The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is calling for aid worth 17 million euros to finance the production and marketing plans of fishery producer organisations and their associations at national and transnational level, in 2024. The extract of the order has been published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on 24 August.

The production and marketing plans carried out by these organisations allow for the collective management of work, with the aim of guiding their strategy and guaranteeing the sustainability of fishing activities. They constitute the main instrument through which these organisations exercise their role in the application of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and allow them to meet the objectives assigned to them by the Common Organisation of Markets in Fishery and Aquaculture Products (CMO).

The 17 million euros with which the call is endowed are distributed in two annual instalments, 7,050,000 euros in 2024 and 10,105,000 euros in 2025. In addition, of the total amount, it is expected that approximately 7.05 million euros will be granted as an advance to improve the liquidity of the organizations and thus enhance the execution of their plans, without the need for a guarantee.

Source: mapa.gob

According to the industry monitoring system of the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Federal Service for Fisheries and Oceanography), the catch of fish and other aquatic bioresources by all Russian users exceeded 3.33 million tons by August 23, 2024.

Including the following mined:

• Far Eastern basin – 2.53 million tons
• Northern basin – almost 338.7 thousand tons (+4.2%)
• Western basin – 54 thousand tons.
• Azov-Black Sea basin – 21.6 thousand tons
• Volga-Caspian basin – 49.7 thousand tons.

In the exclusive economic zones of foreign states, conventional areas and the open part of the World Ocean, the Russian fleet extracted about 319 thousand tons.

Products from fresh catches are supplied to the country's domestic market on a priority basis.

Source: Federal Agency for Fisheries (translated from original in Russian)

This Monday, August 26, Aqua 2024 kicks off in Copenhagen. It is co-organized by the EAS and WAS and is held every six years (the last one in Montpellier in 2018). This year, it will do so under the motto “Blue Food, Green Solutions” and with the exhibition center of the city of Copenhagen, the Bella Arena, as its venue.

The five-day event, which runs until Friday, August 30, will consist of the scientific conference, which will consist of 60 sessions covering all aspects of aquaculture research; a trade show, industrial forums and workshops (a total of 12), events for students and networking meetings.

Source: Ipac | Read the full article here

The northern bonito from the Organisation of Artisanal Producers of the Principality of Asturias (Opasturias-OPP90) was the star this weekend at the XXXI Campomar Fair in Tapia de Casariego, with the celebration of a free tasting in which 500 portions were distributed, as well as information and cooler bags, ideal for keeping fresh the fish that customers buy in markets and squares. In addition, the OPP took advantage of its premiere at the event to publicize the work of the organization and the fishery products caught by its fleet.

Source: IndustriasPesqueras | Read the full article here

Bergen, Norway-headquartered Lerøy Seafood Group (LSG) posted slight dips in revenue and operational EBIT in Q2 2024, but the firm saw quarter-over-quarter biological and earnings improvements, especially in the operations of Scottish Sea Farms, of which it owns 50 percent. 

LSG CEO Henning Beltestad said the company performed well in a quarter characterized by declining salmon prices, increasing its average harvest weights from 3.9 kilograms to 4.7 kilograms in the period.

Author: Jason Holland / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here

North-Island College – a British Columbia-based institution – has announced a new $1.2 million programme for the development of a seaweed industry workforce.

“This seaweed industry pilot is a forward-thinking approach to skills training and economic development, focussed on preparing our communities for the future," said Lisa Beare, minister of post-secondary education and future skills, according to the North Island Gazette.

Source:TheFishSite | Read the full article here 

Seafood Expo Asia to Showcase Largest International Representation of Exhibitors at its 2024 Edition in Singapore

Seafood Expo Asia, organised by Diversified Communications, taking place 4-6 September at Sands Expo Convention Centre in Singapore, will feature the largest international representation of seafood and processing equipment exhibitors from 46 countries.

New to this year’s Expo will be country participation from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Denmark, Morocco, New Caledonia, Qatar, Scotland, Sri Lanka and Venezuela

Source: FishFocus | Read the full article here

Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has indicated that the government will present an outline of support measures for the fisheries industry, which has been affected by China's suspension of Japanese seafood imports.

Kishida announced this during a visit to a fish market in Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture on Saturday, one year after the release of treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant began.

He said the government needs to take all possible measures to mitigate the impact of the import ban that China introduced in response to the water discharge, and that ministers concerned will hold a meeting next week to present the outline.

He added that the government will take full responsibility for the discharges, which could take decades to finish.

Calling the ban a response without scientific basis, Kishida said the government again urged China to immediately scrap the measure. He said the government will continue its efforts at all levels.

The head of the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations, Nozaki Tetsu, warned that a single failure could ruin all the efforts.

He called for extra attention to the safety management of the discharges.

Source: NHK

"The day gave room for good reflections and discussions, and we were able to point out the importance of good market access in the mix of activities that are done to promote Norwegian seafood abroad", says Børge Grønbech, Director of Global Operations at the Seafood Council. 

Over half of all mackerel fished in Norway goes to Japan.

"Improving market access is high on the agenda both for Ambassador Kristin Iglum, the government and the Seafood Council", says Grønbech.

The Japanese eat the most Norwegian mackerel in the whole world. Recently, however, the EU and the UK concluded a trade agreement with Japan. It means that customs duties on mackerel must be reduced to zero by 2033. The reduction has already begun. For frozen whole mackerel, the rate is now 3.9 per cent, while frozen fillets have no duty at all.

Norway currently has no similar agreement. Norwegian frozen mackerel has a duty rate of 7 per cent, and for the frozen fillet the rate is 10 per cent. In the worst case, this could result in Norway losing its most important mackerel market.

Source: Norwegian Seafood Council (translated from the original in Norwegian)

Last Wednesday,  Sjømatbedriftene  (Norwegian Seafood Association) handed over a comprehensive proposal for regulations and consultation opinion on the zero-emissions technology scheme to Fisheries and Oceans Minister Marianne Sivertsen Næss.

The proposal gives the Minister the opportunity to quickly sign off on the Storting's decision on an environmental flexibility scheme.

Through several reports, the media have uncovered major challenges in the farming industry. A clear majority of the industry's challenges are due to the lice problem. Lice and de-lice are the main causes of illness and death.

Managing Director of the Sjømatbedriftene, Robert H. Eriksson, says that the Seafood Companies have for several years requested an environmental flexibility scheme so that it will be possible to invest and focus on lice-free production methods. At the exhibition area of ??Nor-Fishing in Trondheim, he had the opportunity to present a complete proposal to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Source: Sjømatbedriftene (translated from original in Norwegian)