion rates.

Source: SalmonBusiness l Read the full article here

Fishing businesses are calling for urgent repairs to the lock gates at Plymouth's Sutton Harbour.

The Plymouth Fishing & Seafood Association said fishers were losing between £1,200 to £2,000 a day because the problem reduced the time they had to fish and land catches.

Plymouth MP Luke Pollard has called on the Environment Agency to take urgent action to fix the gates and prevent further breakdowns.

The Environment Agency said repairs were a priority and work would start on Monday.

Source: BBC l Read the full article here

The Althingi, Iceland’s parliament, has been debating measures that,  if approved, will greatly add to the costs of both sea fishing and fish farming companies. Fierce argument is expected to continue through today in the legislature. 

Known as the Fishing Fees Bill, the measure was brought in by the new government earlier this year and has met with fierce opposition from the industry.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said last night the government wants to settle the issue. Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, Chairwoman of the Independence Party, says however that she cannot agree to let the fishing fees bill pass as it would have serious consequences for the country’s seafood communities.

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

Reston, VA – NFI has been working diligently to help the seafood community benefit from the type of programs the agriculture sector has enjoyed for decades. This provision is a quintessential example of that work. Seafood, like ag, produces products that are vital to food security in this country. Meanwhile, our fishermen, producers and processors, who provide almost 1.6 million U.S. jobs, ensure the healthiest animal protein on the planet makes it to American plates, a true public health benefit.

Lisa Wallenda Picard

President & CEO

‘‘SEC. 139L. INTEREST ON LOANS SECURED BY RURAL OR AGRICULTURAL REAL PROPERTY.”

This would allow for 25% interest deduction on a loan from a qualified lender for ‘‘(3) RURAL OR AGRICULTURAL REAL ESTATE.—The term ‘rural or agricultural real estate’ means—

‘‘(A) any real property which is substantially used for the production of one or more agricultural products, ‘‘

‘‘(B) any real property which is substantially used in the trade or business of fishing or seafood processing, and

‘‘(C) any aquaculture facility."