Archive for December 2020
China tightens regime for seafood imports, again
Tougher new Covid-related health regulations have been announced for seafood companies exporting to China. The Chinese authorities have said that much tougher requirements are justified in response to the way the pandemic is spreading in certain parts of the world. They add that all seafood exporting countries must comply. Businesses can continue to use existing…
Read MoreVancouver Island mayors protest salmon shutdown
Local government leaders and representatives of the salmon farming industry have written an open letter to Canada’s Fisheries Minister to protest her decision to phase out 19 salmon farms in British Columbia. The decision to phase out all open-net fish farming in the Discovery islands region over the next 18 months was announced by Bernadette…
Read MoreCermaq commissions new wellboat
Salmon giant Cermaq Norway has entered into a deal to build a new advanced technology wellboat with a larger than usual capacity of 6,000 cubic metres. The charter agreement with Norsk Fisketransport AS (NFT) is for five years, but there is an option for up to a further four years in two year stages. NFT’s…
Read MoreSSPO calls for measures to ease Channel gridlock
Perishable seafood should be fast-tracked to deal with congestion at the Channel ports, according to the Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation. The SSPO is calling for Operation Brock, the emergency measures drawn up to deal with hold-ups after the end of the Brexit transition period, to be fully implemented ahead of 1 January. Cross-Channel traffic is…
Read MoreMixed reaction for Brexit trade deal
Relief at one end of the UK seafood and fishing spectrum – with dismay and accusations of a sell-out at the other. That is the contrasting reaction to the news on Christmas Eve that Britain had finally reached a trade deal with the EU. The announcement was broadly welcomed (with reservations) by the Scottish Salmon…
Read MoreCall for Covid tests for drivers in Scotland
Seafood industry leaders and the Scottish Government have called for rapid Covid-19 testing for lorry drivers in Scotland to help clear the backlog at the Channel ports. On Wednesday it was announced that French ports would be opened again to hauliers entering the UK, but it is estimated that clearing the queues of lorries that…
Read MoreSalmon farmers call for priority as ports reopen
Scotland’s salmon farmers have today called for time-critical perishable seafood products to be given priority access to the reopened Channel crossings. They have also raised the question of compensation for losses arising from the closure. Yesterday the UK and France agreed a protocol to partially lift the travel ban, which was imposed in response to…
Read MoreScottish Government orders weekly sea lice reporting
Mandatory reporting of sea lice numbers has moved to a weekly basis for Scottish fish farmers. An Order was laid in the Scottish Parliament introducing what the Scottish Government call a “step change” in sea lice reporting. It requires average weekly female sea lice numbers per fish to be reported one week in arrears, in…
Read MoreSeafood Council says Biden will bring ‘predictability’
The change of president in the United States is likely to make little difference for seafood exporters, Anne-Kristine Øen, the Norwegian Seafood Council’s US envoy has reported. Joe Biden takes over from Donald Trump next month but Øen doesn’t think it will be of great significance as far as the seafood sector is concerned. “Predictability…
Read MoreScottish Sea Farms offers lifeline grant for charities
Community groups and good causes facing uncertainty or hardship because of the coronavirus are to share in a Christmas gift of £18,280 from Scottish Sea Farms. This brings the total donated by the salmon farmer to £1.3m since 2011. In total, 43 local causes across the company\’s farming regions of mainland Scotland, Orkney and the…
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