Fishpeople Seafood Releases Oven-roasted Wild Alaskan Salmon Slices, Jerky 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 19, 2018

Fishpeople Seafood, a company that only uses responsibly sourced and sustainably caught fish, has released some new sustainable snacks – Ready, Set, Salmon! and Wild Alaskan Salmon Jerky.

Fishpeople’s Ready, Set, Salmon! is oven-roasted and ready to take on the go. The wild Alaskan salmon slices come in three flavors – Slow-Roasted Original, Rainbow Peppercorn and Lemon Zest & Herb – and with 700 mg of omega-3s and 15g of protein, they are perfect to “toss, wrap and snack ...

ANALYSIS: Imported Volume of Farmed Salmon Fillets at all Time Highs Amid 6 Weeks of Steady Pricing

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Janice Schreiber - September 19, 2018

Consistency and growth in the farmed salmon market out of Chile have been the theme as of late. This is a bit of an anomaly in comparison to previous years. The farmed fillet market would typically see unsold product hitting the spot market in fairly regular spats or, on the other hand, product in the spot drying up due to disease issues, labor strikes, or natural disasters ...

Cod Catches, Hatcheries Shuffle Alaska Fish Board Line Up

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - September 18, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch … 

The state Board of Fisheries has a packed early line up when it meets for five days next month in Anchorage.

This year’s meeting cycle focuses on fisheries at Chignik, Bristol Bay, the Alaska Peninsula and the Bering Sea but others also are on the list – notably hatcheries.

Some stakeholders believe increased numbers of hatchery fish pose a risk to wild salmon stocks and a major study is underway ...

ASC Salmon Standard Recognized by GSSI

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 17, 2018

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) announced on Monday that their Salmon Standard has been recognized by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI).

ASC’s Salmon Standard, which launched in 2012, “requires producers to demonstrate responsible aquaculture to minimize both environmental and social impacts, and requires an unprecedented level of transparency and traceability.” The Standard met all of the components of GSSI’s benchmark, which aims to give clarity on seafood clarification schemes. According to the ASC, their Salmon Standard achieved 100% of the components in governance and operational management ...

Nordic Aquafarms Gives Update on Maine Land-Based Salmon Site

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 14, 2018

Nordic Aquafarms is continuing to move forward with their land-based salmon farm in Belfast, Maine. The company announced earlier this month that they are expecting to submit an application for a Maine Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit within the next month.

According to the company, they’ll be holding their first required public information meeting for the application before submitting it. The meeting, which will be the first of several, is expected to take place during the last week of ...

Atlantic Sapphire Says Miami Land-Raised Salmon Farm ‘On Track,’ Denmark Expansion Near Completion

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 12, 2018

Denmark company Atlantic Sapphire has released an update on their Miami land-raised salmon farm in their financial report for the first half of 2018.

According to the financial report, the land-raised salmon farm will aid the company in avoiding air-freight costs, as well as reduce their carbon footprint. Phase 1 of the Miami site is currently still in development, but the company says that construction is “on track,” with the Aquifer production and disposal wells complete ...

China's New Salmon Standard Regarding Trout Takes a Toll on Trout Sales

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Sina] translated by Amy Zhong - September 7, 2018

Recently, several aquatic companies in China have gathered together and decided to come up with a new salmon standard, which has resulted in public resentment, terrible sales of their rainbow trout and bad market performance.

Qinghai Minze is one of the companies that took part in drafting the new standard and now it is under great pressure. The company sells 12 products on the T-mall platform of Alibaba, 10 of which are rainbow trouts ...

Alaska Announces Statewide Public Hearings on Stand for Salmon Measure

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 6, 2018

Alaska will hold public hearings across the state on the controversial Stand for Salmon ballot measure that survived an Alaska Supreme Court challenge last month, but is still seen as controversial in a state where political fault lines often appear between renewable and non-renewable resources. 

The initiative, officially known as Measure 1, updates a law that has not been changed since statehood. The issue of increasing protection for salmon habitat has been discussed in the legislature but has never ...

China’s New Salmon Standard Triggers Various Responses from China's Retail Giants

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Shuichan and Sina] translated by Amy Zhong - September 4, 2018

Recently, the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA) released a new standard that rainbow trout can now be labeled as salmon. This led to opposition of most Chinese consumers and even angered some of them. Supermarkets and e-commerce giants in China have taken different actions to reduce the negative effects of this standard. 

The Paper, a digital media company in China that covers controversial issues, has disclosed that Shanghai Hollywin Frozen Food was ...

Russia Salmon Catch Likely to Reach Record 2009 Level; Abundance Leads to Lower Domestic Prices

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Eugene Gerden - August 29, 2018

Prices for salmon in Russia is steadily declining due to a record catch this year, according to leading Russian fishermen and representatives of Rosrybolovsto, the Federal Fishery Agency.

To date, prices for pink salmon in the Russian market have already declined by 20 to 25 percent and, according to analysts’ predictions, the decline will continue during the next 1 to 2 months.

Currently humpback prices in Russia ...

Alaska Statewide Salmon Catch Down 31% Due to Poor Returns of Pinks, Sockeye has Done Well

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - August 28, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – It’s been an “unusual season” for salmon say managers.

Alaska’s statewide salmon catch is 31 percent below expectations and is unlikely to reach the preseason forecast of 147 million fish. 

The Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game (ADF&G) said, as expected, the shortfall stems from poor pink salmon returns to Gulf of Alaska regions. The forecast called for a 70 million pink catch; so far it is under 38 million ...

Puget Sound Study Shows Inclusion Makes MPAs, Restoration More Acceptable to Tribes, Public

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 23, 2018

For years, a commonly used tactic for protecting threatened and endangered animals in Puget Sound was to cordon off areas to fishing. More than 100 marine protected areas exist around the Sound to protect shoreline critters and help fish populations such as rockfish recover to healthy numbers.

But protecting Puget Sound is not just about recovering certain species of fish. As the region continues to grow, it is also about protecting the livelihoods and diverse cultures of the people who live there, and ...

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 ...

Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association Receives $460,000 in Funding

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 14, 2018

The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association, an industry-funded association working on behalf of the salmon farming industry in Atlantic Canada, has received $460,000 in funding from the Government of Canada and the Province of New Brunswick. The funding – which was derived from the Atlantic Fisheries Fund – will be used to focus on “growing opportunities and increasing market value for sustainably sourced, high-quality fish and seafood products from Atlantic Canada.”

“Innovation in this sector ...

Norway Sets New Record for Salmon Exports; Chinese Frozen Salmon Prices Drop

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [FishFirst] translated by Amy Zhong - August 10, 2018

China’s wholesale prices of frozen salmon have declined in the last week. Importers’ purchase prices have reached 86 yuan/kg (~$12.61/kg USD), said one insider in Southern China. The wholesale prices of Norwegian frozen salmon are close to or even lower than purchase prices of importers in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Meanwhile, the wholesale prices are close to purchase prices in other regions.

Most salmon are small in Shanghai where wholesale prices have already decreased to ...

Norway Boasts New Seafood Record for July 2018

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 7, 2018

The Norwegian seafood industry has reason to celebrate. Despite July usually being the weakest export month, the Norwegian Seafood Council has confirmed that July 2018 was the second highest July month ever.

According to the Council, fisheries exports in July valued NOK 1.5 billion, a 5 percent increase from 2017. While a jump from last year, the number is still 9 percent lower than the July 2015 record. Meanwhile, aquaculture exports also broke a record for July, totaling ...

ADF&G: Bristol Bay Return, Harvest, and Value Break Records

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 19, 2018

Superlatives don’t come close to describing the size and value of the 2018 Bristol Bay commercial salmon season, so we’ll let the numbers speak for themselves.

The metrics are even more profound in the context of sockeye runs that never materialized in the Copper River, at Chignik, and in fewer numbers across most of central and southeast Alaska. The overview on Bristol Bay doesn't address that enigma, but it does quantify the record-breaking season in the Bay ...

10% Tariffs on $200 Billion Chinese Exports Take Effect; Some Pollock and Cod Products May be Exempt

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by John Sackton - September 18, 2018

The Trump administration, over tremendous industry opposition, went ahead with a new round of punitive tariffs on Chinese products sent to America.

The new tariffs were set at 10% initially, and will rise to 25% on Jan 1, 2019.

Despite over 6000 comments opposing the tariffs, few changes were made in the list to accommodate individual companies or industries.  The exception was Apple, which secured exemptions for its watch, airpods, and ...

Tassal Group Investing $24 Million in Prawn Aquaculture

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 14, 2018

Following Tassal Group’s acquisition of the Fortune Group’s prawn cultivation business, the Australian salmon grower and processor announced that they are investing an additional $24 million in prawn aquaculture over the next two to three years.

“Our customers are demanding more prawns than we can currently supply,” Tassal managing director and CEO Mark Ryan said in a statement.

The company estimates that it can produce 700 tons of prawns in FY 2019, and can increase that to ...

Alaska Fall Fisheries Gearing Up as Salmon Season Draws to a Close

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - September 13, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch  - Fall means even more fishing across Alaska.

As Alaska’s salmon season draws to a close, lots of fall fisheries are gearing up. The total Alaska salmon tally mid-week was 112 million fish in a season that was a bust in most regions. Exceptions were Bristol Bay, Norton Sound and Kotzebue. The values of the 2018 salmon fishery will be out next month ...

China’s Salmon Market Is Transitioning as New Entrants Try to Expand While Losing Money

SEAFOODNEWS.COM  [FishFirst] translated by Amy Zhong - September 10, 2018

China’s salmon market is at a stage of transition when new entrants have flooded into the market. Some have offered discounts so great that they are losing money. Many insiders are under increasingly great pressure because now wholesale prices of frozen salmon are close to their import prices. 

The import volumes have been on the rise, while there is little change to the demand. The market was profitable before, when there was smuggling, said one insider, but now when legal imports have become prevalent, it is suffering from losses...

Cermaq Opens New Salmon Processing Facility in Norway

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 7, 2018

Earlier this month Cermaq opened a new salmon processing facility in Norway that is being hailed as the “most modern and efficient” processing factory for salmon.

The new plant in Steigen is just one of Cermaq’s many investments in the last few years. According to the company, the facility is part of a “new standard for the salmon industry.”

“With the opening of this factory we are developing and strengthening the company for further growth," Knut Ellekjær, Managing Director of Cermaq Norway ...

Pink Salmon Relief Funds Ready for Distribution; Alaska Wants Input, Comments Likely Extended

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - September 5, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – How should pink salmon disaster funds be distributed?

Federal relief funds stemming from the 2016 pink salmon disaster are almost in hand for Alaskans hurt by a run failure that was the worst in several decades. The humpy no show was felt hardest at the largest pink producing regions – Prince William Sound, Kodiak, Southeast and other communities throughout the Gulf of Alaska.

At Governor Walker’s request, the fishery was ...

WDFW Authorizes Cooke to Transfer Atlantic Salmon into Puget Sound Net Pens

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] by Susan Chambers - August 29, 2018

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has authorized Cooke Aquaculture to transport about 800,000 juvenile Atlantic salmon from the company's hatchery in Rochester, Wash., to existing net-pen facilities in Puget Sound.

WDFW issued the fish transport permit this week after working to ensure Cooke met all of the state's requirements for fish health.

Earlier this year, state lawmakers passed legislation to phase out Atlantic salmon net pen operations in Puget Sound as soon as 2022 ...

Skuna Bay Salmon to be Served at US Open For 7th Year in a Row 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 28, 2018

It’s a match made in heaven for tennis and seafood lovers. For the seventh year in a row Skuna Bay salmon will be available to fans attending the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York.

From August 27 to September 9, US Open attendees will be able to indulge in Skuna Bay’s Vancouver Island Craft Raised Salmon, which as the name suggests, is reared in the “pristine waters off the coast of Vancouver Island” ... 

CAPPMA's Trout Classification as Salmon in China Raises Consumer Concern

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [News.163] translated by Amy Zhong - August 27, 2018

As statistics show, currently China’s salmon consumption has grown at an annual rate of 25 percent and the number is expected to exceed 250,000 tons by 2025. It is an industry worth nearly 10 billion yuan (~$1.5 billion USD), but recently it has run into great difficulties after the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA) released a new salmon standard. According to this standard, rainbow trouts can now be labeled as salmon ...

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 ...

Eating Farmed Salmon Just As Good As Going Vegan When it Comes to Reducing Impact on Earth

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 15, 2018

Recycling, using public transportation and reducing trash can reduce your carbon footprint – but what about changing your eating habits? Studies show that eating vegan meals – or  farmed salmon – has the ability to reduce your impact on Earth.

A chart developed by Norwegian NGO Future in Our Hands (FIOH) shows that a farmed salmon meal and vegan meal use the least amount of square meters to produce one portion of dinner ...

Stand For Salmon On the Ballot For Alaskan Voters

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - August 10, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

Alaskans can vote in November on the ballot initiative aimed at updating the state’s salmon habitat protection laws for the first time since statehood.

The Alaska Supreme Court gave the go ahead this week if provisions ruled unconstitutional are removed -notably, that initiatives can’t prioritize one state resource over another. 

Ryan Schryver is director of the Yes for Salmon campaign which organized the ballot push ...

Alaska Celebrating 3rd Annual Wild Salmon Day on Friday

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Radio with Laine Welch] - August 9, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch.

Tomorrow, August 10 is Alaska Wild Salmon Day!

No matter how people may differ on issues and current events, all Alaskans feel unified on one thing:  their appreciation for salmon.  

That’s why Governor Bill Walker signed Wild Salmon Day into law two years ago. Credit is widely given to Representative Bryce Edgmon of Dillingham for shepherding the special recognition through the Alaska legislature.

Here are some interesting Alaska wild salmon facts ...