Fish industry news
Russian Fishery Company (RFC) announced the retail sales of premium quality Alaska Pollock products in the “ready to cook” category. Produced in cooperation with the Agama Group products will arrive on the shelves of Russian retail chains in April this year under the combined brand “Agama-Nordeco” (Nordeco is RFC’s retail brand).
Producer of onboard equipment BJØRDAL and naval architects Skipskompetanse, both based in Norway, have recently opened subsidiaries in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in order to get ready for new orders from local companies willing to participate in the national program on investment quotas. The government program stipulates allocation of extra capture quotas in return for obligation to build new fishing vessels and processing plants inside Russia.
Development Corporation of Udmurtia (a republic in the Volga Federal District) will start construction of a new fish farming complex for pond culture of African sharptooth catfish.
Russia’s Federal Agency for Fishery is scrutinizing ecological certification of aquaculture products. Details are undisclosed, but for the fact that it will touch not only domestic products, but imported as well.
As per March 13, 2019 the Russian fishermen harvested 117,000 metric tons of aquatic biological resources in the convention areas, foreign EEZs and international waters of the World Ocean, nearly 50% up on the respective result of last year.
Vladivostok-based Russian Fishery Company is building a new fish processing plant Russian pollock. According to the schedule, the plant is to be commissioned in 2020, though the company says they are running ahead of schedule.
Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development has produced a negative opinion on the draft law on auctioning 50% quotas for crab capture due to irregularities, potential budget losses and risks for the industry.
As per 6 March 2019 Russia’s total catches amounted to 843,300 metric tons, 4.8% down on the similar result of last year due to unfavourable weather conditions in the beginning of the season, reports www.megafishnet.com (welcome to our new marketplace www.impexglobal.ru).
Construction of two fish processing plants has taken off in Kondopoga, Karelia. In the future these two factories will become a substructure for a single fish centre of Russia’s Northwest, reports www.megafishnet.com (welcome to our new marketplace www.impexglobal.ru).
In 2018 Russia’s leading multiformat retailer X5 Retail Group made more contracts with foreign suppliers under the direct import program, namely the number of such contracts rose by 114 as compared to the previous year. The whole list of the retailer’s suppliers includes more than 5600 companies, reports www.megafishnet.com (welcome to our new marketplace www.impexglobal.ru).
Vladivostok-based fishing and processing combine Antey is boosting production of ready-to-eat items from Pacific sardine (iwashi) Sardinops melanostictus on its Moscow factory, reports www.megafishnet.com (welcome to our new marketplace www.impexglobal.ru).
In 2018 Murmansk-based fishing companies started to export a number of new fish products to the international market, reports www.megafishnet.com.
In the recent years Russian companies based in the Far East Fishery Basin have been boosting production of farmed Japanese sea cucumber. As a result, sea cucumber exports to the Asian Pacific countries jumped six-fold in value terms, reports www.megafishnet.com.
Mag-Sea International Co., LTD from Magadan, Russia, is planning to build a shipyard in Vladivostok-led Primorye in cooperation with the Chinese biggest shipbuilding company DSIC from Dalian, reports www.megafishnet.com.
In 2018 Russian fishing companies harvested 1.668 million metric tons of Alaska pollock, of which 1.064 tonnes in the Sea of Okhotsk and 326,000 tonnes in the West Bering Sea zone. As compared to 2017 (1.68 million MT), the harvest declined by 1% or 11,000 tonnes, reports www.megafishnet.com.
The herring has arrived at Møre, - and the first vessel with blue whiting is heading for Egersund, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to Norges Sildesalgslag (Norwegian Fishermen’s Sales Organization for Pelagic Fish).
HB Grandi’s pelagic vessel Venus came to Vopnafjörður on Monday with the first payload of blue whiting of the year, caught west of Ireland, making it an 800 nautical mile steam home. The return trip took approximately three days.
In 2018 Russian export of wild salmons was soaring and by the end of the year exceeded USD$740 million. For comparison, Alaska pollock exports were not much ahead with ca. 1067 million USD, according to FISHNET analysts who studied customs raw data.
On 1 March 2019 Russia’s Federal Agency for Fisheries will open the fourth stage of application campaign for those fishing companies who are willing to get extra capture quotas in return for obligation to invest into building of new fishing vessels or processing facilities inside Russia, according to FAF.
Despite resistance from some established industry players Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture has worked out and submitted to the Government a draft law on allocating 50% of quota shares for crab capture for the period of 10 years at auctions, the quotas to be linked to investments into construction of new objects in Russia, according to the ministry.