Era of High Shrimp Output in China is 'Gone 
Forever'
The era of high shrimp output in China may be gone forever. This corresponds with predictions that China will become the largest global shrimp importer this year. In today's story we breakdown shrimp production forecasts for the all of the major aquaculture regions across China. Overall, poor weather and high incidence of disease in many areas appear to show that farmed shrimp production will be lower in the first half of this year than last year.
Even though the EU has raised its inspection rates on Indian seafood imports, rejections have been in steady decline the last five years. The EU is now inspecting half of all seafood imported from India. Previously that figure was just 10 percent. "However, Indian seafood industry proved its mettle and managed to withstand the new restrictions, by maintaining a low rejection rate," said A Jayathilak, chairman of MPEDA.
In other news, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the 3Ps cod fishery in Newfoundland has been voluntarily suspended by the certificate holders. A recent spike in mortalities prompted the suspension and efforts are underway to identify the cause so the fishery can get the certification reinstated. “While recent recruitment of young fish has been above average, the reality is, the science now shows a concerning trend in the 3Ps cod stock. In fact, modeled estimates of total mortality have increased by over 65 percent since the initial assessment for certification,” said Dr. Kris Vascotto, Executive Director of the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council.
Meanwhile, the Copper River salmon season starts tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. Alaska time, signaling the first large run of fresh sockeye in the world. The 2017 commercial harvest projections for sockeye salmon are 889,000 fish. This is usually the best time to target chinook or king salmon, as their run peaks at the early part of the sockeye run. But this year, biologists are forecasting a total run of only 29,000 chinook, the smallest on record since 1985.
Finally, the first ever Bristol Bay Fish Expo will be held this year on June 9th and 10th, just prior to the opening of the salmon season. The event is modeled on Comfish in Kodiak, and on the Seattle Fish Expo. The event is a chance for some of the processors in the Bay to become more acquainted with community needs.
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