Iceland lobster ban likely

ICELAND’S lobster fishermen are being forced to endure one their worst seasons for many years, according to the latest industry reports. And a complete fishing ban now seems likely. It is just over a month since Fisk Seafood announced it was closing a coldwater shrimp processing centre in the west of the country because of…

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Salmon farmers publish mortality data

SCOTLAND’S salmon farmers have published their monthly mortality figures on a farm-by-farm basis today for the first time in a move to improve transparency in the industry. The data, which covers 100 per cent of Scottish salmon farms, shows that for the first four months of this year, survival rates on farms ranged between 98.5…

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Prize supplier up for three awards

INVERNESS based Gael Force Group has been shortlisted for three prizes at the annual Highland Business Awards. The leading aquaculture supplier has been recognised in the Outstanding Performing Business for 25+ employees and Inverness and Ross-shire Business of the Year categories. And Gael Force’s group managing director and founder, Stewart Graham, is up for the…

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Lumpfish farmer plans £1m expansion

ANGLESEY based lumpfish producer Ocean Matters is planning to expand after securing £1 million finance from the Development Bank of Wales and HSBC, Wales Online reported yesterday. The farmer, located in Penmon, said it would be able to double its current lumpfish production capacity from two million to four million in an effort to meet…

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NFFO throws weight behind Skipper show

THE National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) is sponsoring Skipper Expo Int. Bristol 2018, underlining its importance as a fisheries showcase in England and Wales. The NFFO will also have a stand at the expo, where it will be highlighting the range of the work it does on behalf of its members. Federation chief executive…

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Ireland to spend €23m on port upgrade

THE Irish government is investing more than €23 million to upgrade one if its main fishing ports in the south west of the country. Michael Creed, the minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, has signed a contract which will see a 216m-long quayside development and new port buildings on Dinish Island, Castletownbere, in County…

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New fisheries minister pledges growth

NORWAY’S new fisheries minister has described Per Sandberg as one of the best ministers the seafood industry and the country has ever had. Harald Tom Nesvik was speaking at the handover ceremony, which took place during a lightning storm shortly after Sandberg resigned following his controversial visit to Iran last month with Bahareh Letnes, a…

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Oslo names new fisheries minister

HARALD Tom Nesvik, who has written extensively about the seafood industry, was named as Norway’s new fisheries minister today. He replaces Per Sandberg who resigned following intense political pressure since taking a holiday in Iran last month with his new Iranian girlfriend. Sandberg has been under fire for the past two weeks, not as a…

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Canada farmers welcome new minister

THE Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) has told the country’s new fisheries minister that it is ready for dramatic expansion. The alliance welcomed Jonathan Wilkinson to the post after the previous minister, Dominic LeBlanc, was moved to a new job as Intergovernmental Minister of Northern Affairs and Internal Trade in a cabinet reshuffle. The CAIA…

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Three-way bid for Young's Seafood

THREE businesses are bidding to buy Young’s Seafood, including one of its former owners, weekend reports have suggested. The Sunday Telegraph said yesterday that the £200 million sale of Britain’s largest frozen and chilled seafood company was nearing completion. The current private equity owners, led by Lion Capital, announced in April that they were putting…

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