This week 20 ministers from as many countries have met under the umbrella of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) to share views on how to ensure the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

In this meeting, in which, among others, the Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius; the director of the FAO Fisheries Division Manuel Barange; Luis Planas, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain; Roland, president of the GFCM and Abdellah Srour, executive secretary of the GFCM, put on the table many of the priorities considered urgent for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in the area, beginning, as FAO  itself highlights.

Source: iPac.acuicultura | Read the full article here

The EU social partners in the fisheries sector - Europêche, Cogeca and ETF - yesterday welcomed the presentation of the draft parliamentary report “Fishermen for the future: attracting a new generation of workforce to the fishing industry and generating employment in coastal communities ”by Member of the European Parliament Manuel Pizarro. While acknowledging that the report is an important step in the right direction, the social partners urge policy makers "to recognize the key social dimension of fishing, thereby improving the health and safety of fishers and attracting young people to the sector" .

Source: Fisheries Industries | Read the full article here

Astilleros Murueta will build a fourth freezer fishing vessel for the Greenlandic shipowner Qaleralik, a company owned by the Royal Greenland group, reported Pymar, the association of private shipyards.

The ship, which will have the shipyard number C-326, will be the fourth ship manufactured by Murueta for the same shipowning group and will have a construction period of 26 months. The first two were delivered last year and the third is under construction.

The new vessel will be an 82-meter-long fishing-freezer factory, with capacity for 30 people. The design has paid special attention to maneuverability in icy waters, as it will operate in eastern and western Greenland, the Labrador coast, Iceland and the northeast Arctic.

In addition to the capture, processing and freezing of fish, it includes a system for packaging and marking the product for its subsequent distribution and commercialization in real time, while the vessel is working.

To assume the assignment, Murueta has obtained financing and the guarantees of ICO, Bankinter and Pymar. The guarantees granted by Pymar have been through the Naval Guarantees Fund, an instrument in which the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, the Basque Government and the Xunta de Galicia participate, among others.

Source: ABC

The marine shipyard Nodosa Shipyard launched yesterday the vessel "Montelourido", a latest generation deep sea freezer trawler specialized in catching squid in the South Atlantic that will be used by the Ferralemes company. Precisely three years ago Nodosa delivered the ship "Monteferro" for this same shipowner group, a boat with similar characteristics that highlights its inverted bow, especially designed for working conditions in rough seas.

The variations of this new unit with respect to the previous one are in the freezing and cellar capacities, as well as in the engine power, which are substantially increased. This was precisely the main challenge for this new ship, as it was about increasing capacities without changing the tonnage volume, of less than 1500 GT. The new boat also benefited from the innovations that have appeared on the market in the last three years, once again placing special emphasis on all those that result in comfort for the crew, respect for the environment and energy efficiency. Thus, with 63.70 meters in length by 12 in beam, the "Montelourido" will be at the forefront of equipment and systems to make it a benchmark in its sector.

The Nodosa shipyard is located in a prominent place in the construction of this type of vessels after the delivery this year of the “Argos Cíess” for the Pereira Group, the “Terranova Island” for Pesca Baquero, in addition to five larger trawlers reduced for the Netherlands and another two for Germany.

Source: Atlantico

The International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF) and the Earthworm Foundation recently formed a partnership for the sake of furthering the sustainable tuna fishing cause in France.

Their new partnership will see the two organizations working together to engage “the French market in creating stronger and more responsible management of tuna stocks globally, promoting sustainable fishing practices, as well as improving working conditions for employees, both at sea and on land,” they said in a press release.

Author: Madelyn Kearns / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here

Tasmanian farmer Huon has increased its presence in the retail market following by supplying Australian grocery chain Woolworths with a new range of RSPCA-approved frozen salmon.

Woolworths, which is not linked to the now-defunct UK chain of bargain stores, has more than 1,000 outlets in Australia and New Zealand. Its parent company, Woolworths Group Ltd, is the largest company in Australia by revenue.

The move by Woolworths follows an announcement by Huon two weeks ago that Australia’s other grocery store giant, Coles, had begun stocking four of its RSPCA-approved salmon products in its outlets across New South Wales. Between them, Woolworths and Coles control around 80% of the grocery market in Australia.

 Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here

Salmon specialist JCS Fish of Grimsby has been listed on the FishChoice platform, joining a growing number of seafood suppliers who are choosing to highlight the sustainability of their products by offering transparency of their supply chains.
FishChoice matches sustainability information to supplier’s seafood products. It was founded eight years ago in the US but has a growing database of European suppliers. FishChoice Supplier Members range from fishing companies and aquaculture operations to distributors and manufacturers. Each company has both a profile page and a product page for each species they sell, offering clear information about their sources to enable sustainability comparisons.

Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer | Read the full article here

Ecofisk want to eventually produce 40,000 tonnes of salmon in an old quarry in Norway.

In a stock exchange announcement, AKVA group Land Based, a subsidiary of the aquaculture equipment manufacturer AKVA group, writes that it has signed an engineering and design contract with the Norwegian land-based salmon farmer Ecofisk.

Ecofisk is planning a new land-based grow-out facility of 5,000 tonnes at Espevik, Western Norway, and holds a license for producing up to 40,000 tonnes.AKVA has been chosen as the preferred supplier and the final delivery contract for the initial 5,000 tonnes, if awarded, this will have a value of EUR 45 million.

Source: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here

The "FerryBox" is a state-of-the-art equipment that will make it possible to obtain unpublished records of oceanographic variables in the extreme south of Chile, particularly from the Strait of Magellan to the Beagle Channel. The instrument will be attached to a vessel and it is estimated that it will start operating in mid-2021.

In Jena, Germany, the manufacturing and assembly process of a complex oceanographic equipment began that will allow obtaining unprecedented records of the environmental conditions of marine ecosystems in the Magallanes Region. 

Source: Mundoacuicola | Read the full article here

Tuesday, 3 November is Election Day in the United States, and the results of the national election could have a significant impact on the nation's seafood industry and the global economy.

Thus far, the tenure of U.S. President Donald Trump - who is up for reelection to a second and final four-year term - has been marked by both positives and negatives for the seafood industry. The Trump administration instigated an ongoing trade war with China by placing tariffs on Chinese goods in July 2018, a move that China reciprocated by placing its own tariffs on U.S. goods – including seafood. 

Author: Chris Chase / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here