IN BRIEF - The modification of the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy has been approved
SPAIN
Friday, August 02, 2024
The Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, has approved the draft Law to amend the consolidated text of the Law on State Ports and the Merchant Navy, as well as the Law on Maritime Navigation and its submission to the Congress of Deputies.
For recreational boating, the reform of both texts represents a historic advance in rights, reinforces their recognition in the regulatory field and grants legal security to the sector. Thus, recreational and sports navigation will have its own chapter in the new Law, which incorporates a series of regulations, some of them especially innovative, which will provide solutions to essential practical needs to strengthen the modernization and improvement of the competitiveness of the nautical sector, and in whose achievement the work of ANEN with the General Directorate of the Merchant Navy has been essential.
The most relevant novelties will be the following:
1) Nautical activity will be granted treatment with the rank of law, including it as another category of navigation with its own legal autonomy.
2º) A notarial procedure is regulated for the abandonment of recreational vessels and ships.
3º) The definition of recreational vessels and ships will also be given the rank of law, classifying them as civil vessels and not merchant vessels.
4º) A Recreational Vessel Computer File is created that will allow both the injured parties and the competent Administrations
SalMar ASA has officially finalized the acquisition of the remaining 49% stake in Øylaks MTB AS, bringing its total ownership to 100%. The deal strengthens SalMar’s production capabilities by securing full control over an additional license for Atlantic salmon production.
Transaction Details
The acquisition was settled through the issuance of 209,402 new SalMar shares at a subscription price of NOK 655.20 per share. The SalMar Board of Directors approved the share issuance today, utilizing an authorization granted on June 20, 2025.
Impact on Share Capital
Following the registration of these new shares in the Norwegian Register of Business Enterprises, SalMar’s financial structure will be updated as follows:
This move marks a clean consolidation of SalMar’s salmon farming assets as the company continues to optimize its production footprint in the Atlantic salmon market.
The national aquaculture industry marks a milestone in gender equity with the emergence of Women in Chilean Aquaculture (WICA).
On January 13, the network held its first in-person meeting in Puerto Varas, gathering leaders and professionals from across the production chain.
Led by Francisca Araya and Karina Gajardo from the company Aquabyte, the initiative is inspired by successful models in Norway and Canada. Its objective is clear: to strengthen female leadership and close gender gaps in an industry that has historically been male-dominated.
During the event, a diagnostic survey was conducted to address critical challenges such as professional stagnation and perceptions of discrimination. In immediate response, an online communication and leadership workshop will be held in March in partnership with the consultancy Empoderadas.
The network's major consolidation milestone will be its official launch at AquaSur 2026, the most important aquaculture exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere. On this stage, WICA will present its strategic action lines to foster technical collaboration and increase the visibility of women in senior management positions, transforming the future of aquaculture in Chile.
The year 2024 is remembered as one of the worst for Galician fish markets. Problems with shellfish harvesting, including high mortality rates on the sandbanks, and difficulties faced by the fleets operating in the Gran Sol fishing grounds (due to bans on bottom fishing) and purse seine fishing (due to a lack of horse mackerel and quotas in general) resulted in the lowest landings of the century so far (102,461 tons of fish and shellfish) and €382.9 million in sales, a level not seen for over two decades. In a context that remains challenging for an increasingly aging sector, given the generational renewal issues affecting both personnel and fishing vessels, the industry managed to rebound in 2025
Author: Adrian Amoedo / Faro de Vigo | Read the full article here
Supreme Decree No. 23 from the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) establishes mandatory limits and best practices for odor control in fish and aquaculture plants starting in 2026.
On December 17, 2025, Supreme Decree No. 23 from the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) was published in the Official Gazette, establishing an Emission Standard for fishmeal and fish oil plants and fish feed plants. The regulation aims to control the impact of unpleasant odors and protect the quality of life of communities by setting, for the first time, measurable limits and a set of mandatory operational best practices for the industry.
Rabat has signed and activated a four-year fishing agreement with Moscow—focused on small pelagic species like sardines—while the Moroccan government announces the suspension of frozen sardine exports starting February 1, 2026, to ensure domestic supply and contain prices. The Moroccan press thus portrays a two-pronged approach: attracting partners at sea while simultaneously "reserving" raw materials on land.
The sequence begins in October 2025, when Morocco and Russia signed a new four-year fisheries cooperation agreement in Moscow, intended to replace the previous agreement that expired on December 31, 2024.
Lerøy to establish processing and distribution operations in new Bergen logistics facility
Lerøy Seafood is set to establish processing and distribution operations in a new purpose-built logistics facility in Bergen, following the award of a construction contract to Norwegian contractor Backe.
Backe has been awarded the turnkey contract by property owner West Coast Invest Eiendom AS to construct the facility, which will be leased by Lerøy Seafood. Lerøy Seafood Group ASA is one of Norway’s largest seafood companies, with its headquarters in Bergen and operations along the entire Norwegian coast.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
The Norwegian salmon giant SalMar has taken total control of the former family aquaculture business Øylaks MTB AS, it was disclosed last night.
In an Oslo Stock Exchange announcement, SalMar said it was acquiring the remaining shares in the business. It acquired a majority share in the business three years ago, but now owns 100% of the shares.
Based in the Molde municipality in western Norway, Øylaks MTB had been owned by two bothers, Ingmar Misund and Runar Misund, before SalMar stepped in in 2022.The agreed purchase price for the remaining 49% of the company will be settled by issuing 209,402 new shares in SalMar at a subscription price of NOK 655.20 per share, a total of NOK 137.2 million (around £10m).
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
On January 6, the research vessel Abate Molina set sail from the Port of Valparaíso. For 28 days, IFOP professionals and technicians will be dedicated to characterizing and evaluating the stock of anchovy and common sardine resources present between the Valparaíso and Los Lagos Regions, using hydroacoustic methods, during the peak recruitment period and in the following autumn.
The ship's captain is José Echeverría (left), and the cruise leader is fisheries engineer René Vargas (right).
Specific Objectives:
To estimate the stock size of anchovy and common sardine resources and their spatial distribution during the peak recruitment period in the study area.
To characterize and analyze, within a spatiotemporal context, the demographic composition and its interannual variation of the evaluated stocks using biological indicators.
Characterize and analyze the bio-oceanographic conditions present in the study area and their relationship to the spatial distribution of resources.
Characterize the aggregations of anchovy and common sardine resources in the study area.
Implement the Continuous Improvement Plan for hydroacoustic assessment studies of pelagic resources: anchovy, common sardine, southern sardine, and jack mackerel, as appropriate, according to the priorities identified in the plan's development and the available budget.
The parties have agreed to replace the existing joint venture agreement with a technical advisory agreement, upon which Salmon Evolution will provide technical advisory services on market terms. This positions Dongwon Industries to advance the project on its own terms, with full responsibility for project financing.
Key highlights of the updated partnership model:
Salmon Evolution will provide technical advisory services on market terms, including provisions for potentially significant royalty payments linked to certain operational milestones.
Salmon Evolution have no further investment commitments under the new agreement.
Salmon Evolution remains a minority shareholder and key contributor in the project, although its current 49% ownership is expected to be diluted over time.
Salmon Evolution retains a five-year at market terms.
This updated structure reflects Salmon Evolution’s strategic priorities in the near to medium term, hereunder continued focus on operational excellence and phase 2 project execution at Indre Harøy, while at the same time leveraging the significant human capital built up in recent years.
The meeting held on January 12 at the Interconfederal Mediation and Arbitration Service (SIMA) in Madrid, aimed at unblocking the collective bargaining agreement for the fish canning sector, which governs the labor relations of some 30,000 workers and 400 companies in Spain, has failed. In a joint statement, the unions CC.OO., CIG, and UGT explained that the mediation attempt "ended without an agreement due to the employers' blockade."
The meeting was held precisely because the Spanish Federation of Associations of Processing Industries and Marketers of Fishery and Aquaculture Products (Feicopesca) filed a complaint against these three unions with SIMA for blocking the agreement.
Source: La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
EU Tightens Safety Standards for Frozen Tuna Imports Starting 2026 European Union
The European Union is moving to eliminate "trade fraud" and bolster food safety in the seafood sector by implementing stricter freezing requirements for tuna.
Under the newly issued Delegated Reg...
SPAIN
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NORWAY
CHILE.png)
The year 2024 is remembered as one of the worst for Galician fish markets. Problems with shellfish harvesting, including high mortality rates on the sandbanks, and difficulties faced by the fleets operating in the Gran Sol fishing grounds (due to bans on bottom fishing) and purse seine fishing (due to a lack of horse mackerel and quotas in general) resulted in the lowest landings of the century so far (102,461 tons of fish and shellfish) and €382.9 million in sales, a level not seen for over two decades. In a context that remains challenging for an increasingly aging sector, given the generational renewal issues affecting both personnel and fishing vessels, the industry managed to rebound in 2025.png)
Supreme Decree No. 23 from the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) establishes mandatory limits and best practices for odor control in fish and aquaculture plants starting in 2026.
MOROCCO
Rabat has signed and activated a four-year fishing agreement with Moscow—focused on small pelagic species like sardines—while the Moroccan government announces the suspension of frozen sardine exports starting February 1, 2026, to ensure domestic supply and contain prices. The Moroccan press thus portrays a two-pronged approach: attracting partners at sea while simultaneously "reserving" raw materials on land..png)
Lerøy Seafood 
In an Oslo Stock Exchange announcement, SalMar said it was acquiring the remaining shares in the business. It acquired a majority share in the business three years ago, but now owns 100% of the shares.
SOUTH KOREA.png)
The parties have agreed to replace the existing joint venture agreement with a technical advisory agreement, upon which Salmon Evolution will provide technical advisory services on market terms. This positions Dongwon Industries to advance the project on its own terms, with full responsibility for project financing.
The meeting held on January 12 at the Interconfederal Mediation and Arbitration Service (SIMA) in Madrid, aimed at unblocking the collective bargaining agreement for the fish canning sector, which governs the labor relations of some 30,000 workers and 400 companies in Spain, has failed. In a joint statement, the unions CC.OO., CIG, and UGT explained that the mediation attempt "ended without an agreement due to the employers' blockade."
