Mowi Scotland Highlights Lowest Monthly Mortality Rate in Over 8 Years

Mowi Scotland announced that it had recorded a significant drop in salmon mortality in August 2024, coming in at about one-third of that recorded in recent years as the region has been severely impacted by El Niño conditions.

Mowi explained that the marine heat wave linked to El Niño led to gill disease and mortality throughout 2023 and 2024. Although, the company did note that fewer incidents of viral, bacterial and parasotic incidents were reported during that time frame.

Last month, the company said it...

Norway’s Opposition Party Wants to Cut Salmon Tax

Norway’s Conservative party, Høyre, said it wants to reduce taxes on aquaculture and improve the conditions in which the industry operates within the country.

The news comes after the Conservative party, the primary opposition, released its party program policy which proposed a cut on the current aquaculture tax from 25% to 15%.

“Taxes must be reduced, predictability increased and regulations must be simplified. In this program, we therefore prioritize removing the wealth tax on working capital, and are considering a partial switch to other business taxation. We propose...

Norway's Seafood Export Values Boosted By Weak Krone; Salmon Market Trends Cloudy

The Norwegian Seafood Council announced that Norway reached its highest export value for the month of August but that was largely credited to the weaker Norwegian krone.

“Compared with last year, higher salmon volumes and a weaker Norwegian krone drove up the value of Norwegian seafood in August. We also see that higher volumes of trout and mackerel are contributing positively, in addition to an increase in prawn exports. At the same time, the price of salmon measured in foreign...

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Charts Salmon Recovery Successes

Everyone on the West Coast knows salmon are in trouble. Changing ocean conditions and habitat loss are just the tip of the iceberg.

Or, as Washington Gov. Jay Inslee writes in a press release post on his website, “Humanity has pushed salmon to the brink and must act in unison if salmon are to thrive.”

Inslee’s post notes the extraordinary journeys salmon take from Washington rivers and streams to the sea and back again, including all the predators they encounter on the way. However, he notes, manmade problems are creating much more ...

Russia Will Not Face Sharp Rise In Price For Fish and Seafood This Year

Russia will not face any sharp rise of prices for fish and seafood this year as the current situation in the industry remains stable, which is reflected by the ever growing domestic catch.

According to recent statements made by the Russian Agriculture Minister, Dmitry Patrushev, currently there are no serious grounds for the growth of fish and seafood prices in the domestic market, while the current market volatility is mostly speculative.

He also added that this year the Russian...

UW Issues Early Bristol Bay Forecast of 49.6 Million Salmon Run in 2025, 32.4 Million Harvest

University of Washington’s Fisheries Research Institute (UAW-FRI), part of the university’s Alaska Salmon Program, released a preliminary preseason forecast at the request of Bristol Bay’s fleet, processors, and managers of 49.6 million sockeye, which translates to a preliminary estimate of 32.4 million harvested. 

To date 31.2 million sockeye have been landed in Bristol Bay this year, compared to a 25 million fish forecast. UW-FRI’s team of forecasters, led by Dr. Curry Cunningham, will release a more detailed forecast in early November ... 

Mowi CEO Announces Strategic Review Of Canada West Business

Salmon giant Mowi is making its next move in the battle over aquaculture in B.C.’s Discovery Islands. This week CEO Ivan Vindheim announced a “strategic review of the Canada West business unit in response to continuing uncertainty with respect to the government of Canada’s policy on salmon farming in British Columbia.” 

Just this past June current Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Diane Lebouthillier announced a 5-year license term to transition from open-net salmon farms. As part of the plan, open net-pen salmon aquaculture will officially be...

ANALYSIS: Retail Salmon Promotions Up 5.2 Percent 

The Chilean fresh fillet market remained flat on 3-4s for the 4^th week in a row. In a marketplace that can at times be very volatile, the fresh Chilean fillet market has been relatively stable since the beginning of July, falling in total $0.15 over the course of a 7 week period.  

When looking at the 3-year average, the market is currently 7.6 percent lower, but on the 5-year average, the market is higher, up 4.5 percent.

Furthermore, when looking at the...

Salmon Count on Fraser River Closely Monitored Following Landside and Flood

Sockeye salmon returning to their spawning grounds in the Fraser River watershed this summer were hit by a massive landslide on July 31 in the Chilcotin River, which lowered water levels downstream for a week. A devastating flood followed on August 5 when the natural dam created by the landslide over the Chilcotin was breached. The debris and mudflow roared 20 miles to the confluence of the Fraser and then another 400 miles south and west, reaching the ocean on August 9.

The Fraser River Debris Trap captured...

Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries Orders Lerøy To Monitor Waterways Following May Escapement

Lerøy Midt Sjø AS has been ordered to monitor waterways and remove farmed salmon following multiple escapement incidents earlier this year.

An escape incident first occurred at Lerøy’s Naustneset locality in Tingvollfjorden in February. The company reported an escapement of approximately 5,000 salmon with an average weight of about 5 kg. Lerøy implemented immediate recapture measures and early on were able to catch approximately 3,700 farmed fish. A few months later an even bigger escape incident occurred. 

As Seafoodnews previously reported, the escapement at...

Infectious Salmon Anemia Suspected At Site Operated By Salmar

Infectious salmon anemia (ISA) is suspected at a site in Norway being operated by Salmar. 

Norwegian salmon farms have been battling ISA outbreaks for months now. And on Monday the Norwegian Food Safety Authority announced that a new suspected case is being investigated at locality 10256 Bondøya in Nærøysund municipality in Trøndelag county. 

Salmar Oppdrett AS and Salmar Farming AS alerted the Food Safety Authority of the suspected ISA on July 26 following a sample that was taken. The Food Safety Authority said they plan to take...

Nordic Aqua Partners Reports “Off-Flavor” In Salmon; Not Selling For Human Consumption

Land-based Atlantic salmon farming company, Nordic Aqua, revealed this week that, due to overloading of the purging unit at its farm in Ningbo, China, the company has detected high concentrations of the off-flavor compound geosmin.

It’s not unusual to find geosmin in farmed fish as it's a naturally occurring compound that has been known to be absorbed by fish in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). While considered to be harmless, elevated concentrations of geosmin can negatively impact the taste of the fish...

Russia on the Verge of Sharp Increases in Salmon Prices

Russia is on the verge of a sharp increase in salmon prices due to a new formula for calculating fees for the use of fishing areas, which was proposed by the Ministry of Agriculture. 

It was initially assumed that the entire industry would pay 92 billion rubles to use these sites for the next 25 years. However, according to recent statements of the All-Russian Association of Fisheries Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (WARPE), this figure will grow up to 200 billion...

Blumar Begins Operations At Magallanes Processing Plant Following February Fire

Blumar proudly shared this week that it has started operations at its Magallanes plant following a devastating fire that struck its processing plant in Punta Arenas this past February. 

To briefly recap, Entrevientos S.A. was formed in 2018 by Blumar and Multiexport Foods. In 2019 the two companies spent $55 million to build a processing facility with the capacity to process 72,000 metric tons of salmon. The facility employed more than 750 workers who were left unemployed when a fire completely destroyed the processing plant. It also left...

Northline Seafoods’ Freezer Barge Returns To Full Operations Less Than Month After Fire

Hannah, the new freezer barge from Northline Seafoods, is back to full operations less than a month after a fire occurred under one of Hannah’s three spiral freezers.

As Seafoodnews reported early this month, an electrical fire on board Hannah “caused a significant loss of freezer production capacity” on the vessel. The freezer barge had only departed Bellingham’s Fairhaven Shipyard for its maiden voyage to Bristol Bay in late May. The one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art vessel was entering the 2024 salmon season...

ANALYSIS: Wild Salmon Week in Review: Week 28, July 7-13

Sockeye pricing fell slightly this past week due to supply outpacing demand. Bristol Bay started slowly, but landings increased to levels similar to 2023 in week 27. However, week 28 experienced another decline, with 9.9 million fish landed, down 20.5 percent from last year's total of 12.5 million for the same week.

Copper River sockeye prices also retreated due to strong landings. In Week 22 of 2023, Copper River saw a catch of 265,000 fish. Week 27 the catch surpassed...

Whittier Seafood Files for Bankruptcy; Citing Ukraine War, Salmon Market Downturn

Alaska-based seafood fishing and processing company Whittier Seafood filed for bankruptcy last month with the owner citing impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and volatility within the wild salmon market in Alaska.

According to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in U.S. District of Alaska Bankruptcy Court, Whittier Seafood owner Alexey Kozlov said Whittier and affiliated companies were hit hard by a dramatic drop in salmon prices in recent years.

“The salmon market has historically experienced price fluctuations with lows...

Chilean Presidential Candidate Takes Issue with Government Approach to Salmon Industry

Chilean Presidential candidate Evelyn Matthei made a recent stop to the Los Lagos Region in Chile and criticized the government’s treatment of the salmon industry in a local newspaper, El Llanquihue.  

Matthei claimed that the current authorities overseeing salmon farming in Chile are “destroying the industry,” per an article from Salmon Expert. The candidate and long-time politician explained that salmon farming is a critical industry for the country as it is the second largest export behind copper. Matthei also said the industry was a key...

Japan: 2023 Frozen Salmon and Trout Roe Imports up 20% Each from the US and Russia

According to trade statistics from the Ministry of Finance, imports of frozen fish roe (excluding herring roe and pollock roe), which are believed to be mainly salmon and trout roe, in 2023 increased by 20% from the previous year to 17,758 tons. This is the second largest since records began in 1988, after 2021. The average import price (CIF) was 2,107 yen/kg ($14.58/kg), down 36%. Minato Shimbun reported that frozen salmon and trout roe are used as ingredients...

ANALYSIS: Supply Constraints in Frozen Sockeye Salmon Spark Concerns

The frozen sockeye salmon market is currently facing significant challenges, primarily due to supply shortages and rising prices. Although Alaskan landings slightly exceeded preseason forecasts, they still fell short by 20% year-over-year, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). Additionally, reduced landings have been reported in Canada and the Lower 48 states. Contributing factors include higher water temperatures limiting salmon runs in the Columbia River and landslides disrupting key areas around the Fraser River in Canada. Compounding these issues is the smallest...

ANALYSIS: Fresh Whole Salmon Situation

The farmed salmon index has ticked up slightly through the month of August. Much of this can be attributed to the lack of whole fish in the U.S. market. West Coast Canadian whole fish have been unquoted since the beginning of August.

This has applied upward pricing pressure to the market in some areas; one of which appears to be Eastern Canadian whole fish. Pricing on 12–14-pound fish for example has ticked slightly higher during the month of August. Currently, the Canadian product is observing a premium over both...

Canadian Government Invests in Land-Based Salmon Farm Start-Up

With open-net pen salmon aquaculture set to be banned in British Columbia coastal waters by June 30, 2029, the Canadian government is looking at alternatives. This week Sophie Chatel, Member of Parliament for Pontiac, announced on behalf of the Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for CED (Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions), a repayable contribution of $99,998 for Samonix Inc. 

Samonix was founded in 2020 with the goal of growing land-based aquaculture of Atlantic salmon. The company purchased land in...

Alaska Salmon Season Shaping Up to Be Worst in Several Decades

The most recent cumulative state landings on Alaska salmon show 83.9 million salmon harvested, compared to a preseason forecasted annual harvest of 135.7 million. Looking at the calendar -- there are only a few weeks left in the season -- and following the catch trajectory, 2024 could be the lowest salmon catch on record since 1988, when annual landings reached 100 million salmon.

The bulk of current landings are made up of 40.5 million sockeye and 29.6 million pink salmon. Sockeye landings dovetail almost exactly with forecasts of 39.5 million. Statewide ...

AquaBounty Reports Significant Net Loss Of $50.5 Million In Q2 Financial Results

AquaBounty Technologies released its financial results for Q2, revealing a significant net loss of $50.5 million. To compare, during Q2 2023 the company reported a net loss of $6.5 million. 

What caused the sharp increase in net loss? Blame it on the “non-cash impairment charge of $44.5 million against the long-lived assets of the Indiana farm and certain equipment from the Ohio farm, which have been sold or made available for sale.”

"Our focus during the second quarter was...

ANALYSIS: Rising Sockeye Prices Amid Declining Supply and Smaller Fish

Sockeye pricing continues to increase as supply diminishes. This decrease in supply is driven by lower landings from Alaska and the smaller size of the fish being caught. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) the average size of the fish is currently 4.2 pounds, marking only the fourth time in the past 20 years that the average size has fallen below 5 pounds. The other instances occurred in 2018, 2020, and 2021. The combination of lower landings and smaller fish is...

Washington Department of Commerce Awards Grants to Boost Salmon Recovery Planning

Four local governments and one tribe will receive funds totaling $1.2 million to support long-range planning for salmon recovery — thanks to grants funded through the state’s Climate Commitment Act and the U.S. Environmental Protection Act Puget Sound funds. The state Department of Commerce awards the grants.

The funding will help integrate salmon recovery work into local growth management and land use planning and development regulations, according to a statement from the Department.

Protecting and restoring habitat is a critical component of...

ANALYSIS: Salmon By-products And Its Role in Pet Food 

Walking down the pet food aisle, a theme that one would most likely observe is that it has grown. It not only appears to have grown but it is also getting increasingly more specific. Long are the days of buying basic kibble for your canine friend. More and more pet-owners are not only splurging on their pets but also paying closer attention to what they are feeding their companions.

Salmon has developed into a staple in the pet food aisle, along with many other...

Captain Fresh Acquires Poland-Based Salmon Producer

From shrimp to salmon. Captain Fresh is making big moves with the acquisition of Koral, a Poland-based producer and distributor of branded salmon products.

India-based Captain Fresh was founded in 2020 as an exporter and distributor of fish and seafood. The company is aiming to leverage its proprietary technology to create one of the largest seafood platforms in the world. And according to Captain Fresh founder and CEO Utham Gowda, the acquisition of Koral is the next step in strengthening its supply chain and global...

ANALYSIS: Farmed Salmon Northeast Whole Fish Update

The farmed salmon whole fish market in the U.S. continues to be volatile with all origins oscillating. Post-Memorial Day weekend has seen the market move lower out of most origins. At current, Norway is down 31 percent from the 3-year average, Scotland is 35.8 percent lower than the 3-year average, and the Northeast Canadian 12–14-pound fish is also behind 15.4 percent from the 3-year average.

In looking at imported levels from the above origins, Canada is up significantly from year-to-date levels through May, up...

Ocean Beauty Redesigns The Echo Falls Line Of Hot-Smoked Atlantic Salmon

Ocean Beauty Seafoods has redesigned the packaging for its Echo Falls line of hot-smoked Atlantic salmon.

The packaging previously featured the Atlantic salmon on a primarily dark background with the Echo Falls label above the product. Echo Falls’ new packaging is lighter, with a graphic showing a man fishing along a bank. A block of color highlights the flavor profile of the salmon; green for honey-cured Northwest Original, purple for honey-cured Santa Fe Spice, and orange for maple-cured...