The Winding Glass:  Lack of Cod killing Alaskan Communities, as State and Council Punt on any Relief

The rubber has hit the road as far as global warming in Alaska is concerned.   Cod, one of the state’s major and iconic fisheries, has collapsed to such an extent that directed fishing is banned in the Gulf of Alaska.

Think of no salmon returns to Bristol Bay.  Or a shutdown of pollock for the A season in the Bering sea.  This is the kind of seismic impact the changes in climate have wrought with cod.

There will be cod from Alaska this year. 2021 is the first year since 1983 that harvest will fall below 100,000 tons in the Bering Sea.

In the Gulf, the situation is worse.  There, persistent warm water temperatures have killed off cod recruitment, according to NOAA.  

Cod is the vital economic component of the 8 fish plants in Kodiak, of the two plants in False Pass, and of course the plant in Adak,...

Imported Seafood Flooding China's Expanding Market Ahead of Chinese New Year

With Chinese New Year around the corner, local distributors are occupied with buying large quantities of seafood to satisfy enthusiastic consumers, who prefer these healthy options in holiday feasts. According to Shun, one buyer attending a Qingdao fisheries expo, seafood has become an everyday dish for many Chinese households.

Statistics show that Chinese aquatic output has skyrocketed by 144 times to 64.58 million tons in 2018 compared with that of 1949. But the country is still increasing imports to meet domestic demand, which not only impresses...

Sunken Fishing Vessel Found 140 Feet Below Surface off Martha’s Vineyard

The fishing vessel that sunk with four crewmembers aboard off Martha’s Vineyard on November 24 was found 140 feet below the reported sinking on Sunday, the Massachusetts Environmental Police told South Coast Today.

The vessel Leonardo departed New Bedford on November 24 and sank about 25 miles off the southwest coast of Martha’s Vineyard. One crewmember, Ernie Garcia was rescued, but the other three, Capt. Gerald Bretal, Mark Cormier and Xavier Vega are considered lost at sea.

The Cape Cod Times reported that the body of a man was found...

Scottish Sea Farms’ £55m Hatchery Sends First Smolts to Sea Pens

Scottish Sea Farms’ new hatchery sent its first smolts to sea pens, a critical milestone of the company’s £55m Barcaldine hatchery.

The smolts arrived as eggs at Barcaldine in January 2019. They were hatched and reared using a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). The smolts had an average weight of 160 grams, which marked a significant increase compared to smolts grown by Scottish Sea Farms using traditional hatchery methods

“This is a major milestone for all of the team, not just at Barcaldine but across the company,” Scottish...

Norway Royal Salmon's Largest Stakeholder Will Change

Alaska's Halibut, Sablefish, Crab Values for Cost Recovery

Fewer Alaska fishermen are going after halibut and sablefish, based on the declining number of bills being sent out to those holding quota shares of the catch.

Eighteen hundred invoices went out to fishermen this month, down 30 from last year, and down from nearly 2,000 in 2015. 

The bills, paid since the year 2000, are a fee for fisheries monitoring and enforcement based on dock prices and averaged across the state. This year the fee was 3% and yielded $4.5 million in recovery costs...

Coast Guard Rescues Four Fishermen in Browns Inlet, North Carolina

The United States Coast Guard hoisted four fishermen from an 88-foot fishing vessel in Browns Inlet, North Carolina on December 9.

Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a radio distress call from a crewmember of the vessel Sea Angels at 8:12 a.m. The crewmember said that there were four people on board and that they run aground due to mechanical issues. They requested assistance from the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard launched a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium from Station Emerald Isle and an aircrew aboard...

Drop in Cod Stocks Closes Gulf of Alaska Cod Fishery for 2020

For the first time ever, the Pacific cod fishery in the Gulf of Alaska will be closed next year while fisheries managers continue monitoring a stock crash that is directly tied to warmer ocean temperatures.

Fishermen in Kodiak, who relied on cod as the most stable fishery in the winter, processors who kept plants open for deliveries that would have started in January, and managers around the state have known since 2017 that the stock was in trouble when cod stocks dropped by 70% in the Gulf of ...

ANALYSIS: Relief in Sight for Live Lobster?

After an initial delay, the fishing season in Southwest Nova Scotia, LFA 33-34, is underway. The first round of landings are reported to be strong, with full traps. 

However, unfavorable winter weather since the first pull has kept boats temporarily tied up.  Most market participants have been anticipating and hoping for a strong influx of product to help offset the depressed inventory levels and the recent record-high live lobster prices.  US pricing on both hard and firm shell lobsters have held steady throughout the late fall due to the tight supply...

Governor Cuomo Requests Federal Fishery Disaster for New York Bay Scallop Fishery

On Friday New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo issued a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to request that the bay scallop fishery off the coast of Long Island be declared a failure.

The state's bay scallop resource, which is primarily located in the waters of Peconic and Gardiners bays in eastern Suffolk County, experienced a "catastrophic" die-off of adult bay scallops over the summer. Some areas experienced more than 90% mortality of adult scallops, while others documented 100% mortality...

GAO: FDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Import Alert Removal Decisions

On Friday the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report recommending that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) improve import alert removal decisions.

With imports accounting for 90% of U.S. seafood consumption, members of Congress requested that GAO conduct a study to review the FDA's efforts to "use import alerts to ensure the safety of imported seafood." GAO reviewed FDA documents, examined the FDA's "oversight of key activities to support its import alert removal decisions," and examined the...

Gulf of Maine Research Institute to Receive Over $612,000 to Boost Market Value of Finfish

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is awarding over $948,000 to three Maine institutions to increase consumption of and access to local agricultural products.

The three institutions to receive funding are the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, the Sustainability Lab in Yarmouth, and the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets in Belfast.

The Gulf of Maine Research Institute will receive $612,791 for its project, “A Regional Effort to Improve Quality..."

Thai Union Receives Outstanding Innovation Honor at Thailand Corporate Excellence Awards

Thai Union is ending the year on a high note after receiving the Innovation Excellence Award at the Thailand Corporate Excellence Awards late last month.

"Innovation is critical to advancing Thai Union's growth to the next level," said Dr. Tunyawat Kasemsuwan, Group Director of Innovation at Thai Union. "It plays an important role in shaping the future of the company as it gives us an uncompromising competitive advantage. With more than 120 inhouse researchers and collaboration with academic institutes around the world, we work every day to...

Bering Sea TACs Set Amid Council Debate on Sablefish TAC

The complex process of setting total allowable catches (TACs) for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands’ (BSAI) two dozen species was highlighted yesterday by lively debate on how much to increase the sablefish (black cod) TAC due to an alarming increase of sablefish bycatch this year. 

The process is usually focused on pollock, by far the most abundant and reliable species in the Bering Sea, and calculating the complex specs to add up to no more and no less than 2 million metric tons, the cap set by the... 

ANALYSIS: Scallop Prices at 2017 Levels

Prices on Atlantic sea scallops increased this week for all-natural and overnight dry U10 size counts. With little to no landings, this larger scallop that demands a premium over smaller sizes, is seeing prices strengthen even more due to a thinning supply.

Currently, all-natural U10's are pricing at an average of $15.50 per pound, the same price reported at the beginning of December 2017. This is the lowest price for all-natural U10s since 2013 scallops were valued at $14.75...

Canadian Industry Partnership Obtains MSC Certification for Turbot Fishery

On Thursday, four top Canadian industry associations and the Marine Stewardship Council announced that Canadian Greenland Halibut (Turbot) Fishery products will now feature the MSC label.

The sustainability certification applies to Greenland halibut harvested by trawl or gillnet from areas extending from the Northeast coast of Nunavut, along the east coast of Labrador and Newfoundland, as far as south as the Grand Banks, according to a press release from the Atlantic Groundfish Council.

“Obtaining this MSC certification is a testament to the cooperation and collaboration among the four associations..."

Kingfish Zeeland Secures Strategic Funding for Its EU and US Expansion

Established in 2015, Kingfish Zeeland is a global leader in the production of Yellowtail Kingfish via a proprietary recirculating aquaculture system.

Yellowtail Kingfish is a well-known premium fish species, traditionally known from the Japanese and Italian cuisine. The species is supply constrained with negligible local supply across the lucrative US and European markets. Kingfish Zeeland is engaged in commercializing this species across its target territories – offering a locally produced, year-round, ultra-fresh, ASC/BAP certified Yellowtail Kingfish...

Atlantic Capes Fisheries Spearheading Fishery Improvement Project for Mexican Bay Scallops

New Jersey-based Atlantic Cape Fisheries is playing a leading role in a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) to ensure the Mexican Bay Scallop Fishery is sustainably managed.

The FIP will improve the management status of the fishery to align with the goals for sustainable use in international standards for fisheries, according to a press release from Atlantic Cape Fisheries.

The Mexican Bay Scallop (Argopecten ventricosus), also known by the names Baja Scallop, Catarina Scallop and Pacific Calico Scallop, is a wild scallop that is “diver caught” in the fishing...

Sea Shepherd Launching Web Series to Document Efforts to Save Endangered Vaquita

Sea Shepherd, the international non-profit marine wildlife conservation organization, is launching a web series to document their fight to save the critically endangered vaquita.

The organization's web series is based on their Operation Milagro (Operation Miracle) campaign, which focuses on conservation efforts for the vaquita porpoise who inhabit the upper Gulf of California. According to reports, it's believed that fewer than 30 vaquita porpoises remain worldwide, and the species could potentially be extinct as early as 2021...

Captain D's Opens 19th Ohio Restaurant In Chillicothe

Top fast-casual seafood restaurant Captain D’s announced the opening of its newest franchised location in Chillicothe, Ohio. Located at 1344 Western Ave. on Monday.

The location marks the company’s 19^th in the state and follows a handful of other new franchises in the Midwest with openings in Carbondale, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin earlier in 2019.

Looking ahead, Captain D's plans to hone in on its Midwest expansion strategy, executing two franchise development agreements signed for Illinois, specifically to develop across the Chicago metro area and Champaign, the company said...

Another Strong Year Forecasted for Togiak Herring in 2020

With a slightly smaller biomass estimate of 215,826 (short) tons compared to last year’s pre-season estimate of 217,548 tons, the 2020 Togiak herring season harvest could be slightly larger than the 2019 season. 

That’s because this year’s season (last spring) used a precautionary harvest rate of 14% due to three consecutive years of poor aerial surveys and the uncertainty that created. Next year, scientists will use a 20% exploitation rate because they have greater confidence in the 2019 aerial survey biomass estimate than those of the last three years...

West Coast Crab Managers Delay Primary Dungeness Season Again

State fishery managers confirmed Friday the primary Dungeness crab season will be delayed until after Christmas in Washington, Oregon and California due to spotty meat quality. The delay will last until at least Dec. 31.

Some areas showed improvement in the last month to meet season-opening criteria of either 23 or 25 percent, depending on the area. However, too many areas in between the improved areas were still below the thresholds and managers decided to delay the season from the U.S./Canadian border to Point Arena, Calif., again...

Seven Seas Fish Company, Owner Sentenced for Illegal Importation of Fish

Seven Seas Fish Company and its owner, John Heras were sentenced to fines and probation periods for the importation of previously refused food.

According to the Department of Justice, the company and Heras admitted that between October 2014 and August 2015, they imported more than 9,000 pounds of potentially adulterated fish into the U.S. The fish had been previously refused entry into the country because the FDA judged the samples too decomposed and putrid. The company and Heras plead guilty to the charges in October...

Deep Water Crab Market Steady as Snow Crab Demand Grows

With the rising demand for many of the frozen crab items including both king crab and snow crab, the deep water crab market sits steady to full steady with minimal fishing taking place at this time.

Seafood consultant Les Hodges, who releases a report on Russian crab fishing monthly, said there are currently 3 vessels fishing for Angulatus and 5 on Japonicus deep water crab.

Hodges said that the effort on Angulatus typically begins in the East Sakhalin in the spring, about the time producers are wrapping up their Japonicus quota...

Russia Expects Significant Seafood Export Growth This Year

Fish exports from Russia are expected to reach $4.83 billion USD this year, up 12.7% on a year-on-year basis, according to recent predictions of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises (VARPE) President German Zverev and some other industry analysts.

In volume terms, exports will grow by about 3.1% and reach 1.832 million tons, one of the record figures for Russia for the last several years.

According to VARPE experts, Russian fish export value growth can mainly be explained by the strengthening of global prices for whitefish, particularly...

The Winding Glass: Tuna Case Shows Private Equity and Seafood are Not Always a Good Fit

Chris Lischewski, the former CEO of Bumble Bee Foods, has been convicted of conspiring to fix tuna prices in violation of the Sherman anti-trust act following his recent trial in California.  Chris is now going to appeal, and a sentencing date has been set for April.

I was struck by the prosecution argument, and also the testimony of Ken Worsham, a Bumble Bee Senior vice president who pled guilty, by the pressures Lischewski faced after the company was bought by...

VIDEO: Ex-Bumble Bee CEO Convicted; Seafood Trade Mission; Farmed Salmon Analysis; Atlantic Halibut

Join SeafoodNews Weekly Video hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they discuss the former CEO of Bumble Bee Foods' conviction in the tuna price-fixing conspiracy; Food Export USA-Northeast's trade missions to push lobster into Dubai and introduce Jonah crab in Spain; a farmed salmon market analysis and a look into a recent Atlantic halibut study.

This episode was brought to you by COMTELL, which will be receiving a complete redesign in 2020. Subscribers who utilize COMTELL to track market quotations...

ANALYSIS: Lobster Imports Decline in October; Still at the Mercy of Canadian Trade

Imports of lobster products into the U.S. declined five percent in the month of October 2019 imports totaled 8.45 million pounds compared to 8.89 in October 2018. The year-to-date figure remains six percent behind last year; reflective of a 6.4 million-pound shortfall.

Imports from Canada declined seven percent in the month of October and remain 6.7 percent lower year-to-date. The live (-35.1%); in-shell, which includes tails and whole cooked, (-4.5%); and meat (-2.6%) categories were all lower in the month...

Research Shows Lights on Small-scale Gillnets Save Turtles and Dolphins

Placing lights on fishing nets reduces the chances of sea turtles and dolphins being caught by accident, new research shows.

LED lights along the top of floating gillnets cut accidental bycatch of sea turtles by more than 70 percent, and that of small cetaceans (including dolphins and porpoises) by more than 66 percent.

The study, by the University of Exeter and Peruvian conservation organization ProDelphinus, looked at small-scale vessels departing from three Peruvian ports between 2015 and 2018, and found the lights didn't reduce the amount of fish...

Training for Alaska's Seaweed Farmers

Training more Alaska seaweed farmers is the goal of a program next February in Kodiak, Sitka and Ketchikan. The training is phase two of the Alaska Mariculture Initiative that aims to grow a $100 million seaweed industry in 20 years.

“Why we’re doing this is because there is immense interest in seaweed farming in Alaska from coastal communities and commercial fishermen.” 

Riley Smith is development director with the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation which has spearheaded a mariculture push that is taking off.

“Mariculture is expanding rapidly..."