REEDVILLE - Omega Protein Corporation (OME), christened two new vessels at its Reedville, Virginia facility. The two vessels, named the F/V Rappahannock and the F/V Fleeton are state of the art menhaden fishing vessels and are the first new vessels christened by the company in over 20 years. Omega Protein is a nutritional product company and a leading integrated producer of omega-3 fish oil and specialty protein products.

"The addition of the Rappahannock and the Fleeton to our Reedville fleet marks a significant investment in our operations here in Virginia," said Monty Deihl, Director of Fishing Operations at Omega Protein. Deihl added, "I'm proud that Omega is reviving the tradition of formally christening our new fishing vessels. It demonstrates our commitment to both our employees here and the community which for so many years this Reedville plant has supported."

Source: The Sacramento Bee

BEAUMONT, (TX) - Seafood Lover owner Steve Edwards is determined not to raise his shrimp prices — at least for now — despite a lag in supply this season.

Edwards has been primarily buying shrimp from three boats in the area for the past 30 years. He knows the shrimpers' costs are up and their catches down, he said.

Still, Edwards told The Beaumont Enterprise that he would not change prices on one of his best-selling items for at least the next month or two.

Source: KSAT

INDIANAPOLIS - Exploring the opportunity to bring a feed mill dedicated to producing fish feed to Indiana in hopes of building a new market for Hoosier soybean farmers is the intent of a new grant recently awarded to Indiana Soybean Alliance.

ISA, the state soybean checkoff organization, received a Value-Added Producer Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month to conduct a feasibility study on locating a feed mill focusing on aquaculture feeds in Indiana.

Source: Inside Indiana Business

Forcing lobster fishermen out of proposed marine park areas could lead to the collapse of lobster stocks in other areas, industry figures say.

South Australian Rock Lobster Advisory Council executive officer Justin Phillips said industry estimates for how much of the annual lobster catch was taken inside the proposed marine parks was about double State Government estimates.

Closing those areas to fishing could force fishermen into more marginal areas, where fishing would have a greater impact on stocks.

Source: Adelaide Now

Pelorus Sound farmer Bill Scholefield predicts a gold rush of applications to extend mussel farms in the Marlborough Sounds.

Scholefield, of Mt Zion Trust, objected 20 May to applications by Talley's Group and Clearwater Mussels to expand marine farms at Beatrix Bay, in Pelorus Sound, where he farms sheep, beef and mussels.

The applications were heard by Marlborough District Council hearings commissioner Richard Fowler.

Source: Penny Wardle / NZ Farmer

In what has been described by Commonwealth fishing operators as “..a shock move..”, the NSW Minister for Primary Industries the Hon.

Katrina Hodgkinson signed a notice removing commercial catch limits for many fish species in NSW, including flathead. This means that state licensed vessels can now take unlimited amounts of flathead, while the same fish are regulated and catch limits imposed on NSW recreational anglers along the coastline of NSW, and that limits remain on Commonwealth commercial fishers in waters outside 3 miles off the NSW coastline.

It also means that NSW commercial fishing licenses that are currently not used may now become active, as unscrupulous operators seek to maximise the loophole created by these legislative changes.

One of the world's largest fish farm companies, Marine Harvest, has voluntarily agreed to much tougher limits on its pesticides use and seal killing by joining a strict new environment scheme.

Marine Harvest will join the Aquaculture Stewardship council, a new accreditation scheme championed by WWF, after coming under repeated attack for heavy use of toxic chemicals, seal-killing and major outbreaks of sea lice and salmon diseases.

The Norwegian-owned company, which grows 25 per cent of all Scotland's farmed salmon, has promised to put all its UK fish farms through ASC accreditation by the end of this decade in what supporters of the scheme believes could transform the environmental sustainability of salmon farming.

Source: Severin Carrell / The Guardian

May has been a busy month for Seafood Scotland, Scottish Development International and the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, with their collaborative sponsorship of the World Association of Chefs Societies’ (WACS) Global Chefs Challenge and the Hans Bueschkens Young Chefs Challenge regional semi-finals.

Three of the seven semi-finals took place this month, in Asia, Africa and Scandinavia, and at each one, the world’s leading chefs used Scottish langoustine and salmon in their menu.

Marine Harvest ASA is pleased to confirm that, subject to the Copeinca transaction being voted down in 21 May's Annual General Meeting of Cermaq ASA, will launch an offer for all outstanding shares of Cermaq of minimum NOK 105 per share (including the proposed NOK 1 dividend).

Marine Harvest further confirms that we could be prepared to improve both the price and composition of our offer in order to find an amicable solution acceptable to all parties. Such a decision is taken based on the positive development in the salmon market as well as the improvement in MHG share price.

The main condition for the offer, however, remains; namely that the Annual General Meeting of Cermaq first turns down the Copeinca transaction.