IN BRIEF - The Government and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography begin the Black Halibut campaign in the great bank of Terra
SPAIN
Friday, August 09, 2024
The Government and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography begin the campaign for black halibut in the great bank of Terra
The fisheries and oceanographic research vessel Vizconde de Eza leaves this Tuesday from the Canadian port of St. John's to begin the 3L 2024 black halibut campaign, the last one this year in the area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), an area where the Spanish fleet develops fisheries for important demersal species.
Specifically, this campaign will be carried out by a scientific team from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), belonging to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, on board the vessel belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
The campaign will run until August 27, when the Viscount of Eza will begin the return route to the port of Vigo and will end the campaign season in the NAFO regulation area for the year 2024. Since June, this same vessel has been carrying out the Platuxa and Flemish Cap campaigns.
The South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) has published new research investigating the complex environmental factors behind fluctuating Illex squid abundance in Falklands (Malvinas) waters.
The study aims to provide critical data on how the migratory squid species is affected by different environmental conditions. Understanding these variables is vital for the region's fishing sector, allowing the industry to better adapt its strategies in future years to ensure the sustainable management of the commercially important Illex stock. SAERI is sharing the findings to strengthen fisheries science and management.
The Port of Marín, located on the Pontevedra estuary, has established itself as one of the major logistics hubs for frozen fish in Spain by 2025. According to the latest data from the Port Authority, the port has experienced an increase of more than 10% in frozen fish product traffic, reaching nearly 90,000 tons handled by August of this year. This growth has been especially concentrated in the non-containerized segment, i.e., direct unloading and storage operations in the port's extensive refrigerated facilities, without the need for container transit.
The international conference "Mucosal Health in Aquaculture," whose first edition was held in Oslo, Norway, in 2019, consolidates year after year the importance of mucosal health in promoting more sustainable aquaculture practices.
The fourth edition of this congress, as announced by its organizing committee, IRTA, will bring together the international scientific community from September 7 to 10, 2026, at the Recitro Modernista de Sant Pau in Barcelona. This conference will include representatives from the aquaculture and feed production industries, from early-stage researchers to leading experts in various aspects of mucosal health who are at the forefront of their fields.
Source: ipac.acuicultura | Read the full article here
Environmental nonprofit Greenpeace has alleged that the U.S. government is too lenient on cracking down on trafficking, especially as it relates to major seafood supplying nations.
The organization made the claim in response to the U.S. government’s ranking of Taiwan and Indonesia in its yearly Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, the most recent edition of which included Taiwan achieving a Tier 1 ranking for the 16th time and Indonesia achieving a Tier 2 ranking.
The Tier 1 designation is intended to identify countries that fully comply with the minimum requirements of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA)
Author: Erin Spampinato / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here
Seafood has received disproportionate attention in media coverage about microplastics, despite evidence that fish and shellfish are not the main source of human exposure, according to a new scientific review.
Researchers from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and international partners analysed how plastic contamination in food is studied and reported.
They found that more than 70% of scientific and media coverage on microplastics in food has focused on seafood, contributing to the public perception that eating fish is the biggest risk.
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
Seven leading Japanese seafood distribution companies have joined forces to create the first "Japan Responsible Seafood Sourcing Roundtable."
The launch, announced in early October 2025, aims to collaboratively tackle the complex challenges of the global supply chain that cannot be solved by individual companies alone.
The main goal is to establish a framework for joint action to address critical issues, focusing on three key areas:
Ensuring due diligence in human rights and labor.
Implementing environmental due diligence in the value chain.
Establishing transparent traceability of products.
The activities of this group, composed of seven companies, will begin in October 2025. The effort will focus on action and information sharing to develop a Common Guide by 2026. The promoters will also invite more companies and stakeholders to join, with the goal of expanding the impact of responsible seafood distribution from Japan to the global market.
Conxemar has broken a new record by reaching 30,405 visitors, representing an increase of more than 12% compared to last year, when it had 27,082 (These figures are based on admissions, not individual visitors). It had already broken this record with exhibitors: 812 compared to 766 in 2024, from 46 countries.
The event filled the Vigo Trade Fair Institute (Ifevi), consolidating its position as one of the world's leading events in the sector. During the three days of the fair, with fewer traffic jams, Conxemar once again brought together the world's leading companies in the fields of frozen fish, aquaculture, distribution, and processing.
Source: La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
A new poll has revealed overwhelming public opposition to the Maldivian government’s plan to reopen gulper shark fishing on 1 November 2025, a move that would dismantle the country’s internationally recognised shark sanctuary
Established in 2010, the sanctuary has been credited with making the Maldives a global leader in marine conservation.
Commissioned by Blue Marine Foundation, in partnership with Maldives Resilient Reefs and the Miyaru - Shark Programme, the poll found that 77% of Maldivians fear the fishery’s reopening would damage both the environment and the economy.
Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has once again been recognised as a Top Ecolabel by the independent Dutch organisation Milieu Centraal, reaffirming ASC’s position as the global leader in responsible aquaculture certification.
Milieu Centraal, which is supported by the Dutch government, reviews consumer-facing ecolabels every three years, assessing their credibility, transparency and impact. Its latest results, published on 30 September, confirm ASC’s continued status as a trusted and high-performing certification for responsibly farmed seafood.
Importantly, this recognition follows significant updates to Milieu Centraal’s benchmarking methodology since the previous assessment in 2022.
As predicted, Norwegian fresh salmon export prices continued to slide on the international market last week.
Figures from the monitoring organisation Statistics Norway show they were down by NOK 2.23 per kilo to NOK 77.68 per kilo (£5.81) in week 40. This represents a decline of 2.6%.
However, they are still somewhat higher than eight or nine weeks ago when prices were hovering around the NOK 60 to NOK 64 mark.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
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FALKLAND ISLANDS
The Port of Marín, located on the Pontevedra estuary, has established itself as one of the major logistics hubs for frozen fish in Spain by 2025. According to the latest data from the Port Authority, the port has experienced an increase of more than 10% in frozen fish product traffic, reaching nearly 90,000 tons handled by August of this year. This growth has been especially concentrated in the non-containerized segment, i.e., direct unloading and storage operations in the port's extensive refrigerated facilities, without the need for container transit.
The international conference "Mucosal Health in Aquaculture," whose first edition was held in Oslo, Norway, in 2019, consolidates year after year the importance of mucosal health in promoting more sustainable aquaculture practices.
UNITED STATES
Environmental nonprofit 
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Researchers from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and international partners analysed how plastic contamination in food is studied and reported. 
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Conxemar
MALDIVES
A new poll has revealed overwhelming public opposition to the Maldivian government’s plan to reopen gulper shark fishing on 1 November 2025, a move that would dismantle the country’s internationally recognised shark sanctuary
DENMARK.png)
Milieu Centraal, which is supported by the Dutch government, reviews consumer-facing ecolabels every three years, assessing their credibility, transparency and impact. Its latest results, published on 30 September, confirm ASC’s continued status as a trusted and high-performing certification for responsibly farmed seafood. 
NORWAY
As predicted, Norwegian fresh salmon export prices continued to slide on the international market last week.
