Global seafood companies' kaleidoscope

Among others some most important events have been as follows:

• Mr. Thomas Farstad took up his position as CEO of Aker Seafoods ASA on Monday 04 October 2010. Earlier Thomas Farstad, coming CEO of Aker Seafoods ASA, purchased 21,050 shares in Aker Seafoods ASA on Friday 17 September 2010.
• Icelandic USA, Inc., America's premier seafood company rejoined forces with D.G. Yuengling & Son, America's oldest brewery since 1829, to launch of Yuengling Lager Panko Breaded Scallops. The newest addition to the Yuengling Lager line of Icelandic products, these Scallops are breaded, not battered and offer a unique combination of Yuengling Lager and Panko Breadcrumbs.
• Oslo Bors ASA and Toronto Stock Exchange announced signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Under the MoU, Toronto Stock Exchange, TSX Venture Exchange and Oslo Bors will explore joint marketing initiatives and cooperate in understanding each other's markets and regulatory regime, explore a framework to promote and facilitate dual listings on each other's exchanges, participate in joint events and roadshows, facilitate introductions to regulatory authorities and capital market professionals and participants in each other's jurisdiction, and more.
• A leading supermarket chain TESCO has unveiled a new initiative to ensure that a Vietnamese fish which is growing in popularity across the UK reaches the shelves in the most humane way possible. Tesco has joined forces with Cumbrian Seafoods, the country's leading independent seafood supplier, who has spent two years developing a new process to ensure that the freshwater fish Pangasius, which is also known as Vietnamese River Cobbler or Basa, is humanely stunned before processing.
• Royal Culimer has been nominated for the Caterer ‘Food supplier of the year' and ‘Best client support of the year' awards, organized by Caterer Middle East magazine. The award ceremony recognizes the hard work and dedication of a variety of F&B professionals, outlets and companies across the region.
• Grieg Seafood's subsidiary Grieg Seafood Hjaltland has entered into an agreement to acquire two production licenses/sites in Scotland. The two sites are located on the west coast of Scotland (Isle of Sky), situated in an area with no further farming operations in the immediate vicinity. The combined discharge consent of the two sites is 2,770 tonnes, which is expected to be increased between 500 and 900 tonnes in the future. Current discharge consent corresponds to a harvest volume of 3,000 tonnes per generation.
• Mr Pham Cong Huyen-Deputy Director of Ba Ria- Vung Tau Seafood Processing and Im-Ex Joint Stock Company (BASEAFOOD) said its total export turnover in the first 8 months of 2010 has increased by 15% compared to the same period of last year. By the end of August, BASEAFOOD has exported over 5,600 tons of finished products, worth approximately 10.4 million USD. In which, Japan is still the largest importer, followed by South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and EU.
• Chicken of the Sea announced a recipe of the month: Sweet Chili Salmon Sliders. A combination of a freshly sauteed Chicken of the Sea Pink Salmon patty, a dinner roll, Thai sweet chili sauce, mango and cucumber has created the Thai Sweet Chili Salmon Sliders, the grand-prize winning recipe from Chicken of the Sea's SuperCook Edwina Gadsby.
• AKVA group has delivered the first of several new feed barges for the Sea Bass and Sea Bream industry in the Mediterranean. The brand new Wavemaster AJ-150-MED is custom designed to meet specific market requirements for this region, both in terms of size, features and price. The first barge was delivered to Suersan, a major player in the Turkish fishing, feed and aquaculture industry.
• National Prawn Company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has signed a contract with AKVA group for delivery of a pre-grow-out system for production of Yellowtail Kingfish. The contract value is EUR 2.6 million (NOK 21 million).
• Friend of the Sea announces the certification of Caviale srl's Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri) and Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii). The group is part of the VENATUS S.r.l company.
• Stolt-Nielsen S.A. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Stolt Bitumen Services (SBS) signed an agreement with Nanjing East Star Shipbuilding in China for the purchase of up to four 3,500 deadweight ton bitumen tanker new buildings due for delivery from March 2012.
• Icelandic USA has introduced a new addition to Sea Dog Family of products. The new 4 oz. Pollock Portion is an in-between size that allows restaurant operators to offer the ultimate selection, with multiple size and species options; the complete Sea Dog line consists of an almost "foot-long" Cod Fillet Portion and a mini-sized Haddock Fillet Portion.
• Morpol ASA has acquired 100% of Brookside Products Limited, a processor of smoked salmon based in Cumbria, UK. The annual production capacity of Brookside is about 1.500 tonnes finished products. Expected turnover for 2010 is GBP 12 million.
• Multiexport Foods, a major producer of salmon and trout located in Puerto Montt, Chile, and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership announced that they will collaborate on developing a comprehensive sustainable seafood strategy for Multiexport Foods farmed fish operations.
• Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group rope grown mussels has become the first farmed seafood in the UK to be awarded Friend of the Sea certification.
• Responding to consumer concerns about food safety and wholesomeness, Global Leading Foods, HPP has opened a new high-pressure processing facility in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex to offer the advantages of the proven technology to food processors on a contract service basis.
• Sealord's general manager of corporate services, Terry Horne, has left the company for an early retirement, which he said would open the way to other opportunities.
• BASF SE and Solix Biofuels, Inc. announced that they have signed an agreement to investigate the use of algae to produce certain chemicals for BASF. Solix is a leading developer of algae cultivation technology systems and will test multiple algae species in its proprietary growth system, AGSTM, for BASF. Further terms were not announced.
• Vinh Hoan Corp has announced the investment on collagen production project. At present, the project has finished the laboratory stage. It's expected in Q1/2011, the company will start building the plant with the total investment capital of 12 million USD in which loan accounts for 50% and designed capacity is 1,000 tons of final products per month.
• Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has announced that it has made a preliminary, non-binding proposal which could, if successful, lead to Walmart making a cash offer to acquire Massmart Holdings Limited for ZAR148 per share.
• The Boards of Directors of Leroy Seafood Group ASA and BioMar AS have entered into an agreement to the effect that LSG will purchase 50.71% of the shares in Sjotroll Havbruk AS. Sjotroll Havbruk AS is active in the production of fry/smolt and farming of fish for consumption, and also slaughtering and processing.
• Hitting Tesco stores this month are two delicious new fish dishes from The Saucy Fish Co. As the nights draw in and temperatures drop, Saucy's Smoked Haddock with Davidstow Cheddar and Chive Sauce is set to be a treat of a winter warmer. The creamy richness of the mature cheese balances brilliantly with the delicately smoked flavour of the tender and flaky haddock - all topped off with a sprinkling of chives makes this a most flavoursome of fish dishes.
• According to Minh Phu Seafood Joint Stock Company, in the first eight months of 2010, its export turnover has reached 131 million USD, up 44% compared to the same period of 2009.
• New aquaculture GM has been appointed at NZ King Salmon. Mark Preece (37), who has a masters degree in marine science from the University of Otago, replaces Stewart Hawthorn now the managing director of Grieg Seafoods in Canada.
• China Fishery Group (CFG) looks poised to capitalize on increasing consumption of fish and rising fish prices.
• SalMar ASA's CEO Leif Inge Nordhammer has notified the company's board of directors of his intention to resign his position.
• The Findus Group, parent to Young's, Findus and The Seafood Company, has boosted its commitment to reduce waste by signing up to the Courtauld Commitment Phase 2. The Group first became a signatory to Phase 1 of Courtauld through the Young's brand in 2007. Since then it has achieved some significant milestones - for instance reducing waste to landfill from Grimsby operations to less than 1% and cutting down on product packaging across all its brands and businesses.
• A new feed mill at Kansas State University will soon become a reality. Construction on the new O.H. Kruse mill is targeted to begin in late 2010 and should be completed in about a year, according to Keith Behnke, professor in K-State's Department of Grain Science and Industry.
• Friend of the Sea announced the certification of Seatec's giant squid (Dosidicus gigas). Seatec is a premium supplier of calamari products under the BelOcean brand based in Chile.
• Recently BioMar identified enzymes present in salmon blood that can be used as biomarkers of the severity of skeletal muscle damage caused by PD. These enzymes leak into the blood system when tissues are damaged and are routinely analysed for in human and veterinary medicine to indicate specific organ/tissue malfunction.
• Governor Togiola Tulafono, together with the CEO of Tri Marine, Renato Curto, and the CEO of Chicken of the Sea, Shue Wing Chan, signed off on several agreements on 5 of October, 2010 that will pave the way towards the reopening of the fish cannery plant once operated by Chicken of The Sea (COSI) in American Samoa as a Tri Marine operated plant.
• AgriMarine Holdings Inc., a leader in floating closed containment technology and production for sustainable aquaculture, reports on recent activity at its fresh water closed containment fish rearing facility in Benxi, China. The Company has also successfully procured a license to sell fish which is no longer limited to major cities in China but throughout the entire nation.
• SeaPak Shrimp Company has launched a delicious novelty - Popcorn Fish. These tasty treats are oceans away from a minced fish stick. Kids love the fun shape and the whole family will enjoy the delicious taste.
• HQ Sustainable Maritime Industries, Inc., a leading producer of functional, sustainable Tilapia biomass, including fish and personal healthcare products, announced Lillian's Healthy Gourmet meals to be now available in 33 Whole Foods Market and 106 Food City locations as part of the Company's retail supermarket chain rollout plan in North America.
• Ms Christina E. from Fosnavag (Egersund Group) has ordered new fishing gear for the new boat which will be ready about April 2011. The boat is now under construction at Karstensen Shipyard in Denmark. The boat will be 80,6 m long and 16.6 m wide.
• Blount Fine Foods, a leading manufacturer of hand-crafted artisan soups and seafood products, announced that the plant expansion currently underway at its Fall River, Mass. headquarters will now include the installation of an Alteris Renewables 100kW solar electric system, one of the largest in Southeastern Massachusetts.
• Orca Bay has announced the new Springtime Grillers Seafood Giftpack from Orca Bay Seafoods. 3lbs of Swordfish Kabobs and 3lbs of whole Snow Crab clusters are perfect for throwing right on the grill. Also added is a pound of Mexican White Shrimp and Beaver brand seafood cocktail sauce.
• Sobeys Inc. announced its commitment to helping improve the long-term viability of both wild caught and farmed seafood with an innovative approach to benefit both fisheries and customers.
• Royal Greenland has signed a trial collaboration with KM Fish Machinery on the development of a patented, more environmentally sound prawn peeling technique that works by vacuum.
• HB Grandi has reported good fishing on herring in the second week of October 2010 and HB Grandi's herring quota is being used up rapidly. Lundey NS is now on its last herring trip, while Ingunn AK and Faxi RE are in Vopnafjordur. There was 2400 tonnes of herring quota left before Lundey sailed, leaving around 800 tonnes for each ship.
• Marel is in formal discussions with a limited number of international banks regarding the financing of the company. The company is seeking a new, stable and cost efficient financing structure for the longer term future. Such a structure would also facilitate further integration of the company's operations.