Mutag has successfully acquired the Intellectual Property (IP) rights and product portfolio of Alpha Aqua, significantly expanding its offering in water treatment components and support systems.

The acquisition allows Mutag to centralize technical responsibility, documentation, and future development, offering both existing and new customers a single supplier for service and upgrades.

Previously focused primarily on biomedia production, Mutag's range now includes Alpha Aqua’s prefabricated filtration solutions and skid systems for Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) plants. This encompasses Alpha Aqua's technical solutions and design basis for filtration and water treatment in RAS.

Mutag confirms its strategic focus remains on components and support systems, not complete (turnkey) RAS deliveries. Alpha Aqua customers will receive ongoing service, maintenance, and upgrades directly through Mutag.

Jesper WN Nielsen, CBDO at Mutag, stated, "This is an important step towards delivering more integrated solutions."

Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, has signed an agreement to renew the country's hosting of WorldFish for another 25 years.

The move aims to cement Egypt’s role on the African continent as a leading producer of aquatic foods and a hub for cutting-edge research in sustainable aquaculture.

The international research centre for aquatic food systems has been hosted in the country since 1997. WorldFish has been an integral part of Egypt’s journey in becoming a powerhouse of aquaculture production, increasing it 12-fold in 25 years

Source: The Fish Site | Read the full article here

Scotland’s fishing industry is bracing for a difficult year in 2026 as the outcomes of international quota negotiations reveal sharp reductions for several key stocks, including a major cut to Northern shelf cod.

The Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) said the scale of the reductions – particularly the 44% cut to cod – will have deep economic consequences for island communities.UK and Scottish Government negotiators have worked hard to support sustainable fishing opportunities, and so spare the fleet – and our wider community – from the worst-case economic shocks. 

Source: Fish Focus | Read the full article here

Salmon farmer Mowi Scotland and local wild fishery management body the River Lochy Association have agreed a long term and wide-ranging scientific study to examine the potential impacts of the fish escape from Mowi’s Gorsten farm in Loch Linnhe in October.

The study, funded by Mowi, will also utilise the genetic expertise of the Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation at UHI (University of the Highlands and Islands) Inverness, and will enable Mowi and the River Lochy Association to monitor and mitigate any adverse impacts on wild salmonid biology within the catchment area. 

Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here

A shopper in southern China has been sentenced to eight days of administrative detention after using artificial intelligence (AI) to create fake images and videos of dead crabs in a fraudulent attempt to secure a refund.

The case, which highlights a new frontier in retail fraud, began when an online seafood seller, Gao, shipped eight live crabs. The customer later claimed six had arrived dead and submitted photos and videos to claim a 195 yuan ($27) refund.

Gao grew suspicious, noting the crabs' stiff, unnatural postures and inconsistent details in the submitted videos (varying counts of male vs. female crabs), suggesting AI manipulation. After reporting the incident to police, the customer was confirmed to have used a mobile phone to create a synthetic video for the fraudulent claim.

The buyer was detained from November 29 to December 7, and the refund was recovered. The incident has raised alarms among Chinese e-commerce merchants about the rise of AI-assisted refund fraud. Retailers are now urging platforms to develop technical tools to detect AI-generated media to better protect them against these rapidly evolving tactics.

Düsseldorf – Global food wholesaler METRO AG, operating over 700 stores across 21 countries, has received significant praise for dramatically improving its animal welfare requirements for seafood across its entire global supply chain.

The company's updated Animal Health and Welfare Position statement introduces a groundbreaking requirement: all fish and crustaceans sourced for METRO’s own-brand seafood products must now be humanely stunned using mechanical or electrical methods before slaughter. This policy applies to all METRO and MAKRO stores spanning Europe and Asia.

The improved standards also include a commitment to ask shrimp suppliers (for both own-brand and branded products) to avoid eyestalk ablation.

"We aim to ensure 100% humane stunning prior to slaughtering in order to minimise anxiety, pain and suffering and the distress experienced by animals," METRO AG stated.

This move is expected to benefit tens of millions of fish and hundreds of millions of crustaceans annually, addressing current industry practices where many aquatic animals are slaughtered without stunning.

The Peruvian fishing sector for Direct Human Consumption (DHC) is consolidating its position as a key economic engine, generating over 74,000 jobs and projecting year-end exports that could surpass US$2130 million.

This was announced by the head of the Ministry of Production (PRODUCE), César Quispe Luján, during a visit to the Piura region. The minister highlighted that, by the end of the third quarter, exports from this subsector had already exceeded US$1500 million.

This dynamism is primarily driven by the high international demand for products such as squid (pota), tuna, shrimp/prawns (langostino), and trout.

PRODUCE emphasizes that the sector's success is due to the collaboration among the industry, artisanal fishermen, and the State, which has strengthened the production chain and the competitiveness of Peruvian products in the global market. The country has around 225 industrial establishments operating within this field.

Planning consent for a new Bakkafrost fish farm off the Isle of Lewis has been refused, because of a clash of interests with local fisheries.

Bakkafrost Scotland has been consulting on the proposed farm, off the east coast of the Isle of Lewis, comprising pens, moorings and a feed barge, but last week the planning board of the local authority, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said that the company “had failed to demonstrate that the proposed development would not result in an unacceptable exclusion of commercial fishing activity from a historically important and economically productive fishing ground”.

The decision overturned a recommendation of approval for the development, subject to conditions, by planning officials.

Author: Robert Outram / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here