IN BRIEF - Environmental Contingencies Committee prepares for La Niña season
CHILE
Thursday, September 12, 2024
A key meeting was held to coordinate efforts in the fishing and aquaculture sector in the face of adverse weather conditions.
This Friday, the Interinstitutional Committee on Environmental Contingencies (CIICA) met, chaired by the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) and made up of the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), the Superintendency of the Environment (SMA), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of the Interior, the Undersecretariat of Fisheries (Subpesca), Directemar and Senapred, with the participation of the Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP), with the objective of effectively coordinating institutional efforts to address environmental contingencies in the fishing and aquaculture sector.
The committee, which has been operating for five years, was convened to begin a proactive analysis of the spring-summer season, the time of year when favorable environmental conditions for the development of harmful algal blooms can occur.
The event was led by the National Director of Sernapesca, Soledad Tapia Almonacid, who highlighted the work carried out in the last season, where the environmental contingencies registered were able to be attended to in time:
Ghana has strengthened strategic cooperation with China to address an estimated annual fish supply deficit valued at up to US$800 million.
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), led by Minister Emelia Arthur, said the partnership will boost fisheries and aquaculture development to enhance food security, job creation and sustainable blue economy growth.
The engagement took place in Beijing during talks between Madam Arthur and Han Jun, Secretary of the Communist Party of China’s Leadership Group, alongside officials of China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Ghana presented a comprehensive Ghana–China Fisheries Partnership Framework aimed at building a resilient, investment-ready sector while protecting aquatic ecosystems.
Madam Arthur noted that Ghana’s annual fish demand is about 1.28 million metric tonnes, against domestic production of roughly 684,000 tonnes, creating a deficit
Kitgum — Eighty-five percent of fish farmers in Kitgum District have abandoned aquaculture after soaring feed prices and prolonged dry spells rendered the venture unprofitable, officials say.
District Fisheries Officer Alfred Omony told Uganda Radio Network that the rising cost of commercial fish feed has forced many farmers to stop stocking and managing ponds. Although over 80 fish farmers are registered in the district, only 15 remain active.
A kilogramme of quality fish feed now costs about Shs4,500, while lower-grade feed sells at Shs3,500 but results in slow growth and stunted fish. Sarah Aber, who started fish farming in May 2025, said manufactured feed—mostly imported—accounts for up to 70 percent of production costs, with a 20kg bag selling at Shs80,000.
Veteran farmer Sisto Okwera blamed erratic weather for worsening losses, noting that ponds dry up during peak dry months, forcing costly water pumping or seasonal shutdowns. He urged government support to lower feed costs and build farmers’ capacity to produce feed locally.
Although the district has acquired two feed pellet-making machines, farmers lack training to mix nutritionally adequate feed.
The decline in local production has pushed up fish prices in Kitgum, with tilapia and catfish now selling at Shs15,000–20,000 per kilogramme, largely sourced from outside the district. A December 2025 district report called for farmer grouping, climate mitigation measures, and skills training to revive the sector.
As recurrent droughts erode the reliability of rain-fed agriculture in Zimbabwe, small-scale farmers are increasingly turning to aquaculture as a climate-resilient alternative. In the eastern district of Chimanimani, fishponds are emerging as a dependable source of food and income.
Years of erratic rainfall and rising temperatures have made traditional crop farming increasingly unpredictable across rural Zimbabwe. In response, farmers like Olinda Tuso are diversifying their livelihoods. Behind her home in Chimanimani, Tuso manages a modest 10-by-10-metre fishpond that now supports her household nutrition and generates income.
Although Chimanimani is known for its mountainous terrain, even its low-lying areas have suffered repeated droughts over the past five years. Tuso began fish farming in October 2023 with 1,000 tilapia fingerlings. Despite losses to predators, she harvested 800
The former Minister of Labor will assume leadership of SalmonChile in March, focusing on sustainability.
The board of directors of SalmonChile, the trade association that brings together producers and suppliers of Chilean salmon farming, elected Patricio Melero Abaroa as its new president this afternoon. Melero is an agricultural engineer with extensive public service experience and broad expertise in regulatory matters related to the aquaculture sector.
Melero will assume his duties on March 1st. He is an agricultural engineer from the University of Chile and has a distinguished career in the public sector. He served as a deputy for two districts in the Metropolitan Region between 1990 and 2021, as president of the Chamber of Deputies during the 2011-2012 term
The Galician Socialist MEP, Nicolás González Casares, stated that the PSdeG-PSOE will remain vigilant to ensure that the interests of the Galician canning sector are guaranteed in the free trade agreement negotiations between the European Commission and Thailand.
Casares conveyed this message after receiving the European Commission's response to his parliamentary question regarding the need to protect the Galician and European canning sector within the framework of these negotiations, given that Thailand is the world's leading producer of canned tuna.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
UK retailers enjoyed rapid growth in sales of certified sustainable seafood last year in the past year, says the Marine Stewardship Council.
MSC says there are now almost 1,000 MSC labelled fish products sold under supermarkets’ own brands.
The £1.7bn consumers spent on 189,000 tonnes of MSC labelled products represents a 14% increase on the previous year.The primary driver behind this growth is the doubling of MSC certified skipjack tuna products available on shelves in the last year, a continuation of the upward trend that’s seen sales of canned and jarred MSC labelled tuna soar from £24.3m in 2020 – 2021 to £269.1m in 2024-25.
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here
Now in its fifth edition, the Women in Ocean Food Innovation Studio brings together women-led ocean food ventures from across Latin America for a ten day in-person programme that launches a 12-month, equity-free support initiative to bridge the gap for female founders in the blue economy.
Launched in La Paz, Mexico on 26 January, the studio is targeted at women-led ventures advancing climate-positive solutions across aquaculture, marine biotech, seafood value chains, ocean conservation and blue carbon.
Source: The Fish Site | Read the full article here
The enclosure from Aquafarm Equipment has been installed at a Cermaq site in Norway and will soon be stocked with a test batch of salmon.
With installation and testing complete, the project is entering a phase of test production at the Horsvågen site in Hamarøy, northern Norway.
According to Aquafarm Equipment, the facility is ready to receive fish this week, and test cycles will start from the end of January.
Through its work with the facility in Horsvågen, Aquafarm Equipment particularly highlights the importance of stable and controlled operating conditions.
Author: Ulrik Tallhaug Sydnes / fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
Norway, the United Kingdom, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands have reduced their quotas by 48%, while the EU27 have cut their fishing opportunities by 70%.
The first Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries meeting under Cyprus's leadership was packed with various items, many related to fisheries. New measures to the Fisheries Control Regulations, championed by Spain, were one such item, as was the amendment to the Mediterranean regulations. However, another item, not signed by the Spanish government but openly supported, concerns the total allowable catch for mackerel in the Northeast Atlantic.
Source: La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
Professionals from traditional fishmongers, represented by Fedepesca, denounce the “ongoing media harassment” surrounding fish and aquaculture products. They are doing so now, after the Christmas season, a particularly sensitive time when, they point out, “there were countless news reports about anisakis, antibiotics, and other well-known and controlled risks for which health authorities have issued simple recommendations to the public,” making them completely safe.
These alarmist reports, “lacking any journalistic rigor or respect for those who work in the sector”—and which occur not only during the Christmas season but also during periods of low news coverage—only succeed, the fish retailers lament, in creating unfounded distrust that drives consumers away from products essential to a healthy diet
Source: iPac.acuicultura | Read the full article here
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CHILE.jpeg)
GHANA.png)
The engagement took place in Beijing during talks between Madam Arthur and Han Jun, Secretary of the Communist Party of China’s Leadership Group, alongside officials of China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Ghana presented a comprehensive Ghana–China Fisheries Partnership Framework aimed at building a resilient, investment-ready sector while protecting aquatic ecosystems.
UGANDA
ZIMBABWE
The former Minister of Labor will assume leadership of 
EUROPEAN UNION
The Galician Socialist MEP, Nicolás González Casares, stated that the PSdeG-PSOE will remain vigilant to ensure that the interests of the Galician canning sector are guaranteed in the free trade agreement negotiations between the European Commission and Thailand.
UNITED KINGDOM
UK retailers enjoyed rapid growth in sales of certified sustainable seafood last year in the past year, says the Marine Stewardship Council.
MEXICO
Now in its fifth edition, the Women in Ocean Food Innovation Studio brings together women-led ocean food ventures from across Latin America for a ten day in-person programme that launches a 12-month, equity-free support initiative to bridge the gap for female founders in the blue economy.
NORWAY.png)
With installation and testing complete, the project is entering a phase of test production at the Horsvågen site in Hamarøy, northern Norway.
WORLDWIDE
Norway, the United Kingdom, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands have reduced their quotas by 48%, while the EU27 have cut their fishing opportunities by 70%.
SPAIN
Professionals from traditional fishmongers, represented by Fedepesca, denounce the “ongoing media harassment” surrounding fish and aquaculture products. They are doing so now, after the Christmas season, a particularly sensitive time when, they point out, “there were countless news reports about anisakis, antibiotics, and other well-known and controlled risks for which health authorities have issued simple recommendations to the public,” making them completely safe.
