In October 2022, the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), affirming their shared commitment to advancing cooperation on sustainable fishing. The MoU's primary goal will be to promote a market-based approach toward sustainable fish trade.

The MoU will encompass collaboration in crucial areas like capacity building, exchanging sustainable fishing best practices using the MSC's Fisheries Standard, and creating Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs). The MoU will establish a national fisheries improvement programme for tuna, mud crab, crab, shrimp, squid, and large and small pelagic. The MSC will seek to increase fisheries' sustainability and support the sale of sustainable fishery products in Indonesia and abroad. MSC will also offer technical advice and conduct public education programmes to promote sustainable fisheries management and the sale and consumption of sustainable goods. MMAF and the MSC will collaborate closely with stakeholders, including fishers, the government, scientists, and enterprises on a local and international level. The MoU will facilitate inter-stakeholder understanding of fisheries in Indonesia, ranging from fishery commodities, fleets, fishing, and supply chains to prices in domestic and fisheries and aquaculture products while supporting small-scale fishers and promoting sustainable fishing practices.

Globally, Indonesia is the second largest fish producer, and its catch volumes have increased continually. Indonesia is enhancing its efforts towards transitioning to a sustainable blue economy and achieving the 2025 vision to mitigate the human impact on marine and coastal ecosystems through improving the management of marine fisheries and data gathering and monitoring systems.

Tags: #Indonesia #MoU #fisheries #sustainablefish

There has been a significant increase in the quantity of exports by Spain to the Republic of Korea. Imports of fish into South Korea from Spain reached 5 910 tonnes by the end of September, representing a 263 percent increase over the same period in 2021. Squid, which accounted for 3 851 tons, and frozen bluefin tuna fillets (987 tonnes) rounded out the top two products.

The value of fish and fish products imported from Spain by Korea during the first three quarters of 2021 amounted to USD 54.16 million, representing an increase of 89 percent compared to the same period in 2021.

Tags: #exports #Spain #South Korea #squid #tuna

The value of squid and octopus exported by Viet Nam reached USD 214 million in the third quarter of 2022, representing a rise of 53 percent over the previous quarter's total. The total cumulative exports in 2022 reached USD 557 million, an increase of 37 percent compared to the same period in 2021.

Tags: #Vietnam #squid #octopus #exports

Herring exports from Norway reached previously unachievable levels in October and November. Nevertheless, there has been a considerable price reduction.

On the other hand, the cost of mackerel is climbing higher. In October, Norway exported more than 75 000 metric tons of mackerel, and those exports were NOK 1.4 billion (USD 140 million). There was a 55 percent increase in the price of exports. The People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan constituted the three most important markets.

Tags: #Norwegian #herring #exports #mackerel

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) has stated that there is a possibility that the snow crab harvest in Alaska would be halted for a period of up to four years. It may take that much time to rebuild the stock. Researchers have noted that there is a severe shortage of male crabs that are of a suitable size, and they anticipate that it will take up to four years to rebuild the stockpiles of approximately 50 million pounds of biomass.

Tags: #Alaska #snow #crab #biomass

The planned fiscal regime for salmon in Norway, which would impose a tax of 40 percent on top of the current tax of 22 percent on earnings, is creating significant layoffs in the industry that processes fish. At the various processing sites around the shore, more than 1 200 employees have been left off. The processing business is hit so hard because the tax is determined based on the spot price of salmon, whereas many exporters have negotiated fixed prices for longer times. This results in the processing sector being taxed significantly harder than other sectors. These fixed prices are typically lower than the spot price, and as a result, businesses are taxed based on a higher price than the price at which they receive payment. There will likely be further layoffs.

Tags: #salmon #prices #Norway #processing #industry

Direct shrimp imports into China have increased significantly since lower tariffs were implemented. Imports increased yearly from 54 700 tonnes and USD 307 million in 2012 to 720 442 tonnes and USD 4.46 billion in 2019. Annual imports fell to 613 100 tonnes and USD 3.45 billion at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic but recovered in 2021 to 658 000 tonnes and USD 4.04 billion.

This year, monthly imports were higher than in 2021 during January-June and increased further in July-September, setting a new high for cumulative shrimp imports during the first nine months of 2022. Imports increased by 51.6 percent in value to 661 822 tonnes and USD 4.42 billion (+71 percent) in comparison to the same period in 2021.

In November 2022, the governments of Liberia and Côte D’Ivoire entered into a fisheries Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU will facilitate information sharing regarding related initiatives to improve fisheries governance. It seeks to strengthen the efforts of both parties to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU).

The MoU aims to advance and facilitate cooperation in fisheries inspection and related activities to ensure effective jurisdiction and control over ships that are engaged in fishing-related activities in accordance with national laws and regulations. It defines the collaborative roles played by both parties across the coastal states to combat IUU fishing and practicalizes the implementation of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of living marine resources and marine ecosystems.

Côte D’Ivoire would soon follow Liberia's lead and conduct joint surveillance patrols in its waterways to combat IUU fishing activities. The government of Côte D’Ivoire is keen to examine the practices of the Liberian fisheries authority, which places the majority of its observers onboard industrial fishing vessels.

Tags: #Liberia #Côtedivoire #fisheries #IUU #fishingoperations

The county of Lianjiang in the People's Republic of China is known as the "abalone capital of the world." 1 453 hectares of land might be used for cultivating abalone in 2021, with a total production of 53 500 tonnes, accounting for approximately 30 percent of the total national production.

The abalone price index serves as the foundation for the Abalone Insurance program. It will be determined to be an accident if the price of abalone sold at the ex-pond market is lower than the target price established between the insurance company and the farmers and if the price reduction at the ex-pond market goes beyond the conditions that were agreed upon. Farmers insured through the Fujian Fishery Mutual Insurance Association in 2022 are eligible for a premium discount of up to 70 percent on their insurance premiums. The maximum compensation for the farmers participating in this pilot project is 14 yuan per share. However, the farmers only have to pay 2.8 yuan for each share. The farmers can choose how many shares they want to purchase, and this number is directly related to the production scale.

Because abalone is a seasonal agricultural commodity, its output is susceptible to adverse weather conditions such as typhoons, red tides, and high temperatures. Additionally, its production is influenced by the ups and downs of market supply and demand, which can result in large fluctuations. These large fluctuations will affect the final market price and reduce the income of abalone enterprises and farmers. This insurance can assist ensure that the abalone sector continues to grow in a healthy and sustainable way.

Tags: #China #insurance #priceindex #markets #abalones

The Indonesian government is negotiating bilateral agreements to safeguard the rights of its people who are employed on fishing vessels flying other nations’ flags.

The Jakarta Foreign Ministry recently announced that it was developing a group of “sea-based” agreements with other nations that take in many migrant Indonesian fishermen and seafarers aboard international vessels. The region of Southeast Asia is generally thought to be the largest source of labour for the sector. The government feels that most migrant workers’ agreements are land-based, but sea-based worker’s agreements must be explored more closely to ensure sufficient protection. Indonesia has already signed one of these agreements with the Republic of Korea and plans another with the Taiwan Province of China and the People’s Republic of China.

The agreement between Indonesia and South Korea, signed in May 2021, aims to safeguard the rights of Indonesian workers employed on larger-than-20-tonne Korean coastal fishing vessels. It focuses on topics such as the functioning of a unique training facility for Indonesian fishers and the methods for recruiting and placement under the government-to-government programme. Korea receives the most sailors from Indonesia, the Philippines, Viet Nam, and Myanmar, in that order.

On the domestic front, Indonesia, in June 2022, released a much-anticipated decree to improve the protection of Indonesian deckhands employed on foreign commercial and fishing vessels. The new regulation also includes the introduction of collective bargaining agreements for migrant workers, the establishment of an integrated database on migrant workers between related government agencies, and working scheme and condition standards based on the ILO C188, a convention on work in fishing vessels by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Tags: #Indonesia #government #policy #fishers #agreements

The EU-Mauritius fisheries protocol was recently extended with the approval of the European Parliament. The extension ensures that EU vessels will be allowed to continue fishing in the Mauritian waters for tuna for an additional six months under the same terms.

The protocol to the EU-Mauritius fisheries agreement expired on 7 December 2021. While new agreement negotiations continue, the extension prevents an interruption to the fishing operations for EU vessels in Mauritius' waters. The extension would also foster closer ties between the EU and Mauritius in areas of sustainable fisheries policy.

The Indian Ocean is the most significant source of tuna catches for the EU fleet, mostly Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna. The EU fleet is permitted to fish for tuna and tuna-like species in Mauritius' waters for up to 4 000 tonnes per year under the terms of the Fisheries Partnership Agreement. It allows access for up to 20 supply vessels, 40 tuna seiners, and 45 surface longliners. The protocol's 6-month extension permits the EU fleet to catch up to 2 000 tonnes of fish. In exchange, the European Union will give Mauritius a cash contribution of EUR 287 500, of which EUR 177 500 would contribute towards the country's sectoral fisheries policy development.

The financial assistance from the European Union is mostly used for monitoring, control, and surveillance and to aid in managing national fisheries in Mauritius. Furthermore, cannery industry-level fisheries collaboration between the European Union and Mauritius is growing. Mauritian canneries process about 500 000 tonnes of the tuna that the EU fleet catches yearly in the Indian Ocean. The archipelago's canning industry employs more than 4 000 people. Of this amount, 64 percent are women.

Tags: #Mauritius #EU #fisheries #protocol #vesseloperations

On 9 July 2022, the Fifth China (International) Crayfish Industry Conference was held in Jiangxi Province.

This year, the Conference released a national report about the crayfish industry, which revealed the market value¹. In 2021, the total industry value equaled CNY 422.2 billion (USD 59.1 billion), with an increasing rate of 22.43 percent, fully recovered from the COVID -19 pandemic (the total value was CNY 411 billion in 2019). The total value was CNY82.3 billion (USD 11.5 billion) for production, CNY 36.9 billion (USD 5.2 billion) for processing, and CNY 303 billion (USD 42.4 billion) for the catering industry.

In 2021, the aquaculture land for crayfish reached 1 733.3 hectares, with a total production of 2 633.6 thousand tonnes, with an increasing rate of 19.01  and 10.02 percent, respectively. Its total production has already accounted for about 8.27 percent of all freshwater aquaculture, sixth place for the species, surpassing tilapia. In total, 23 provinces have crayfish aquaculture.

The price of crayfish depends on the size of the fish. Take the average price at peak time in Hubei, one of the main markets, as an example (Table 1). The price of large-sized fish can be ten times greater than small sizes. The price fluctuates widely, with the lowest price point occurring around May and June and the highest at the beginning and end of the year.

The government of Viet Nam is actively making efforts to improve the legal framework, monitor, inspect, and control fishing operations, manage fishing fleets, and certify the output and traceability of aquatic products. A delegation from the European Commission will visit Viet Nam to observe the country's efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Since the yellow card warning imposition in 2017, the Vietnamese government, businesses, and coastal communities have been determined to resolve the issue of IUU in Southeast Asia.

Over 90 000 fishing boats operate in Viet Nam, and 95 percent are equipped with vessel monitoring systems (VMS). Offshore fishing vessels with a length of at least 15 metres have been equipped with a monitoring system. Vessels that violated regulations have been punished with their operation licences revoked, either temporarily or permanently. The federal government has emphasised the urgency of combating IUU and has given local authorities instructions to improve communication in order to increase awareness among fishers. Additionally, the government urged businesses to reject purchasing, processing, and exporting fishing goods of unidentified origin.

Viet Nam has nearly finished developing its legal framework to combat IUU, proving its dedication to developing ethical, sustainable fisheries and global integration. The traceability of fish and fish products caught in Vietnamese waters is controlled through certifications issued throughout the value chain. This allows for consistency across the ships' logbooks, certifications issued at 53 designated fishing ports, certificates issued by local fishery departments, the issuance of export certificates, and input control at processing plants.

Authorities have remarked that digitising the industry would bolster efforts, improve accuracy, and decrease the personnel needed to maintain a record of the place of origin of their fish and fish products. The nation is also looking to build a shared database that connects relevant agencies. On a local level, the IUU Steering Committee has been established and consolidated by 28 coastal provinces and cities.

Tags: #Viet Nam #fisheries #IUU #fishingoperations

Up to fifty percent of all marine fisheries production in Brazil is contributed by small-scale fisheries, with the North and Northeast being the predominant regions for this activity.

According to studies, the fisheries resources utilized by small-scale fisherfolk are either overexploited (lobster, red snapper) or fully exploited (tuna), or their level of exploitation is unknown (shark, sailfish, crab). Defending their territories against land speculation and economic activities such as tourism and aquaculture has ensured the continuation of small-scale fisherfolk activities.

In Brazil, fisheries institutions have grown stronger over the past two decades, especially when the participation of social movements and fishing communities is considered. In papers that examine environmental governance in the country, social participation is a recurring theme.

Artisanal fishermen commonly employ gillnets. In the Northeast, traps are utilized to catch crustaceans (lobster). Pelagic longlines are used to catch tuna and similar species, trawls for shrimp, and gillnets for finfish. For shrimp, bottom trawls are used for octopus, pots and traps, and deepwater crustaceans traps (mostly crabs). The Southern region's fisheries are similar to those of the Southeast, particularly concerning using purse seines and fishing with live bait and gillnets. The number of artisanal boats exceeds 100 000, with approximately one-third lacking motors.

The principal coastal fisheries in Brazil (including lobsters, snappers, and shrimp in the North, and sardines in the South) are managed by a set of measures that incorporate closed seasons and closed areas, minimum permitted size at landing, gear type, and size limitations, and, in some instances, satellite vessel tracking. All Brazilian vessels exceeding 15 meters in length are subject to satellite tracking. In addition, lobster vessels over 10 meters in length are required to have satellite tracking. The Brazilian government provides a salary supplement to lobster fishermen during the fishing ban.

The number of people registered as fishers exceeds one million. Some estimates place the total number of employees in the value chain of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture at more than 3.5 million. Twenty percent of those employed in fisheries work in inland fisheries, while seventy-five percent work in marine fisheries..

Section 1 of the Brazilian Fisheries Law defines artisanal fishing as follows:

·       artisanal: when practiced directly by a professional fisherfolk, autonomously or under a family economy, with its own means of production or by partnership contract, landed, and may use small vessels.

The production of artisanal lobster fisheries is aimed at both local restaurants and the international market, particularly the United States of America. Some high-value species, such as red snapper, are also sold frozen in urban areas of the country and directed to international markets.

Tags: #Brazil #small-scale #fisheries #international #trade #markets

To prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) and/or misrepresented fishery products from entering the US market, the United States government proposed in June to expand the fish species covered by the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP), which has been in force since 2018.

SIMP currently mandates a reporting and record-keeping system for 13 fish species, including Abalone, Atlantic cod, Blue crab (Atlantic), Dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi), Grouper, King crab (red), Pacific cod, Red snapper, Sea cucumber, Sharks, Shrimp, Swordfish, and Tuna (Albacore, Bigeye, Skipjack, Yellowfin, Bluefin), that enter the U.S. market, in an effort to reduce IUU fishing and fraud.

More information about SIMP is available here

Tags: #Seafood Import Monitoring Program #fish #species

In the global tuna trade, the United States of America is the leading importer of canned and processed tuna, which appears to have reached its saturation point. Despite the high prices, the United States of America is considered the second-largest import market for fresh and frozen tuna of higher value, after Japan, with growing demand in the catering and retail sectors. 

During the first half of 2022, total tuna imports reached 161 032 tonnes (+13.86 percent) and had a customs declared value of USD 1.18 billion (+32 percent) compared to the same period in 2021. During this review period, the proportion of canned and processed tuna in the market's total tuna imports decreased to 73 percent from 75 percent in 2019 (pre-Covid period).