China Tariffs Raise Alarms Throughout the Industry; Read Some Reactions 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 18, 2018

On Friday the People’s Republic of China imposed 25% tariffs on a number of products, including major seafood exports like salmon and lobster. The move came as a response to President Donald Trump’s recent increase on Chinese imports. The new 25% tariff will go into effect on July 6th, and be in addition to any tariffs that are already levied on products.

The tariff is raising alarms throughout the industry. Check out some of the reactions ...

LISTEN: Seafood News Podcast Welcomes Samuels and Son Seafood’s William Bradford 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 18, 2018

This week’s episode of the Seafood News podcast features a very special guest – Samuels and Son Seafood’s Marketing Communications Manager Bill Bradford.

Samuels and Son Seafood is a wholesale distributor with a 60,000 square foot facility on Lawrence Street in Philadelphia. Bill joins us to talk about the company’s rich history and some summer trends they’re seeing.

The Seafood News Podcast is available to download via SoundCloud or iTunes. This episode was sponsored by the Seafood Innovation Expo ...

Washington Commission Selects Kelly Susewind as New WDFW Director

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 18, 2018

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday appointed Kelly Susewind of Olympia as the new director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The commission voted unanimously to select Susewind after interviewing seven candidates in May and narrowing the field to three finalists, who were interviewed for a second time earlier last week.

Susewind accepted the appointment as permanent director following the commission's vote. He will oversee an agency of 1,800 employees and an operating budget of $460 million for the ...

Opinion: NL Harvesters Trotting Out Same Arguments Used Against Cod Moratorium 26 Years Ago

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [The Southern Gazette] Opinion - June 18, 2018

Lobster Council of Canada: Lobster Harvesters Unfairly Blamed for Right Whale Threat

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] Opinion by Geoff Irvine - June 18, 2018

Much has been written about the ongoing challenge of protecting the North Atlantic right whale along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The impact the 18 reported deaths in 2017 has had on the entire right whale population cannot be understated.

Oceana Canada Says CFIA’s New Food Regulations Do Not Address Seafood Fraud

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 18, 2018

Last week the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced the introduction of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). This new regulation replaces a long list of previous ones and was designed to “simplify and strengthen” rules for food in Canada. However, Oceana Canada says that CFIA “misses the boat on seafood traceability.”

“CFIA had the opportunity to move in the right direction to ensure all seafood sold in Canada is safe, honestly labeled and ...

In Example of Flexibility, Pacific Council Eases Yelloweye Rockfish Constraints in Groundfish Fishery

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers - June 15, 2018

The Pacific Fishery Management Council took the bold step of approving a yelloweye rockfish rebuilding plan that would extend its expected year to rebuild by a couple years -- something almost unheard of in the past. At the same time, the benefits to communities could be immense.

Yelloweye rockfish has been on the overfished list since 2002 and has been a constraining species in almost all sectors for commercial and recreational groundfish fishing on the West Coast. The current annual catch limit for yelloweye is 20 mt; ...

Possible North Atlantic Right Whale Death Off Virginia Coast

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [CBC News] - June 15, 2018

Whale experts are investigating what could possibly be a second North Atlantic right whale death in U.S. waters.

On Thursday, Virginia Aquarium's Marine Science Center Stranding Response Program, was alerted to a "very decomposed large whale carcass."

The carcass had washed ashore on Metompkin Island in Virginia, near the Maryland border.

"Whale experts have tentatively identified it as a North Atlantic right whale," said the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration in a news release. "Genetic samples have been taken to ...

Celebrate National Lobster Day With the Top Lobster Stories

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 15, 2018

Friday is National Lobster Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a look at SeafoodNews.com’s top lobster stories?

Earlier this week NOAA announced that they’re considering a recommendation that would require all federal lobster permit holders to report on catches from their fishing trips. You can read about it here.

Meanwhile, some processing plants in Canada are coming up short as the right whale closures hit the last weeks of lobster and crab fishing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence ...

China’s Frozen Salmon Prices Have Been Dropping; Dealers Stuck with High Cost Inventory

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [FishFirst] translated by Amy Zhong - June 15, 2018

Frozen salmon prices in China began dropping at the end of May. It all began in Guangzhou on May 25, then spread to Shanghai. Beijing seems to be the lucky one in this price contraction with comparatively small changes to local prices.

As statistics from June 7 show, Norwegian salmon are sold at about 80 to 82 yuan per kg ($12.45-$12.76/kg USD) in Guangzhou, while the Chilean ones are at around 72 to 76 yuan per kg ($11.21-$11.83/kg USD). Salmon sellers are upset...

Final Sentence Handed Down in Maine Eel Trafficking Case

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] – June 15, 2018

The final sentence has been handed down in Maine in an eel trafficking sting operation that led to 21 people being charged, 14 of them in Maine.

‘Operation Broken Glass’ was an investigation by the US Fish and Wildlife Service into illegal eel trafficking across 4 states. 

Albert Cray of West Bath pled guilty to helping catch 140 pounds of glass eels, worth $253,000, in New Jersey in 2015, where eel harvesting is prohibited.

He was sentenced to a year on probation...

Alaska Salmon Season Subdued So Far - Calm Before the Bristol Bay Storm?

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 14, 2018

One month into Alaska’s iconic salmon season and the question is “Where are the fish?” rather than “How high will the catch be?”

Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game forecast a harvest of 149 million salmon in 2018, 51.8 million of which is sockeye. Chipping away at that is a severely reduced Copper River run and shortages in Cook Inlet so far. 

Bristol Bay’s harvest forecast of nearly 38 million sockeye is the major driver in the state ...

Shelf-Life Extension Co. BluWrap Receives Additional Financing from Existing Investors

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 15, 2018

BluWrap is growing thanks to continued capital from their existing investors. The company, which specializes in developing extended shelf-life technology for the proteins, announced earlier this week that they have secured further financing through a Series D fundraising led by existing investor, the Wheatsheaf Group.

“We are delighted that our existing investors have chosen to build on their commitment to BluWrap,” Ola Strand, CEO of BluWrap, said in a press release. “The additional investment will allow us to ...

SAVE Right Whales Act Could Provide $50 Million Grant For Ropeless Fishing Technology

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 14, 2018

The SAVE Right Whales Act of 2018, filed in Congress on June 7, could provide a $5 million annual grant program to allow fishermen, shippers and conservationists to collaborate to protect North Atlantic right whales.

Introduced by U.S. Reps Seth Moulton and William Keating, and by U.S. Senator Cory Booker, the SAVE Act stands for Scientific Assistance for Very Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales. If it becomes law, the act would provide a total of ...

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Introduces Safe Food For Canadians Regulations, Effective January

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 14, 2018

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is working to maintain Canada’s reputation as the world leader in food safety, and in doing so, has introduced the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR).

The goal of SFCR is to “simplify and strengthen” rules for food in Canada. In order to simplify these rules, SFCR, which will go into enforcement on January 15, 2019, replaces a long list of regulations, including Fish inspection Regulations, Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations ...

Russia's FAS Wants to Abolish All Historical Fishing Quota Rights in Exchange for 15 Year Leases

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden - June 14, 2018

The Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) has put forward a revolutionary proposal to completely upend the system of fish quota auctons in Russia.  They would like to abandon all historical fish history and participation as a requirement for bidding on fish quota, and instead replace all quotas with a system of auctions.  The auctions would give exclusive quota rights for a 10 to 15 year period.  

According to FAS, the adoption of such proposal will...

Lobster Council of Canada Speaks Out on Right Whale Mitigation Issues

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 14, 2018

The Lobster Council of Canada is calling on the Federal government to work with lobster harvesters and other stakeholders to ensure that the industry’s ongoing commitment to protecting the North Atlantic Right Whale is addressing all issues.

"The Canadian lobster fishery is committed to right whale protection and has been taking steps long before the devastating mortality rate last year,” says Geoff Irvine, Executive Director of the LCC. “The Canadian lobster fishery is one of the most sustainable in the world.  Our ongoing mitigation strategies, our defined lobster seasons, our trap limits and gear rigging methods..

Arctic Storm Building 'Largest and Most Advanced Fishing Vessel' Ever Built in US

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 13, 2018

Rolls-Royce Marine and Arctic Storm announced the building of a new 100 meter factory trawler, that will be 'the most advanced fishing vessel ever built in the US' according to Doug Christensen, CEO of Arctic Storm.

The $20 million dollar contract with Rolls Royce Marine is also the largest fishing vessel contract taken by Rolls-Royce, and the first Rolls-Royce vessel concept to be built in the US.

The 100 meter-long vessel is to be ...

BREAKING NEWS:
China Slams Alaska and US Seafood Industry with 25% Tariff on $1 Billion in Exports

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  [SeafoodNews] by John Sackton – June 15, 2018

China wasted no time retaliating against President Trump’s trade war.  The US seafood industry has been hit hard.

China will impose 25% punitive tariffs on a range of US seafood exports worth nearly $1 billion in 2017. The announcement was made by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council this afternoon.

The tariffs will go into effect on July 6^th.  They are calculated as 25% additional tax on the imported cost of the product, including any previous tariffs. 

So if  a dungeness crab product was taxed at 12%, the 25% will be on the total cost, ie import cost plus previous tariff....

Council Separates Adak Cod Issue from Broader Cod Allocation issues, Expects Action by Dec 2018

SEAFOODNEWS.COM[SeafoodNews] by Peggy Parker - June 15, 2018

Management of Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands is a study in complexity, founded on the earnest principles of protecting historical deliveries to the village of Adak and balancing the needs of the rationalized fishery with the non-rationalized Aleutian Island cod fishery.

Amendment 113 to the BSAI groundfish plan was intended to navigate this warren of concerns, but in the first year of its implementation a perfect storm of sorts resulted in  ...

WWF Canada Says DFO Cod Cuts Too Little; Differs with FFAW and GIDC Partners who See Differently

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SEAFOODNEWS] by John Sackton – June 15, 2018

WWF Canada has issued a statement criticizing the DFO’s 25% cut on Northern Cod harvest as being too little. 

WWF says the DFO ‘ignored scientific evidence in its newly released plan for management of the northern cod stock. The 2018 catch limit for the 2J3KL Northern Cod Stewardship fishery is set at 9,500 metric tons, a reduction of about 25 per cent from 2017 levels, but still double the 2015 quota when the northern cod population was at the same level it is now...

Ecuadorian Shrimp Exports Continue to Advance

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Urner Barry] by Angel Rubio - June 15, 2018 

Looking at Ecuadorean shrimp export figures from April. Data indicates that record volumes were exported adding 106 million pounds; this is 14 million pounds more from the previous record which was reached in December...

VIDEO: Maine's Lobster Industry; SAVE Right Whales Act of 2018 and More

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 15, 2018

Watch the latest Seafood News Weekly Recap as hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione celebrate National Lobster Day with some top stories from the week. This week's video features coverage on a new book about Maine's lobster industry; the SAVE Right Whales Act of 2018; and the Arctic Storm and Rolls-Royce Marine Factory Trawler. Plus, find out more about NOAA potentially expanding reporting rules for the lobster industry.

This video is sponsored by the Seafood Innovation Expo ...

Fish Radio: Ferry Tests for Ocean Acidity Produce First Results

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - June 15, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – The state ferry Columbia now has six months of data since last October when it began testing the waters for acidity from Southeast Alaska across the entire Province of British Columbia to Bellingham, Washington. 

It is part of an unprecedented Alaska/Canada project to learn how increasing ocean acidity affects regional fisheries.

“The fantastic thing about this vessel is it’s going from Bellingham to Skagway and back every week ...

Lobster Day 2018: Indulge With These 5 Lobster Recipes

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 15, 2018

June 15 is National Lobster Day! Seafood News is celebrating by rounding up some delicious recipes featuring these industry superstars.

Check out five recipes out below and be sure to tag @SeafoodNews on Instagram with any photos of your creations ...

WPRFMC Managers Recommend Changes to Swordfish Longline Fishery in Light of Turtle Interactions

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers - June 14, 2018

Federal fishery managers recommended measures to manage sea turtle interactions in the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery targeting swordfish this week in Hawaii.

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council recommended amending the Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan (FEP) for the Western Pacific Region to establish a framework that consists of:

a) annual fleet-wide limits on the number of North Pacific loggerhead and leatherback interactions. Once either of these interaction limits is reached, the fishery ...

‘Weaponized’ McDowell Report on Value of Shore Processing Opening Gun in Fight Over Cod Allocations

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Jim Paulin – June 14, 2018

The newly released McDowell Report on the economic impacts of shore-based processing was requested by the processors to support their position on the cod issue at the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council.

The results of the analysis demonstrate the inshore seafood sector is the primary source of economic activity in the BSAI region and a critical source of income for the region's communities and residents. It further illustrates the importance of a diverse...

Basa Price Likely to Drop in China After Due to Greater Supply

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [FishFirst] translated by Amy Zhong - June 14, 2018

Basa prices have remained at high levels since the beginning of this year due to great demand in China and insufficient supply thanks to adverse weather and seed shortage. They are sold at about $3 to $3.20 per kg currently, which has grown by about 30 percent compared with the same period last year. The prices are too high, according to both overseas buyers and Vietnam’s domestic exporters. And they are expected to ...

New Video Previews Nordic Aquafarm’s Belfast Facility

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - June 14, 2018

Nordic Aquafarms has released a new video to give a look at what their Belfast, Maine, facility could look like once completed. The video is strictly for illustration purposes, and adjustments may take place prior to the completion of the building, but it still gives an interesting look at what to expect.

The new state-of-the-art facility will feature a visitor center, along with an area for water treatment and recycling, a grow out facility, smolt facility and fish processing area ...

Alaska Governor Candidates Don't Like Salmon Ballot Initiative

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - June 14, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Candidates for governor don’t back a salmon ballot initiative.

The Stand for Salmon initiative that could go before voters this fall aims to update habitat protections for the first time since statehood in 1959.

But it has little support by candidates running for Alaska governor. Here are their responses at last weekend’s the Bristol Bay Fish Expo in Naknek.

Republican Mike Dunleavy of Wasilla – I don’t support the Stand for Salmon initiative because ...