China has been fishing squid in overseas regions for a long time, especially outside of South America and catches increased in 2023. Chinese overseas squid production is estimated to reach 757 000 tonnes in 2023. At the same time, China’s squid imports increased to 350 000 tonnes during the first nine months of 2023, up from 334 000 tonnes during the same period in 2022. But exports of squid from China are expected to fall by 10 percent to about 500 000 tonnes in 2023.

However domestic consumption of squid is not increasing. On the contrary, it is falling, and this is creating a problem for traders, who are left with a growing inventory. Thus, the outlook for the Chinese squid market is rather bleak.

A French food and beverage company has introduced crispy seaweed sticks made from locally grown French seaweed. The sticks contain a blend of locally grown seaweed and macroalgae coated with a layer of breadcrumbs. At first sight, they look more or less like the well-known fish sticks.  

It is not only in France that seaweed is coming into focus, though. In Australia, the Australian Sustainable Seaweed Alliance has been established to serve as the official trade group representing Australia’s commercial seaweed industry. The Alliance sees its mission as scaling up environmentally responsible commercial farming of seaweed to provide food, feed, and bioproducts.  

The lobster fishery in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 33 and 34 (off the southeastern and southwestern coasts of Nova Scotia) was expected to start on 27 November. But the weather forecast was very bad and the fishery was therefore expected to be delayed. The same happened in 2022, when the LFA 33 fishery was delayed by one day and in LFA 34 by six days. The catch is expected to be lower than in 2022. And 2022 was not a great year, as the catch rate was low. The combined catches of LFAs 33 and 34 were the lowest since 2009. With 22 032 tonnes landed in 2022, the catch was down by 28 percent compared to 2021. 

This is not the only concern that the lobster industry in the area is facing, though. International demand for lobster is expected to weaken because of global inflation, although some niche markets may not be all that much affected.  

As much as 80 percent of the catch landed in LFAs 33 and 34 is sold live, mostly to the export market. That means that about 20 percent is sold to processors in the region, and recent, one of the most important processors on the southeast coast of Nova Scotia closed down. This is clearly a problem for the fishers, who will now have to transport that part of the catch to other processors farther away. 

Of course, the rising costs of operation is also an overall threat to the industry, and it is proving hard to pass these costs on to the consumers. 

The Dungeness crab fishery in California was delayed for a second time this year because of the danger of humpback whales getting entangled in the gear. In addition, poor meat quality was reported in fishing areas 1 and 2.  

The northern zone was scheduled to open on 1 December, but tests showed poor meat quality, thus the fishery in zones 1 and 2 was delayed until 16 December.  

The Dungeness crab fishery in Oregon was also delayed. It was scheduled to open on 1 December but was delayed until at least 16 December because of low meat yield.  

10 Oct. 2023, The State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China released a white paper titled “The Belt and Road Initiative: A Key Pillar of the Global Community of Shared Future.” It introduces and concludes the achievements and the experiences on building a Silk Road Economic Belt and Road Initiative over the past 10 years. Besides, it expresses China’s best wish on building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China will continue to contribute to a global community of shared future with lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity, and a bright future for human development. The details and the original article are listed below:  

Contents 

Preamble 

I. Proposed by China but Belonging to the Whole World 

II. Paving the Way Towards Shared Development and Prosperity 

III. Promoting All-Round Connectivity in Multiple Fields 

IV. Injecting Positive Energy into World Peace and Development 

V. Pursuing Steady and Sustained Progress in High-Quality BRI Cooperation 

Conclusion 

Link (contents in both Chinese and English):  

www.scio.gov.cn/zfbps/zfbps_2279/202310/t20231010_773734.html 

As the world’s largest producer of aquatic products in the world, the development of China's fishery has attracted much attention. To realize the high-quality development of China’s distant-water fishery industry, the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China released a white paper titled “Development of China's Distant-Water Fisheries” on 24 Oct. 2023. It indicates that China adheres to the development concept of win-win cooperation, security, stability, green and sustainable development, deepens foreign exchanges in distant-water fisheries, carries out mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation through multiple channels and forms, adheres to the path of high-quality development of distant-water fisheries, and strives to make positive contributions to the development of distant-water fisheries and the supply of aquatic products in the world. 

Moreover, the white paper emphasizes the introduction and plans on China’s distant-water fishery development; this includes seven detailed parts, to comprehensively and systematically introduce the development concept, principles, positions, policy propositions and implementation results of China's distant-water fishery. In terms of international fisheries cooperation, the white paper states that China will continue to participate in multilateral fisheries governance and regional fisheries management under the framework of the United Nations in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other relevant international laws, actively exercise the right to exploit and utilize fishery resources on the high seas, and fully fulfill its obligations to conservation and management of relevant resources. 

The details and the link to the original article are listed below: 

Contents 

Preamble 

I. High-Quality Development of China’s DWF Sector 

II. Coordinating Resource Conservation and Sustainable Use 

III. Fulfilling the Flag State Duties in All Respects 

IV. Strictly Regulating the DWF Sector 

V. Reinforcing Scientific and Technological Support for the DWF Sector 

VI. Ensuring Safety in the DWF Sector 

VII. Increasing International Cooperation on Fisheries 

Conclusion 

Link (Contents in both Chinese and English):  

www.scio.gov.cn/zfbps/zfbps_2279/202310/t20231024_775875.html 

Imports of caviar by main importing countries (million USD) 

Trade in caviar reached a new record of USD 168.4 in 2022. The main importing country continues to be the United States of America, increasing imports to USD 39 million, about 10 percent higher than in 2021 and about double the 2020 figure. Japan is now the third major importer of caviar products increasing its imports to USD 14.7 million. European countries in general reported lower caviar imports, due to lower demand in view of high inflation rates. French caviar imports shrunk from USD 19.6 million to USD 18.9 million. Germany and Switzerland, too, reported lower caviar imports in 2022.  

Imports of caviar by main exporting countries (million USD)  

China continues to be the main exporting country of caviar, at a value of USD 77 million in 2022, 20 percent more than in 2021. Overall, it is an interesting development, considering that some ten years earlier the production and exports of caviar from this country were a low of USD 12 million. Italy is the second most important exporter of caviar with about USD 26 million. Apart from China all major exporting countries are European. It is interesting to note that the Russian Federation and Iran are not in this list of major exporting countries, despite being the producers of high value caviar products.  

Inflation and soaring costs of living in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is affecting sales of seafood. Norwegian exports of seafood to the UK market were down by 11 percent during the first eleven months of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Norway is a big supplier of whitefish to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) is now taking steps to encourage consumption of whitefish by launching a campaign to spur home consumption of sustainable, yet affordable food options such as Norwegian cod and haddock.

NSC believes that home consumption is hindered by lack of confidence in handling and preparing seafood, and will therefore provide the consumers with numerous recipes for preparing white fish, including cod with red peppers, baked cod and cherry tomatoes, and fish & chips with a pea puree. The campaigns will run from October through November and will include a massive TV advertising programme that one hopes to reach some 30 million UK consumers.  

The US state of Alaska re-opened the Bristol Bay red king crab fishery on 15 October, after having had a closed fishery since 2021. The red king crab stock has been declining for several years, which is the reason why the fishery was closed, but pressure on the authorities has been mounting, and they have finally given in. However, the quota is relatively low: just 2.6 million pounds (1 180 tonnes), down from the 3.8 million pounds (1 724 tonnes) quota in 2019. The fishery will be open from 15 October until 15 January 2024. 

Alaska crabbers are excited about the re-opening, even though the quota is rather limited.  

However, the Bering Sea snow crab fishery will remain closed for a second year in a row. There has been a dramatic reduction in the snow crab stocks in the Bering Sea. Between 2018 and 2022, as many as 10 billion individuals have vanished, according to researchers. Scientists have speculated that a marine “heat wave” may have killed many of them.  

The ban on trade with the Russian Federation, which was imposed by the West as a measure against the Russians after the attack on Ukraine, is taking its toll for European processors. They are just not getting enough raw material. Consequently, the EU Fish Processors and Traders Association and the European Federation of National Organizations of Importers and Exporters of Fish (AIPCE-CEP) has asked the European Commission for a “transition period of one year to enable the value chain to adjust to the significant market impact and its consequences”, in other words, to be able to import Russian raw material for their processing industry for another year under the autonomous tariff quota (ATQ) programme. This will enable the processors to get Russian fish, which under this scheme would be exempt from sanctions.  

Atlantic cod is popular in China, and Norwegian exports of this product has been picking up after a slow period. During the month of September, and into October, Norwegian shipments of cod increased weekly, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC). However, export prices slipped.  

Norwegian exports of frozen cod to China started to grow steeply in October. In week 40 (2 – 8 October), a total of 1 123 tonnes were shipped. This constituted 58 percent of all Norwegian whole frozen cod exports, and China overtook the European Union as the largest market for whole frozen cod.  

The United States of America imported more Canadian snow crab during the first eight months of 2023 than during any time before. US imports of snow crab amounted to 55 531 tonnes worth USD 712.7 million during the first eight months of 2023, an increase of 46 percent by volume and 24 percent by value. Thus, Canada accounted for 91 percent (50 615 tonnes) of total US snow crab imports during this period. However, in spite of the increase in availability, prices held their own.  

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in October reported good production of deepskin pollock and surimi as the season was winding down. As of the end of September, production of surimi was up by 17.3 percent from 161 297 tonnes last year to 189 136 tonnes in 2023. However, this increase will not push prices up, rather the opposite.  

Production of pin bone-out (PBO) deepskin pollock went up from 88 368 tonnes in 2022 to 91 546 tonnes in 2023. Demand for deepskin pollock products is good, and it is expected that a larger part of the catch will go for this product form this year. While normally, PBO deepskin products account for about 30 percent of the pollock catch, this year it is expected that this share may reach 40 percent.

During the month of July, Peru’s landings totalled 119 200 tonnes worth USD 47.9 million, which was an increase of almost 40 percent by volume and 28 percent by value compared to July 2022. The greatest increase was registered for frozen seafood, which amounted to 62 900 tonnes or 52.7 percent of total landings during the month. In particular, landings of squid were up significantly, by 23 percent from 30 000 tonnes in July 2022 to 36 800 tonnes in July 2023. Horse mackerel also showed a good increase to 16 900 tonnes. 

The Groundfish Forum held its annual meeting from October 17-19 in Athens, Greece, and published their predictions for next year’s production of groundfish.  

Pollock, which is the largest species in terms of volume, is predicted to grow by 3 percent next year, to 3.79 million tonnes. Most of the increase is expected to come from the Russian Federation, where a catch of over 2 million tonnes is forecast.  

For Atlantic cod, there will be a marked decline in catches, from an estimated 921 000 tonnes in 2023 to 791 000 tonnes in 2024. Haddock will also see a decline, from 280 000 tonnes in 2023 to 267 000 tonnes in 2024. Saithe, on the other hand, will increase from 368 000 tonnes in 2023 to 382 000 tonnes in 2024.  

For Pacific cod, it is expected that landings will decline modestly to 329 000 tonnes. Atlantic redfish will likely increase from 153 000 tonnes in 2023 to 172 000 tonnes in 2024.  

Total marine groundfish production in 2024 is estimated to be just short of  
 
7 million tonnes. This does not include blue whiting. Table 1 gives a summary of the numbers presented at the Groundfish Forum meeting. 

Table 1: Groundfish Forum catch  estimates  2021 – 2024  

Volume in 1 000 tonnes 

The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) convened in Vigo, Spain from 18 to 22 September 2023. The NAFO meeting discussed several important topics about the sustainable management of fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic; this area falls outside Canada's 200-mile exclusive economic zone, specifically excluding the fisheries on tuna and tuna-like species. Considering the current situation of stocks of each species and foreseeable consumption levels, measures regarding control and enforcement in the health of the fisheries industry were made during this meeting. The stocks of certain species in the area, including Greenland halibut, cod, and redfish, were reported to remain relatively stable and show a positive trend under the current scientific management system.   

However, it appears that shrimp stocks have not yet reached the levels for reopening the shrimp fisheries to ensure the continued health of the stock. Additionally, an agreement was reached during the meeting to extend the closure periods for bottom fishing in vulnerable marine ecosystems areas in the North Flemish Cap, Northwest Flemish Cap and Eastern Flemish Cap until 31 December 2026.