Chinese Health Authorities in Qingdao Claim to Have Found Traces of Coronavirus on Imported Seafood 

Health authorities in the city of Qingdao are claiming to have found traces of the coronavirus on packages of imported seafood.

According to the latest report published by Reuters, a seafood importer conducted routine testing after two of their employees tested positive for coronavirus, but displayed no symptoms. No other workers have tested positive. The two men are said to have handled the alleged contaminated products, but the exact item and origin of the alleged contaminated product in question has not been made public by...

Alaska Fishing Updates for September/October

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – As salmon season ends more fisheries get underway.

Salmon numbers continue to trickle in but the total catch won’t add up to much more than the 113 million fish taken so far. That’s about 85 percent of what state managers expected for the season.

Of that, over 45 million are sockeyes and 58 million are pinks. Landings of about two million cohos are the lowest since the mid-1970s and a 7.5 million chum salmon harvest is the weakest since 1979...

JAPAN: August Marine Products Imports at 148,231 Million Yen, Down 2% From the Previous Year

According to preliminary trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, imports of marine products in August were 148,231 million yen ($1,418 million), down 2% from the same month of the previous year. Quantity decreased by 6%. Frozen salmon and trout, frozen mackerel, and frozen octopus grew, but frozen tuna struggled, reports Minato Shimbun.

Fresh and frozen salmon and trout brought in increased by 24% to nearly 20,000 tons, and the value increased by 29% to 20,698 million yen ($197.90 million)...

Fishing Sector of Russian Kamchatka on Verge of Big Changes 

The fishing sector of the Russian Kamchatka is on the verge of big changes, which is mainly due to the recently announced plans of its newly elected governor Vladimir Solodov to create conditions for a significant increase of its output and the overall weight in the country’s fishing industry.  

As Solodov said in an interview with the Russian Expert business paper, as of now the Kamchatka territory accounts for almost a third of the total fish and seafood output in Russia and there is a high possibility these figures will...

JAPAN: Fall Chum Price Heats Up as Landings Slow Down

On September 14, following the season-opening last week, fall chum salmon fishing in Hokkaido totaled 1294 tons in landings. For the first time this season landings exceeded 1000 tons, but this includes Sunday when fishing was closed. Hence, the quantity was the landing of two days, according to Suisan Keizai.

The year-on-year increase was maintained at about 15%. Still, the growth rate is gradually shrinking. Although it seemed to have made a good start compared with the previous year...

Japanese-style Restaurants Encounter Problems of Worried Customers and Unstable Supply in China

Since the detection of coronavirus in one Beijing market, salmon has been taken off many online and offline shelves in China. And retailers are not the only ones suffering. Japanese-style restaurants in China have also been hit hard. Although various hindrances still loom ahead, recently there has been some revival, and these restaurants have taken various measures to re-win over local foodies.

According to one previous hustling restaurant, it has canceled all sashimi such as the salmon one, and now its menu has become much...

Hokkaido Fall Chum Fishery Opens, Total Return Estimate at 19 Million Fish

Fall chum fishing in Hokkaido began on August 30. Last year, the total harvest fell below 50,000 tons for the first time in 41 years. While the fish's return estimate is less than 20 million at 19,093,000 fish, landed prices as of September 9 were 30-40% higher at 541-1330 yen/kg ($5.10-12.53/kg) for female fish 10-20% higher for males at 209-770 yen/kg ($1.97-7.25/kg), according to Minato Shimbun Newsletter...

Labor Day Weekend in Alaska Means Switch Gear, Keep Fishing and Processing Salmon

Alaska’s salmon processors and fishermen are still at it, and their labors are inching the 2020 season’s final totals up in a tally where more is always good.

More than 110 million salmon have been landed as of yesterday statewide. Fishing was good for coho in Prince William Sound and Kodiak, keta (chum) in Southeast, pinks in Kodiak and Cook Inlet, and Chinook in Southeast in the last week. Gains from here on out have historically been less than two million fish. 

Coho landings on the Copper ...

Chilean Truck Strike Over After 6 Days — For Now

The truck strike in Chile is over after six days. José Villagrán, the President of the Federation of Truck Owners of the South, confirmed the end of the strike to BioBioChile.

Villagrán credits Minister of the Interior Víctor Pérez with ending the strike, as he began to work directly with transporters on Tuesday.

"We made a lot of progress, we worked many hours last night," Villagrán told the news outlet on Wednesday. "Today we had small problems, and we have reached an agreement with the Government on all our requests...

Ikura Salmon Egg Caviar Up 70% Year-on-Year at the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market

Tokyo Central Wholesale Market July sales of salted fish roe followed the sales of June, except for Ikura salmon caviar. The price fell sharply to half of the previous year. Prices were slightly different depending on the products, reports Suisan Keizai.

Sujiko salmon roe

The sales of 23 tons in July have remained low at around the same level as the previous year, but the selling price of 2,875 yen/kg ($27.12/kg) has also been around the same as last year...

Poor Catch This Year May Lead to Significant Growth of Prices for Salmon and Caviar in Russia 

Leading Russian fishermen and local analysts say that prices for salmon and caviar from Russia may significantly increase this year due to poor catch in the Far East.

According to recent statements of Russian Rosrybolovstvo, as of August 17, the volume of Pacific salmon catch in Russia amounted to 220,000 tonnes, which is 49% less than for the same period in 2018. 

The volume of catch in Kamchatka fell by 54%, to 173,000 tonnes, while in the Sakhalin Region...

Japan's Seafood Imports Fell 14% to 169,605 Tons in July

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on August 28, the quantity of seafood imports (seafood and its preparations, fish meal, and seaweed) in July was 169,605 tons, down 14% from the same month of the previous year. It exceeded the same month last year in June but fell below again. Fresh and frozen shrimp increased by 7% to 15,506 tons, and fresh and frozen salmon and trout increased by 7% to 13,457 tons, but fresh and frozen tuna decreased by...

Russia Posts 20% Decline of Crab Exports in First Half of Current Year

Exports of Russian crab in the first half of 2020 fell by almost 20% in volume and by 15% in value terms, which is associated with serious losses for local producers and exporters, according to recent statements made by the President of the All-Russian Association of Fishermen (VARPE) Herman Zverev during the recent press conference.  

In regard of overall fish exports, according to Zverev, in the first half of the current year they amounted to 928,000 tonnes in volume terms and...

Chilean Salmon Industry Faces the "Unknown" as Truck Strike Looms

UPDATE: Thursday, August 27, 2020 12:18 P.M. -- At midnight the National Confederation of Land Cargo Transportation of Chile (CNTC) followed through on their threat of striking. Reuters reports that trucks are blocking an "arterial route outside the capital Santiago toward the port city of Valparaiso." There is also a threat of a "larger blockade toward lunchtime."

ORIGINAL STORY PUBLISHED AUGUST 26, 2020 AT 4:45 P.M.:

A potential truck strike has the Chilean salmon industry facing uncertainties heading into the weekend.

As SeafoodNews reported earlier his week, truck drivers in Chile are threatening to strike on Thursday after a number of attacks on transport trucks and factories in the Araucania region. The final straw for drivers was a recent attack resulting in the hospitalization of a 9-year-old girl...

July Salmon Market in Tokyo Down in Price, Up in Volume to 403 Tons

Fresh salmon and trout

July salmon and trout sales at the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market increased for fresh and frozen products, while sales volume for salted fish was sluggish despite a decline in price. Chilean coho salmon remained positive both in frozen and salted fish, according to Suisan Keizai Shinbun.

The recovery of air transported salmon is sluggish.

Sales of fresh salmon and trout were 666 tons, 11.7% higher than the same month of the previous year, and maintained favorable deals...

Bakkafrost Q2 Results Show Boost in Profit but Impacts of COVID-19 Apparent

In its financial earnings from the second quarter of the fiscal year 2020, salmon farmer Bakkafrost noted a significant boost in profit, (DKK 471.7 million) compared to Q2 2019 (DKK 188.6 million).

However, in the first half of the year, profit was down DKK 77.7 million from H1 2019.

On the harvest front, Bakkafrost harvested 20,878 tonnes gutted weight, 12,941 tgw from its Faroe Islands operations and 7,937 tgw in Scotland. Overall, the company’s harvest in H1 2020 was up roughly 12,000 tgw from 2019...

Alaska's Salmon are Getting Smaller

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch…Alaska’s salmon are smaller. How might that affect markets?

Since 2010 Alaska salmon have been getting smaller. That conclusion is based on 60 years of measurements from 12.5 million salmon across Alaska, excluding pinks. A study by Nature Communications has compared average body lengths before 1990 and after 2010. Chinook salmon have shown the most size reduction, averaging an eight percent decline, reductions in per fish egg production by16%,  nutrient transport down 28%, a 21% decline in fisheries value and a...

Everything You Need to Know About the FDA's FSMA Food Traceability Proposed Rule

On Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposed rule to establish additional traceability recordkeeping requirements for certain foods. So, what exactly does this mean? We're breaking it down….

The proposed rule is actually titled "Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods," and is a key component of the FDA's New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint. If finalized the proposed rule would "standardize the data elements and information firms must establish and maintain, and the information they would need...

Washington Department of Ecology Seeking Comments on Draft Permits For Cooke Aquaculture

The Department of Ecology for the State of Washington announced that they are accepting comments on draft permits for Cooke Aquaculture. Cooke is currently going through the multi-agency permitting process to change the type of fish it raises in four Puget Sound net pens from non-native Atlantic salmon to native steelhead.

Back in 2018 a law was passed to phase out non-native species in marine fish farming by 2022. A switch to steelhead, which are native to Washington, would allow Cooke to...

Sustainable Seafood Restaurant Opens in Harajuku, Tokhyo

The restaurant "Cynthia Blue" opened on September 11 in Harajuku, Tokyo. It offers dishes centered on sustainable seafood. Shinsuke Ishii is the owner-chef who also owns the Michelin-starred French restaurant "Cynthia" in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. He is also the leader of Chef's for the Blue, a volunteer group of chefs. Cynthia Blue uses ecolabel certified products and underutilized fish as materials. Mr. Ishii said, "I want to change not only the way consumers think about sustainability but also the way they deal with ingredients in restaurants," reports Minato Shimbun...

The Winding Glass: Despite Uncertainties, Signs Point to Good Holiday and Lent Season for Seafood

[The Winding Glass is an opinion and commentary column from John Sackton, Founder of Seafood News.]

After seven months of struggling to keep businesses going during the pandemic, it seems we are in a bit of a lull.  No end is in sight, but things are not getting dramatically better either.  The bounce back we experienced both in terms of sales demand and restaurant demand in June and July appears to be fading.

In mid-September, we simply face a huge number of uncertainties...

Coronavirus Can Remain Infectious on Chilled Salmon For Over a Week, Per Chinese Study

Researchers in China say the coronavirus can remain on chilled salmon and continue to be infectious for over a week.

According to Bloomberg, the research team from the South China Agricultural University and Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Guangzhou, found that COVID-19 collected from salmon can survive for eight days at 39 degrees Fahrenheit, a close temperature at which salmon are typically transported.

“SARS-CoV-2-contaminated fish from one country can be easily transported to another country within one week, thus serving as one..."

With Salmon Market Depression, Joyvio Suffers From Greater Losses in Spite of Higher Revenues

Joyvio, a subsidiary of Lenovo Group, has earned a revenue of 2,040,025,619.14 yuan in the first half of the year, which has ballooned by 123.79% compared with the same period last year. And this greater revenue is said to mainly result from its acquisition of Australis Seafoods.

However, its net loss attributable to shareholders has increased from the previous 28,673,810.35 yuan to the current 259,808,286.43 yuan, under the influence of this year’s coronavirus. During the pandemic, restaurant demand for...

Northern Harvest Sea Farms Confirms Infectious Salmon Anaemia Virus at Newfoundland Farm

Northern Harvest Sea Farms has confirmed the detection of Infectious Anaemia virus (ISAv) at their Cinq Island Cove marine site off the south coast of Newfoundland. 

Northern Harvest initially reported a suspected detection of ISAv on August 15. At the time the company said that the detection of ISAv occurred in one cage in one Atlantic salmon that was sampled through the Provincial Government Department of Fisheries and Land Resources’ (FLR) species-specific aquatic animal health surveillance program. Northern Harvest’s marine site has a total of...

ANALYSIS: Chilean Truck Strike Continues into Day 5; Salmon Market Undertone Full Steady to Firm

As the Chilean national trucking strike continues into day 5, supplies in the spot market are expected to tighten up significantly. Market participants report that arrangements are being made to continue to get fish out of Chile, but that airspace is limited. Many of the suppliers truck processed salmon from Puerto Montt up to the capital city of Santiago where the fresh fish is then flown into the U.S. market. Some suppliers are trying to secure flights out of...

Salmon Sales Taking a Dive in Chinese Market, and Japanese-Style Restaurants are Finding a Way Out

This year has been disastrous, complained one experienced salmon retailer who left Beijing and went back to his hometown this past June. In addition to China’s imported salmon sector, this life-threatening virus has also produced profound ripple effect on its catering industry, especially Japanese-style restaurants featuring raw dishes.

After the coronavirus was detected on one salmon chopping board in Beijing in June, salmon have been taken off the shelves of supermarkets and stores in Beijing and also some other regions...

Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Roe via Ocean Freight Arrives in Japan, Price Up 500 Yen

When the "Sujiko" salted salmon roe of Bristol Bay finally arrived, sockeye salmon roe started at 2,850 yen/kg ($27.05/kg), which is 500 yen higher than last year on average, according to the pricing of the leading packer held in Sendai on August 21. The production of sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay was a bumper catch with 40 million fish this year, but the average fish size was small, so the proportion of No. 2 and No. 3 grade salmon...

SalMar Highlights Norwegian Operations in Second Quarter Financial Results

Gustav Witzøe, CEO of Norwegian-based fish farmer SalMar, said the company had a “strong quarter, despite persisting turbulence and uncertainty in the global salmon market caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

SalMar reported an operational EBIT of NOK 882 million in Q2 2020, down from NOK 990 million in the same period last year.

The company’s Norwegian operations notched an operational EBIT of NOK 912 million, down from 964 million in Q2 2019.

“Efficient operations and a strong biological performance at our Norwegian operations helped to reduce costs and secure"...

Award-Winning Pebble Mine Documentary ‘The Wild’  to Livestream This Saturday

“The Wild,” an award-winning documentary about Pebble Mine, will have an encore livestream airing this Saturday.

The film tells the “real-life David and Goliath story” focused on the perseverance of nature vs. the ecological impact of open-pit mining. Directed by Mark Titus, the film features interviews with Pebble Mine CEO and Board Chairman, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, Yupik, Dena’ina and Alutiiq Civic Leaders, actor Mark Harmon, celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, actor/activist Adrian Grenier, Congressional gold medal recipient Steve Gleason and other luminaries...

Potential Trucker Strike in Chile Could Impact Salmon Distribution

A potential trucker strike in Chile could impact salmon distribution across the U.S. market, including retail buying opportunities. 

Reuters reports that truck drivers in Chile are threatening to strike after a number of attacks on transport trucks and factories in the Araucania region; the most recent attack resulting in the hospitalization of a 9-year-old girl. 

For those unfamiliar with the situation in Chile, the Araucania region has been riddled with unrest due to long standing conflict between the indigenous Mapuche and the Chilean government. Groups fighting for Mapuche rights...