By SeafoodSource staff
26 April, 2013 - Increased supermarket sales of hake in Spain is seen in Eroski's decision to offer fresh hake bearing the Marine Stewardship Council eco-label this year, in addition to MSC-labeled hake in its refrigerated section and MSC-certified hake under the Findus brand in freezer sections.
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By Jason Holland, SeafoodSource contributing editor reporting from London
12 April, 2013 - Poor market prices, particularly of Atlantic cod and haddock, are resulting in UK fishermen, producer organizations, processors, government, retailers and foodservice companies working together to stimulate demand for local fish.
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By Jason Holland, SeafoodSource contributing editor reporting from London
01 March, 2013 - The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors says the economic crisis in Europe has been a big contributor to the decline in exports and record cod supply last year exacerbated problems.
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By SeafoodSource staff
11 February, 2013 - While the frozen pollock market remains steady following the opening of the fishing season in Alaska, prices for fresh East Coast pollock are up drastically as catches are well below what was expected, forcing some restaurants to accept cod alternatives.
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By Chris Loew, SeafoodSource contributing editor, reporting from Osaka, Japan
26 November, 2012 - While the fish are being reported as fatty, but smaller than last year, record landings are forcing prices down in Japan but also indicating the country may resume its role as a major exporter after last year's tsunami.
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By Jason Holland, SeafoodSource contributing editor reporting from London
31 August, 2012 - The financial market crisis paired with challenging biological problems has forced most cod aquaculture ventures out of business, with production dropping nearly 5,000 metric tons in one year.
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By SeafoodSource staff
10 August, 2012 - Argentina's squid landings continue a three-year plummet with politics and labor discord adding chaos but not impacting prices.
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By SeafoodSource staff
15 June, 2012 - Brazil presents a tremendous potential in aquaculture, with more than 5 million hectares of dammed freshwater and a long coastline, and production of a variety of products has been increasing steadily over recent years. Tilapia has especially shown remarkable growth, with the country increasing production by some 40 percent from 2008 to 2010.
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By SeafoodSource staff
08 June, 2012 - Despite higher prices due to rising costs and some tightness in supply, fresh tilapia fillets remain a relative bargain in the seafood case in the U.S. market, even though prices are up by one-third over the past few years.
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By Jason Holland, SeafoodSource contributing editor reporting from London
25 May, 2012 - An unprecedented abundance of North East Arctic cod bodes well for
producers, particularly as demand is expected to remain strong in main
northern European markets like the United Kingdom, France and Germany. In 2011, the total global catch of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) was just over 1 million metric tons, of which 703,000 metric tons was projected to be North East Arctic cod, caught in the Barents Sea.
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By SeafoodSource staff
11 May, 2012 - Landings of both southern hake (merluza austral) and Chilean hake (merluza común) have gradually fallen over the years, as the authorities impose stricter harvest quotas on the industrial sector in an attempt to preserve and improve stocks.
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By Chris Loew, SeafoodSource contributing editor, reporting from Osaka, Japan
30 April, 2012 - About 9,000 metric tons, three-quarters of the U.S. black cod catch, is exported, with 80 percent of that going to Japan. Other Asian markets have been growing gradually, and American fine-dining restaurants have been substituting sablefish for Chilean sea bass, which gets a bad rap from conservation organizations.
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By Jason Holland, SeafoodSource contributing editor reporting from London
13 April, 2012 - There are fears in the highly valuable North East Atlantic mackerel industry that prices will fall in 2012 as a result of a third consecutive year without an international agreement in place on coastal states’ catch shares. The last chance to broker a deal ahead of the coming season failed in February with the Faroe Islands and Iceland once again unable to reach an agreement with Norway and the EU on the size of their respective quotas.
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By Jason Holland, SeafoodSource contributing editor reporting from London
03 February, 2012 - Coming into 2012, Vietnam’s pangasius industry, which struggled to meet market demand throughout much of last year, continued to be undermined by the floods that in September washed away many farming operations in the Mekong Delta. The country’s two largest production areas — the An Giang and Dong Thap provinces — were the most affected by the floods.
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By SeafoodSource staff
13 January, 2012 - In Japan, monkfish (anko) is a winter hotpot dish. Hotpot (nabe) sets are sold in supermarkets from the onset of winter and consist of tail, some liver and skin, and the muscular base of the pectoral fins. So who’s stepping up to quench Japan’s appetite for the fish?
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
16 December, 2011 - Domestic red grouper could be a nice holiday limited-time offering as the U.S. supply got a shot in the arm in the form of a quota increase for the last two months of the year. Consider it a Christmas gift from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
11 November, 2011 - The global whitefish supply should get a boost in 2012 thanks to increased quotas for several key fisheries, including pollock on both ends of the Bering Sea, Barents Sea cod and New Zealand hoki.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
07 October, 2011 - The U.S. East Coast haddock supply was supposed to be much more plentiful than it was during the summer. An increase in the biomass led to higher quotas and the promise of more fish at New England ports, but that just hasn’t been the case.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
05 August, 2011 - The New Zealand hoki fishery is slowly climbing back to prominence. The population has largely recovered, and managers felt confident enough in late June to suggest that the quota for the 2011-12 fishing season will increase from the current level of 120,000 metric tons.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
01 July, 2011 - Individual fishing quotas (IFQs) for the Gulf of Mexico American red snapper fishery have helped the resource recover to relative abundance, according to the region’s fishermen and seafood dealers. But the system’s flaws are glaring, some argue.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
03 June, 2011 - When New England’s long-awaited spring thaw set in, Northeast buyers began wondering where all the haddock was. Fish from the reportedly plentiful Northern Atlantic stocks just weren’t showing up on the regional display auctions and what was available was pricey, soft and on the small side. But once the calendar flipped to May and a new fishing season began, the Northeast groundfish supply situation flipped a switch.
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By Steven Hedlund, SeafoodSource editor
13 May, 2011 - Prized in Mediterranean cuisine and highly regarded by European chefs, sea bass and sea bream are coveted for their rich, sweet flavor. But production and price volatility has made these two species, sourced increasingly from Mediterranean fish farms, difficult for U.S. chefs to get a handle on over the past three years.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
29 April, 2011 - For many fresh Pacific halibut buyers, high prices for early-season offerings are no deterrent at all. The frenzy around fresh Alaska salmon, once that season begins, is the stuff of legend, but halibut is also a hot ticket, especially in cities like Seattle. Demand is a bit soft this year, however, despite adequate supply. The
Alaska halibut season kicked off 12 March and got off to a strong start
thanks to good weather, mostly in Bristol Bay and parts of Southeast
Alaska.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
25 March, 2011 - Much of the domestic catfish industry’s attention is fixed on events in the nation’s capital and abroad. But what’s happening down South — or rather, not happening as much as in the past — is another pressing matter. Despite a modest 1 percent increase in catfish processing by volume last year, to a total of 471.6 million pounds, processing output quickly fell in January 12 percent, to 35.1 million pounds, compared to the opening month of 2010.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
11 March, 2011 - U.S. East Coast flatfish populations have improved recently thanks partly to decreased fishing pressure, a result of catch shares implemented last spring. In fact, stocks of summer flounder, or fluke, have rebounded so well that the Monterey Bay Aquarium updated the species to good alternative on its Seafood Watch buying guide in January.
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By Steven Hedlund, SeafoodSource editor
14 February, 2011 - Reduced supplies and increased demand out of China are expected to lead to a tighter market for Alaska flatfish this year.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
17 January, 2011 - With a lot more Alaska pollock to fill trawlers’ nets this winter, Pacific Northwest whitefish suppliers are focused on bolstering demand both in the United States and abroad after a few years of getting by with less.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
20 December, 2010 - Halibut prices are high and stand to climb even higher in 2011 as the Pacific fishery faces severe quota cuts, tightening up an already limited supply.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
25 October, 2010 - Frozen cod importers worldwide got some welcome news in mid-October when Norwegian and Russian fishermen were given the green light to catch more cod, haddock and capelin in 2011.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
13 September, 2010 - The sablefish, or black cod, supply tightens a bit each year due to quota reductions. But buyers shouldn't worry about the health of stocks in the North Pacific, which are considered sustainably harvested and well managed. Alaska's sablefish fishery earned Marine Stewardship Council certification four years ago. And in late July, British Columbia's much-smaller sablefish fishery followed suit.
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By John Snyder, SeafoodSource contributing editor
14 June, 2010 - New fishing regulations in the Gulf of Mexico have dramatically reduced the Florida grouper harvest, driving up prices for all grouper species. The new rules, which went into effect in January, replaced a system of closures with catch shares.
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By John Snyder, SeafoodSource contributing editor
01 February, 2010 - Fresh haddock buyers in the Northeast United States have been enjoying a fairly stable supply of fish this winter thanks to good weather and an unusually high concentration of schools, especially on Georges Bank. However, prices are primed to increase as winter storms develop, fishermen run out of fishing days and reduced Canadian quotas limit supplies.
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By Christine Blank, SeafoodSource contributing editor
07 December, 2009 - Despite production difficulties over the past two seasons due to government regulations and reduced water flows from the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, Idaho rainbow trout farmers expect increased supply this season. Demand, however, is still up in the air.
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By Chris Loew, SeafoodSource contributing editor, reporting from Osaka, Japan
02 November, 2009 - Prices of U.S. Alaska pollock surimi exported to Japan declined JPY 10 to 20 per kilogram from July to August. But buyers may find prices leveling off and supplies tightening — demand for higher-grade surimi is set to increase as Japanese producers line up supplies for the New Year's holiday, when a lot of fishcakes are consumed.
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By Christine Blank, SeafoodSource contributing editor
28 September, 2009 - The closure of the commercial grouper fishery in the South Atlantic this spring and a change in the grouper fishery management system in the Gulf of Mexico is likely to boost prices and imports of the species in the United States.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
14 September, 2009 - At this point in the year, mahimahi suppliers are working off their inventories after the domestic catch has wound down and ahead of the winter haul in Central and South America. Although supplies are almost entirely frozen, demand remains steady.
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By Steven Hedlund, SeafoodSource editor
03 September, 2009 - Overfishing has hurt eastern Africa’s Nile, or Lake Victoria, perch resource over the past 10 years. But an ailing global economy, coupled with increased competition from cheaper whitefish species such as tilapia and pangasius, are keeping Nile perch prices in check, despite reduced availability.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
10 August, 2009 - U.S. fishery officials, fearing red snapper stocks are at risk of depletion, may ban harvesting for the species for six months or more, beginning as early as October. It's a move that's not going over well with the fishing and seafood communities from Florida to the Carolinas.
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By Steven Hedlund, SeafoodSource editor
17 July, 2009 - It's been a volatile year for Vietnam's burgeoning pangasius industry. Last year, it was marked by oversupply. This year, there's a supply shortfall. However, prices, which increased in the first half of 2009, are stabilizing - for now.
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By Mercedes Grandin, SeafoodSource contributing editor
27 April, 2009 - Following a post-Easter lull, demand for Arctic char and other grill-friendly fish is expected to strengthen as summer nears. There's always a supply hiccup around Easter when European production shuts down for a few days in observation of the holiday.
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By April Forristall, SeafoodSource assistant editor
12 February, 2009 - Due to falling exports, the sablefish total allowable catch has been declining steadily since 2004.
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By Steven Hedlund, SeafoodSource editor
12 February, 2009 - China's tilapia production fell due to environmental setbacks in 2008, but is expected to recover and help boost global tilapia production in 2009.
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By Steven Hedlund, SeafoodSource editor
13 March, 2009 - A 42 percent cut in the U.S. Pacific whiting quota was recommended this week to protect the species' ailing spawning biomass. If approved, the cut is expected to reverberate across the global groundfish market, as buyers worldwide scramble to meet their needs in the midst of the hectic Lenten season.
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By SeafoodSource staff
20 April, 2009 - Alaska's Bering Sea pollock fleet caught a record 120,000-plus salmon in 2007. However, there was a sharp decline in bycatch numbers in 2008, to 18,000 fish, and at the end of this year's A Season, they ranged from 10,000 to 11,000 salmon.
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By Mercedes Grandin, SeafoodSource contributing editor
18 September, 2009 - A steady decrease in the Pacific halibut quota has translated into a gradual increase in prices over the past few years. But it’s a new game this year, due to the weak economic climate. Demand isn’t as strong as it was last year, and buyers are paying less for the fish as a result.
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By April Forristall, SeafoodSource assistant editor
25 November, 2009 - Last year, despite strong demand, the global economic downturn forced buyers to curb their Pacific whiting purchases, leaving suppliers with inventory surpluses. However, this year the opposite is taking affect, because the West Coast’s 2009 whiting quota was cut nearly in half.
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By SeafoodSource staff
03 March, 2010 - The general sentiment in the Pacific Northwest halibut industry is relief. This year’s quota is 3.4 million pounds less than 2009’s 54-million-pound quota but isn’t as low as was proposed by International Pacific Halibut Commission scientists in December. Still, a 6.3 percent reduction in halibut landings will have a moderate to significant impact on fresh halibut supplies and prices, which more than likely will rise.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
17 May, 2010 - Spring and summer tend to be particularly challenging times to source fresh Atlantic cod. One reason: The flaky white flesh tends to soften as the fish spawns at this time of year. Availability got especially spotty starting 1 May, when East Coast fishermen adhered to a new catch-share fishery-management scheme and faced a mandatory 20-day block in which boats must remain tied to port.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
09 August, 2010 - Higher quotas for Atlantic pollock, spiny dogfish and skate will mean more cod, haddock and flounder available this year, according to one U.S. East Coast distributor. A notable softening in prices, however, is not expected, as demand for groundfish has been strong this summer.
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By James Wright, SeaFood Business senior editor
06 December, 2010 - The U.S. whitefish market tends to stutter a bit as winter approaches, with rougher weather stunting supply and holiday feasts shifting demand. This year is no different, but there are also other factors in the scarcity of fish these days.
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By SeafoodSource staff
20 January, 2012 - A lack of supply that pushed pangasius prices higher in the U.S. market by 10 percent or more in 2011 is expected to extend into 2012, with some importers saying they expect the first quarter to first half of the year to remain tight. There’s also talk that Vietnamese farmers could turn from pangasius to tilapia.
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By SeafoodSource staff
24 February, 2012 - Alaska pollock has made its mark as the most affordable whitefish on the market, but is not known as a high-quality fish, which is probably why it so often winds up as breaded and battered fish sticks and fish sandwiches or processed into surimi seafood. For those buyers looking for a higher-quality pollock, it can be a difficult search.
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By Chris Dove, SeafoodSource contributing editor, reporting from Malaga, Spain
21 September, 2012 - Claiming to produce the best quality meat along what Spaniards refer to as “the bonito coast,” the Bay of Biscay on the northern Cantabrian Coast is abundant with albacore tuna stocks — a mainstay of household diets during its June-to-October high season.
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By Chris Dove, SeafoodSource contributing editor, reporting from Malaga, Spain
19 October, 2012 - One of the most sought-after flatfish, the price of sole remains fairly steady year-round and to safeguard stocks from mislabeling, the European Commission recently passed a regulation prohibiting Spanish vessels from common sole fishing in two FAO zones.
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By Jason Holland, SeafoodSource contributing editor reporting from London
02 November, 2012 - Supplies are thin and poor recruitment within the stock isn't expected to improve for the next few years but the long-term outlook is more positive with an increase in the quota expected after the 2014 season.
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By SeafoodSource staff
11 January, 2013 - Big cuts to quotas for New England groundfish in 2013 are forcing buyers to look elsewhere for fish, while supply chain disruptions caused by Superstorm Sandy have led to crazy price fluctuations.
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By Chris Loew, SeafoodSource contributing editor, reporting from Osaka, Japan
25 January, 2013 - Those in the know are willing to pay high prices for the winter delicacy, but lower-priced supply from China is taking market share from the Philippines and other exporting countries.
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By Chris Dove, SeafoodSource contributing editor, reporting from Malaga, Spain
01 February, 2013 - The sea bass farming communities of Greece and Turkey experienced growth in 2012, and industry leaders in both countries have plans for increasing volume. Still, when trying to determine which country's industry leads the pack, both nations remain neck and neck.
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