Russia Plans to Accelerate Fight Against Salmon Poaching in Years to Come

Russia plans to accelerate its fight with poaching in years to come, according to recent statements made by senior state officials in the field of fisheries and local media reports.

As part of these plans, a particular attention will be paid in the fight against salmon poaching.

According to recent statements, made by the head of Rosrybolovstvo Ilya Shestakov, poaching remains a problem for Russia, but tightening of control measures leads to its reduction.

Ilya Shestakov comments: “Of course...

Home Chef Partnership With "Bluey" Offers New Way To Introduce Healthy Seafood To Kids

For real life?! A new partnership between meal solution company Home Chef and BBC Studios’ Emmy Award-winning animated series “Bluey” is introducing healthy seafood to kids. 

“Partnering with ‘Bluey’ is a celebration of the happiness and quality time that defines both ‘Bluey’ and Home Chef,” said Home Chef Brand Director Raquel Brown. “Through this partnership, we aim to turn every meal into a moment of shared delight and make family mealtime truly special.”

“Bluey,” which is available on Disney...

Pacific Salmon Commission Selects Projects for Funding in 2024

Projects relating to salmon management, enhancement and habitat restoration in the Pacific Northwest, Canada and Alaska will get a funding boost totaling more than $9 million thanks to Pacific Salmon Commission funds for 2024. The projects are aligned with the Pacific Salmon Treaty and include projects led by First Nations and Tribes, non-profit organizations, researchers, U.S. states and both U.S. and Canadian federal management agencies, the Commission said in a news release.

The Northern Fund is supporting 40 projects with ...

Gigante Salmon CEO Exits Company As Norwegian Farmer Faces Rising Costs; Acting CEO Named

Norwegian salmon farmer Gigante Salmon confirmed Tuesday that they have named an Acting CEO after the Board adopted a resolution to terminate the employment agreement with current CEO Helge E. W. Albertsen.

The company made headlines this week after a notice was posted on the Oslo Stock Exchange revealing the suspension of trading “in anticipation of an announcement.” The mysterious announcement came through Gigante’s annual report, which revealed not only challenges with mortality related to the first release of smolt, but also cost increases for...

ANALYSIS: Chinook Fishery Yields High Landings in Southeast Alaska/Yakutat for 2024

As the winter troll chinook or king fishery in Southeast Alaska/Yakutat (SEAK) nears its conclusion for the season, it's evident that 2024 has been robust, boasting some of the highest landings in a decade. According to the latest figures from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), the total count stands at 38,735 chinook or king salmon. This represents a remarkable 133 percent increase over the same period in 2023, when landings totaled 14,887; and a...

Fifax Reports No Revenue in 2023 After IHN Outbreak at Finland Facility

Fish farming company Fifax has released its 2023 financial results after a difficult year. The company reported no revenue last year due to a June 2022 infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN) outbreak — a disease that affects salmon and trout — at its Eckerö facility in Finland. The facility was immediately emptied of fish and decontaminated based on a decision by the Finnish Food Authority. As a result, Fifax spent a majority of 2023 rebuilding a new fish stock solely from eggs. 

“The restart of aquaculture operations at the...

OBI Seafoods, Peter Pan Seafood Awarded USDA Section 32 Salmon Contract

The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service put out a request in early February that it was seeking 1,139,999.976 cases of canned pink salmon. Now, the PCA Report has been released, revealing that two companies — OBI Seafoods and Peter Pan Seafood Company — received the Section 32 salmon contract.

OBI Seafoods was awarded 1,083,760 cases of 24/14.75 oz canned pink salmon with a weighted average price of $48.0600, not to exceed the award value of $53,992,923.20. Peter Pan Seafood Company was awarded 367,840 cases of 24/14.75 oz...

SENA 2024: Is This The Year Of The Salmon Snack?

Seafood has been pushing to get into the snack space for years. And based on the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) show floor, 2024 may be the year of the salmon snack.

The big entry in the snack category in the past few years has been jerky, with companies like Neptune Snacks developing a high-protein jerky from Alaska pollock and rockfish, and East Coast Tuna Candy developing a marinated and cured yellowfin tuna snack. But this year at SENA, all the focus appeared to be on salmon jerky. And likely with good reason as the most recent consumption figures place salmon as the number two consumed seafood item in the U.S. at 3.38 pounds per capita in 2021.

New Equipment Allows Mowi To Increase Fort William Capacity To Over 80,000 Tonnes A Year

Mowi’s salmon processing facility in Scotland has some new equipment, thanks to global seafood company Marel. Mowi contracted Marel to install a state-of-the-art food processing and packaging system at its Fort William facility.

The system — which is almost complete — will enable the facility to process and pack 200 fish per minute. This is expected to increase plant capacity to over 80,000 tonnes a year, compared to the 64,000 tonnes the facility produced in 2023. The upgrades also include two automatic...

Japan: Import Review and Outlook of Principal Seafood

Suisan Keizai Shimbun highlighted the review and outlook of principal Imported seafood.

Ikura: The history of Alaskan imports finally comes to an end.

The decline in salted ikura produced in North America has accelerated due to the coronavirus pandemic. Still, last year, the volume of salted ikura produced in the United States was only 2 tons, valued at 9 million yen ($59,941.66). However, most of this was produced in the previous year and delivered in January. The only new product for 2023 was 36 kg valued at 366,000 yen ($2,437.62)...

Lerøy Seafood Group Breaks Records in 2023 As Company Prepares For 2025

2023 was a successful year for Lerøy Seafood Group. For the first time in history, revenue for the Norwegian seafood company surpassed NOK 30 billion. In Q4 2023, Lerøy delivered an operating profit (before biomass adjustments) of NOK 765 million.

The company attributes lower prices in the second half of 2023 to a substantially higher harvest volume. This resulted in a revenue of NOK 8,229 million for Q4 — a 16% increase from the fourth quarter of 2022. This is also the highest quarterly revenue achieved in the...

New Zealand King Salmon Gains Government Approval For Open Ocean Salmon Farm

It’s official. On Friday, New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS) received final government approval to proceed with an open ocean salmon farm. The company has been working on its Blue Endeavor for the past four years. Now, following the approval, this open ocean aquaculture project will not only be a first for New Zealand, but the world’s first farm of its type for the King Salmon (chinook) fish species.

Located 7km off Cape Lambert in the Cook Strait, the open ocean farm will be comprised of...

Austevoll Seafood Faces Challenges in 2024 After Mixed Q4 2023 Financial Results

Austevoll Seafood has released its Q4 2023 financial results as the Norwegian seafood company tackles an array of challenges in the first quarter of 2024. 

One of the highlights for Q4 included a boost in revenue. Operating revenue for the fourth quarter totaled NOK 8,754 million; a 15% increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 when the company brought in NOK 7,639 million. 

Austevoll Seafood — which is a majority owner of Lerøy Seafood Group — says the increase is mainly due to Lerøy having a...

Proximar Seafood Provides Update on Atlantic Salmon Production at Japan Facility

Proximar Seafood has released its Q4 2023 financial results, providing updates on its Atlantic salmon production at its Oyama facility in Japan. 

In October 2023, the company provided its first production update on the Japanese land-based facility. The fish were first brought into Proximar’s hatchery in 2022 where they performed well and saw a low mortality rate. 

In December 2023, Proximar Seafood announced that this first batch of Atlantic salmon had successfully transferred from the nursery department to the company’s...

BioMar Introduces New Product to Help Atlantic Salmon Manage Stress and Improve Performance

International fish feed producer BioMar has introduced a new product aimed at advancing the salmon industry. Calm — which is made from natural ingredients — is designed to help improve the performance of Atlantic Salmon during times of stress. The product is the latest addition to BioMar’s SmartCare line and can be used in addition to other products. 

The company’s SmartCare line includes a range of feed solutions for various aquaculture species. By adjusting nutritional and functional ingredients, SmartCare enables farmers to improve the...

Infectious Salmon Anemia Suspected at Lerøy Midt Farm in Norway

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority has launched an inspection at Lerøy Midt’s salmon farm at 20559 Langskjæra in Frøya municipality in Trøndelag county following a suspicion of infectious salmon anemia (ILA). 

Lerøy notified the Norwegian Food Safety Authority on February 21 of the suspected ILA, which is “based on the results of PCR analysis carried out after sampling at the site.” The Norwegian Food Safety Authority provided an update on February 23 stating that they would be taking follow-up samples to possibly confirm the ILA...

NASEM Committee Announces Findings Between Seafood Consumption and Child Growth 

A committee with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) hosted a webinar this week, examining the connection between seafood consumption — particularly in women of a child bearing age, pregnant and breastfeeding women — and child growth and development. 

The Committee on the Role of Seafood Consumption in Child Growth and Development looked at finfish, shellfish, mollusks, crustaceans, and marine and freshwater fish. The aim of this research was to better understand the nutritional benefits of seafood consumption weighed against the health risks. The group found that...

Poseidon Ocean Systems Secures $20.75 Million in Series B Funding For New Aquaculture Technology

Salmon aquaculture company Poseidon Ocean Systems has secured $20.75 million in Series B financing. This second round of financing is through the Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF), InBC Investment Corp., and Export Development Canada. 

The funding will allow Poseidon to broaden relationships with farmers in Canada, Chile, and the UK, while also providing the Vancouver-based company with the ability to explore new markets. 

The goal is to boost Poseidon’s manufacturing capacity and grow its Hybrid Sea Cage Systems, which are designed for...

Norwegian Food Safety Authority Conducts Audit of SalMar; Here’s What They Found

This year the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is carrying out audits on some of the larger farming companies in the country following the death of 62.8 million salmon in Norwegian farms in 2023. The goal of the audits is to not only improve risk management, but also improve animal health and welfare. 

Salmon farmer SalMar ASA was one of the first audits conducted by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority in 2024. The government agency investigated “whether the company’s risk management and internal control related to welfare in...

SENA 2024: ProChile’s Andrea Sapag Highlights Importance of Events In Promoting Chilean Seafood

Earlier this week Diversified Communications hosted the 42nd edition of Seafood Expo North America (SENA) in Boston, welcoming thousands of attendees who walked through 249,665 net square feet of exhibit space. And amongst that exhibit space was the sleek and eye-catching Chilean Pavilion, which was occupied by 10 companies, as well as representatives from ProChile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs institution responsible for promoting the supply of Chilean goods and services.

Chile is a major seafood exporter to the U.S. Last year Chile exported...

SENA 2024: Acme Smoked Fish’s New Lox in a Box Snack Kit Marries Convenience And Luxury  

“I’m hungry, but I also don’t have a lot of time and I don’t want to eat something unhealthy.” 

This is a frequent thought in a post-COVID world where everyone is a little more health conscious but once again on the go. The seafood industry has been targeting these consumers with pre-marinated, ready-to-heat dinner options. But Acme Smoked Fish is coming hard for the snack and lunch category with their new Lox in a Box Snack Kit...

USDA Awards 5 Companies CCC Fish Contract For Canned Salmon, Alaska Pollock

Last month the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service issued a new solicitation for CCC, or Commodity Credit Corporation Fish. The government agency has since awarded contracts to five companies. 

The CCC Fish bid, which opened on February 9, was seeking 173,599.908 cases of 24/7.5 oz canned red salmon and 148,959.804 cases of 24/14.75 oz canned red salmon. According to the PCA Report released by the USDA, Kanaway Seafoods, OBI Seafoods and Peter Pan Seafood Company have all been awarded bids. Kanaway was awarded 2,800 cases of...

West Coast Ocean Salmon Season Options Out for Public Review

When it comes to salmon seasons on the West Coast, there is always good news and bad news.

The good news this year: Klamath and Sacramento River fall Chinook stock forecasts are up over last year -- but their abundance forecasts are still down from years past.

The bad news: The abundance forecasts are still low enough that options include season closures.

“Meeting our conservation and management objectives continues to be the highest priority for the Council,” Pacific Fishery Management Council Chair Brad Pettinger said ...

SalMar Launches Salmon Living Lab, A New R&D Initiative 

SalMar announced the launch of its new R&D initiative, Salmon Living Lab, while at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen this week.

“Our aquaculture industry is at a crossroads,” said Gustav Witzøe, founder and Chair of SalMar ASA. “We have celebrated significant achievements in the past. We have succeeded in bringing large quantity of much sought-after salmon to customers and consumers worldwide. Now, we must acknowledge that we face greater challenges than we have done before.” 

Challenges in the industry include things like increasing mortality and issues...

Fall-Run Chinook Salmon Fry Succumb to Gas Bubble Disease in Klamath River

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced recently that fall-run Chinook salmon fry released for the first time from its Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County are presumed to have succumbed to gas bubble disease in the Klamath River.

On Monday, Feb. 26, CDFW released approximately 830,000 fall-run Chinook salmon fry into Fall Creek, a tributary of the Klamath River above Iron Gate Dam. The fish were hatched at CDFW’s new, $35 million =...

Wide Variety of Species Make Up The 2024 Seafood Excellence Award Finalists

From seaweed to shrimp and yellowtail snapper. This year’s finalists for the Seafood Excellence Awards are made up of a wide variety of species. 

The Seafood Excellence Awards Competition takes place during Seafood Expo North America and was created to recognize exciting new product releases based on their “uniqueness and appropriateness to the market, taste profile, packaging, market potential, convenience, nutritional value and originality.” There are two categories for products to compete in: Best New Foodservice Product and Best New Retail Product...

Japan: January Marine Product Imports Up 0.4% in Volume, But U.S. Sockeyes Fall 70%

According to customs clearance statistics for January released by the Ministry of Finance on February 28, imports of marine products (including non-edible products) increased slightly for the first time in eight months. The amount decreased slightly due to the significant increase in the same month last year.

The import record for January was 178,223 tons and 161.77 billion yen ($1.07 billion), an increase of 0.4% in quantity and a decrease of 0.9% in value compared to the same month last year. Although there...

Captain D's Names Hair Parra to Senior VP of Intl. Operations and Development Amid Global Expansion

Just one week after Captain D’s promoted Nan Ward to COO, the fast casual seafood restaurant has named Hair Parra to the newly created position of senior vice president of international operations and development. 

Parra spent more than 35 years leading international operations for well-known names like Papa Johns, Benihana and Domino's. Parra also oversaw international development for FAT Brands since 2021. Prior to that, he was chief operating officer of Wing Zone after spending over...

Lerøy Midt Sjø AS Reports Escape Incident In Gjemnes Municipality

Lerøy Midt Sjø AS alerted Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries on Tuesday to an escape incident at the Naustneset site in Tingvollfjorden in Gjemnes municipality, Møre og Romsdal.

Farmed salmon were caught near the facility, leading to an investigation that revealed a 3x1 meter hole in one of the cages. The company said that they have not yet determined the final number of escaped salmon, but have caught around 200 farmed fish in its own recapture fishery. Fifteen salmon linked to the escape have also been reported as captured...

Nordic Aqua Releases Q4 2023 Results As Company Works to Launch Atlantic Salmon Into Chinese Market

Nordic Aqua has released its Q4 2023 results. The Norwegian land-based salmon farming company saw another successful year with strong growth, a mortality rate below 1.6% and no signs of maturation. Biomass production for the fourth quarter reached 1,079 tonnes. 

"The fourth quarter of 2023 was another eventful quarter for Nordic Aqua. Biological performance was good during the quarter with good fish health and strong growth,” said Nordic Aqua CEO Ragnar Joensen. “During the quarter, we also conducted a successful private...