VIDEO: Chilean Salmon in US; Harbor Seafood Wins Award; Right Whales Act; WC Dungeness Season Delay

Join SeafoodNews Weekly Video hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they discuss Chilean salmon reaching the US market despite firms struggling with logistics as protests and strikes continue throughout the country; Harbor Seafood won US Foods' Center-of-the-plate Award; a Senate Committee's passing of the SAVE Right Whales Act and the primary west coast Dungeness crab season delay.

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US Investigating Salmon Price-Fixing; Mowi, SalMar Receive Subpoenas

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) will subpoena Mowi as the DOJ investigates alleged price-fixing of Atlantic salmon. SalMar has already received a subpoena from the department.

The latest investigation comes after an inspection by the European Commission (EC) which claimed the companies have engaged in anticompetitive price-fixing.

According to a press release from both Mowi and SalMar, the DOJ Antitrust Division is opening an investigation involving allegations of similar conduct.

Both companies said, “there are no basis for the EU inspection and that the class action...

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...

LISTEN: Chilean Salmon Production Ramps Up; Dungeness Crab Season Delay and More

Join SeafoodNews Podcast hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they discuss salmon production beginning to pick up pace in Chile; Dungeness crab season delayed by a week; Billy Joel's donation to industry associations; salmon appears on Oprah's Favorite Things List and Lorin breaks down her trip to New Bedford, Massachusetts!

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Protests Continue in Chile as Product Reaches Market

Unrest in Chile continued this week as protesters yet again took to the streets. The number of demonstrators was smaller on Monday, but the outrage among the country’s citizens doesn’t appear to be shrinking, according to the Associated Press.

Over the course of the protests, salmon production has been limited due to curfews, road blockades. Multiple plants have had to battle looting incidents and fires as well.

Some salmon producers continue to feel significant pressure, especially in the port city of Quellon.

According to Salmon Expert Chile, protesters are blocking roads...

China's Salmon Prices Fluctuate After Chile Protests; Companies Try to Assure Chinese Buyers

Protests in Chile have taken a toll on the country’s air flights as well as seafood exports such as salmon. But the influence of the protests is far greater. For example, China, one main salmon importer, has been under pressure due to the faraway protests. Due to limited supply, salmon prices have been changing rapidly.

As statistics from the late October show, distributors’ average purchase price of frozen salmon once jumped from 68 yuan per kg ($9.66/kg USD) to 75 yuan ($10.65/kg USD) within one ...

Salmon Production in Chile Remains Minimal as 3-Day National Holiday Approaches

Chilean salmon production continues to be slow as the public pushes for massive social reform. More calls for protests and marches are appearing on social media every day.

The latest demonstrations in Chile were a result of a recent cabinet reshuffle by President Sebastian Pinera. The move did not resonate with citizens as riots and vandals continue to rock the country’s capital city of Santiago.

Nearly a week of marches are in the books and according to Reuters 17 have died, thousands have been arrested and Chilean businesses...

Salmon Prices Feeling the Effects of Protests in Chile

Protests and strikes in Chile continued throughout the week as thousands of workers took to the streets of multiple cities to voice their displeasure over President Sebastian Pinera’s pledges of social reform.

The latest strikes of the Chilean workforce began after trade unions and other social groups wanted their voices heard in Pinera’s social reform plan, according to Reuters. 

The death toll rose to 18 and 6,000 citizens have been detained by authorities. The capital of Santiago continued its overnight curfew...

Protests in Chile Slowing Salmon Shipments

Throngs of protests throughout Chile have begun to impact the seafood industry. Urner Barry industry sources have told SeafoodNews that salmon shipments are heavily being impacted due to the demonstrations.

The outrage from the country’s city was sparked by increasing metro fares, which further frustrated citizens over rising costs of living. Violence erupted in the country on Sunday as the death toll rose to 11. Looting and fires also broke out in multiple cities, according to reports. Interior Minister Andrés Chadwick noted that 110 supermarkets were looted throughout the country as well...

Recaps of AK Salmon Fishery by Region

Prince William Sound’s salmon harvest this summer came in at about 58 million fish and nearly 50 million were pinks. The estimated fishery value was $114 million.

The fleet of 504 drift gillnetters averaged $81,600 per permit; Prince William Sound seiners averaged $218,000. 

At Copper River, a catch of nearly 1.3 million sockeye was 28% more than the previous 10-year average and the average sockeye weight of 5.5 pounds was the largest in the last five years.

Those are just a few of the details...

Cooke Aquaculture to Pay $156k to Fund Maine Salmon Restoration Project Following Violations

Cooke Aquaculture will pay over $150,000 to fund a salmon restoration project in a Maine River following violations of its salmon farm off the coast of Maine.

A consent agreement between Cooke and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection stated that the aquaculture company must fun the Marine Rearing Atlantic Salmon Machias River Project.

The project, according to the Bangor Daily News, is meant to breed and restore native salmon populations in the Machias River. The restocking will start in 2021, where Cooke...

First RAS Coho Salmon Farm Earns BAP Certification

Finger Lakes Fish Inc. became the first recirculating aquaculture system coho salmon farm to earn Best Aquaculture Practices certification.

Finger Lakes Fish raises coho salmon in a 43-000 sq. ft. land-based farm in upstate New York. The farm is a relatively new operation, hatching its first eggs in April 2018, with its first sale occurring last month.

Finger Lakes’ production capacity at their farm is about 400 metric tons. At the time being, the salmon are being sold as whole fish to foodservice outlets in the region...

Maine to Implement New Approach to Wild Atlantic Salmon Restoration

The Maine Department of Resources (DMR) will take a fresh approach to rearing Atlantic salmon for restoring native populations to the Penobscot River.

The NOAA-funded project will be a partnership between the DMR, Cooke Aquaculture USA and other stakeholders to grow juvenile salmon in aquaculture pens.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will raise smolts at the Green Lake National Fish Hatchery and wild smolts capture by rotary screw traps will also fill the marine net pens over the next three years. Smolts will include only those from the...

Jail Island Salmon to be Distributed Across USA by Samuels Seafood

Jail Island Salmon announced an exclusive distribution partnership with Samuels Seafood which will improve the wild Atlantic salmon population of the inner Bay of Fundy.

Jail Island has an impressive reputation as a salmon producer in the Great White North and the new partnership will allow the company to continue to deliver on its promise to produce some of the highest quality salmon in the world. Jail Island’s whole fish, fillets, and portions are delivered to Samuels Seafood in as little as 48 hours from harvest to ensure peak...

LISTEN: North Sea Cod Loses MSC Cert.; Pebble Mine Update; Final Alaska Salmon Numbers and More

Join SeafoodNews Podcast hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they discuss North Sea Cod losing its MSC Certification; update on a pair of open-pit mines in Alaska; Alaska salmon season wrap-up; crab biomass numbers; poor shrimp landings in the Gulf; and a look at the pangasius and tilapia markets.

This episode was brought to you by Maine Lobster. The rocky coast of Maine is home to one of the most iconic and sustainable fisheries in the worlds...

Cantwell Pushes for Changes to Fisheries Disaster Process, Presses NOAA on Pebble Mine

At a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing last week on fisheries disasters, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the Ranking Member of the committee, highlighted the importance of responding to fisheries disasters and pushed for reforms to the process.

“In Washington, fisheries are a cornerstone of our maritime economy," Cantwell said in her remarks. "Its related businesses and seafood processors, ship builders, gear manufacturers, support 60% of our maritime economy, which is about 146,000 jobs and $30 billion in economic activity. Washington has ...

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...

Norway Royal Salmon Announces Q3 Results

Today, Norway Royal Salmon (NRS) reports an operational EBIT of MNOK 131 for the third quarter 2019 and EBIT per kg of NOK 17.97. Corresponding figures for the same quarter last year were MNOK 34 and NOK 22.10.

The Group's main operations in Region North contributed with a stable and good performance on harvested fish, while Region South had a weak result in the quarter. NRS shall grow through sustainable growth, the Group increased its biomass in the sea by 32 % during the quarter and plans to increase the biomass further in the fourth...

Salmon Production Begins to Pickup in Chile 

Reports out of Chile indicate salmon production is beginning to ramp up as processing plants resume operations.

Reports out of Quellon, a hub for salmon in the country, are positive. According to Aqua Chile, fishermen and students have agreed to depose the demonstrations that blocked access to the area.

Expectations were that plants could restart operations again following the deal, even though a small number of demonstrators remained on roads attempting to block access.

“The idea is that this Wednesday the process plants start their activities in a normal way..."

Tongass Roads Threaten Salmon in Southeast

Over 200 Southeast Alaskan fishermen have signed a letter to the Trump Administration opposing the push to exempt the Tongass National Forest from a roadless rule in place for over a decade.

It would make Alaska the only state that doesn’t have to follow the federal law. 

The new rules would release more than 9 million acres from protection and open nearly 200,000 acres to logging. 

Fisherman Eric Jordan of Sitka was highly critical of the move that happened after a meeting with Governor Dunleavy and Donald Trump.  Shortly after, the US Forest Service...

Salmon Shipments Continue to Stall in Chile, AquaChile Plant Attacked Amid Protests

Chilean salmon exports continue to be impacted by protests throughout the country. Urner Barry industry sources continue to note challenges in the Chilean salmon market.

Earlier this week, AquaChile had multiple incidents at its plants involving attacks and fires, as first reported by Undercurrent News.

A company spokesperson told the news outlet that its Calbuco plant in the Los Lagos region of the country was able to avoid complete destruction after an intentional fire was set. At the same time, looters attempted to enter the plant...

LISTEN: Chile Protests Disrupt Salmon Market; Pebble Mine Criticism; Seafood in Pop Culture and More

Join SeafoodNews Podcast hosts Lorin Castiglione and Ryan Doyle as they discuss the latest out of Chile as protests have begun to impact salmon production and shipments; Criticism of the Pebble Mine project from Oregon Rep. Peter DeFazio; analysis of multiple seafood items swimming upstream in October; and a look at what seafood made the menu at an A-list celebrity's wedding!

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Rep. DeFazio Calls Pebble Mine Proposal a Sham, Notes Effect to Oregon Seafood Industry

Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., criticized the Pebble Mine Project as a sham this week.

His comments came during an oversight hearing examining the impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine Project. He criticized the project as a shell game, pointing to inflated job-creation numbers, wishful claims of environmental protection on a project unprecedented in scale and noted the absence of financial viability of the project.

DeFazio also criticized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for ...

Land-based Salmon Farms Set to be a Game Changer

Just as farmed salmon toppled markets for wild fish a few decades ago, land-based farming is set to change the game again over the next decade.

It will come in the form of recirculating aquaculture systems, or RAS, and it could cause even more disruption to world markets. The systems include recirculating tanks of constantly recycled water in closed facilities taken from deep wells, rivers or aquifers, along with pumps, oxygen control, filtering and feeding systems. 

That is the conclusion of Rabobank, a Netherlands-based global leader in...

CA Congressman Huffman Introduces The Salmon FISH Act

In early October, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) held a public meeting in Arcata to discuss updating the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA). A roundtable of regional and local officials were candid about the problems, many pointing to essential fish habitats that needed protection.

Yesterday, Huffman, Chair of the House Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife and Co-Chair of the Congressional Wild Salmon Caucus, introduced The Salmon FISH Act, intended to identify, restore, and protect the most important salmon rivers and watersheds in America. The bill will also...

Invasive Fresh Water Plant Eradication Important to Protect Salmon Watersheds, ISER Study Says

Earlier this week, Alaska’s NBC affiliate and online news source KTUU posted an article about the potential damage to Alaska’s billion-dollar salmon industry from an invasive aquarium plant called elodea.

The report came from a June 2019 economic analysis written by three economists from the University of Alaska in Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Elodea is a common aquarium plant that was illegally dumped into Alaskan waters in Eyak Lake near Cordova in 1982. It has adapted to cold weather and has since been found in salmon watersheds...

The Winding Glass:  Anti-Salmon Video Shot at Cooke Seafood Escalates Attacks on Farmed Fish

[The Winding Glass is a commentary/opinion column written by SeafoodNews Founder John Sackton.]

Following the release of hidden camera video footage from a Cooke Hatchery in Bingham, Maine, Glenn Cooke issued a statement yesterday saying “I am very sorry that this has happened. We are thoroughly reviewing the footage and we are working closely with the Maine Department of Agriculture to review and ensure all our practices are within compliance.”

His statement is an excellent response to an attack on aquaculture by a militant...

Corbion, Biomar Announce Feed Partnership with Salmon Group

Corbion and Biomar announced a feed partnership with the Norwegian-based Salmon Group, the world’s biggest network of family-owned aquaculture companies.

The Salmon Group represents 44 Norwegian fish farmers, accounting for 12 percent of all fish feed sold to salmon and trout farms in the country.

After hearing Salmon Group’s goals of shrinking their environmental footprint, but continuing to use top-tier feed, BioMar developed a bespoke feed.

The new feed, which features Alga Prime™ DHA, an alternative ingredient algae-based source of long-chain omega-3s...

Canada’s Liberal Party Plans to End Open-Pen Salmon Farming by 2025

The Canadian Liberal Party released its full campaign platform and it received significant pushback from the country’s aquaculture industry.

The platform states that the party will move to develop a plan to transition all open net pen salmon farms in British Columbia, to closed containment systems by 2025.

British Columbia is a hotbed for aquaculture in the country and the move could have a significant impact on the state’s economy.

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Karen Ludwig, a Liberal candidate running for re-election in the province...

Faced With Global Salmon Market Depression, AquaChile Turns to China

The global salmon market is getting tougher, according to recent media reports. For example, farm gate prices are at low levels, and they are expected to continue so thanks to increasing supply from Norway and Scotland. But buyers seem far from satisfied, because stable prices are reported to be more important. Faced with low prices but not so happy buyers, some have taken various measures, trying to find a way out.

AquaChile is working hard to find a solution, and China...