Primary West Coast Dungeness Season Delayed Until Mid-December at the Earliest

This year's warm water blob off the West Coast is dissipating -- or at least shrinking and moving offshore -- and helping out this year's Dungeness crab season. Most areas from Washington to California show relatively low domoic acid levels.

However, meat recovery rates have not been helping the fishery. Fishery managers from all three states talked this week and decided to delay the primary season from northern California to Washington until at least Dec. 16. Crab quality testing from all three states in early November showed...

Pollock Parts Plug Body Holes, Clean Lead From Soil

Fish Radio likes to spotlight fish parts that go well beyond dinner plates and can add up to more value than fillets.

Pollock, for example, Alaska’s largest fishery produces millions of pounds of fish sticks, surimi and roe – but other pollock parts are being used to seal holes in lung and blood vessels. 

Researchers at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) have discovered that gelatin from pollock skins makes a sealant that is 12 times stronger than conventional uses.

A big plus is the fish gelatin remains liquid at room...

CPF Reports Better-Than-Expected Q3 Earnings

Recent strengthening of the Thai baht contributed to lower overall sale revenue for Charoen Pokphand Foods PLC (CPF), but earnings increased by 23% in the third quarter compared to the same period last year. CPR reported Bt6,062 million ($201 million) earnings in the third quarter this year.

The gain in earnings happened despite lower sales revenue. In the quarter, sale revenue totaled Bt132.6 billion (US$4.4 billion), declining 6% on quarter. However, excluding impacts from the strengthening of Thai baht as well as the adjustment of financial reporting standards (TFRS), sale ...

Australia Reports on Largest Pacific Illegal Fishing Surveillance Operation 

The largest annual ocean surveillance operation in the world has just concluded, resulting in over 130 on-board inspections and at least four apprehensions of fishing vessels involved in illegal fishing. 

Australia’s Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) joined 14 other Pacific nations, led by the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) to monitor 21.3 million square kilometres over 12 days. 

The FFA collaborates with the Quadrilateral Defence Coordination Group, which comprises Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States of America.

The operation covered tuna fishing grounds throughout the Western and Central ...

Chilean Salmon Making Its Way to the States as National Strikes Stall the Country

Tuesday marked the 26^th day of demonstrations in Chile, led by a national strike that shut down the majority of the country.

According to Reuters, alongside strikes in major cities, truck drivers and other demonstrators barricaded two major highways. The highways connect the capital city of Santiago with other cities and ports, leading to huge backups throughout the country.

According to industry sources, logistics to get fish out of Chile remain a challenge. However, product is making its way to the U.S. market and is available...

Coast Guard Names a Pair of Cutters After 9/11 Heroes

Two Coast Guard Sentinel-Class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) will be named in honor of two men who lost their lives responding on 9/11.

The cutters will be named in honor of Port Security Specialist 2^nd Class Vincent Danz, who also worked for the New York City Police Department, and Machinery Technician 1^st Class Jeffrey Palazzo, a former firefighter for the New York City Fire Department.

Adm. Karl Schultz, Coast Guard commandant, made the announcement in New York City’s Battery Park alongside...

High-stakes Effort to End Harmful Fisheries Subsidies Under New Leadership at WTO

On Novemer 8, a new Columbian chairman was elected to lead the WTO’s decades long effort to eliminate destructive subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fisheries around the world.  Wills’ election marks the latest progress in an effort that started twenty years ago and now faces a 2020 deadline to conclude one of the World Trade Organization’s most ambitious goals.

"The world is watching what we do here and we simply cannot afford to fail both the health of the oceans and the credibility of this ...

Cooke Aquaculture's Northeast Nutrition Celebrates Expansion Boosting Output 50%

Northeast Nutrition, a Canadian feed business owned by Cooke Aquaculture, recently celebrated the expansion of its aqua feed plant in Truro, Nova Scotia with an open house.

The expansion was begun in 2016 as a five-year, CAD 20.3 million investment plan for the facility, boosting its production capacity to 100,000 metric tons of aqua feed (up from 65,000 tons previously). Among the most important investments made so far include...

Harbor Seafood Takes Home US Foods’ Center-of-the-plate Award

New York-based Harbor Seafood won the Center-of-the-plate Award at US Foods Supplier of the Year Awards, US Foods announced on Monday.

“Harbor Seafood is a trusted partner that has been a leader in the seafood industry since 1975. The company’s focus on responsible sourcing practices has created invaluable opportunities to strengthen the assortment of sustainably sourced seafood offerings for US Foods customers across the country,” the company said.

Winners of the awards were selected by US Foods field leadership, merchandising and sales associates who work...

What's Next for Amazon: Taking AmazonFresh Beyond Online and into Brick-and-Mortar Stores

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Market research firm Packaged Facts says dropping monthly fees associated with AmazonFresh and realigning it as a free benefit for Prime members, suggests that Amazon intends to to grow the brand beyond the limitations imposed by Whole Foods-Prime Now relationship. The firm recently published Amazon Strategies and the Amazon Shopper, 2nd Edition.

Behind the scenes, Amazon has clearly been trying to figure out how to balance AmazonFresh and Prime Now, its 1-2 hour delivery service. 

Since acquiring Whole Foods in 2017, Amazon ...

Tuna’s Carbon Ratios Indicate Changes in Oceanic Food Web

The ratio of carbon isotopes in a trio of common tuna species has undergone drastic changes since 2000. The shift signals a change in the phytoplankton population, which is the base of the oceanic food web.

If phytoplankton are changing, the impacts will be felt throughout the rest of the food web, according to a research team including Nicolas Cassar, professor of biogeochemistry at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

“The change we observed in tuna, which are near the top of the marine food web, reflects profound changes...

Cantwell Language to Improve Legislation Getting Fisheries Disaster Aid to Fleets Passes Committee

Washington, D.C. -- Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is determined to improve the process through which the nation’s fishing fleets survive fisheries disasters. Earlier this week, her provisions to reform the process passed the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Cantwell is a ranking member of the committee. 

In September, Cantwell highlighted issues with the current process, including small business charter fishermen being excluded from the 2016 Coho fisheries disaster, an event that cost Washington State an estimated $100 million.

Cantwell’s provisions would expand and protect...

Zoneco Says 80 Percent of Scallops Found Dead; Cause Unknown

China-based Zoneco announced 80 percent of its scallops had died due to “unidentified” reasons. The massive die-off was found on a farm in the sea between China and Korea, according to a statement sent to the Shenzen stock exchange.

Listed as Zhangzidao Group on the exchange, Zoneco is currently assessing the situation, however, the company said the cause of death is thought to be natural.  According to Bloomberg, the value of the affected scallop is valued at $43 million...

Farmed Fish Fail to Reduce Pressure on Wild Stocks, Study Says

The push to convince consumers that the best way to protect wild fish is to eat farmed has gotten new life by a company called LoveTheWild.  

The Boulder-Colorado based group launched its oven-ready, farmed fish meal kits in 2014 and just announced they will be available at Whole Foods stores nationwide next month.

Among their investors is actor Leonardo DiCaprio who claims that “the exploitation of our oceans has left many marine ecosystems on the brink of total collapse” and that LoveTheWild is...

Russian Sakhalin and Kuril Islands May Face Salmon Shortage in Years Ahead

Russia may face a shortage of salmon during the next several years, due to climate change and overproduction seen in recent years, according to recent statements from leading local analysts in the field of fishing and state officials.

The biggest decline of salmon catch is expected in the Sakhalin Island, which is a main harvest area for salmon in Russia.

The news was confirmed by recent predictions of the Sakhalin branch of the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography. They say the overall stock of pink...

Swedish Study Improves Nutrition and Sustainability for Farmed Lobster, Wolffish

A new study by doctoral candidate James Hinchcliffe at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg finds ways to improve nutrition to two high-value farmed species while increasing sustainability in fish farming and the ocean’s foraging fish.

Hinchcliffe’s report notes that an important challenge in aquaculture is access to fishmeal. Demand outweighs supply today due to the rapid expansion of aquaculture.

His thesis studied farming Atlantic wolffish and European lobster.

"These two species are popular among consumers and have a high market value in Sweden. The goal of the studies was to ...

Mowi Tabs Ivan Veindham as New CEO

Ivan Veindham was named CEO of Mowi ASA, effective November 12. Vindheim follows Alf-Helge Aarskog, who decided to step down after almost a decade at the head of the salmon farming giant.

 “I am delighted that Ivan has taken on this challenge,” Chairman of the Board Ole-Eirik Lerøy said. “Ivan has a strong commercial track-record and has the best qualifications for delivering on our corporate strategy. He also represents continuity.”

Vindheim has been the company’s CFO since 2012. He has years of experience in the seafood industry...