Russian Fish Sector Shows Stable Growth Rates This Year

Despite the ever tightening sanctions, Russia is actively increasing exports of its fish and fish products this year and achieving good production dynamics.

According to official data of Rosrybolovstvo, over the 11 months of this year fish exports from Russia grew by 13% in annual terms and amounted to 2.1 million tons.

Frozen fish accounted for 1.6 million tons of this volume (+14% year-on-year), and fish fillets and other fish meat accounted for 202,000 tons (+1%). In value terms, exports increased by 1% to...

CAIA: Ottawa Anti-Salmon Farming Billboards Removed for False Advertising

Anti-salmon farming billboards around Ottawa have been removed for false advertising. The false statements included claims from eco-activist group Wild First that “Open-net pen salmon farms are banned in Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska.” Based on this inaccurate information, the ads called on Ottawa to “remove all salmon farms from B.C. waters.”

The letter of complaint filed by the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) has provided clear evidence that the farming of finfish (including salmon) is not banned in California, Oregon, or Washington...

Acme Smoked Fish Enters Snack Category With Lox in a Box 

Acme Smoked Fish is entering the snack category with their new Lox in a Box Snack Kits.

Increasing seafood consumption is always a hot topic in the industry. And one category that is continually highlighted for potential for growth is in snacks. 

Circana’s snacking report that was released earlier this year says that healthy snacking is on the rise. Their study found that 49% of consumers enjoy 3 or more snacks per day and 57% of consumers want snacks that are high in protein...

Japan: Salmon Imports in October Rose 4.8% to 18, 889 Tons, the Value Dropped 4.7%

According to the Ministry of Finance's customs statistics, imports of salmon and trout picked up slightly in October due to an increase in Chilean coho and trout fillets. However, the Suisan Keizai Shimbun reports a slow recovery due to a decline in fresh salmon and salmon fillets.

In October, imports totaled 18,889 tons, including fresh air freighted salmon, frozen salmon and trout, and processed products, totaling 24,066.38 million yen ($163.93 million), an increase of 4.8% in quantity compared to the same...

Andfjord Salmon Gives Construction Update on Kvalnes Salmon Facility Expansion

Andfjord Salmon confirmed in their third quarter financial results that they remain ahead of schedule for the expansion of their land-based salmon facility at Kvalnes.

In June the company unveiled the specifics of their expansion plan, revealing that they were targeting a total production capacity of 40,000 tonnes through a gradual increase between 2025 and 2030. As part of this expansion the company had to establish waterways to support the production of 40,000 tonnes of salmon. 

Earlier this month Andfjord Salmon CEO Martin...

Fish Roe Sales at Tokyo Central Wholesale Markets in October Sluggish Due to High Prices

At the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market in October, sales of salted fish roe showed a noticeable decrease in sales volume due to high prices. In particular, the decline in herring roe products, which have entered a full-scale sales season, was remarkable.

Sujiko salmon roe

The sales volume, which was gained by the earlier price drop, lost momentum, and the volume of 33 tons was 5.7% lower than the same month last year. Although the price at 3554 yen ($24.08/kg) was 17.2% lower...

Maine Launches River Project to Protect Endangered Atlantic Salmon with USDA Grant 

The Maine Department of Marine Resource’s Sea-run Fisheries and Habitat Bureau has received a $5.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve habitat for endangered Atlantic salmon.

The restoration work will take place in the eight Maine rivers that hold the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of Atlantic salmon, which has been listed as endangered since 2000. The project will also promote populations of wild brook trout and other sea-run species such as eels and sea-lamprey. 

The funds, from...

More Chilean Salmon Farms Activate Contingency Plans for Harmful Algal Blooms

Sernapesca, Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service, confirmed that more farming centers have activated contingency plans for Harmful Algal Blooms.

As SeafoodNews reported last week, a mass mortality event has been reported in salmon farming centers in the Los Lagos region, specifically Reloncaví Estuary.

On November 16 Sernapesca had reported that 13 salmon farming centers in the Reloncaví Estuary (ACS 1) activated the Algal Blooms contingency plan due to harmful presence of the microalgae Thalassiosira pseudonana. Of those 13 farming centers...

RawSeaFoods Recalls Atlantic Salmon Burgers Due To Undeclared Allergens

Raw SeaFoods of Fall River, Massachusetts, announced this week that they are recalling their Farm Raised Lightly Seasoned Atlantic Salmon Burgers due to undeclared sesame and milk allergens.

The Atlantic Salmon Burgers were sold in the seafood department of Whole Foods Market stores nationwide from August 25, 2023 through November 15, 2023. The burgers were sold from the seafood service case wrapped in paper or prepackaged in clear trays. The PLU code is 56228 with a sell by date of 9/11/23 through 11/19/23...

Mowi Named Most Sustainable Protein Producer for Fifth Straight Year

Norwegian salmon farming giant Mowi announced that it was ranked as the most sustainable animal protein producer by the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index for the fifth consecutive year.

According to Mowi, the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index provides the most detailed assessment of the largest meat, dairy and farmed fish producers in the world. The rankings of the 60 companies assessed were determined via a risk and opportunity score across various criteria including environmental, social, and governance-related.

Speaking about Mowi’s ranking on the Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index...

Andfjord Salmon Says Construction Ahead of Schedule for Kvalnes Facility

Land-based Norwegian salmon farmer Andfjord Salmon said the construction work for its farming facility at Kvalnes is progressing ahead of schedule, which the company says “significantly de-risks the build-out project.”

The facility will have an initial production capacity of 8,000 tonnes (HOG) from 2025 for the first build-out phase at Kvalnes, Andøya. The company is targeting a total production capacity of 40,000 tonnes at Kvalnes through a gradual increase between 2025 and 2030...

Blue Circle Foods Partners With Spicewalla For New Chile Lime Mini Salmon Sausages

A new partnership between Blue Circle Foods and Spicewalla will take your holiday party menu to the next level. The two companies have teamed up to launch Chili Lime Salmon Shorties, delicious miniature salmon sausages that are perfectly seasoned with Spicewalla’s Chile Lime Seasoning.

The Salmon Shorties can be served alone with a fancy dipping sauce, or even wrapped in a pastry for a fishy twist on pigs in a blanket.

“Blue Circle Foods is hooked on bringing culinary twists, like ‘fins in a blanket...

Japan: Russian Pink Salmon Roe $19 Per Kilo, US Sockeye Roe Imports 1800-2000 Tons

According to the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), the coastal landings of pink salmon in the Russian Far East as of October 5 were 478,275 tons, which is 3.3 times the same period of the previous year (as of October 2, 2022). It is a 13% increase compared to October 31, two years ago. According to Minato Shimbun, it is estimated that 6,000 to 7,000 tons of frozen pink salmon roe, the raw material for...

eDNA Shows Where Washington Culvert Replacements Helped Spawning Salmon

Environmental DNA sampling has helped researchers monitor ocean and freshwater systems for changes. It helped document the spread of invasive European green crab. Now's helping salmon in the Washington.

To help struggling salmon populations, the state of Washington is legally required to replace hundreds of culverts that divert streams under roadways. The state transportation department is replacing old, rusting metal pipes with broad, concrete promenades that provide more gradual gradients and gentler ...

Biden-Harris Administration Makes $106 Million Available for Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund

Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA are announcing the availability of up to $106 million in funding through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) for Pacific salmon and steelhead recovery and conservation projects. This funding — which includes funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — will support state and tribal salmon restoration projects and activities to protect, conserve and restore these fish populations and their habitats.

“Restoring Pacific salmon populations and...

True North and Cooke Aquaculture Receive Support Through Atlantic Fisheries Fund

True North Salmon Limited Partnership and Cooke Aquaculture will be receiving funding support through the Atlantic Fisheries Fund (AFF).

The Canadian Government and Province of New Brunswick confirmed on Monday that the AFF funding will be used for the purchase of high tech equipment for True North Salmon’s processing plant in St. George, New Brunswick. The AFF funding is a repayable contribution of over $6.7 million towards total project costs of over $15.6 million. True North will be using the funding towards their plant expansion...

Sernapesca Provides Update on Harmful Algal Blooms in Seno de Reloncaví

Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service, also known as Sernapesca, is continuing to monitor the Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB) impacting the Seno de Reloncaví area. 

The Reloncaví Estuary has been hit by multiple mortality events this month between ACS 1 and ACS 2. As SeafoodNews reported earlier this week, a new mass mortality event struck the Los Lagos region, impacting ACS 2 in Seno de Reloncaví. The ACS 2 area has 28 active farming centers with total biomass of live fish at 49,727 tons...

Bakkafrost Salmon Fly On World’s First 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel Flight

Bakkafrost was a part of history this week as their salmon was on board the world’s first 100% sustainable aviation fuel flight.

On Tuesday Virgin Atlantic’s historic flight on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) took off from London’s Heathrow airport for New York’s JFK airport. What makes this flight special is that SAF is a “safe drop-in replacement for fossil derived jet fuel” made from waste products. Virgin Atlantic says that SAF will play a “significant role” in “decarbonisation of long haul aviation...

Russia Achieves Record Salmon and Red Caviar Production This Year

Prices for salmon and red caviar in Russia may significantly decline by the end of the current year due to an almost record volume of salmon catch in Russia this year.

This has been recently confirmed by some leading Russian fishermen and experts in the field of fisheries.

As German Zverev, head of the All-Russian Association of Fish Producers (VARPE), said in an interview with some Russian media, in the case of red caviar, this year the volume of its production significantly increased...

New Mass Mortality Event Strikes Chilean Salmon Farmers

Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service, also known as Sernapesca, is reporting a new mass mortality event in the Los Lagos region – specifically ACS 2 in Seno de Reloncaví. Like the mass mortality event reported earlier this month, this one is also related to Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB).

HAB’s occur naturally as a result of climate and environmental factors. In this case, Sernapesca found that there are high concentrations of the microalgae Thalassiosira pseudonana. That is the same microalgae that sparked the initial mass mortality event in the Reloncaví Estuary (ACS 1)...

Sernapesca Releases Numbers For Mass Mortality Event In Los Lagos Region

A mass mortality event has been reported in salmon farming centers in the Los Lagos region, specifically Reloncaví Estuary.

Sernapesca, Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service, reported on Wednesday that 13 salmon farming centers in the Reloncaví Estuary (ACS 1) activated the Algal Blooms contingency plan due to harmful presence of the microalgae Thalassiosira pseudonana. Of those 13 farming centers, seven had to also activate contingency plans for mass mortality associated with the harmful algal blooms. Those numbers changed Thursday to nine centers activating plans for harmful algal blooms...

Lerøy Takes A Hit in Q3 Due to ISA Detection, Lower Quotas

Lerøy Seafood Group released their financial results for Q3 this week, revealing that they took a hit due to ISA detection, as well as lower quotas for wild catch.

For Q3, Lerøy is reporting revenue at NOK 8,0001 million. According to the company, this figure is up 8% from Q3 in 2022. It also represents the highest revenue ever achieved in any quarter throughout the Group’s history. However, EBIT in Q3 totaled NOK 631 million, a 24% decrease from the same time period last year...

Japan: September Salmon Imports 14,934 Tons Worth JPY 20.1 Billion, Down 4.4% and 9.0%

According to the Ministry of Finance's customs statistics, imports of salmon and trout continued to decline in September. Still, the rate of decline improved significantly as imports of Chilean coho and sockeye picked up. The overall import result was 14,934 tons and 20,128.61 million yen ($134.39 million), a decrease of 4.4% in quantity and 9.0% in value compared to the same month from the previous year. The Suisan Keizai Shimbun reports that the price decline was more significant than the decline in quantity...

Bakkafrost to Build New Smolt Facility; Company Not Satisfied with Q3 Farming Results

Faroe Islands-based salmon farmer Bakkafrost announced its plans to build a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) smolt hatchery in Skálavík, Faroe Islands. The company said the new facility will have a capacity of 28,600 m3 and is expected to be up and running in late 2026.

The annual production will be around 6.5 million smolt of 500g. Once the Skálavík hatchery is completed, Bakkafrost’s annual smolt production capacity will be in excess of 24 million smolt of 500g, the company shared in a news release...

Grieg Seafood Begins Harvesting First Generation of Fish in Placentia Bay

Grieg Seafood confirmed that they have started harvesting the first generation of fish in Placentia Bay in Newfoundland. 

According to the company, the first fish were harvested and then packed at Quinlan Brothers Ltd.’s processing plant in Bay de Verde before they were transported to customers in the North American market. 

The harvest marks a milestone for Grieg Seafood Newfoundland as the company had started developing the aquaculture project in Placentia Bay in 2014. It wasn’t until 2022 that the first generation of fish were transferred to...

ANALYSIS: Robust Chum Landings out of Alaska in 2023 Result in Lower Prices

The chum or keta market this year has seen above average landings for the majority of the season. The year was somewhat atypical as normally two separate surges occur, one in summer and one later in the fall. Instead, there was a single peak this summer in statistical week 30 (July 24-30).  In total, Alaska has landed 22.47 million chum, marking a 58% increase compared to 2022 and a 54% increase compared to the five-year average...