Americans Will Pay More for Alaska Seafood, Say it Supports US Jobs

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – Americans are willing to pay more for salmon from Alaska and other seafood across the board.

A nationwide online survey of 4,000 U.S. seafood consumers over the age of 18 revealed that nearly 40 percent are willing to shell out more for the Alaska brand.

The survey was done by market researcher Technomic for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

Further, 71 percent of customers said they would be willing to pay at least 10 percent more, and...

Ocean Beauty’s Echo Falls Brand Launches 3 New Smoked Salmon Products

New Year, new flavor for Ocean Beauty Seafood’s Echo Falls brand.

On Tuesday Ocean Beauty Seafoods announced that their Echo Falls brand has launched three new smoked salmon products: Applewood Smoked Sockeye Salmon Candy, Beechwood Smoked Norwegian Atlantic Salmon, and Whisky Cask Smoked Atlantic Salmon.

“We’re constantly on the lookout for new, innovative flavors and methods of preparation that give our customers unique, delicious flavors from top seafood regions,” Ron Christianson, Ocean Beauty’s VP of Domestic Sales & Marketing, said in a press release...

Washington Commission Supports WDFW's Attention to Orcas' Needs in Crafting Salmon Seasons

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission last week signaled its support for state fishery managers' plans to consider the dietary needs of endangered orcas when they set this year's salmon fishing seasons.

The commission directed the department to take that action in a policy adopted at a public meeting Jan. 11-12 in Olympia.

The policy also directs WDFW to take steps to protect southern resident killer whales from disruptions from fishing vessel traffic.

The declining availability of salmon – the killer whales' primary prey – and disruptions from ...

BioMar Announces New VP of Salmon Division, New Managing Director in Norway

BioMar announced on Monday that they have hired Patrick Campbell as the new VP of the Salmon Division, and Håvard Jørgensen as the new Managing Director in Norway. Both Campbell and Jørgensen were promoted from within the group.

“I feel very fortunate that we have been able to allocate two very strong executive profiles to support our focus on the Salmon Division,” BioMar Group CEO Carlos Diaz said in a statement. “The Salmon Division comprises a very important part of our business and we consider the division a...

Sixty South Salmon Farm Receives ASC Certification

The Sixty South salmon farm, located in the Antarctic, announced on Wednesday that they have received Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification for 100% of their sites. Sixty South, whose name stems the farm’s waters of origin, is the only salmon company in the global industry with 100% of their sites certified.

As mentioned above, Sixty South’s salmon is grown in the “pure, untouched, icy cold waters of the Antarctic.” The company produces antibiotic-free salmon that is uncontaminated by any nearby farms. In addition, Sixty South has developed a new hatchery and smolt plant to enable the company to be completely integrated.

Op-Ed: Golden Gate Salmon Looks at Governor Brown’s Legacy on Water Issues

As the Jerry Brown era in California comes to an end it’s time for reflection about his legacy on water issues.  This issue was among his top priorities when he was sworn in in 2011. 

Governor Brown deserves credit for conservation during the drought and for the passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, although the 26 year implementation doesn’t help much in solving current water problems.  His Department of Fish and Wildlife initially proposed good flow standards to restore the San Joaquin River before flip flopping and later abandoning them...

Norwegian Seafood Exports Set Record; Just Miss 100 Billion Kroner Mark

The Norwegian Seafood Council has confirmed that Norway set a new record with seafood exports in 2018. According to the organization, the country exported 2.7 million tons of seafood to “reach a new record of NOK 99 billion in 2018.”

“Although we did not pass the magical NOK 100 billion marker, this has been another good year for Norwegian seafood exports,” Norwegian Seafood Council CEO Renate Larsen said in a news release. “In summary, records were broken for Norwegian seafood, both in terms of export value and...

New Study Finds Slime Could Aid in Salmon Management

Slime from salmon could be a useful method for counting fish, according to a new study funded by the National Geographic Society.

Lead author Taal Levi, an ecologist at Oregon State University, found that DNA from salmon tissue, including mucus and skin cells, resulted in “very accurate counts.” The researchers collected water samples in 2015 and 2016 near the Auke Creek research weir, which is about 16 kilometers north of Juneau. The water was then passed through filters to collect any DNA floating in the water...

China Cuts Tariffs on Some Seafood Imported from Countries Other Than the U.S.

According to an announcement from China’s Ministry of Finance, the country has lowered tariffs on commodities imported from New Zealand, Peru, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Iceland, South Korea, Australia, Georgia and members of the Asian Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA). These new tariffs went into effect on January 1.

The official list includes about 300 types of seafood products.

The tariffs have dropped to zero on many seafood items from some countries mentioned above and on all seafood products produced in Hong Kong and Macao...

Trader Joe’s New Smoked Salmon Trio Highlights Salmon Versatility

Just in time for tonight’s New Year’s Eve festivities, Trader Joe is stocking its shelves with their new Smoke Salmon Trio, a party-ready product that will fit anyone’s end of year celebration.

The trio features "high quality fillets of farm-raised, Atlantic salmon," which has been smoked "slowly over natural hardwood chips to give them just the right amount of natural smokiness.”

Each fillet is given a distinctive flavor which can translate to new dishes on the table or geographic favorites. The seasoning rubs are “an earthy ...

SalMar to Move Ahead With Plans to Farm Fish in Open Waters With Smart Fish Farm

Norwegian farmed salmon producer SalMar announced this week that they will not be appealing the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries’ partial rejection of their application for 16 development licenses for a full-scale fish farming installation designed to operate in the open ocean. However, the company is moving forward with their plans to farm fish in open waters with the eight licenses that were awarded to them.

According to the company, the decision to not appeal was “prompted by a desire to...

NMFS Releases Latest Fisheries of US Report; Alaska On Top for Volume, Value

Alaska topped the U.S. in commercial fisheries landings and value in 2017, according to the latest Fisheries of the United States 2017 report released this week by NOAA.

While Alaska's 6 billion pounds of landings generating $1.8 billion led the nation, fishing and seafood consumption increased across the board last year. Landings and value of U.S. fisheries continued a strong, positive trend, according to NOAA. Fishermen landed 9.9 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 2017, while the U.S. imported 5.9 billion pounds of seafood, up 1.6 percent.

Given the increases in ...

Per Capita Seafood Consumption Highest Since 2008, with Gains in Shrimp, Salmon, Cod

NFI has released their annual compilation of the top ten seafoods consumed in the US on the day that NOAA is finally releasing its Fisheries of the United States for 2017.

Overall, Americans ate 16.0 pounds of edible seafood per person in 2017, a big jump from 14.9 pounds in 2016.  The percentage gain is 7.4%.  NOAA uses a disappearance model, so it does not account for seafood inventory holdings that carry over from year to year.

This is the highest per capita number since 2008...

Canadian Government Announces Aquaculture Management Initiatives

The Canadian government announced on Monday that they will be moving forward with initiatives that will ensure that the aquaculture sector is “economically successful and environmentally sustainable.” The initiative is part of Canada’s efforts to not only protect wild salmon, but meet the growing global demand for seafood.

“The Government of Canada is committed to making aquaculture more effective, efficient and environmentally sustainable,” the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, said in a press release.”

Key initiatives include...

LISTEN: Seafood Retail Features Analysis; 2019-20 Scallop Plan; Thai Union's Lobster Lab and More

Join Seafood News staff writer Amanda Buckle and Urner Barry seafood market reporter Lorin Castiglione for a new episode of the SeafoodNews Podcast. This week on the podcast we take a look at seafood retail features, discuss the 2019-20 scallop plan, talk about Thai Union's Lobster Lab and much more.

This week’s episode is brought to you by Urner Barry’s Reporter, the quarterly newsmagazine for the food industry professional packed with the latest industry headlines, analysis and trending articles...

Alaska Fishing Updates for December 2018

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

Fishing boats are still out on the water throughout the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea, targeting cod, rockfish, flounders and various whitefish.

The four million pound red king crab fishery at Bristol Bay is pretty much a wrap; likewise, for the 2.4 million pound Bering Sea Tanner crab fishery.

Fish and Game has announced there will not be a 2019 Tanner fishery at the Eastern Aleutians district. 

About 170 divers are still tapping on Southeast’s 1.7 million pound sea cucumber quota with...

Data on Alaska Fish Catches, Prices, Processor Sales by AK Region

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch.

One click will take you to a site that can tell you all you need to know about prices and landings for nearly every Alaska fish species by region, how much was processed and into what products, and what processors sold it for.

It’s called the Commercial Fisheries Statistics and Data page on the Department of Fish and Game website and it extends back to the early 1980s.

For salmon, charts and graphs show...

China's online seafood giants look more to physcal stores as competition intensifies

Fiordland Lobster plans to build an online platform designated specifically for Chinese markets in this new year. It has gotten some knowledge of Chinese buyers by selling live lobsters through Hema, Alibaba’s subsidiary, since 2018. But setting up this online sales channel requires more efforts in learning end consumer demand, said its general manager.

It may not be easy, but it is believed to be rewarding. And there are some successful stories to strengthen this kind of belief and make e-commerce platforms a popular option ...

Alaska Fishing Updates For January 2019

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

Lots of winter fishing is going on and gearing up across Alaska. Boats have been out in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea since January 1 targeting cod.  Openers for pollock, flounders and various other whitefish kick off on January 20. For pollock, Bering Sea trawlers will harvest over three billion pounds of pollock this year, with more coming from Gulf fisheries.

The snow crab fishery gets going in earnest around this time of year in the Bering Sea...

Nielsen Study Finds Almost All Australian Households Purchase Seafood At Least Once Per Year

Australians are “hooked on seafood” according to a new Nielsen study. Based on the data, Nielsen reports that “almost all Australian households purchase seafood at least once per year.”

Nielsen’s study looked at 52 weeks, ending September 8, 2018. The data collected found that 94% of Australian households have purchased some type of fish or seafood during that time period. In addition, these households “spent an average of $167 split across 16 shopping occasions in the last 12 months.” This is an increase from 2017...

Salmon Farming on Ships Revs Up

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch – 

While the Trump Administration and some of the nation’s biggest food producers move towards farming fish off the coasts of the U.S., others are taking the technology inside.

A German engineering company called Next Generation Cargo is planning to farm Atlantic salmon aboard the world’s largest sailboats  by the year 2023. Each of five, 540 foot sailboats will be able to produce 5.5 million pounds of salmon per year.

Undercurrent News reports that the first vessel – called the 'Quadriga' – is already being built at a...

LISTEN: FDA December 2018 Refusals; New Silver Bay Seafoods CEO; Right Whale Updates and More

Join Seafood News staff writer Amanda Buckle and Urner Barry seafood market reporter Lorin Castiglione for a new episode of the SeafoodNews Podcast. This week on the podcast we discuss FDA refusals for December 2018; Silver Bay Seafoods’ new CEO; the Washington Fish Growers Association’s appointment of Jeanne McKnight as Interim Executive Director; the new Pacific Salmon Treaty; SW Nova Scotia’s December lobster season; the USDA Economic Research Service’s forecast for 2019 food prices; and an update on North Atlantic right whales...

Norwegian Salmon Processor Salangfisk Kicks Off New Year With New Smolt Facility

New year, new facility. Norwegian salmon processor Salangfisk now has a new, high tech smolt facility constructed by ​Gråkjær.

The facility features a hatchery, start feeding section, fry section, two growth sections, a vaccination platform and a sorting machine. In addition, the facility also has a new administrative building.

“I am proud of our new facility,” Salangfisk managing director Ken Rune Bekkeli said in a press release. “It is everything we designed it to be, and everything we hoped for in a smolt facility...

Chilean Salmon Co. Ventisqueros Investigating Potential Escapement

Ventisqueros, a Chilean salmon producer, is investigating a potential escapement.

According to the company, a tidal surge was experienced at their Tubildad farm near Quemchi. The company’s systems have not identified any potential points of leakage, however, the company cannot confirm until they have emptied the cages that were affected.

Ventisqueros produces around 40,000 metric tons of salmon annually.

Atlantic Farm-Raised Salmon Fillets a Best Seller at Whole Foods this Holiday Season

With Christmas officially behind us, Amazon is looking back at their “record-breaking” holiday season. According to the online retail giant, this year they had more items ordered worldwide than ever before.

Amazon’s online sales this holiday season were primarily made up of gifts. However, the company boasts that their Prime membership continued to grow, with “tens of millions of people starting Prime free trials or paid memberships.”

Perks included with Amazon’s Prime membership includes special deals at Whole Foods Market...

Alaska is U.S. Seafood Superpower 

This is Alaska Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch -- Alaska is the nation’s super power when it comes to seafood.

Last year, American fishermen landed just shy of 10 billion pounds of fish and shellfish, valued at $5.4 billion, both up slightly. Alaska accounted for 61 percent of total landings (6 billion pounds) and 33 percent of the value ($1.8 billion).   

That’s according to the 2017 Fisheries of the US report revealed yesterday by NOAA Fisheries.  Ned Cyr is Science and Technology director.

“The Alaska port of Dutch Harbor led the nation with...

Cermaq Canada Frees Humpback Whale From Empty Salmon Cage

Earlier this month employees at Cermaq’s Millar Channel farm site rescued a healthy humpback whale that somehow ended up in an empty sea cage.

Employees made the discovery at approximately 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 2. Due to inspections that occur throughout the day, the employees were able to determine that the whale was in the cage system for less than 18 hours. Upon seeing that the whale was in good health, not entangled, and not exhibiting any signs of stress, the crew made the decision to...

Chile Furthers its Seafood Exports, Market Penetration in China

Chile has enjoyed a 10. 6 percent increase in salmon exports from January to September compared with the same period last year. Its total export volume reached 459,000 tons, while the value exceeded $2.5 billion USD. Sales to the U.S., the largest importer, is $1.4 billion USD and those to Brazil are $426 million USD.

At the same time, China and Russia contribute most to this increase. Chile's export to China skyrocketed by 83.3 percent to reach 33,000 tons, while those to Russia ...

Norway Reports 10% Growth in Export Value for Salmon, Increase in Cod Exports in November

The Norwegian Seafood Council has released their numbers for November. The organization is reporting that Norway exported a total of 276,000 tons of seafood for the month.

Of the 276,000 tons, salmon contributed 101,000 tons. While the export volume is at the same level as November 2017, the export value increased by 10% this year.

“Despite economic downturns and rising salmon prices, Italy is still experiencing a salmon boom,” Trym Eidem Gundersen explained in a press release from the Norwegian Seafood Council...

ANALYSIS: Will Retail Features Keep Increasing Heading into the Holiday Season?

After the traditionally slow pre-Thanksgiving period for seafood promotions, things look to come back with a roar for the holidays. Most of the major seafood retail items, except for salmon and tilapia, are trading at lower prices than last year in December. And both salmon and tilapia have positives that may support more retail promotions over the holidays. For salmon, it is the higher prices of whitefish, that make it a more attractive staple. For tilapia, it is the heavy buying ahead of Chinese tariffs that...