China’s state-controlled banking sector is being deployed to pull the country’s seafood sector through the coronavirus crisis.

China’s banks are offering loan deferrals, restructurings, and larger lines of credit to seafood companies struggling in the midst of the nearly countrywide shutdown of business following the spread of the coronavirus across the country since December.

Seafood distributor and processor Da Yang Shi Jia Co (also known as Ocean Family), one of China’s best-known seafood firms, has received a CNY 34.2 million (USD 4.8 million, EUR 4.4 million) boost in the form of a government-arranged loan to help it manage through the coronavirus emergency. The loan, which came from the local Ocean and Fisheries Bureau, is being delivered through local state-run banks. Da Yang Shi Jia operates a major seafood import and distribution operation and has trawlers in Argentina fishing for shrimp and squid.

Zhoushan Zhu Tai Distant Water Fishing Industry Co. is another of the companies benefitting from the Chinese government’s policy of providing economic assistance to its major seafood firms. Zhoushan received CNY 47 million (USD 6.6 million, EUR 6.1 million) to help it manage cash-flow problems and run a fleet of 50 vessels and seven reefers, according to a statement from the city’s Ocean and Fisheries Bureau. Many of Zhoushan’s 563 distant-water vessels are based globally, but 17 “will soon be setting sail and back to work,” the statement said.

Author: Mark Godfrey / SeafoodSource | Read the full article here 

This year’s fishing industry exhibitions aren’t taking place – for obvious reasons as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread.

Three events that were scheduled for May have now been postponed, following the postponements of Boston and Brussels seafood exhibitions and the Irish Skipper Expo.
Now the Scottish Skipper Expo 2020, scheduled for 15-16th May and due to be held for the first time in Aberdeen’s P&J Live Arena has been pulled.

‘It is with great regret that we’ve decided to postpone Scottish Skipper Expo 2020. The wellbeing of our exhibitors and visitors is paramount,’ said Mara Media’s managing director Hugh Bonner, commenting that as the overwhelming priority is the health and safety of exhibitors, visitors and the wider public, this left no other option than to postpone the show.

‘Postponing now also brings an end to any uncertainty among exhibitors and visitors about whether the expo was going ahead on the planned dates. We value tremendously the support of everyone involved in Scottish Skipper Expo and we would like to thank them for their patience during this challenging time,’ he said.

The May AquacultureUK 2020 event in Aviemore has been postponed and a new 15-17th September date has already been announced for this year’s exhibition.

Vigo’s international shipbuilding exhibition Navalia have also announced a new 27-29th October date for their event, which would otherwise have taken place in May.

Author: Quentin Bates/FiskerForum | Read the full article here

Employee-owned salmon and trout processing business Aquascot has launched a financial support package for workers who choose to self-isolate because of coronavirus.

Partners – as all the company’s workforce are known – are also devising a flexible working scheme so that those with children will still be able to do their job when schools and nurseries close indefinitely after today.

Aquascot, based at Alness in Ross-shire, supplies supermarket chain Waitrose and online store Ocado and employs 190 people.

‘A responsible company’

Head of aquaculture Ed Ley-Wilson said that the number of partners self-isolating was low, but those who have done so wouldn’t be left to rely on the £94.25 per week statutory sick pay offered by the UK government.

“We recognise that the level of statutory sick pay set by Government is too low for most people to pay bills etc.,” added Ley-Wilson, who said that self-isolating partners and those in high-risk groups would receive a range of financial support, depending on their circumstances, to tide them over the self isolation period.

Source: fishfarmingexpert | Read the full article here

NORWAY has its fifth fisheries and seafood minister in just over 18 months – and the fourth this year.

Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen takes over from ex-journalist and current labour minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, who was appointed in a stop-gap capacity last month after Geir Inge Sivertsen resigned in a row over severance payments.

Two weeks earlier, Harald T Nesvik quit following a political split between the coalition Conservative and Progressive parties.

Nesvik took over in August 2018 from Per Sandberg, who stood down after breaching security protocol by going on holiday to Iran with his

Iranian born former beauty queen girlfriend.

Ingebrigtsen said: ‘I can’t wait to get started. The fishing and seafood industry is important for Norway because it creates activity and jobs throughout the country. In addition, it is an industry with the greatest growth potential.’

Ingebrigtsen was previously at the Department of Petroleum and Energy and comes from an energy industry background.

Author: Vince McDonagh / FishFarmer | Read the article here

 The AAC Chair Javier Ojeda will be presenting the AAC and its activities in an EAS webinar on the 07^th April 2020, 14:00-15:00.

You can register to this (free) webinar here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eastalk-webinar-javier-ojeda-the-role-of-aquaculture-advisory-council-tickets-98988855331

The sales and logistics challenges are rising.

“I hear it is quite chaotic,” says a salmon buyer to SalmonBusiness. “People are talking about low (NOK) 50s. NOK 50-55 (€4.3-4.7),” he says about next week’s salmon price.

That means a heavy fall from the levels last Friday.

“It stops. Now the first wave is over at retail. They (the processing companies – ed. note) have contracts with them on the continent, and they are told to slow down on deliveries. Foodservice is down. Retail goes well, but slows down. This is phase two (of the crisis – ed. note)”.

Stop

The air cargo market has dried up as a result of the fight against the corona virus.

“There is a full stop on the US. Not much on China. Now it’s back to basic. Focus only on Europe for Norway. Chile is about to collapse due to US air traffic. Then we’ll see where that fish goes. There are large frozen inventories,” says the buyer.

He warns national authorities against short-term measures that will increase salmon production.

“It is not wise to increase Maximal Allowed Biomass now. That’s not the solution. That’s short term thinking. What Norway must do now is deliver as much fish as possible and not be as focused on the price they get. Poland is the market.”

The message is clear from all of the industry soures. The price will go down steeply.

Author: Aslak Berge / SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here

Denmark’s largest automation firm, BILA A/S, will automate sorting, packing and palletising for SalMar.

SalMar has announced the construction of a new factory, InnovaNor, in Lenvik Municipality in Norway. BILA will contribute by providing an innovative sorting and packing facility to handle thousands of tonnes of salmon.

BILA is a partner in the project and will provide an innovative, fully automated palletising solution that includes the processing and packing of salmon boxes.

The factory is expected to be operational in mid-2021.

“We are proud that SalMar chose us as a partner for the new, ambitious InnovaNor factory,” says Jesper Højmark Pedersen, market unit manager, in a press release.

“Many suppliers showed interest in providing the palletising solution to InnovaNor. In the interaction phase leading up to the selection of suppliers, BILA showed a strong commitment both in terms of operational experience and concrete improvement measures for our facility at Frøya, InnovaMar. At the same time, BILA were very constructive in their contribution to devising a robust, flexible and not least dynamic solution that will always be able to meet SalMar’s requirements for the palletising plant,” says Ole Meland, technical manager, SalMar.

Surce: SalmonBusiness | Read the full article here

State-owned fishery company Perum Perindo is set to export 15 tons of octopus to Japan to boost its revenue as trade activities weaken during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Perum Perindo operational director Arief Goentoro said Thursday that the fishery products would be exported to an unidentified company in Japan, making them the third batch of octopus exports to the same firm.

The first and the second batch were sent in November 2019 and February 2020. In every batch, Perindo has shipped 15 tons of octopus sourced from 100 fishermen in the Natuna regency off the northwest coast of Borneo.

“This octopus is the product of our fish processing unit [UPI] in Natuna. From Natuna, the octopus is shipped to Jakarta before getting exported to Japan,” said Arief on Thursday. 

The octopus will be exported in April to Japan through Nizam Zachman fishery port in North Jakarta. One container of octopus is valued at US$ 75,150. 

Author: Riza Roidila Mufti/The Jakarta Post | Read full story here

Dallas, Texas (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- NaturalShrimp, Inc. (SHMP), the aquaculture Company that has developed and patented the first commercially-operational RAS for shrimp, has issued the following letter to shareholders from its CEO Gerald Easterling:

Dear Fellow Shareholders:

As many of you are now aware, our shrimp family has been dealt a blow in already uncertain times. We are sad to report this morning that a fire has destroyed the main building at our La Coste, TX facility. The main building housed our nursery, grow-out tanks, and EC machinery. Luckily, the fire did not affect our offices, greenhouse, or maintenance buildings. It is believed at this time that the fire was caused by a natural gas leak near the boiler room. The fire marshal is conducting an investigation and we will report the findings when they become available.

The future of Natural Shrimp, Inc remains very bright. We believe the insurance proceeds will assist the company to reconstruct a newer, state of the art building in which to house our tanks and equipment. Our shrimp, which numbered approximately 1.5M PL’s, were growing on schedule and were extremely healthy. Our equipment and new tanks were operating efficiently and as we had expected. All of our subsidiary initiatives continue to do well and we expect to announce the status of those initiatives shortly.

We appreciate the support we continue to receive and are looking forward to better days ahead.

We will continue to keep everyone updated via our website https://naturalshrimp.com. Please utilize the website for information as we will be updating the site with the latest news. Thanks again for your continued support as we work through this event.

Sincerely,

Gerald Easterling

CEO

The coronavirus outbreak has hit British fishers with a “very severe shock” as demand from export markets and the domestic restaurant trade has dried up.

The UK exports about 70% of its catch to Europe and Asia but imports most of what British consumers eat. Fishing leaders said catches of normally expensive seafood such as Dover sole and lobster may now end up in fishmongers at bargain prices.

The crews running the 2,500 boats that fish in inshore waters are self-employed, making them especially vulnerable, and they support five times as many jobs onshore. While no one wants the shutdown to continue, scientists said a pause in fishing could result in a recovery of marine life numbers.

“It may be a temporary crisis but it is a very severe shock,” said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations. He said China has become a big market for UK crab in recent years. “Some parts of the fleet have become very dependent on that, and that was the first to go, with a very dramatic fall in demand.”

“You have these prime species that tend to go across to the continent, like Dover sole, lobster and crab, high value species that also go to the [UK] restaurant trade,” he said. “For [British] people who find Dover sole too expensive at the fishmonger, this would be a good time to try it. There will be bargains. I’m not saying the scale of it would be a substitute for what is exported, but we are looking for silver linings here.”

Author:  Damian Carrington / The Guardian (Read the entire article here)