Bay Area Consumers Have Dungeness for Thanksgiving; Rest of West Coast Seasons Likely Delayed

The celebrated San Francisco Dungeness crab season starts tomorrow, but delays due to domoic acid or meat quality in other areas are likely, according to officials from Oregon and California.

“California’s Dungeness crab fishery is one of the most progressively designed and collaboratively managed fisheries on the West Coast,” Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations Executive Director Noah Oppenheim said in a press release. “Our crab populations are stable and doing well. Yet climate change continues to threaten crab fisheries in complex and unpredictable ways ...

San Francisco Crab Season Opens Nov. 15; Areas North to Mendocino Delayed Due to Domoic Acid

Other changes coming to California Dungeness fishery this season, too

Several Changes are coming to the California Dungeness crab fishery this year, the worst being a season delay for part of the coastline.

The Central Coast/Southern season, frequently referred to as the San Francisco opener, is scheduled to open Nov. 15, but California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham on Friday delayed the season opening from Bodega Head, Sonoma County, north to the Sonoma/Mendocino county line due to ...

Japan Eyes Increasing Seafood Imports from Russia’s Sakhalin and Kurile Islands

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden - November 7, 2018

Japan plans to significantly increase the volume of fish and seafood imports from Sakhalin and Kurile Islands during the next several years, according to recent statements by some Japanese business officials and senior officials of the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo).

According to Tatsuki Kato, general director of HOKO, a leading food and fish producer in Japan, the company is particularly interested in the increase of supplies of pink salmon and crab from both Sakhalin and Kurile Islands, with the ...

Oregon Crabbers Fund Whale Study in Hopes of Avoiding Entanglements

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers - October 30, 2018

Recognizing that whale entanglements could seriously affect the Oregon Dungeness crab fishery, the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission took proactive action earlier this week to fund a new study looking at whale distributions along the coast.

Oregon State University Marine Mammal Ecologist Dr. Leigh Torres is leading a project partnering with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard and Oregon Sea Grant designed to better understand where whale distribution patterns overlap with fishing effort ...

Sea Grant Announces 2018 Aquaculture Research Awards

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - October 18, 2018

NOAA Sea Grant has announced the award of $11 million in grants for 22 projects to further advance the development of a sustainable marine and coastal aquaculture industry in the U.S.

The research projects are designed to address specific priorities of the 2018 Sea Grant National Aquaculture Initiative including: supporting the development of emerging systems or technologies that will advance aquaculture in the U.S.; developing and implementing actionable methods of communicating accurate, science based information about the benefits and risks of U.S. marine aquaculture to the public; and ...

Russia to Start Export Fish Sales Through Auctions in Coming Months

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden - October 16, 2018

The Russian Federal Agency for Fishery, Rosrybolovstvo, plans to establish special trading areas in the Primorye region for the export sales of domestic fish and seafood, according to recent statements by Ilya Shestakov.

The introduction of auction platforms, according to Shestakov, will make the existing sales mechanism more transparent and will allow the sales of Russian fish at fair market prices.

All the trading platforms will be equipped with modern refrigeration facilities and have special inspection compartments ...

LISTEN: Tilapia Industry Split After First Week of Tariffs; Meal Kits Losing Steam and More News

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - October 1, 2018

This week on the SeafoodNews podcast hosts Amanda Buckle and Lorin Castiglione talk about how the tilapia industry is split after the first week of tariffs; NOAA's memorandum on whales; Casey's Seafood owner pleading guilty to falsely labeling crab meat; meal kits losing steam; and why some vegans are eating oysters. Plus, we welcome Scott Zimmerman, the CEO of Safe Quality Seafood Associates and speaker at Urner Barry's upcoming Seafood Import Workshop ...

Chinese Demand for Russian King Crab Reshaping Crab Market

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden - September 17, 2018

Exports of Russian king crab to China have skyrocketed during the first seven months of the this year, due to the ever-growing Chinese demand and the launch of new delivery routes, according to Russian Rosrybolovstvo and senior officials from the Russian Ministry of Agriculture.

Kamchatka crab exports to China during the period of January-July grew by 5.6 times, compared to the same period of last year. The total value of these exports is up to ...

NMFS, ENGOs Agree to Deadlines for Humpback Whale Habitat Designations off West Coast

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers - August 28, 2018

The Center for Biological Diversity, Turtle Island Restoration Network and Wishtoyo Foundation reached a settlement with the National Marine Fisheries Service last week to protect humpback whale habitat in the Pacific Ocean. the Center said the whales face threats from fisheries, ship strikes and oil spills.

The agreement, filed in federal district court in San Francisco, requires the National Marine Fisheries Service to follow the Endangered Species Act’s requirement to designate critical habitat ...

California Crab Disaster Relief Plan Slowly Moves Forward

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers - August 22, 2018

Dungeness and rock crab fishermen and processors are eagerly awaiting California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission decisions on $28 million of disaster funding.

CDFW submitted a proposed plan to the Commission on July 20, after taking input from industry during a July 18 webinar. The proposed plan includes:

• 10 percent for mitigation: This part of the fund would be used for competitive research grants and to expand the capabilities and infrastructure for monitoring and testing for harmful algal blooms. Some of this could include ...

Mining Operations Threaten Fishing Operations at Russian West Kamchatka Region

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden - August 17, 2018

Major Russian Kamchatka-region fish harvests may drop this year thanks to investment in another natural resource: mining.

Global mining companies have announced plans to start the production of minerals close to the West Kamchatka shelf as well as peripheral areas of the Peninsula.

For example, Indian energy holding company Tata Power -- India's largest integrated power company, according to its website -- has recently completed its plans to build a new port on the Sea of Okhotsk on the western coast of Kamchatka. The company's ...

Pacific Seafood Opens New, State-of-the-Art Plant in Warrenton, Oregon

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

Five years of planning and hard work and Pacific Seafood returns to Warrenton, Ore., with a brand new seafood processing facility on the banks of the Skipanon River.

Pacific Seafood CEO Frank Dulcich, along with state Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose, and Warrenton Mayor Henry Balensifer, officially re-opened Pacific Seafood's new Warrenton plant during a ceremony celebrating the vibrant coastal fishing community Tuesday.

The original processing facility and dock, built in 1941 and acquired by Pacific Seafood in 1983, burned down in ...

Taste Test: What Do The New Lay’s Lobster Roll and Chesapeake Bay Crab Spice Chips Taste Like?

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 3, 2018

Last month Lay’s announced that they were rolling out eight new chip flavors as part of their “Tastes of America” program. When SeafoodNews learned that two of those chip flavors were seafood-inspired, we knew that we had to get our hands on them.

Lay’s sent SeafoodNews bags of the New England Lobster Roll and Chesapeake Bay Crab Spice chips to try and we were instantly hooked. But do they taste like the real deal?

Russian Ex-senator Alexander Verkhovsky Becomes Second Largest Fishery Quota Holder

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden - July 11, 2018

The largest deal since 2013 was officially closed on the Russian fish market Tuesday. The Sakhalin Island company, a Russian fish producer owned by ex-senator Alexander Verkhovsky, acquired the Preobrazhensky Base of Trawl Fleet (PBTF), one of Russia’s largest fish producers, from the family of Sakhalin governors Oleg Kozhemyaka.

The deal, which is estimated at US $430 million, made Verkhovsky the second largest holder of fishing quotas in Russia after the Norebo Group (Karat), which ...

Russian Fishery Company Sets Plan to Build New Crab Vessels in Russia to Utilize Quota

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - July 9, 2018

Russian Fish Company announced that it will be building new crab vessels in Russia to utilize crab quotas.  

The project is being done by its operating company PrimCrab, which is signing an agreement with Nautic Rus, a ship design company, to design and build new crab vessels within Russia.

"Vessels that we plan to build will meet all modern requirements, both in the field of technical equipment, and in terms of safety and environmental performance, - PrimCrab CEO Alexander Kirichenko commented.

The company plans to build up to 10 crabbers...

Data Shows Increase in Vietnam Border Trade and Likely Uptick in Smuggling

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Chinaeel] translated by Amy Zhong - July 6, 2018

Statistics from Vietnam show the country has imported seafood worth more than $163 million USD in May, which is an increase of 29 percent from that of April and an increase of 60 percent compared with the same period last year. This means the import value is close to $698 million USD within the first five months this year, which is an increase of 33 percent compared with the same period last year ...

Russia Expects No Significant Increase in Crab Harvests; More Live Exports to In Future

Russia does not expect a significant crab harvest increase during the next several decades, expecting that its stock will remain at the same level as at present, according to latest predictions of some leading Russian crab producers and experts of the Russian Federal Agency of Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo).

According to recent statements, Alexander Dyplyakov, head of the Sakhalin Association of Crab Producers, the Sea of Okhotsk will remain a center of crab catch in Russia for the next several years ...

As Crab Supplies Dwindle, Retail Promotions of Other Shellfish Come to the Fore

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] (Analysis) by John Sackton - October 30, 2018

Snow crab supplies are likely down again significantly in Newfoundland next year, but do the markets care?

For many years snow crab has been a staple of the retail seafood counter.  In fact, excluding shrimp, all varieties of crab are the next largest shellfish category sold at retail.  According to Nielsen data, crab accounts for about 46% of the value, and 44% of unit sales of shellfish excluding shrimp.

But with the prospect of another significant reduction in crab catches from Newfoundland, likely not really offset...

Thai Union Group, COSFF, Monterey Bay Launch $73 Million Sustainability Push, Initially on Blue Crab

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - October 30, 2018

BALI, INDONESIA — Thai Union Group PCL, Chicken of the Sea® brand and Monterey Bay Aquarium announced the launch of SeaChange® IGNITE, a collaboration to advance new sustainability initiatives and improvements throughout the supply chain and further contribute to Thai Union’s SeaChange sustainability strategy, according to a press release. The combined commitment for the initiative is USD $73 million through 2025, with a focus on improvements in Southeast Asia and other key seafood producing regions.

SeaChange IGNITE will also ...

With Sufficient Supply, King Crab Becomes More Common and Popular in China

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [FishFIrst/Dzwww] translated by Amy Zhong - October 16, 2018

The price of live king crab more than 3.5 kg each has dropped to 90 yuan/jin (1 jin=0.5 kg; $13.02/jin USD) in Beijing on Oct. 5, while that of the smaller ones has declined to about 100 yuan ($14.47 USD) to 105 yuan ($15.19). Though prices are slightly higher in Guangzhou and Shanghai, they still set a new low record, around 100 yuan ...

Russian  Does Not Foresee Crisis Looming in Crab Industry as New Auction Plan Moves Forward

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden - October 12, 2018

The Russian government expects the beginning of a new program providing half the domestic crab quotas to new entrants to further develop the industry will actually make the Russian crab industry more efficient -- according to senior officials of the country’s Ministry of Agriculture.

According to recent statements of Rosrybolovstvo, recent announcements of some Russian crab producers to terminate their existing contracts for the building of new crab-producing ships at domestic shipyards ...

Chinese Importers Bank on Upcoming Festivals to Boost Lobster Prices

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [FishFirst] translated by Amy Zhong - September 17, 2018

Recently the Boston lobster market in China has been damaged with excessive supply when the demand fails to catch up, said one Boston lobster importer in Shanghai. Boston lobster prices are in decline, especially the small ones. Though the demand is greater for the large ones, it is difficult to source any, importers say. The price contraction of live seafood such as Boston lobsters and box crab has begun after the Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day) on August 17 ...

West Coast Fisheries Worried El Nino Likely to Return in 2018-19

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers - August 30, 2018

As salmon and tuna seasons wind down and Dungeness crabbers start thinking about the winter fishery on the West Coast, some wonder: Will El Niño return?

Recent news articles have reported a 70 percent chance of warm waters in the equatorial Pacific will affect the West Coast.

On land, that could mean a dry winter coming after a summer and fall in which smoke from wildfires filled the skies in the West. On the ocean, it could mean ...

Study Investigates Shortcoming of ITQ Systems For Fisheries

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers - August 23, 2018

Individual transferable quota systems for fisheries around the world may be ideal for some fisheries, but they can exclude rural, indigenous, low-income and next-generation fishermen from the industry, according to a new paper co-authored by a University of Alaska Fairbanks professor.

"ITQs are being advocated across the board without much reflection on what individual fisheries need," College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences professor Courtney Carothers said in a press release. "ITQs might work well for some big industrial fisheries, but, for small-scale fisheries, ...

Big in Japan: Scotland’s Seafood Heavyweights Look to Scale Up Exports

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers

A contingent of Scottish seafood companies hope to build on growing international exports when they visit Japan this week.

At £944 million (~$1.2 million USD), Scottish seafood international exports rose by 23 percent last year, and several companies heading to the Japan Seafood Expo 2018 want to continue the trend. The group includes, for the first time, some of the biggest companies in the sector, making this year’s delegation the largest yet in terms of ...

Russia Company Plans Increase in Deep Water Crab Harvests

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden - August 15, 2018

Vostok-1 Fishery Farm, one of Russia’s leading fishing companies that operates at deep ocean depths, plans to significantly increase the volume of deep-sea crab and fish harvests this year, according to the company.

As part of these plans, the company is going to conduct modernization of its fishing fleet, that will allow it to operate at the depths of 2,500 meters.

Alexander Slizkin, a scientific consultant of the Pacific Research Fishing Center (TINRO-center), one of Russia’s leading fishing research institutions ...

Dungeness Crab Prices Rise in China; US Shippers Shut Out by Tariffs

SEAFOODNEWS [FishFirst] translated by Amy Zhong - August 13, 2018

The price of large Dungeness crab increased twice within one day and reached as high as 110 yuan/jin (1 jin=0.5 kg; $31.92/kg USD) in some regions. As statistics from August 5 show, live Dungeness crab are sold at about 110 yuan/jin in both Beijing and Guangzhou. The prices even exceed 110 yuan/jin in some second-tier cities. The price increase has lasted more than one month and they have risen to such ...

New Russian State Producer Could Pose Direct Competition to Traditional Fishing Companies

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden – July 31, 2018

A new state-owned fish producer may soon be established in Russia, according to recent statements of some leading Russian fish producers and sources in Rosrybolovstvo. It could hold a large number of fish quotas available in the Russian fish market and compete with the current market leaders.

The new fish producer will be established on the basis of the already existing FSUE "Natrbresource," a state enterprise that operates coastal port facilities in several regions of Russia, including the Kaliningrad Sea Fishing Port, as well as ...

Crabfest Returns to Red Lobster with New Stuffed Dishes

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - July 9, 2018

There’s only one reason to be crabby over the summer – Red Lobster’s Crabfest.

The fan-favorite dining event is back at the seafood chain for a limited amount of time, and customers can indulge in the largest variety of crab offered at Red Lobster all year.

“During Crabfest, our guests get the unique opportunity to explore a variety of different types of crab, all on one plate,” Red Lobster Executive Chef and Director of Culinary, Dustin Hilinski, said in a press release ...

CDFW Launches E-tix Commercial Landings System One Year Ahead of Mandatory Electronic Reporting

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers - July 9, 2018

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently announced the availability of E-tix, a new electronic reporting system for commercial fishery landings that came online July 1. With the cooperation of the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the E-tix application has been adapted to allow electronic reporting of all California landing records, CDFW said in a statement.

Since 1933, CDFW has relied on paper landing receipts that over the years expanded to ...