Russian Government Plans to Keep Duties on Exports of Domestic Fish, Seafood

The Russian government plans to keep the existing duties on exports of domestic fish and seafood despite criticism from local fishermen.

According to recent calculations of the Russian Association of Fishing Fleet Owners (AFFO), from the beginning of October 2023 to the end of September 2024, the overall duties paid on the export of pollock, cod, haddock and crab products from Russia may amount to more than 19.2 billion rubles, which is a big figure for the industry...

ILA Dockworkers to Return to Work as Port Strike Ends Following Tentative Agreement

Dockworkers from the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) returned to work on Friday after reaching a tentative wage agreement with the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX) Thursday, bringing an end to the three-day strike that halted shipping operations along the East and Gulf Coasts.

"Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease, and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume,” according to a joint statement issued by both parties Thursday. The Master Contract will be extended until January 15, 2025, giving negotiators additional...

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...

Chinese Processors Consider Processing Japanese Scallops in Thailand for Re-exporting

According to a report in the Suisan Keizai Shimbun, Chinese scallop processors are starting to try to receive whole scallops from Japan in third countries. 

Recently, Chinese processors have been importing 80,000 to 90,000 tons of frozen scallops from the Okhotsk Sea and Funka Bay in Japan annually. In China, processors have thawed the shellfish, shucked adductor muscles, and added water to export to Europe and America. 

However, in late August of this year, this procurement route was disrupted due to the Chinese government's suspension of imports of Japanese...

Hurricane Helene Intensifies U.S. Agriculture Disruptions As Port Strike Officially Starts

Hurricane Helene, a powerful Category 4 storm, made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region on September 26, 2024. The storm caused widespread destruction across the southeastern U.S., with the death toll approaching 125 as of this writing. 

Its damaging winds, storm surge, and flooding led to power outages and infrastructure damage in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas–with the Carolinas seemingly suffering the greatest impacts. Parts of North Carolina are submerged under water, where roads have been washed out and properties have been flattened. As of October 1...

Japan: Surimi Imports Turned Upwards by 0.9% in September, Jumps for First Time in Four Months

Kamaboko News reported that the Ministry of Finance recently announced that imported surimi for September 2023 was 19,586 tons, a slight increase of 0.9% from the previous year, marking the first positive increase in four months. 

Shipments from the United States totaled 11,738 tons, an increase of 5.2% from the previous year. Imports from India and Indonesia are noticeable, up 2.7 times to 2,437 tons and up 24.7% to 121 tons, respectively. There was a decrease from Vietnam down by 43.0% to 819 tons...