IN BRIEF - Amendment to the law on the management of large bluefin tuna has been enacted
JAPAN
Thursday, June 20, 2024
It will provide material for negotiations on quota increases.
A bill amending the Fisheries Law and the Fisheries Distribution Optimization Law aimed at strengthening resource management through individual management of large Pacific bluefin tuna (over 30 kg) was passed by a majority vote at the House of Councilors plenary session of the 213th regular Diet session held on the morning of the 19th. The Fisheries Law requires reporting of the number of large bluefin tuna caught in addition to the catch volume and requires records such as the name of the vessel used and the weight of each individual. The Distribution Optimization Law requires distributors to transmit recorded information at the time of capture. It will be promulgated within 30 days and take effect no more than two months after its promulgation.
An illustration of the new reporting requirements for large Pacific bluefin tuna
Following the failure to report catches that occurred in Oma, Aomori, the government has been rushing to put in place a system that allows for individual comparisons of large Pacific bluefin tuna and significantly strengthens penalties. In case of failure to comply with the reporting obligation, the previous penalty was up to six months in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen (US$1,898) and will be increased to a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of up to 500,000 yen. (U$D 3,164), only for large Pacific bluefin tuna
Source: The Suisan Keizai (translated from original in japanese)
TAISHAN — To Lu Zice, discarded oyster shells are treasures. Taishan, a county-level city administered by Jiangmen in Guangdong province, generates over 100,000 metric tons of waste oyster shells annually, threatening the environment.
Photo: ChinaDaily
To solve this, Guangdong Bevan Biology Co, founded by Lu, processes 50,000 to 60,000 tons of shells annually, yielding products worth over 20 million yuan ($2.9 million). Over the next three years, Lu plans to scale production to 100,000 tons, valued at over 100 million yuan. The company plans to expand further to process 150,000 to 200,000 tons annually, effectively eliminating Jiangmen's oyster waste.
Collaborating with the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lu recently partnered with Zhu Ronghua, Chairman of Qi Yong Tang Health Technology (Guangdong) Co. In March, they joined forces to convert aquaculture waste into high-value items like soil conditioners and ecological powder coatings. Historically used in building materials since the Tang and Ming dynasties, oyster shell products now drive a sustainable, full-scale industrial chain along the South China coast.
Japan’s bluefin tuna hauls are surging nationwide, forcing officials to impose strict restrictions or suspend fishing entirely as some prefectures race toward their annual limits at an unprecedented pace.
According to the Fisheries Agency, the April catch of large bluefin tuna weighing 30 kilograms or more reached a staggering 320.7 tons. This figure marks a historic record for the month since the current management system began in 2018, nearly doubling the volume recorded the previous year.
Smaller bluefin tuna weighing less than 30 kilograms also hit record highs for April, increasing by 10.4 percent to 300.6 tons.
Pacific bluefin tuna fishing is managed under strict international agreements, which subject Japan's waters to annual catch quotas starting each fiscal year in April.
The rapid surge has put immediate pressure on local limits. Fukui and Toyama prefectures have already exhausted more than 50 percent of their quotas for large bluefin tuna, while Kochi has surpassed the 40-percent mark. For smaller tuna, Fukushima Prefecture has already burned through over 90 percent of its allocation, and Fukui is past 50 percent.
The Andalusian fishing sector, primarily grouped under the Andalusia Federation of Fishing Associations (FAAPE), has unanimously re-elected José María Gallart García as president for the next four years.
The decision, adopted during the latest General Assembly held in Algeciras, ensures continuity in representing shipowners before the Regional Government of Andalusia, the Government of Spain, and the European Union. This renewal comes at a delicate time, as the EU proposes a 67% cut to fishing funds in the 2028-2034 Financial Framework.
The General Assembly also ratified Alonso Abreu Lozano as vice president for the Atlantic zone and Pedro Hernández Sáez for the Mediterranean zone.
Gallart, who has been involved in fishing associations since 1978 and has served as president of FAAPE since 2020, also holds the position of second vice president of the Spanish Fishing Confederation (CEPESCA), consolidating the Andalusian federation's key role in defending the sector at a national level.
A striking contrast has emerged in the Baltic Sea ecosystem. While cod remains in critical danger, populations of herring, sprat, and plaice are thriving.
According to the newly released 2027 biological advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), biologists are recommending a complete ban on cod fishing for next year. However, positive stock developments mean quota increases are recommended for three out of fourherring stocks, as well as sprats and plaice.
Michael Andersen, chief consultant and biologist at the Danish Fisheries Association, notes that herring in the central Baltic, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Riga have improved significantly. He explains that these pelagic species live in the water column, escaping the severe oxygen depletion plaguing bottom-dwelling cod.
Conversely, herring from the Rügen stock in the western Baltic are still struggling. Andersen urges regulators to investigate environmental drivers—like pollution, climate change, and predation by seals and cormorants—rather than just limiting fishing for healthy species.
KUNAK: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a purse seine fishing vessel and a pump boat off Pulau Tabawan on Saturday for suspected violations of the Fisheries Act 1985.
Photo: MMEA
Lahad Datu Maritime Zone Director, Maritime Commander Dzulfikhar Ali, stated that the vessels were intercepted between 3:30pm and 5:00pm during Op Sejahtera 1/2022 and Op Tiris 4.0.
The first vessel was caught fishing for anchovies 0.37 nautical miles southeast of Kampung Jaya Baru, breaching regulations by operating less than 1.5 nautical miles from the shoreline. A 25-year-old local skipper and two foreign crew members, aged 43 and 57, were detained. The vessel and its catch are valued at RM115,000.
In a second operation 0.23 nautical miles east of Kampung Jaya Baru, a suspicious pump boat was intercepted. The skipper jumped overboard and escaped to land. Authorities discovered fish caught using explosives, seizing the boat and catch valued at RM7,000.
All seized items and suspects were taken to the Lahad Datu Fisheries Jetty for further investigation.
Seeks to Strengthen the Country's Presence in Fishing Grounds and Counterbalance Foreign Fleets
The Argentine Federal Fisheries Council has opened a call for applications to incorporate 18 vessels into the Illex squid fishery. This initiative aims to strengthen the country's presence in Argentine Sea fishing grounds and counterbalance the presence of foreign fleets beyond the 200-mile limit, on the edge of Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Resolution 6-2026 was approved by a majority vote, with the sole dissenting vote coming from Carlos Liberman, representative of the province of Buenos Aires. It has the support of the National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP).
Author: C. Valdez / La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
The Ricardo Fuentes Group has successfully completed another bluefin tuna fishing campaign in Balearic waters. The activity, which began this year on May 19, has been carried out “very positively, without incident and with favorable weather conditions that facilitated the fleet's work,” reports the company, which also highly values ??the earlier start of the campaign, which allowed for the completion of fishing and transfer operations sooner.
The campaign has been a success and has allowed for the location of high-quality, large specimens, a fundamental aspect in this type of fishery, which prioritizes the capture of adult tuna for subsequent transfer and fattening in aquaculture facilities.
Source: iPac.aquacultura | Read the full article here
Cermaq is consolidating its Canadian operations under a newly created company as the salmon farmer continues the integration of the former Grieg Seafood British Columbia business.
Parent company Mitsubishi Corporation said Cermaq’s Canadian subsidiaries will be amalgamated into a new entity, Cermaq British Columbia Ltd., effective June 1. The new company will assume all assets, liabilities, rights and obligations of the existing businesses.
The restructuring follows Cermaq’s acquisition of Grieg Seafood’s operations in British Columbia and Newfoundland last year in a deal valued at approximately NOK 10.2 billion (€946 million).
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), together with the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan and international partners, has launched a new initiative to strengthen the country’s aquaculture sector, bringing together key actors in Bishkek for a high-level inception workshop under the project Sustainable Fish Value Chains for Landlocked Developing Countries (SVC4LLDCs).Funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea, the project aims to boost the sustainability, productivity and competitiveness of fish value chains in Kyrgyzstan
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The Argentine Federal Fisheries Council has opened a call for applications to incorporate 18 vessels into the Illex squid fishery. This initiative aims to strengthen the country's presence in Argentine Sea fishing grounds and counterbalance the presence of foreign fleets beyond the 200-mile limit, on the edge of Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)..png)
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