05/01/2015: 'Dangerous' mollusc spreads to River Thames

January 5, 2015, 1:59 am

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The quagga mussel was first found in the Wraysbury Reservoir, near Staines, and the River Wraysbury by Environment Agency teams carrying out routine water checks in October.

A species of mussel, which threatens to wipe out native animals and fish and was first found in Staines two months ago, has spread to the River Thames, the Get Surrey website reports.

The quagga mussel, officially known as Driessena rostriformis bugensis, was found in the Wraysbury Reservoir and the River Wraysbury by Environment Agency teams carrying out routine water checks in October.

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/quagga-mussels-dangerous-mollusc-spreads-8310531

In a matter of weeks, they had spread to a further six locations in nearby reservoirs and have now moved further downstream to Richmond, with experts warning they could soon spread further.

Less than 5cm in length, the molluscs breed so prolifically that the clusters grow metres thick and can smother boat hulls, block pipes and potentially cause flooding.

They can also poison water due to their eating habits as they extract nutrients and discard unwanted particles in the form of toxic faeces.

The Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) discovered the ‘alien’ species during its annual survey of the riverbed.

Joe Pecorelli, manager of the London’s Rivers project at ZSL, said: “The Thames in London is already amongst the most highly invaded rivers in the world so it’s sad to see yet another invasive species colonising it, especially one that has been so damaging to freshwater habitats in other countries.

"This part of the river is home to populations of rare freshwater mussel, so it’s especially concerning that the quagga’s arrival will add to the pressures that threaten their future.”

Although not clear how it first arrived in the UK, it is known to spread by human activity as they attach themselves to boat hulls and other fishing equipment.

Denise Rowley, environment officer at the Port of London Authority, said: “Although not a threat to public health, the rapid colonisation potential of the quagga mussel means that in some locations it could smother boat hulls, clog propellers, pipes and valves. They may also adhere to jetties and buoys.”

A closely related species, the zebra mussel, has already caused millions of pounds worth of damage in the US Great Lakes, where they first arrived in the late 1980s.

Karen Harper, manager of the London Invasive Species Initiative, said: “You can help stop the spread of invasive non-native species like quagga mussel by following good biosecurity and applying check, clean, dry every time you are out on our waterways.

"For quagga mussels this is especially important as the larvae are invisible to the naked eye, so you might not be able to see what you are transporting.”

Read the article HERE.

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05/01/2015: VIDEO - First Tuna Fish Auction of the Year in Japan

January 5, 2015, 2:20 am

≫ Next: 05/01/2015: New fish-drying method in Burundi boosts quality and incomes

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The first tuna auction of the year at Tokyo's famed Tsukiji market is a competitive event. Winning the bid for the first fish is believed to bring good luck for the coming year. Sushi chain owner Kyoshi Kimura had the winning bid on Monday. It's the third year in a row he gets to take home the prize catch.

Read the article HERE.

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05/01/2015: New fish-drying method in Burundi boosts quality and incomes

January 5, 2015, 2:49 am

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Dried fish isn’t the sexiest innovation. But in Burundi it’s changing lives, The Guardian reports.

Along the shores of Lake Tanganyika women have always preserved catches of small sardine-like lake fish called ndagala. The fish were dried on the sandy ground, where they were vulnerable to animals, contamination and rot, especially during the rainy season.

“If the fishes got spoiled and began to smell awfully it was impossible to sell them at market,” Gabriel Butoyi, president of Rumonge fishing port, told the UN.

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/31/new-fish-drying-method-in-burundi-boosts-quality-and-incomes

As much as 15 percent of the catch was lost or spoiled during drying, and the surviving sandy fish weren’t exactly appetising.

Ten years ago, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) set up an 18-month test project in the village of Mvugo, on the lake’s shore. With the backing of the government, the FAO constructed 48 wire-mesh racks a metre above the ground, and showed the locals how to make and use them.

The racks reduced drying time by a factor of nine, down to eight hours, kept the fish out of the reach of animals, and could be covered when it rained.

“Our fishes are of a good quality without small gravel or stones and they are dried in hygienic conditions,” rack owner Domitien Ndabaneze said.

“With our products, customers are no longer concerned with eating sandy fish.”

The innovation spread fast, and the number of fish driers has increased fourfold, to more than 2000 people, feeding an estimated 12,000 family members. Given that the quality of fish has improved, demand has increased faster than supply, so the price has more than doubled to US$6/kg.

“It’s extremely rare now to see people drying fish on the ground,” FAO fishery industry officer Yvette Diei-Ouadi said.

“If driers can’t afford wire-mesh racks they will improvise with wood and fishing net. Even fishing communities in neighbouring countries have taken up the rack-drying technique.”

Others have specialised in making the racks to sell.

There are other benefits. The longer, more reliable lifespan and improved taste and texture of the dried fish means that dealers (encourage by the FAO) now buy them to re-sell around the country. Given that 60 percent of Burundians do not receive enough protein, and that the fish are rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, they are an excellent source of nutrition for inland areas.

“Fish have nearly magical qualities on the nutritional front, especially the small dried ones that are often eaten up whole or mashed up into pastes that are also eaten whole,” said the FAO’s Christopher Emsden.

Other changes have had mixed results. The more efficient production means output has increased and the number of fishermen has doubled, raising concerns about the lake’s reserves. The FAO has therefore begun teaching locals how to grow other crops, such as mushrooms, when fish stocks are low.

Similarly, before the rack-drying technique was introduced, 80 percent of the driers were women, who spent much of the day bent over, tending to the fish. Now that has changed, as men keen to make money have joined in, reducing the proportion of fish that women are able to dry. In an attempt to help women driers stay competitive, the FAO now offers access to microcredit schemes.

Despite these problems, the scheme has helped peacefully resettle the half a million refugees and former fighters displaced during the 1993-2005 civil war. Crispin Niragira was a refugee from 1993 to 2007, and now works as a member of a fish drying association.

“When we arrived from Tanzania, I was so scared for my family,” Niragira said.

“We had nothing, no support from anyone. Joining the association has changed our lives. With the money that I earned I was able to put seven children through school, three of whom have now finished.”

The FAO is attempting to roll out the scheme in other countries, including Uganda, Kenya and Zambia. On the ground in Burundi, it’s already improving lives – and should continue to do so, as long as the fish last.

Read the article HERE.

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Amlan company profile

January 5, 2015, 4:21 am

≫ Next: 06/01/2015: EU fish discard ban comes into force

≪ Previous: 05/01/2015: New fish-drying method in Burundi boosts quality and incomes

Calibrin-Z is a bacterial toxin control product that protects vital digestive organs from the damaging effects of Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) in shrimp. EMS is caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V.p.) exotoxin. When the V.p. bacterium enters the body, it secretes a toxin that kills the hepatopancreas cells, a critical digestive organ necessary for growth and development of healthy profitable shrimp.

As part of your ongoing feeding regimen, Calibrin-Z works by absorbing the V.p. bacterial toxin in the body, increasing the rate of survival in your shrimp crop. Recent studies conducted by a leading researcher of EMS have shown significant improvement in survivability of shrimp fed Calibrin-Z when challenged with the V.p. bacterial toxin. All combined, these studies show that under a V.p. toxin challenge shrimp survival increases up to 84 percent versus controls. To date, no other product has shown results as positive as these.

Amlan International knows and understands toxin absorption. This knowledge has led to a full line of products that mitigate toxins and reduce the negative effects of disease in multiple livestock species. Through the use of Amlan International products producers, nutritionists, veterinarians and farmers around the world are able to achieve peak operational performance.

Read the article HERE.

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06/01/2015: EU fish discard ban comes into force

January 6, 2015, 1:13 am

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The UK has hailed the first step towards a full ban on the controversial practice of fish ‘discards’ whereby fishing vessels tip unwanted fish back into the sea, Business Green reports.

January 1st marked the date when fishermen targeting pelagic quota species such as mackerel, whiting, sprat and herring will have to land all the quota fish they catch, with a similar rule for demersal fish including cod and hake set to come into force at the start of 2016.

The move follows three years of hard-fought negotiations in Brussels to reform the Common Fisheries Policy, which was marked by a high profile public campaign to bring an end to the practice of discarding and tighten restrictions on overfishing.

http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2388606/eu-fish-discard-ban-comes-into-force

However, many of the new policy proposals faced opposition from the fishing industry while the UK government reportedly led resistance to moves to cut the amount of time fishermen can spend at sea.

Ministers argued the new approach would allow fishing vessels to fish more selectively, helping to avoid discards and allowing full quotas to be caught. They also hailed wider reforms, including a legally binding commitment to fishing at sustainable levels and decentralised decision making that allows member states to agree policy measures appropriate to their fisheries.

However, a two-year delay of sanctions for violating the new discard ban and the potential for the ban to be debated again later this year prompted accusations from conservation groups that the regulations are not sufficiently stringent.

UK Fisheries Minister George Eustice welcomed the ban but admitted far more needs to be done to end discards for good.

"The long fight to reform the broken Common Fisheries Policy has been won and today marks a significant milestone in our commitment to fish more sustainably by ending the shameful practice of discarding perfectly good fish," he said.

"But our work is not over. While it's widely recognised pelagic fishing operations have relatively low discard rates we will continue to work with fishermen to help them adjust to the new reforms and make the transition as smooth as possible."

Read the article HERE.

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06/01/2015: How Anglers Are Learning To Save Fish That Get 'The Bends'

January 6, 2015, 1:55 am

≫ Next: 06/01/2015: Low water levels risky for New Zealand fish

≪ Previous: 06/01/2015: EU fish discard ban comes into force

Each year, sport fishermen unintentionally kill millions of deep-water fish they don't want or can't keep. These fish die even though they are handled gently and released quickly. The reason: a condition called barotrauma, which divers know as 'the bends', NPR reports.

The problem occurs in fish with a swim bladder, an internal balloon that helps them control their buoyancy. When a fish is pulled up, "that balloon rapidly begins to expand as the pressure from the water decreases," says Chris Lowe, a marine scientist at Cal State Long Beach.

So by the time a deep water fish reaches the surface, he says, "its eyes could be popped out of its head, its stomach is pushed out of its mouth and it looks absolutely horrific."

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/01/06/374187614/how-anglers-are-learning-to-save-fish-that-get-the-bends

Fish experiencing barotrauma are often unable to swim and look like they're dead. But they're not. Lowe discovered this about 10 years ago while trying to implant tracking devices in California rockfish.

These rockfish live hundreds of feet below the surface, which is a tricky place to perform minor surgery. So Lowe's team brought the fish to the surface, implanted a tracking device, and then quickly sent them back down in cages.

Two days later, "we brought the cages back up and all the fish were alive," Lowe says.

Other experiments confirmed that deep water fish could survive a trip to the surface — if fisherman had a way to send them back in a hurry. The question was how. Scientists didn't know.

"So it was really fishermen that came up with many of the ideas on how to get these fish back down," Lowe says.

The result is a wide range of so-called descending devices. Some are just upside-down milk crates, while others are commercial products with a pressure-sensitive clamp that releases at a specified depth.

What Lowe is trying to do now is make sure people who fish learn how to use these devices. And that is why he and Tom Raftican, president of The Sportfishing Conservancy, have joined a dozen sport fishermen in California as they head out into the Pacific aboard a commercial vessel named the City of Long Beach.

When the boat reaches a reef known for its rockfish, we drop anchor and a dozen anglers bait their hooks. One of them is Nick Makshanoff, who's been fishing a lot since he retired a few years ago. "If there's water, I fish," he says. "Fresh or salt, bathtubs, oceans, you name it, I fish."

Like a lot of sport fisherman, Mackshanoff is concerned about overfishing and bycatch, fish that are caught unintentionally and die.

"Something has to be done," he says, "or 10, 20, 30 years from now there's not going to be any fish. Period."

Mackshanoff has never used a descending device, but he's seen one on YouTube.

"They were using this for Calico Bass and it was minimal harm on the fish and quick release back in the ocean again," he says. "I think it's kind of neat."

As we're talking, another angler reels in a Bocaccio rockfish that's too small to keep and is showing all the signs of barotrauma. He hands the fish to Lowe, who clamps its lower lip to a descending device the size of a pocket knife. Lowe uses a fishing rod to lower the fish, device, weights and a camera into the water.

Later we watch a video of the rockfish's descent. By the time it is about 50 feet down the fish's eyes are returning to their sockets and its stomach is no longer protruding from its mouth. Before long the fish appears to return to life.

"You can see it kicking, it's trying to swim away," Lowe says. And then the clamp releases and the fish is gone.

"Another successful release," Lowe says.

The impact of descending devices could be substantial because there are more than 10 million marine recreational fishermen in the US who catch more than 345 million fish a year, Raftican says. And these sport fishermen release nearly two-thirds of the fish they reel in, he says

So The Sportfishing Conservancy has been running workshops around the nation explaining how and why fishermen should use descending devices. It's an easy pitch to make, Raftican says, because fisherman want to preserve their sport.

"I love to fish and I'd like to see my kids and grandkids out there fishing too," he says.

Read the article HERE.

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06/01/2015: Low water levels risky for New Zealand fish

January 6, 2015, 2:10 am

≫ Next: Mohn Aqua Group company profile

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In North Canterbury, New Zealand, rivers are drying out up to two months earlier than normal, sending Fish and Game officers on a race to save as many fish as they can, The Press reports.

Low rainfall levels and continued irrigation on farmland have contributed to rapidly falling water levels in some of Canterbury's rivers.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/north-canterbury/64682137/Low-water-levels-risky-for-fish

Fish and Game North Canterbury field officer Steve Terry said many lowland rivers started drying out eight weeks ago, including the Cust and Ashley rivers.

It was normal for some sections of some rivers to dry out in summer, but "not that early", he said.

"We'd normally expect to start around now."

Many tributaries of Lake Ellesmere were also affected by low water levels, including the upper Selwyn River, putting thousands of trout and native fish, such as galaxids and eels, at risk of dying.

Fish and Game officers had rescued about 2500 fish over the last two months, including about 1500 from the Cust River alone, and they expected to be back at the Ashley River today.

Many were young, small fish, but some were up to 10 pounds – "trophy" fish highly-sought after by anglers.

"We try to keep as many of these alive as we can," Terry said.

"People fly in in from all around the world to fish these trophy fish. No one likes to see fish dying."

Terry said low water levels were a "massive issue" around the Canterbury plains.

He hoped Environment Canterbury would continue to investigate solutions.

"It's not a simple fix."

Read the article and watch the video HERE.

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Mohn Aqua Group company profile

January 6, 2015, 2:45 am

≫ Next: 07/01/2015: Trudeau Sends Davis Letter Of Support Over Canadian Fisheries Fund

≪ Previous: 06/01/2015: Low water levels risky for New Zealand fish

Mohn Aqua Group was formed early in 2011 after the aquaculture division of Bennex was purchased by two Norwegian companies - offshore ROV and diving services provider Mohn Drilling AS and ROV manufacturer Argus Remote Systems AS. Both these companies bring of wealth of very valuable technological expertise to Mohn Aqua.

The Group consists of three companies at present - Mohn Aqua Group AS and Mohn Aqua (Norge) AS in Norway and Mohn Aqua (UK) Ltd in the UK. Our bases are in Bergen, Norway and Forres, Scotland. We operate in Chile and other key markets through carefully selected sales and service partners.

Read the article HERE.

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07/01/2015: Trudeau Sends Davis Letter Of Support Over Canadian Fisheries Fund

January 7, 2015, 1:47 am

≫ Next: 07/01/2015: Artisanal Chilean lobster fishery of the Juan Fernández island community gains MSC certification

≪ Previous: Mohn Aqua Group company profile

Canada's Federal Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau says he supports Newfoundland and Labrador's bid to get the federal government to spell out its financial commitment for a special fisheries fund, The Huffington Post reports.

The Newfoundland and Labrador government says Ottawa set up the fund in exchange for the province giving up minimum processing requirements for fish plants as part of a free trade agreement with the European Union.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/01/05/justin-trudeau-paul-davis-fisheries_n_6420234.html?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

Earlier this month, Premier Paul Davis said the Harper government should honour its promise to put CAN$280 million into the CAN$400-million federal-provincial fund.

However, the Prime Minister's Office has said an unspecified amount is available for direct losses in the fisheries sector but no "blank cheque" was ever offered.

In a letter to Davis, Trudeau says while the Liberal party supports free trade with the European Union, it also believes the Conservative government has failed to adequately address the concerns of the province's fish processors. As well, Trudeau says the federal government should honour its promise to help the fishing industry adjust to the new free trade deal.

Davis has threatened to reconsider the province's support for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the EU if the dispute can't be resolved.

Read more HERE.

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07/01/2015: Artisanal Chilean lobster fishery of the Juan Fernández island community gains MSC certification

January 7, 2015, 2:31 am

≫ Next: 07/01/2015: US Government Agrees to Implement Seafood Import Ban to Protect Whales and Dolphins

≪ Previous: 07/01/2015: Trudeau Sends Davis Letter Of Support Over Canadian Fisheries Fund

The Juan Fernández lobster trap fishery has achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. Lobsters from this remote Pacific island community are now eligible to carry the blue MSC ecolabel which demonstrates they come from a well-managed, environmentally sustainable source.

Certification to the MSC fishery standard is a significant achievement. This fishery joins an elite group of 248 MSC certified fisheries that are helping to ensure healthy marine ecosystems for the future.

MSC certification provides recognition of the fishery’s efforts to protect the marine environment. It also provides access to international markets that demand sustainable seafood. This could contribute to improving the livelihoods of the community of Juan Fernández which is located 400 miles from Chile’s mainland. By meeting the MSC standard, the fishery is helping to ensure future supplies of lobster as a source of revenue for the 800 inhabitants of these islands.

“The certification of this artisanal fishery is exciting news for the community of Juan Fernández, Chile and all developing countries,” said Geoff Bolan, MSC Americas Commercial Director and US Program Director.

“The MSC welcomes fisheries of all sizes and types into the program and it is our hope that the people of Juan Fernández will reap the environmental and market benefits of MSC certification.”

The Juan Fernández Archipelago consists of three islands, the main one being Robinson Crusoe Island. Robinson Crusoe Island was named for the famed novel which may have been inspired by the story of marooned sailor, Alexander Selkirk, who inhabited the island from 1704 to 1709. Today, fishing lobster is an important economic activity for the 800 plus inhabitants of the islands. The future welfare of the community depends in large part on the continuing availability of lobster, as it has for the last 120 years.

The fishery is made up of Robinson Crusoe, Santa Clara and Alexander Selkirk islands in the Juan Fernández Archipelago and the Desventuradas Islands to the north. Total landings in recent years have been approximately 100MT. Currently, China and France are the principal commercial markets for the harvest.

The success of fishery management over recent years is based on five main management measures that are implemented with the full cooperation of all the islanders: only licensed artisanal fishers who are island residents may harvest lobster in the area; the use of relatively small vessels that can only tend a few traps per day; informal property rights on individual fishing spots; a conservative minimum landing size (115 mm carapace length); and a closed season of four and a half months.

The Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Government of the Republic of Chile (SUBPESCA) financed the assessment through the government’s Fishery Administration Fund (FAP, in Spanish). Management of the project was carried out by the University of Concepción in Chile. The initiative was developed to support the Juan Fernández artisanal fishing community and help fishers differentiate their product in international markets.

Raúl Sunico, Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture for the Government of Chile, said: “This achievement is aligned with the fishery policy mandated by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. We can no longer base our fishery development on increasing catches; what Chile needs now are sustainable fisheries that add value to our seafood products. The Juan Fernández lobster fishery is a good example of that.”

Pablo Manríquez and Julio Charmorro, representatives of the fishery, said: "Obtaining this certification is recognition of our sustainable fishing practices over the last 120 years which highlights elements of traditional management, the use of passive environmentally friendly gears and collaborative efforts to collect key fisheries data.

“Ten years ago, recognizing the lack of continuous baseline information on which to assess the status of this fishery, the Juan Fernández fishers and Dr. Billy Ernst of the Department of Oceanography at University of Concepcion created a continuous cost-effective monitoring program which laid the groundwork for our successful achievement of MSC certification. We also appreciate the help of the Government of Chile, through Mr. Alejandro Karstegl, SUBPESCA’s Crustacean Fishery Unit Coordinator, in obtaining this important certification.”

MSC’s Bolan added: “Thank you to the Chilean government for believing that small-scale fisheries can achieve MSC’s robust standard and for the support it has provided this fishery. We hope this success will inspire other fisheries in the region to pursue certification.”

About the assessment and certification

Intertek Fisheries Certification (IFC), an independently accredited certifier, assessed this fishery against the MSC standard. During the assessment, the three principles of the MSC’s fishery standard were evaluated in detail: the status of the fish stock, the impact of the fishery on the marine ecosystem and the management system overseeing the fishery. More information about the Juan Fernández lobster (Jasus frontalis) fishery and the complete Public Certification Report detailing the fishery’s passing scores against the MSC standard can be found on MSC’s web site at www.msc.org/track-a-fishery/certified.

About the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organization set up to help transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. The MSC runs the only certification and ecolabeling program for wild-capture fisheries consistent with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization Guidelines for the Ecolabeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. These guidelines are based upon the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing and require that credible fishery certification and ecolabeling schemes include:

Objective, third-party fishery assessmentutilizing scientific evidence;
Transparent processes with built-in stakeholder consultationand objection procedures;
Standardsbased on the sustainability of target species, ecosystems and management practices.

The MSC has regional or area offices in London, Seattle, Tokyo, Sydney, The Hague, Beijing, Berlin, Cape Town, Copenhagen, Halifax, Paris, Madrid, Stockholm, Santiago, Moscow, Salvador, Singapore and Reykjavik.

In total, over 340 fisheries are engaged in the MSC program with 248 certified and 97 under full assessment. Together, fisheries already certified or in full assessment record annual catches of close to ten million metric tonnes of seafood. This represents over eleven per cent of the annual global harvest of wild capture fisheries. Certified fisheries currently land over seven million metric tonnes of seafood annually – close to eight per cent of the total harvest from wild capture fisheries. Worldwide, more than 25,000 seafood products, which can be traced back to the certified sustainable fisheries, bear the blue MSC ecolabel.

Read more HERE.

IAF 1501

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07/01/2015: US Government Agrees to Implement Seafood Import Ban to Protect Whales and Dolphins

January 7, 2015, 4:05 am

≫ Next: O&J HØJTRYK A/S company profile

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In a landmark settlement reached yesterday, the US Government agreed to adopt new rules that ensure seafood imported into the United States meets high standards for protecting whales and dolphins. The long-delayed regulations will require foreign fisheries to meet the same marine mammal protection standards required of US fishermen or be denied import privileges, thus implementing a 40-year-old provision of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

“The new regulations will force other countries to step up and meet US conservation standards — saving hundreds of thousands of whales and dolphins from dying on hooks and in fishing nets around the world,” said Sarah Uhlemann, senior attorney and international program director of the Centre for Biological Diversity.

“The US government has finally recognized that all seafood consumed in the United States must be ‘dolphin-safe.’ ”

Each year more than 650,000 whales, dolphins and other marine mammals are caught and killed in fishing gear. These animals are unintentional ‘bycatch’ of commercial fisheries and either drown outright or are tossed overboard to die from their injuries.

Despite US efforts to protect marine mammals in its own waters, fishing gear continues to pose the most significant threat to whale and dolphin conservation worldwide. For example, the critically imperiled vaquita — the world’s smallest porpoise — is being driven extinct by shrimp gillnets in Mexico’s Gulf of California. Fewer than 100 vaquita remain. But under US law and new regulations, shrimp from this region would be barred from entering the United States as it does not meet the more protective US marine mammal protection standards. These standards may include modifying fishing gear and closing fishing in some areas to limit the risk of entanglement.

“It’s time to do what it takes to save thousands of whales and dolphins around the world, and hold our fish imports to the same standards that we require of our US fishermen,” said Zak Smith with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“This law will help do that. It provides real, enforceable protections for marine mammals and sets up an even playing field that allows our fishermen to be competitive in the US market. If we’d had these standards 40 years ago, we wouldn’t be scrambling today to save the imperiled vaquita. Thankfully, if this law is implemented, other species won’t share their fate.”

Since 1972 the US Marine Mammal Protection Act has prohibited the United States from allowing seafood to enter the country unless it meets US whale and dolphin standards. Under today’s settlement, the federal government must make a final decision by August 2016 about how to implement this requirement and end unlawful imports. The rules will protect marine mammals and level the playing field for US fishermen.

“The public demands and the US can — and by law, must — wield its tremendous purchasing power to save dolphins and whales from foreign fishing nets,” said Todd Steiner, biologist and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network.

“We have the right to ensure that the seafood sold in the US is caught in ways that minimize the death and injury of marine mammals.”

Americans consume 5 billion pounds of seafood per year, including tuna, swordfish, shrimp and cod. About 90 percent of that seafood is imported and about half is wild-caught.

Today’s settlement was in the US Court of International Trade in New York on behalf of plaintiffs Centre for Biological Diversity, Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Natural Resources Defence Council.

O&J HØJTRYK A/S company profile

January 7, 2015, 4:16 am

≫ Next: 08/01/2015: New model identifies Eastern US stream sections holding wild brook trout

≪ Previous: 07/01/2015: US Government Agrees to Implement Seafood Import Ban to Protect Whales and Dolphins

O&J HØJTRYK A/S endeavours to be a powerful, vigorous and energetic company. With our customers needs and the immediate environment as our point of departure, we want to be a trendsetter in our core area of business - Mechanical Engineering - Re-working of Dies and Rollers for the manufacture of Feedstuffs and Biopellets, as well as the sale and delivery of wearing parts in connection with Roller Re-working - as well as to remain open to new initiatives and business opportunities.

Read the articleHERE.

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08/01/2015: New model identifies Eastern US stream sections holding wild brook trout

January 8, 2015, 2:03 am

≫ Next: 08/01/2015: Bluefin is Japan’s favourite big fish, but for how long?

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A new model that can accurately identify stream sections that still hold suitable habitat for wild brook trout will help US fisheries managers from Maine to Georgia find and protect habitat for this fish, which is an economically, socially and ecologically important species, Science Daily reports.

Developed by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, the model is important because populations of native brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, declined precipitously throughout the fish's native range in the eastern United States. Brook trout have been eradicated from nearly a third of their historic watersheds and their populations have declined by more than half in an additional third of watersheds in their range, primarily because of habitat changes resulting from human land-use activities.

More than most other fish in this country, wild brook trout need clean, cold water to survive, according to Tyler Wagner, adjunct associate professor of fisheries, who is assistant leader of the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Penn State. However, centuries of agriculture, timbering and mining resulted in siltation, sedimentation, contamination and higher stream temperatures that doomed the fish in many of their native streams.

"Wild brook trout have relatively narrow habitat requirements, but they were historically widespread in areas where cold water, access to suitable spawning substrates and instream cover were available," he said.

"However, due to habitat loss, many populations are isolated and restricted to headwater stream systems."

The model - developed by Jefferson DeWeber, recent Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science now a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University - is described this month in the Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. This brook trout model builds upon a regional river-water temperature model published by DeWeber and Wagner earlier this year in the Journal of Hydrology.

Using observations from more than 9000 stream sections with brook trout data, it predicts brook trout occurrence using characteristics such as water temperature, soils, and surrounding agriculture and developed land use. Accuracy-tested by the researchers on more than 1800 stream sections, it can predict brook trout presence in the approximately 240,000 stream reaches in the historic brook trout range.

"The fisheries research information incorporated in the model was compiled from data collected by state fisheries management agencies across the brook trout range, and we linked it to a giant GIS map of streams from Maine to Georgia," Wagner explained.

"Our model provides a further understanding of how brook trout populations are shaped by habitat characteristics in the region and yields maps of stream-reach-scale predictions, which together can be used to support ongoing conservation and management efforts. These decision- support tools can be used to identify the extent of potentially suitable habitat, estimate historic habitat losses and prioritise conservation efforts by selecting suitable stream reaches for a given action."

Read the article HERE.

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08/01/2015: Bluefin is Japan’s favourite big fish, but for how long?

January 8, 2015, 3:07 am

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≪ Previous: 08/01/2015: New model identifies Eastern US stream sections holding wild brook trout

In the end, the price was a little underwhelming. The prized fish, weighing in at 180kg, was worth just 4.51m yen (UK£24,500), and its new owner was left puzzled, the Guardian reports.

Kiyoshi Kimura, who runs a chain of sushi restaurants, said he was surprised after securing the giant Pacific bluefin tuna for such a low price at the first auction of the year at Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. Two years ago, he paid a record 155.4m yen for a slightly bigger bluefin after entering into a bidding war with a Hong Kong restaurateur.

“But it’s the best quality,” Kimura added. “I’m satisfied with buying the best one – it has a good shape and great fat.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/05/sushi-boss-nets-bluefin-tuna-25k-tokyo-tsukiji-fish-market

On a day when Tsukiji, the world’s biggest fish market, was bursting with energy after the New Year break, Kimura’s willingness to part with such large sums for a single fish says much about Japan’s obsession with bluefin tuna.

Over the holidays, TV networks devoted hours to profiling the fishermen whose heroics on the high seas bring the prized delicacy to millions of dinner tables; the “Ferraris of the ocean” even get a mention in Man’yōshū, a collection of Japanese poetry compiled in the 8th century.

This year’s “big fish sale” price was lower than expected due to a lack of rival bids and a higher number of bluefins in the waters off Japan’s northern coast, according to AFP, but Japan’s appetite for bluefin tuna now risks plunging the fish into commercial extinction.

The country’s diners eat their way through about 80 percent of the global bluefin catch, while soaring demand in China and other parts of Asia is hastening its demise.

The threat from overfishing made headlines at the end of last year, when the International Union for Conservation of Nature moved the Pacific bluefin from the “least concern” to the “vulnerable” category on its red list of threatened species.

The IUCN estimates the Pacific bluefin population has declined by 19-33 percent over the past 22 years, mainly to satisfy demand for sushi and sashimi in Asia. Most of the fish caught are juveniles, making it impossible for them to reproduce.

Faced with the imminent collapse of bluefin stocks, Pacific fishing nations last year agreed to cut their catch of juvenile bluefin to half the average for 2002-04, although environmental groups had called for a moratorium to give stocks time to recover.

To ensure that tuna retains its place in Japanese culinary affections, Kinki University has spent more than 40 years developing a method of raising bluefin tuna from larvae to maturity at its two research farms in western Japan. It recently said it would triple shipments of adult Bluefin tuna to 6000 fish by 2020.

Most tuna farming in Japan involves catching young tuna in the wild and cultivating them in coastal reserves – a practice that experts believe has contributed to plummeting populations of small fish.

Kinki University, however, prides itself on a method it calls “complete cultivation”, in which the fish are artificially raised from egg to adulthood before the larvae are then used to start a new cycle.

Experts involved in the project say they still have a long way to go before they can farm enough tuna to meet demand. The survival rate for newly hatched fry is low, and rearing tuna in captivity requires vast areas of coastal water.

Shigeru Miyashita, of the university’s fisheries laboratory, said the rate at which researchers had successfully raised bluefin from egg to adult – without using any fish caught in the wild – had improved over the years. But he added that many challenges remained.

“Through the complete aqua-farming of bluefin tuna, we hope to help ensure the stability of the world’s marine resources,” Miyashita said.

“But to make 10,000 tonnes of farmed adult tuna you need 1.6m fry. The other problem is space. Wild Pacific bluefin have the whole ocean to swim in, but we have to raise them in a confined area.

“We started this project because we were concerned about the future of the bluefin tuna. Japanese people love tuna – we now want to encourage them to eat ours instead of the wild variety.”

The university’s project received a boost at the end of last year when it joined forces with Toyota Tsusho, the trading arm of the Japanese carmaker, to begin the mass farming of bluefin tuna hatchlings at a site in Goto, south-western Japan.

The world’s most famous sushi chef recently added his voice to warnings that overfishing threatened to make his menu unrecognisable within a few years.

“I can’t imagine at all that sushi in the future will be made of the same materials we use today,” said Jiro Ono, the 89-year-old owner of the three Michelin-starred Sukiyabashi Jiro restaurant in Tokyo, whose VIP customers have included the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the US president, Barack Obama.

“Three years ago I told the young men who work for me that sushi ingredients will totally change in five years,” added Ono, who charges 30,000 yen (UK£162) for a 20-piece sushi set.

“And now, little by little, that trend is becoming a reality.”

To give aficionados the opportunity to sample the fruits of its research, the university has opened restaurants in Osaka and Tokyo that serve 100 percent farmed tuna.

Fukako Saito, from Saitama, near Tokyo, finished every last morsel of a seafood donburi – a selection of raw fish, including bluefin, served on rice – during a packed lunchtime service.

“It was delicious, and I couldn’t tell the difference between this and wild tuna,” she said. “I haven’t really thought about the red list and what we’d do if bluefin became extinct. I guess we’d have to eat the farmed version all the time.”

Eiichi Uesugi, a businessman visiting from Osaka, said his tuna belly sashimi contained “just the right amount” of fat.

“I’m no expert, but I think it tastes just as good as wild tuna,” he said.

The restaurant’s head chef, Takuya Sugimura, said there was no compromise on taste or texture.

“One of the advantages of using farmed tuna is that the quality is the same all year round. And if we want to cater to customers who prefer the fatty cuts, we change the feed accordingly.

Read the article HERE.

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08/01/2015: Farmed Bengali fish are fed on… biryani

January 8, 2015, 3:38 am

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Freshly cooked or stale, the biryani continues to serve the Bengali taste bud in unexpected ways, the Telegraph India reports.

Much of the fish in Calcutta’s markets owe their allure partly to the truckloads of unsold biryani from Hyderabad’s restaurants that is fed to them in Andhra Pradesh’s aqua farms every day.

“Biryani makes my fish shine and weigh more,” said Dayakar Naidu, a fish breeder from Rajole in coastal East Godavari district.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150108/jsp/nation/story_19308034.jsp#.VK5pQ0jPGNN

From a little after midnight till daybreak, a fleet of designated trucks does the rounds of Hyderabad’s 1200-odd eateries that produce about 500 tonnes of biryani every day, albeit a variety different from the one most favoured by Calcuttans.

These trucks, which had brought fish from the coasts to Hyderabad’s markets during daytime, load the leftover biryani, which can reach 50 tonnes, into huge cans cushioned with iceboxes.

They then ferry it 300-400km to the fisheries of Krishna, Guntur and East and West Godavari, which are key suppliers to Calcutta’s fish markets.

Residuary Andhra and newly born Telangana may face potential tussles over the sharing of many resources, but this is one exchange that entertains no shadow of a disagreement.

A plate of biryani (250gm to 350gm) costs 150 to 200 rupees (US$2.37 to US$3.16) while the leftover biryanilightens the fish breeders’ pockets by only about 50 rupees a kg (US$0.79), making it some 12 times or so cheaper.

“The practice started two to three years ago, when the eateries and the fish farms realised they could both profit from it,” a source in a city restaurant said.

Fisheries department officials said that Andhra bred some 160 species of fish: 53 carnivores, 26 herbivores and 81 omnivores. The biryani — basmati rice cooked with meat or chicken and a range of spices — is given only to the carnivores and omnivores.

Andhra’s fish farmers supply some 500 tonnes of rohu and katla, both herbivores, to the eastern states every day. A smaller community of farmers breeds carnivorous and omnivorous fish like the catfish, tilapia, tuna and certain carps.

Naidu, the farmer from Rajole, said the biryani is mixed with other kinds of feed and given to the fish as their afternoon meal.

Another breeder said the carnivorous fish are also fed animal remains from abattoirs, which speed up their growth.

“Fish that normally take 10 to 12 months to reach the necessary weight can do it in eight to ten months if fed animal waste or biryani,” said Ramakrishna Naidu, a fish breeder from Eluru.

The truckers too are happy.

“The fishery owners pay us months in advance,” said Syed Mohammed Sabri, a truck operator who brings fish to Hyderabad’s main fish market and returns with biryani.

Read more HERE.

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Catalysis company profile

January 8, 2015, 3:46 am

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≪ Previous: 08/01/2015: Farmed Bengali fish are fed on… biryani

How do our products work? All our products undergo a special process of molecular activation.
The biocatalytic process of molecular activation considerably improves the biological activity and the biochemical reactivity of all antioxidant molecules.
This method of ACTIVATION is much more effective when applied to a far wider range of hydrosoluble and liposoluble molecules.
We know the secret of this ACTIVATION in antioxidants of all kinds and also the mechanism by which accumulated electrons are able to reduce the free radicals of oxidant molecules.

Read the article HERE.

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09/01/2015: Dawnfresh Seafoods reports £5.8m pre-tax loss

January 9, 2015, 1:54 am

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Fish farmer Dawnfresh Seafoods has reported a “disappointing” 2014 trading year after racking up pre-tax losses of £5.87 million, the Daily Record reports.

The Unddingston, UK company, owned by magnate Alistair Salversen and his family, has reported turnover of £41.6 million for the 2014 year to March 30, which was slightly ahead of the £40.2 million reported for the 2013 year.

Dawnfresh Seafoods had also reported pre-tax losses of £5.1 million for the 2013 year.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/business/company-results-forecasts/fish-farmer-dawnfresh-seafoods-reports-4940816

In a chairman's statement in accounts now filed with Companies House, Salversen said while the 2014 results were “disappointing”, the figures do not “reflect the transformational improvements the company has made during the year”.

Salversen adds since the appointment of Andrew Cooksey as managing director in May 2013, the company has strengthened its team and improved products and customer relationships as part of a wider long-term growth plan.

This plan has been developed “with the aim of significantly increasing turnover in the next three years and earning a reasonable profit”.

The company notes it spent £2 million on new plant and equipment in the financial year, and secured planning consent for a new fish farm on Loch Etive, which the company said would see it meet customer demand for Scottish local trout in 2016.

Dawnfresh Seafoods also notes it also plans to develop its brand globally from the recent launch of its online shop.

The company also notes it lost out in a bid to acquire a “substantial seafood business”, believed to be the Meridian Salmon farms formerly owned by Marine Harvest and Morpol, which were subsequently sold to Cooke Aquaculture.

Dawnfresh Seafoods has booked £350,000 in one-off costs related to its unsuccessful bid.

The company notes the Salversen family provided £5.5 million to support the capital investment programme in the 2014 year.

Subsequent to the year end, the Salversen family subscribed for a further £11 million ordinary shares, which went towards paying off director loans and strengthen the balance sheet.

The company employed on average 438 people in the 2014 financial year.

Read more HERE.

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09/01/2015: Canada's McNeil pressured to tighten aquaculture rules

January 9, 2015, 2:18 am

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Hundreds of people from across Nova Scotia, Canada converged at Halifax hotel Thursday to demand the McNeil government tighten the rules surrounding aquaculture, CBC News reports.

Stewart Lamont, a lobster processor at Tanger Lobster, was one of the speakers.

"The status quo is a wild west show in Nova Scotia in terms of what can be done in open net pen farms," he said.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mcneil-pressured-to-tighten-aquaculture-rules-1.2894756

In total, 33 groups called on the province to implement recommendations of an expert panel, which called for a complete overhaul of aquaculture regulations.

The Doelle Lahey report released last month said government has to do a better job incorporating community concerns when salmon farms are considered.

They say a total overhaul of the regulations surrounding aquaculture development is needed to restore the industries credibility in coastal Nova Scotia.

The report validates claims government isn’t listening to local concerns about fish farms.

“They were not listening to us as people, as communities, they were not listening to us as knowledgeable experts,” said Gloria Gilbert of Coastal Community Advocates.

“There is a lot of mistrust and rightly so given the way it was,” said Keith Colwell, the minister of fisheries and aquaculture.

He said a review is underway and promised the results in April. But he wouldn’t sign off on one of the report’s key recommendations: the creation of a red, yellow or green zone for development.

He did say some areas will be off limits.

“I’m sure when we are done the general public will be very happy with what we’re doing, as well as the industry,” Colwell said.

The report also says there is a place for fish farms in Nova Scotia and that the competing interests can be balanced.

Read more HERE.

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09/01/2015: South Korean experts to visit Japan, review Fukushima seafood import ban

January 9, 2015, 3:21 am

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South Korean experts will visit Japan next week for further investigation before deciding whether to lift an import ban on Japanese marine products imposed following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Friday, the South China Morning Post reports.

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1677821/south-korean-experts-visit-japan-review-fukushima-seafood-import-ban

During the four-day investigation from Tuesday, the second of its kind since December, a team consisting of South Korean researchers and consumer group representatives will visit wholesale markets in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, as well as in Aomori and Iwate prefectures in the country’s northeast, to assess inspection procedures for radioactive substances in seafood.

In December, the team visited Tokyo Electric Power’s disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and other locations in the country. The South Korean experts asked for more data from Japan on radiation levels in the ocean to allay safety concerns, farm ministry officials have said.

In September 2013, South Korea announced the expansion of its import ban to include all fishery products from eight Japanese prefectures including Fukushima, citing domestic consumer worries over leaks of toxic water at the Fukushima plant.

Read the article HERE.

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Dinnissen company profile

January 9, 2015, 3:34 am

≫ Next: 12/01/2015: Why do ‘disco clams’ put on brilliant light shows

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With over 150 permanent employees and an extensive network of agents all over the world, Dinnissen is a global player in the feed, food, pharma and chemical sectors. We are always looking for new and innovative solutions for complete processes, system integrations or standard products – many of which we develop, test and produce in-house!

Read the article HERE.

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