Fish industry news

Total value of catch of Icelandic vessels amounted to ISK 131.3 billion over the year 2010, compared with ISK 115.5 billion in 2009, reports www.megafishnet.com

Austevoll Fisk AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Austevoll Seafood ASA (AUSS) has entered into a merger plan for integration of Austevoll Seafood ASA's North Atlantic pelagic businesses for human consumption with Norway Pelagic, reports www.megafishnet.com

Facing continuous difficulties and challenges (including the scarcity of raw materials, lack of workers, antidumping, high taxes, etc) of both foreign and domestic markets in 2010, Vietnamese seafood enterprises still made the efforts to lead seafood export value to the target of US$5 billion and Vietnam became one of 10 leading seafood exporting countries in the world, reports www.megafishnet.com

Young's Chip Shop Mackerel is launched this week, thanks to the support of two major UK supermarkets. Tesco and Morrison's are stocking the product across 650 stores nationwide, reports www.megafishnet.com

Magnus Roth, co-founder and co-owner of the Ocean Trawlers Group, has assumed the position as Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Trawlers. This appointment is effective as of 1st March 2011, reports www.megafishnet.com

Cape Town Child Welfare (CTCW) can now continue to provide desperately needed child protection services for the Hout Bay Community following its occupation of new offices provided free of charge by Oceana Brands, a division of Oceana Group Limited, reports www.megafishnet.com

A week dominated by "lot of weather" at the capelin fields, - fairly good for the blue whiting, - and not so good for the herring in Rogaland, reports www.megafishnet.com

High precision portioning, the fastest slicer on the market for fresh salmon and an interactive look at Marel's groundbreaking Innova software suite are just some of the highlights awaiting visitors to Booth 865, at this year's International Boston Seafood Show, reports www.megafishnet.com

The Government of Canada officially released 2010 fish and seafood export figures and re-launched a new and improved www.sustainable-seafood.ca website, reports www.megafishnet.com

China Marine Food Group Limited, a China-based manufacturer of Mingxiang(R) seafood-based snack foods, "Hi-Power" marine algae-based beverages, and distributor of frozen marine catch, announced that its Mingxiang brand has become a partner of the National Sports Training Center. As part of this partnership, the NSTC has endorsed "Hi-Power" as the exclusive algae-based nutritional beverage for its athletes, reports www.megafishnet.com

Aker BioMarine has signed a major agreement with a Chinese manufacturer of dietary supplements with strong distribution capabilities in China. In the five year agreement, Aker BioMarine will be the exclusive supplier of krill products to the customer. The customer will launch SuperbaTM Krill into several channels in the Chinese market, reports www.megafishnet.com

Santa Monica Seafood Team had a full day at the 2011 International Boston Seafood Show on 20 and 21 March and we'll be heading back on 22 March 2011, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/

Dutch shoppers will find it easier to choose certified sustainable seafood during the AH puur&eerlijk (pure&honest) sustainable catch promotion, in Albert Heijn stores throughout The Netherlands during the week beginning 21 March, reports www.megafishnet.com

High precision portioning, the fastest slicer on the market for fresh salmon and an interactive look at Marel's groundbreaking Innova software suite are just some of the highlights awaiting visitors to Booth 865, at this year's International Boston Seafood Show, reports www.megafishnet.com

The Board of Directors of Icelandic Group has engaged BofA Merrill Lynch to act as exclusive financial advisor to the Group in connection with a review of strategic alternatives. These strategic alternatives could include, among other things, dispositions of one or more of the Group's businesses as well as equity financings, reports www.megafishnet.com

Best Aquaculture Practices has further advanced as the leading certification program for aquaculture by certifying its first facilities for Pangasius production, reports www.megafishnet.com

China Marine Food Group Limited, a manufacturer of Mingxiang seafood-based snack foods, "Hi-Power" marine algae-based beverages and a distributor of frozen marine catch, responded to shareholder concerns over possible radiation contamination of its seafood supplies, reports www.megafishnet.com

After more than a decade of ineffective measures to ensure the sustainability of the redfish fisheries in the Irminger Sea (waters between Iceland and Greenland in the NEAFC Convention Area), the Coastal States (Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland) along with the European Union and Norway reached agreement in Reykjavik on 17 March on multi-annual interim conservation and management measures for deep and shallow pelagic redfish in the Irminger Sea, reports www.megafishnet.com

It's often said that he Russian market is closed, and shadow schemes are the only way of operation in place. I must say, it not quite true. Surely, there is shadow business, and law enforcement agencies work there, and sometimes achieve certain results. However, the greater part of Russian seafood export is perfectly legal, and new buyers come to the market all the time. Such is the vision of the raised issue shared with www.megafishnet.com by a Russian seafood professional with good practical insight into exportation of fish and seafood by the Russian fishing fleets.

The main developments in exportation of fish and seafood from the Russian Far East in March 2011 had to do with the disaster in Japan and what is described as absurd obstacles in China for purchases of Russian-made fishmeal and industrial fishoil, reports www.megafishnet.com.