On Eve of “A” Season, Dutch Harbor Fights COVID-19 Outbreak, Asks for State Help

The lucrative Bering Sea groundfish season starts tomorrow and two of Alaska’s largest processing plants are struggling to contain an outbreak of the coronavirus on Akutan and Unalaska Islands, 800 miles from Anchorage and on the the far side of Unimak Pass. 

A little less than half of the 1.4 million metric ton catch of pollock, plus cod and other groundfish catch will be processed through the two largest plants in the area: Trident Seafoods plant on Akutan Island and UniSea’s plant in Dutch Harbor...

NOAA Report: A Look at COVID-19’s Impact on Northeast Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries recently released a report which displayed the impact COVID-19 had on fisheries throughout the United States. Overall, the seafood sector in America faced broad declines and that was no different in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region.

To kick off the year, NOAA analysis found that calendar year 2020 revenues exceeded baseline numbers in January and February. However, those numbers quickly declined when COVID entered the fold.

From March to June, those numbers plummeted for a cumulative difference of -$126 million...

Kvarøy Arctic Teams Up With Chef Andrew Zimmerman to Offer Homegating Kit on FultonFishMarket.com

It’s time to lock in your Super Bowl plans. Kvarøy Arctic announced on Tuesday that they’ve teamed up with four-time James Beard award-winning TV personality, chef, writer and teacher Andrew Zimmern to offer a Homegating Kit available through FultonFishMarket.com.

While you may not be planning your usual Super Bowl party, you still need good grub for the big game. And that’s where Kvarøy Arctic and Chef Zimmern come in. As part of their Super Bowl LV collaboration, Zimmern has created four original topping recipes...

FEMA Approves $1.8 Million for Puerto Rico Fishing Villages

Following the destruction of Hurricane Maria, FEMA approved a $1.8 million allocation to the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture providing a “boost for the island’s fishermen,” as it aims to improve the safety and environment of their places of work.

Four fishing villages, which are home to 96 fishermen will be repaired and rebuilt using the funds.

La Coal Fishing Village in Old San Juan, with an obligation of about $696,000; Maunabo Fishing Village, located near the historic Punta Tuna lighthouse, with about $347,000...

Hatchery Called ‘Incompatible Use’ in Alaska State Parks

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

Hatcheries are an “incompatible use” in state parks claims the Department of Natural Resources and a push is on to close the Tutka Bay hatchery in Kachemak Bay near Homer.

It is one of three hatcheries operated by the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association, which since the late 1970s has produced mostly sockeye and pink salmon for commercial, sport, subsistence and personal use fisheries.  

DNR “intends to adopt” a new Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park Management Plan that would close Tutka Bay due to...

Mowi Praises Brazilian Soy Suppliers Deforestation Commitment

Brazilian soy producers, who supply the farmed salmon industry, CJ Selecta, Caramuru and Imcopa/Cervejaria Petrópolis announced they will implement a 100% deforestation and conversion free soybean value chain with 2020 as their cut-off date.

Any soy that is grown on land deforested after 2020 will not be traded. The move means that most of the farmed salmon industry and the entire European sector will source soy from suppliers with value chains completely deforestation and conversion free.

“This bold and historic move sets a new benchmark for global sustainable supply chains and is in stark contrast to larger Brazilian soy traders..."

ANALYSIS: As The World Turns for Farmed Salmon…  

Surpassing the $5.00 threshold in the Chilean fresh fillet market for 3-4 pound fillets and maintaining that price almost three weeks in a row was not something that many could have predicted heading into the 2020 holiday season. However, as we close out the second full week of January and are now into the middle of the month, the undertone in the fresh fillet market looks to be somewhat supportive of current pricing.

Presently fresh Chilean 3-4 pound fillets have...  

Crabbers Face Potential February Season Opening in Washington if Domoic Clears

Biotoxins just want to hang around Washington waters, it appears. Domoic acid is again delaying the Dungeness crab season north of Cape Falcon, Ore., the industry learned Friday.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife sent out a notice advising the industry that recent tests from Jan. 9 showed continued levels of domoic acid that exceeded the action level of 30 ppm in the viscera.

Tri-State policy representatives from WDFW, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife agreed to...

Brian Perkins Joins GAA as New COO, Will Help Transition to Global Seafood Alliance

Seafood industry veteran Brian Perkins is the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s (GAA) new Chief Operating Officer. 

Perkins joins the team at GAA after acting as Regional Director Americas for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for the last six years. During his time at MSC, Perkins was responsible for building a team that “energized the program in the Americas region,” which included increasing consumer awareness, the number of MSC-labeled products, and the number of participants engaged in the MSC program...

Alaska Fish Radio: Kelp Growing Increases to More Alaska Regions

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

Alaskans have now applied for over 2,000 acres of new or expanding undersea farms, double the footprint from two years ago.  Nearly 60 percent plan to grow kelp with the remainder growing a mix of kelp and/or shellfish.

Currently in Alaska, 36 operators are producing primarily Pacific oysters in Southeast, Prince William Sound and Kachemak Bay.

It’s the faster growing seaweed, notably kelp, that has spawned wider interest, especially from regions that aren’t as hospitable to growing shellfish....

NOAA Report: Seafood Industry Experienced Broad Declines in 2020 Due to COVID-19

A new analysis released by NOAA Fisheries today reveals that the U.S. fishing and seafood sector experienced broad declines in 2020.

According to NOAA’s analysts, 2020 actually started out strong, with a 3% increase in commercial fish landings revenue in January and February. However, things began to turn in March when COVID-19 protective measures began getting put in place not only across the U.S., but the rest of the world. NOAA reports that revenues declined each month from a 19% decrease in March to a...

ANALYSIS: China Bay Scallop Imports Continue Downwards Trend

It started with tariffs, followed by poor harvests, COVID-19, the U.S. dollar devaluation, skyrocketing freight costs, and recently a new outbreak in northern China creating additional setbacks, the market for China Bay scallops has seen better days here in the United States.

The average import volume from 2015 through 2018 was 21 million pounds, 2019 was the first year to see a major drop off of imports from China totaling less than 8 million pounds, while 2020 is anticipated to be...

Fishermen’s Survey: Lower Fish Prices is Biggest Hit From COVID

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

Fishermen say the single biggest hit from the Covid-19 virus is lower dock prices.

That’s according to survey results of West Coast and Alaska harvesters compiled by Ocean Strategies, a public relations firm that focuses on fisheries.

The company was founded in 2013 by Homer fisherman, Brett Veerhusen, previously the Executive Director of the Seafood Harvesters of America in Washington, D.C.

Nearly 400 fishermen responded to the short, confidential survey launched last November...

Innovasea Shares Support of Finfish Mariculture Authorization By Army Corps of Engineers

Innovasea, a technology provider for aquaculture companies shared its support for the Army Corps of Engineers’ new rule authorizing finfish mariculture in federal waters.

“The Army Corps of Engineers’ decision is another positive step for the aquaculture industry in the United States and builds upon the momentum of the past year,” said David Kelly, Innovasea CEO. “The agency’s thorough review and deliberation has created a permitting process for open ocean aquaculture facilities in federal  waters that is cognizant of environmental impacts and responsive to stakeholders without being needlessly burdensome to applicants...

Plant-based Shellfish Company Lands Investment from Big Idea Ventures in Financing Round

Big Idea Ventures, an early-stage protein investment group completed an investment in Connecticut-based plant protein producer New Wave Foods.

New Wave Foods is expected to provide a plant-based shrimp product for restaurants and foodservice operators this year.

The investment was made alongside Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat and is a part of New Wave’s Series A round of $18 million that was headed by NEA, one of the leading global venture capital firms...

“We are thrilled to invest in and partner with...

Vietnam Announces Pilot Program for Electronic Traceability in Seafood Supply Chain

Vietnam’s Deputy Director of the Directorate of Fisheries announced that the country is planning on implementing software for electronic traceability in the seafood supply chain.

Deputy Director Nguyen Quang Hung said, “the traceability of fishery products is now a mandatory requirement of the market. Not only export markets but also domestic consumers need transparency and traceability.”

Hung explained that traceability measures have been in place throughout the supply chain for a while, citing the 2003 Fisheries Law, requiring fishermen to keep records in logbooks...

The Winding Glass: Seafood, Consumers, Climate Change, the MSC and the Government in 2021

Last month CFOOD, the website established by University of Washington scientists to explain the science of sustainable seafood, published an excellent summary of the problems facing the Maine lobster fishery due to right whale interactions.

There are six lobster fisheries interacting with right whales certified by the MSC in the U.S. and Canada but only the Maine fishery was suspended by the MSC. The Maine fishery lost its MSC certification due to a lawsuit against NMFS charging failure to implement stronger measures to reduce right whale...

Alaska Fish Radio: Alaska Fishing Updates for January 2021

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – The nation’s biggest fishery gets underway next week.

There’s lots of fishing going on throughout the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea.

January 1 saw the start of cod and other groundfish fisheries and the nation’s biggest catch – Alaska pollock – gets underway on January 20. Over three billion pounds will come out of the Bering Sea.

Gulf fishermen, however, have chosen to delay their pollock start to February 4 in hopes of higher-quality, schooled up fish. That will add another...

NOAA Fisheries COVID Impacts on Alaska Landings Improved by End of Year; Prices Not Updated 

NOAA Fisheries’ Update last week on the impacts of COVID-19 in Alaska covered landings and revenues through August of 2020, but differences in landings narrowed significantly by the end of the year. Prices were estimated to be between 15-50% down from 2019, depending on species, but have not been updated beyond estimates from August 2020.

NOAA’s Report shows landings down about 15% by August, but updated catch data shows most species’ limits were caught with less than 5-8% left in the water ...

Toyosu Market December 2020 Imported Fresh Tuna; Firm Demand for Take-Out Sushi

Tokyo Toyosu Market received 697 fresh imported tuna in December 2020, an increase of 14.6% from 608 the same month of the previous year, compiled by Jiji Press. Bigeye tuna has declined significantly, but wild bluefin tuna has increased from North America and the Mediterranean, as well as farmed bluefin from Mexico, reported Minato Shimbun.

The total number of bluefin tuna was 673, increasing about 38% from 488 a year ago. The number of farmed bluefins from Mexico also increased by about 38% to 355 from 258...

PODCAST: NOAA's COVID-19 Report; Maruha Nichiro's Latest Acquisition; And More Seafood News!

Join SeafoodNews Podcast co-hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione as they talk about NOAA’s latest COVID-19 report, which provides insights into the pandemic’s early economic impact. Plus we talk about Chicken of the Sea International reaching a settlement with the final group of plaintiffs involved in the canned tuna price-fixing scandal; Thai Union's new UniQ BONE bone powder product; pre-cooked seafood products becoming eligible to include in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program; and Maruha Nichiro's...

RCMP Finds Missing Scallop Dragger the Chief William Saulis; Five Fishermen Still Missing

On Saturday the search for missing scallop dragger the Chief William Saulis came to an end as the Nova Scotia and British Columbia RCMP Underwater Recovery Teams (URT), with the help of the Canadian Coast Guard and Transportation Safety Board, confirmed the discovery of the sunken vessel.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued an update on Sunday revealing that they had searched a targeted area using side scan sonar. It was during this search that they located an “anomaly.” The RCMP’s Underwater Recovery Teams used...

AKVA Group Expects to Incur 'Significant Costs' Linked to Cyber-Attack

Following AKVA Group’s January 10 announcement of a cyber-attack, the company said it is expecting to incur “significant non-recurring costs during Q1 2021 related to the breach and mitigating measures.

AKVA said its technical team, alongside external help, was able to detect the root cause of the system shutdown and will work to gradually restore its IT systems.

The company said that police are currently investigating the incident and further information about the cyber-attack and fixes deployed have not yet become public...

Thai Union Ingredients Subsidiary Converts Tuna Bone into New Product

Waste not! A new product from the Thai Union Ingredients subsidiary is ensuring that every fish is properly used to reduce wastage. On Thursday Thai Union group announced that they would be launching a new product, UniQ BONE bone powder, which is produced by converting tuna bone into a fine, off-white powder that has a neutral taste and smell.

“Thai Union has built its business on not only providing the highest quality products to consumers around the world, but on constantly innovating and ensuring that we are providing...

Sysco Releases 'Get Hooked on Seafood' Toolkit Ahead of Lent

Sysco wants to help customers “get hooked on seafood.” 

On Thursday the global foodservice distribution company released four new toolkits to its Foodie Solutions platform to help the foodservice industry generate additional revenue and meet customer expectations. The latest additions to their Foodie Solutions series include: Valentine’s Day, Wholesome Dining, Greatest Game, and Get Hooked on Seafood.

The “Get Hooked on Seafood” foodie solutions toolkit provides “innovative tools and resources to help you provide your customers with the best seafood experience.” And it’s out just in time for...

USCG, Partners Suspend Search for Fishermen Missing from Taiwanese Vessel Near Midway

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended the active search Wednesday for 10 crewmembers of the Taiwan fishing vessel, Yong-Yu-Sing No. 18, who went missing approximately 550 miles northeast of Midway Island.

“As a lifesaving service making the decision to suspend a search is never easy," Capt. Craig O'Brien, the We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the mariners,” said Capt. Craig O’Brien, the USCG 14th District chief of response, said ina press release. “Coast Guard and Navy aircrews, along with our maritime ...

Atlantic Sapphire Listed on OTCQX Market, Now Available to U.S. Investors

Atlantic Sapphire, the company behind Bluehouse Salmon announced it has joined the OTCQX Best Market, making it accessible to U.S. investors.

Established in Norway, the company is already listed on the Norwegian stock exchange Oslo Børs. In 2020, Atlantic Sapphire wrapped up its first U.S. harvest in its Florida facility.

Atlantic Sapphire Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Johan Andreassen said, "since the first U.S. harvest in September 2020, our Bluehouse Salmon has expanded its retail footprint to more than 1,000 locations, with more and more stores coming online as we continue to ramp-up production...

Current Restaurant Restrictions and Capacity By State

Coronavirus cases in the United States are growing. On Friday the U.S. recorded over 99,000 new cases – the highest single day total recorded by any country. With concerns rising over the upward trend in cases, restaurants across the country are beginning to see a new wave of restrictions. We're breaking down the latest restaurant news by state...

Canadian Coast Guard Introduces Marine Mammal Desk to Protect Southern Resident Killer Whales

The Canadian Coast Guard announced the creation of the Marine Mammal Desk to support the government’s mission to protect Southern Resident Killer Whales.

The new desk, located within the CCG's Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre (MCTS) in Sidney, British Columbia, will “report whale sightings in real time and advise vessel traffic by providing enhanced situational awareness of the activities of Southern Resident Killer Whales and other cetaceans, such as humpback and grey whales.”

The desk will be staffed 24/7, and leverage technology including radar and Automatic Identification Systems...

Economic Tide: Irish Fishing Villages Brace For Harsh Times Post COVID-19 

Fish landings, processing and ancillary industries have long played a pivotal role in peripheral Irish communities.  

With Brexit now active and quotas swiftly being reallocated, the Irish fishing industry is weighing up potential losses under the agreed transfer of quota shares. According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM), the Republic of Ireland (ROI) will lose an estimated €43m ($52.3m) or 15% of its quotas by 2026. 

Under the newly signed EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK's Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for...