Seafood Expo Global 2024: Day 1 Photos From The Barcelona Show Floor

Seafood Expo Global is here! And it’s bigger and better than ever!

While this is only the third year that Seafood Expo Global is being held at the Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via, 2024 actually marks the 30th edition of the event. 

Show organizers Diversified Communications report that this year’s expo will feature 2,244 exhibiting companies from 87 countries. Seafoodnews is reporting live from the event. Check out some of the most elaborate and jaw dropping booths from day 1 of Seafood Expo Global below!

Seafood Expo Global 2024: Gimar and Seafood Planet Wow With Salmon Sneakers 

Come for the seafood. Leave with some sneakers.

While it’s only the first few hours of the first day of Seafood Expo Global — and with more than 51,000 net square meters of exhibit space there is plenty more to see — one of the most intriguing booths this year belongs to Gimar and Salmon Planet. The two companies, sharing a stand at 3K601, have an open booth displaying their revolutionary packaging (no cardboard!) and unique products. And while there were plenty of Seafood Expo Global attendees gathered around the...

Seafood Expo Global 2024: Vici Changing The Surimi Game With Deli-Meat Style Slices

Move over, surimi sticks. Europe’s Vičiūnai Group is changing the way that consumers view surimi. The company has numerous products on display at Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, but one of the most eye-catching is their surimi slice products, which includes “Salmon Taste,” “Crab Taste,” and “Bacalao Taste.”

Packaged similar to that of a pre-cut deli meat, the company boasts that its surimi slices provide a “convenient and flavorful” option for those looking to add a “delightful seafood twist” to their sandwiches...

ANALYSIS: Is the Frozen Tuna Market Poised for A Rebound?

As seasonal warm weather envelops the nation, a traditionally revitalized phase of food service and retail demand emerges. This seasonal shift entices consumers outdoors, whether they're firing up grills at home or embarking on vacation adventures. Many market participants are optimistic that this transition will breathe new life into the frozen tuna market, lifting it from its stagnant state.

Throughout 2023 and into the first half of 2024, the economy grappled with the impact of elevated interest rates and pervasive economic uncertainty, leading to...

Russian Fishing Sector Faced With Substantial Drop in Profits in 2023

Despite the ever-growing volume of catch, the Russian fishing sector saw a substantial drop in profits in 2023.

According to the All-Russian Association of Fisheries Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (VARPE), the net profit of the Russian fishing industry decreased by 13% last year, compared to 136.1 billion rubles ($1.46 billion) in 2022, which was the lowest figure since 2018.

According to VARPE, one of the main reasons for the profit decline was an increase in credit burdens. The Association reports that from...

Nutreco & EW Group’s Blue Future Invest in Icelandic Salmon Producer LAXEY

Icelandic salmon producer LAXEY announced today the successful completion of an EUR 40 million equity private placement. The capital increase is intended to fund land-based salmon production, hatchery and post smolt production.

LAXEY is a hybrid flow-through salmon project located on Vestmannaeyjar, also referred to as the Westman Islands.

Formerly known as Icelandic Land Farmed Salmon, LAXEY is primarily owned by the Oskarsson family, who began fundraising last autumn to reach a production goal of 4,500 metric tonnes of salmon in...

WDFW Names New Director for Coastal Region

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is promoting from within to fill vacancies, naming Heather Hall as its new director of the Coastal Region (Region 6).

Hall has worked with WDFW for more than 30 years, most recently as Intergovernmental Ocean Policy Manager. She began her career with WDFW as a field technician sampling recreational catch in Neah Bay and conducting spawning ground surveys, before becoming the coastal Dungeness crab manager in 2006. She spent most of her career in Region 6 working on...

PODCAST: NL Snow Crab and Lobster, Peter Pan’s Surprising Update, Seafood Expo Global Preview

Get ready for Seafood Expo Global with Seafoodnews Podcast hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione! Amanda and Lorin preview the upcoming event in Barcelona, sharing some can’t miss events happening on the show floor. Plus, get the latest scoop on what’s happening with the Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab and lobster markets, and learn more about Peter Pan’s surprising announcement.

DOC’s Raimondo Declares Three More Fishery Disasters for Salmon in Alaska and Washington

Last week, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that three commercial fishery failures due to a fishery resource disaster have occurred in Washington and Alaska. They are:

- 2021 Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s Puget Sound fall chum and coho salmon fisheries
- 2022 Kuskokwim River salmon fishery
- 2021 and 2022 Upper Cook Inlet East Side setnet salmon fishery

The determinations are in response to requests from the late Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Chairman Jeromy Sullivan and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy.

These three fisheries are now eligible for...

American Seafoods Releases Annual Sustainability Report 

Seattle-based American Seafoods Group is the first of the pollock fleet to release its 2024 annual sustainability report. The report details the company’s  continued advancement of its environmental and social responsibility efforts as it innovates and sustainably harvests the world’s best-managed fisheries.

The 2023 Sustainability Report highlights the different ways American Seafoods practices sustainability operating and harvesting techniques throughout the year 2023, including:

- Maintained 100% third-party eco-certification for all American Seafoods catch
- Achieved a 99% target catch rate in the Alaska pollock fishery, which is nearly a...

Ecuador’s Shrimp Industry Impacted By Power Crisis

Ecuador is in the middle of a national shutdown as the country deals with a power crisis.

Severe drought has resulted in President Daniel Noboa ordering businesses and government offices to shut down. This decision comes after energy companies scheduled power cuts earlier this week in an effort to save energy. For those unfamiliar with Ecuador’s energy source, the country primarily uses hydropower to generate its electricity. 

The National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) has been working with officials to keep the industry up to date on the power...

2024 Snow Crab Landings Update For NL, Gulf and Maritimes Region As of April 19

The first snow crab landings out of Newfoundland and Labrador are finally in. 

The season out of NL was delayed for a week as harvesters refused to fish at the pricing formula selected by the Standing Fish Price Setting Panel. However, the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union and the Association of Seafood Producers finally came to an agreement early this week to get harvesters in the water. Now, landings data from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans...

King Oscar and HRH the Crown Prince Haakon of Norway Work to Improve Norwegian Seafood Industry

King Oscar, the legendary Norwegian seafood producer, attended the Norwegian Seafood Summit in San Francisco this week, and worked alongside other industry stakeholders to improve the seafood industry. As part of the conference, King Oscar's US leadership team lead by Bjørn Nordvik, General Manager - King Oscar International, collaborated with the Norwegian Seafood Council, industry leaders, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Haakon of Norway on informative and productive conversations around further developing Norway's leading role in seafood sustainability and the...

Researchers Announced Japan’s Coastal Fishing Grounds Moving Northward Since the Late 1800s

The fishing grounds for many fish species have moved north since the Meiji era (1868-1912). In a paper published on March 26, researchers from the Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency published a paper on how the prefectures with the most catches have changed over time. It analyzed what happened based on domestic catch statistics from 1894 to 2021. The landings of yellowtail, Spanish mackerel, octopus, spiny lobster, etc., repeated short-term northward and southward movement. In the long term, the overall movement tends to be northward...

Bringing Offshore Wind Knowledge to Oregon: New Sea Grant Staff Will Facilitate Community Engagement 

Oregon Sea Grant has plans to help the public learn and engage in offshore wind discussions -- and that includes hiring a new specialist.

Oregon Sea Grant and the Oregon State University Extension Service welcomed Sara Swett as their new Extension specialist in marine renewable energy and communities. Swett, who has a master’s degree in marine policy from the University of Delaware, started her new position on ...

NPFMC Issues “Notice of Council Action” on Chum Salmon Bycatch in Bering Sea Pollock Fishery

A “Notice of Council Action” was released last week by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council explaining the April decision to make changes to a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) focused on bycatch reductions of Western Alaska chum salmon in the Bering Sea pollock fishery. The motion made by the Council earlier this month was the result of three days of presentations from advisory bodies, staff, and other experts along with verbal testimony from 100 stakeholders, after more than 300 written comments were submitted to...

Asda Issues Recall Of Incorrectly Coded Cooked And Peeled King Prawns

UK retailer Asda issued a recall this week for its Succulent Cooked & Peeled King Prawns. According to the company, the product was incorrectly coded, which could make it unsafe to eat.

The brand’s cooked and peeled king prawns are packaged in a 210g container. Packages with a batch number of L66000 and a barcode of 5057172032648 were labeled with an incorrect “use-by” date. The date issued on the product is December 21, 2024, but actually should be April 21, 2024...

@FAN Spa Executive Director Explains the Latest Harmful Algal Bloom in Chile

Chilean salmon farmers are currently dealing with a new harmful algal bloom threat. 

The harmful algal bloom — identified by marine biologists @FAN spa. as Heterosigma akashiwo, a ichthyotoxic microalgae — was first detected in the Los Lagos region on April 1 in the area of Hornopirén and its surroundings. Fabiola Villanueava, a marine biologist/ phytoplankton analyst and executive director @FAN spa., told Seafoodnews that this specific algal bloom can cause irritation of the gill tissue, which could potentially lead to mortality. 

Mortality is not necessarily guaranteed with this type...

Sweden Says Dead Fish Incident Last Summer May Be Connected to Feed

Sweden informed the EU’s RASFF rapid alert system on Wednesday that a feed product manufactured in Denmark may be implicated in the death of fish.

The product in question, Inicio plus S, is advertised by BioMar as a starter feed for Atlantic salmon. Although it is known that the notification was based on a consumer complaint, it is unclear how many animals or fish farms were affected.

According to the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Jordbruksverket), the incident happened last summer, but was only recently...

Seafood Expo Global 2024: 6 Events You Can’t Miss At The Barcelona Show

Seafood Expo Global (SEG) kicks off in Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday, April 23. The 30th edition of the industry event is set to be the largest in history, with exhibitors occupying 51,227 net square meters of space.

Attendees can expect to see more than 2,050 exhibiting companies from 84 countries during the three-day expo. And, with only so many hours on the show floor, Seafoodnews is highlighting 6 events you just can’t miss:

The Catch In Your Catch: Practical Guidance on...

ANALYSIS: Canadian Snow Crab Start of the Gulf Season Begins 32 Percent Higher Than Last Year

From a market reporting perspective, the 2024 Canadian snow crab season is starting right on time with previous years for Gulf of St. Lawrence product. Mid-April is typically when the U.S. market starts to see snow crab come down into the market with enough volume for Urner Barry to begin establishing quotations. This has been the seasonal norm for the previous five years in the Gulf. Prior to that time, Urner Barry saw enough product to establish quotations closer to the...

South Korea Opens Market to Brazilian Shrimp and Animal By-Products

In an official statement released on 16 April by Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA), South Korea has permitted the import of ten shrimp-based products from Brazil.

The approval facilitates the entry of both cooked and raw forms, which are available frozen or chilled. These products range from headless and peeled to breaded and seasoned varieties. The move is expected to facilitate trade by exempting these products from the requirement of an International Sanitary Certificate (ISC) which of late has experienced significant delays due to strikes and...

CDFW, Tribes Release First Hatchery Salmon That Will Return After Klamath Dam Removal

Young Klamath River salmon are getting a helping hand from the state and California tribes.

Last week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and leaders from the Karuk, Yurok and Shasta Indian Nation and the Quartz Valley Indian tribes released about 90,000 yearling coho salmon just below the Iron Gate Dam on the Klamath River. It was the first major release of coho salmon, a state and federally listed threatened species, into the Klamath River since dam...

Once Again, Feds Deny Request for Emergency Action on Bering Sea Chinook Salmon Bycatch

For the second time in two years, NOAA Fisheries has denied a request for the agency to take emergency action to institute “a cap of zero on any further Chinook salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) pollock trawl fishery and that the emergency regulation stay in effect for 180 days.”

The five petitioners — Association of Village Council Presidents, Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association, and Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission — also asked that ...

Nordic Aqua Partners Completes First Harvest of Atlantic Salmon At Gaotang, China Facility

Nordic Aqua Partners confirmed on Friday that it has completed its first harvest of Atlantic salmon from its facility in Gaotang, China.

“Our first harvest confirms the high-quality of our farmed Atlantic Salmon, achieving an average weight of approximately 5.7 kilograms LW, with morta;ity rates of below 2%, no signs of maturation issues and a superior rate of 99%,” commented CEO Ragnar Joensen. “These excellent biological results underscore Nordic Aqua’s capability to maintain superior fish health and welfare standards...

Russian Salmon Sector Booming These Days

The Russian salmon sector is booming these days despite a significant drop of imports and maintaining stable domestic demand for salmon, according to recent statements made by representatives of producers and some local media reports.

According to latest data of the Russian Fisheries Union, imports of Atlantic salmon to Russia have declined by almost half over the last five years and amounted to 44,000 tons in 2023. At the same time, since last year, the supplies of chilled salmon products have completely stopped: both headless salmon and fillets. Prior to introduction of sanctions...

VIDEO: Newfoundland Snow Crab and Lobster; Peter Pan Halts Operations

Join Seafoodnews Weekly Video hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they take a look at the top stories of the week, including Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters and processors finally coming to an agreement to start the snow crab season. Plus, learn more about the 2024 lobster pricing formula out of NL. And get all the details on Peter Pan’s surprising announcement regarding operations...

Farmed Atlantic Salmon Spot Prices Rise in Chile and Norway in March

The average price for Chilean farmed Atlantic Salmon rose by $0.83/kg (+10.6%) in March 2024, reaching $8.69/kg.

However, the price dropped by $0.63/kg (-6.8%) y-o-y. The m-o-m increase may be due to the increased demand during Easter festivities and difficulties reaching the harvest volume target because of microalgae bloom during the warm season and low oxygen levels. Both of these environmental challenges likely disrupted the normal feeding process, resulting in lower growth...

Puget Sound Tribe to Receive $206K in Federal Salmon Disaster Funding

Salmon fisheries on the West Coast have been hit hard in the past few years, with mulstiple requests for disaster aid from the federal government. The most recent group to receive a funding allocation is the Squaxin Tribe in Washington.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced Thursday that an allocation of $206,000 will address a fishery resource disaster that occurred in the 2020 Squaxin Island Tribe’s Puget Sound fall chum salmon fishery.

“This funding will help to address the impact ...

Australian Rock Lobster Fishers Hope for Trade Relief

Australian lobster fishers are calling on China to act before the end of the financial year and peel back trade barriers stopping live and chilled exports, after it lifted heavy tariffs for the wine industry last month.

There have been no direct live lobster exports from Australia to China since 2020, when a $2 million shipment was stuck on the Shanghai tarmac after China's customs agency claimed the lobsters were contaminated.

While Chinese authorities recently lifted onerous tariffs on the Australian wine industry...