IN BRIEF - Japan Official Joins Brazil Event to Promote Fishery Products
BRAZIL
Friday, September 13, 2024
Sao Paulo --Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto attended a food event in Sao Paulo on Wednesday, trying some dishes using Japanese fishery products to promote them.
Japanese food culture is established in Brazil, which has the biggest community of Japanese descent outside Japan. Brazilians are increasingly interested in Japanese food in line with the growing popularity of trips to the Asian country.
Japan has been hit by China's import ban on Japanese fishery products. China, which used to be a big importer of such items, began the measure last year in response to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s discharges of tritium-containing treated water from its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea.
Tokyo sees Brazil as a promising market and aims to expand sales of fishery products there.
During the event, Sakamoto tried oysters from Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures. "The taste of raw oysters spreads throughout the mouth," he said. "I feel as if I were swimming in the sea."
Fish farming in Minas Gerais is expected to grow by 6.46% in 2025, reaching a production volume of 77,500 tons of farmed fish. The expansion is largely driven by tilapia, which represents nearly 95% of the state’s total production, according to the Brazilian Fish Farming Yearbook PeixeBR 2026.
The sector’s growth has been supported by the entry of large companies that also operate in other animal protein industries, strengthening investment and production capacity across the state.
In 2025, tilapia output alone reached 73,500 tons, marking a 6.98% increase compared with 2024. The species continues to dominate aquaculture in Minas Gerais, consolidating the state as one of the country’s key producers.
The report also highlights that producers who invested in animal health and sanitation practices achieved better productivity and financial performance, encouraging renewed investments in modernizing production infrastructure.
Despite the positive outlook, the sector still faces challenges. Experts point to the need for product standardization and improved regulation of fish processing units. These measures are considered essential to strengthen sector organization, improve market transparency, and prevent fraud in commercialization.
Iberconsa, a company based in Vigo, has been recognized as Supplier of the Year at the fourth edition of the Mares para Siempre (Seas for Forever) awards, promoted by the international non-profit organization Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which promotes the blue label that distinguishes sustainably managed fisheries. The company highlights in a statement that this is the first time it has received this award, "a recognition that reinforces its commitment to sustainable fishing and excellence throughout the entire value chain."
This category recognizes Iberconsa as the company that, by 2025, contributed the largest volume and variety of certified raw materials to the market, both in the B2B sector (business-to-business) and in products destined for the end consumer
Source: La Voz de Galicia | Read the full article here
The USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS)’s February 2026 Forecast is predicting overall food prices will increase 3.1 percent this year. That average is split between food-at-home prices, which are projected to increase 2.5 percent, and food-away-from-home prices, which are projected to increase up to 3.7 percent.
Notably, prices in seven of the 15 food-at-home categories – including fish and seafood – will rise faster than their 20-year historical average
Author: Christine Blank / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here
The proportion of people who support finfish farming in Atlantic Canada has grown to a record high 85%, a new survey shows.
The telephone survey of 1,450 Atlantic Candian adults was performed by Narrative Research Associates for the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers’ Association (ACFFA).
It shows that support for the sector in Atlantic Canada has risen by four percentage points since 2024.
Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here
Each week, SalmonBusiness gathers salmon price forecasts from industry analysts for the week ahead. Unless otherwise stated, prices refer to superior 3–6 kg salmon, per kilo FCA Oslo, converted using the day’s average exchange rate.
Prices climb to EUR 8.60 as supply tightens.
The spot price for week 11 is estimated at around EUR 8.60 (USD 9.35) per kilo, up from approximately EUR 7.10 (USD 7.72) the previous week. This represents an increase of roughly 21% compared with the same week last year.
The rise reflects tightening supply as the industry runs short of harvest-ready fish following elevated slaughter volumes in January and February. Harvest levels are expected to remain around current reduced levels in the coming weeks, according to analysts.
Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here
TOKYO — Daisuke Yasuda, Executive Managing Director, has been appointed Representative Director, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Umios—formerly Maruha Nichiro—effective April 1. The announcement was made at a press conference at the company’s new headquarters in Takanawa, Tokyo.
Current President Masaru Ikemi will become Representative Director, Chairman and CEO on the same date, overseeing overall group management and strengthening governance as the company enters a new phase of growth.
The leadership transition follows the company’s name change on March 1 and relocation to Takanawa, moves aimed at accelerating the goals of its long-term vision and medium-term management plan. The company said the change is intended to strengthen management and promote a corporate culture of “challenge” and “co-creation.”
As COO, Yasuda will oversee business strategy, portfolio management, and investment decisions. Joining the company in April 1985, he built his career mainly in the seafood business, holding roles including General Manager of the First Seafood Department. Born in September 1961, he is 64 years old.
The 2026 fishing season in the Sea of Okhotsk is approaching a major milestone, with pollock catches nearing 600,000 tons, according to the monitoring system of Russia’s Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo).
As of March 8, fishermen in the Far Eastern basin had harvested 593,900 tons of pollock, including 375,900 tons caught directly in the Sea of Okhotsk.
Since the start of the year, the cod catch in the Far East has reached 29,300 tons, representing 101.9% of the 2025 level, with 8,600 tons taken from the Sea of Okhotsk. Meanwhile, the Pacific herring harvest totaled 142,200 tons, or 104.6% of last year’s catch, including 132,200 tons from the North Okhotsk Sea subzone.
Last week, the expedition involved 85 large-capacity vessels, 12 medium-capacity fishing boats, and 30 transport ships. Thirty-five inspectors were deployed to monitor transshipment operations.
Fresh fish shipments are being unloaded mainly in ports across Primorsky Krai. Cold storage facilities in the region are currently 39% full, holding about 48,900 tons of fish products, while 30 vessels carrying 46,300 tons of seafood are approaching port.
A new industry report from The Seafood Council reveals how changing consumer behavior and retail dynamics in the United Kingdom are shaping opportunities for seafood through 2026.
The report, titled “UK Market and Retail Trends Report (Q4 2025 – January 2026)”, provides an updated snapshot of grocery and online shopping trends and their impact on seafood sales. It was released last week ahead of the Norway-UK Seafood Summit and is now available to the wider Norwegian seafood industry.
According to the analysis, price, promotion, and value for money remain key drivers of the British shopping basket. However, the report also identifies clear shifts in how consumers select seafood, highlighting growing demand for certain formats and new opportunities in retail channels.
The study is organized into six sections, including an executive summary, an overview of the protein landscape, insights into shopper behavior, a market update, trends and outlook for 2026, and a retail “snapshot” from grocery stores.
The January 2026 edition includes retail data up to 29 November 2025, offering one of the most recent overviews of seafood performance in the UK grocery market
The Galician fleet operating in Falkland Islands waters began its campaign on February 22nd. This is the first of two campaigns carried out annually and typically serves as a barometer for the Loligo squid, a key resource for the region's processing industry. The instability experienced in the fishing grounds in recent years has caused considerable concern within the sector, and 2026 is shaping up to be a crucial year: either a gradual decline will be confirmed, or the recovery observed last year, when some 56,000 tons were caught, will be consolidated, albeit tentatively.
Author: Adrián Amoedo /Faro de Vigo | Read the full article here
Fuel prices have skyrocketed; shipowners are facing significant difficulties in crew changes; key international markets are beginning to suffer; and logistical costs and lead times have increased dramatically. Everything is uncertain, and the situation changes from one day to the next. What the European fishing sector is experiencing these days in March is sadly reminiscent of what happened in the same month of 2020, when the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic jeopardized the activity of the fleet and the entire sector.
But this time, the origin of the crisis is not a respiratory virus, but a war that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched a coordinated attack on Iran that has spread to various countries in the Middle East.
Source: Industrias Pesqueras | Read the full article here
BRAZIL
Japanese food culture is established in Brazil, which has the biggest community of Japanese descent outside Japan. Brazilians are increasingly interested in Japanese food in line with the growing popularity of trips to the Asian country..png)
The sector’s growth has been supported by the entry of large companies that also operate in other animal protein industries, strengthening investment and production capacity across the state.
SPAIN
Iberconsa
UNITED STATES
The 
CANADA
The proportion of people who support finfish farming in Atlantic Canada has grown to a record high 85%, a new survey shows.
NORWAY
Prices climb to EUR 8.60 as supply tightens.
JAPAN
Current President Masaru Ikemi will become Representative Director, Chairman and CEO on the same date, overseeing overall group management and strengthening governance as the company enters a new phase of growth.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION.jpg)
As of March 8, fishermen in the Far Eastern basin had harvested 593,900 tons of pollock, including 375,900 tons caught directly in the Sea of Okhotsk.
UNITED KINGDOM
FALKLAND ISLANDS
The Galician fleet operating in Falkland Islands waters began its campaign on February 22nd. This is the first of two campaigns carried out annually and typically serves as a barometer for the Loligo squid, a key resource for the region's processing industry. The instability experienced in the fishing grounds in recent years has caused considerable concern within the sector, and 2026 is shaping up to be a crucial year: either a gradual decline will be confirmed, or the recovery observed last year, when some 56,000 tons were caught, will be consolidated, albeit tentatively. 
WORLDWIDE
Fuel prices have skyrocketed; shipowners are facing significant difficulties in crew changes; key international markets are beginning to suffer; and logistical costs and lead times have increased dramatically. Everything is uncertain, and the situation changes from one day to the next. What the European fishing sector is experiencing these days in March is sadly reminiscent of what happened in the same month of 2020, when the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic jeopardized the activity of the fleet and the entire sector.
